Flowers and Foliage July 2008

[David Nicholson]

Best wishes from me too Maggi, keep your chin up!

[ruweiss]

Maggi,a bit late from Germany,but take my best wishes for a
quick recovery and greetings to Ian.
Rudi

[ChrisB]

Wow, had to look that illness up on google, Maggie.  Hope you are improving by now, best wishes..... Christine

[ChrisB]

David Nicholson sent me seed of Lewisia cotyledon hybrids about a year ago.  I sowed half in the autumn, the rest in the spring under his tutilage and I swear they all germinated.  Many are now awaiting the N Northumberland AGM and grant plant sale and I'm sure some will be in bloom by the time it happens.  This one was the first of the bunch to bloom for me.  Many thanks David, I doubt I would ever have tried growing them without that kindness from you.

[Lesley Cox]

Paul, the Gaulnettya is actually x Gaulnettya x wisleyensis a bigeneric hybrid, (Gaultheria x Pernettya) and probably raised at Wisley but as they're all gaultherias now anyway, it is probably just a gaultheria hybrid. Can't remember which two species were involved but someone will know. The fruit are black and edible. There are various selected forms, given cultivar names. 'Wisley Pearl' is one and 'Pink Pixie' another. Sometimes it's listed as x Gaulthettya.

[Paul T]

Thanks Lesley.  So only relatively recent a plant?  Likely to be in Aus you think?

Get well too from me Maggi.!!

[rob krejzl]

Paul,

Don't know if the Gaulnettya is in Aus, but down here in Tassie we do have a black-fruited Gaultheria species brought back by Ken from SA.

[Paul T]

Interesting Rob.  What does the plant actually look like?  I've only ever come across Gaultheria procumbens to be honest, so only know the genus as a groundcover.    It's related to Arbutus (Irish Strawberry Tree) I assume?

[rob krejzl]

A rather open shrub (to 1m), with white flowers and leaves a little smaller than Shelagh's plant

[Paul T]

Sounds nice Rob.

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Lesley.  So only relatively recent a plant?  Likely to be in Aus you think?

Not at all recent Paul, I lost mine perhaps 30 years ago during a garden shift. Ken had quite a lot of different species when I was there last year. Some were black fruited, some red, some pinkish. Then there are white fruited and blue and purple fruited species as well. All worth trying.

[Paul T]

I like the idea of the purple fruit.  Keep meaning to get a Calliocarpa for that reason.... just love purple.  OK, so I can be shallow when it comes to plants. 

[Lesley Cox]

For 40 years I've been intending to plant an alpine lawn made up of berrying plants, instead of the more usual thymes. There are so many prostrate fruiting plants and I always thought it would be an amazing sight in autumn. Gaultheria/Pernettya, Myrsine, Mitchella, Cornus canadensis, Coprosma, Nertera.......One day.......

[Otto Fauser]

Dear Maggi,
 all my very best wishes for a quick recovery,
      love,
            otto.

[Maggi Young]

Dear Friends, many heartfelt thanks for your good wishes I am trying a short spell at the computer to catch up with all your lovely virtual bunches of flowers and kind thoughts, as well, of course, as all the wonderful plants in  your gardens.....at the moment though, they are all still too much on the psychedelic side of virtual, since the spinning is still severe  An improvement is certainly happening though, I am delighted to say. 

Otto, you are more in need of good wishes than I  .... I wish most sincerely that your back would be magically better in the twinkling of an eye