Flowers and foliage Dec 2008

[ian mcenery]

Although not much flowering here are a couple of plants braving the winter cold

The gentian is a piece I broke off the master plant in the summer and the stupid thing is flowering even in this sub zero weather. Just goes to show how tough these alpines are. I have also posted a piccy of the plant when flowering in the spring

Also a large plant of Mahonia Charity which is doing OK. Sometimes I don't even notice it but when I do it is a nice suprise at this time of the year

[David Nicholson]

Thanks for that Ian, you have inadvertently given me the cultivar name for my Mahonia (well I think you have) My Mahonia pre-dates us in this garden and we have been here 21 years. It certainly seems to have the 'leggy' growth form that Ian's tree displays. Will try to get a pic tomorrow, it's covered in blossom, and has been since early September and in some years has started to flower in July. I usually have pre-lunch trip down the garden on Christmas Day and almost every year the Mahonia has bumblebees feasting on the blossom.

[johnw]

Ian - Charity is just opening in southern Nova Scotia. It's amazing how much frost it can take, though little there to date this year.

johnw

[ian mcenery]

David Charity is a hybrid between japonica and lomarifolia with the improved foliage from the latter. There are other hybrids from this cross but I think Charity got the nod.

John it is a toughie though one of its parents Lomarifolia is not. In fact the way to propagate is from November cuttings. This plant was one taken about 30 years ago since then I have had to prune it quite brutally so that I can walk past it is now about 12 ft high

[David Nicholson]

Gorgeous day today, sun out, blue sky but coldish. Managed to get a few pics of my Mahonia. Like Ian's it tops 12 feet (3.65 meters) on quite leggy growth. It is in a very damp and dank part of the garden, never gets fed and because it is not easy to get at never gets pruned either. Having said that it comes into flower, sometimes as early as July, but always by September, and the bumblebees love it as do the blackbirds when it is in fruit.

[johnw]

John it is a toughie though one of its parents Lomarifolia is not. In fact the way to propagate is from November cuttings.

Ian  - I would say it is one of the most tender plants in our mild south that lives and flowers. It grows very slowly in a very sheltered open woodland.  It never fails to set flower buds and the opened top partially opened flowers have taken some very cold temperatures. That is a great surprise as G.S. Thomas says a sibling 'Underway' with more erect flowers can take more frost. 

We never quite know what to make of the term "frost" as used in the UK. Does GST mean extreme cold or frost as in "frost on the roof" as we use the word?

johnw

[ian mcenery]

John
Cold is not always or even rarely the real culprit here.  I think that the frosts in most winters are not too severe- can't remember when we last did -10 even. However prolonged periods of cold, dank and wet weather interspersed by occasional hard frosts over a period of 4 or more months is often too much for some plants. With a little protection from rain it is amazing what can be grown. For example providing I cover them up with a pane of glasss I can grow Pleione outside but if I open these to the wet weather they become mush

[Lesley Cox]

Does GST mean extreme cold or frost as in "frost on the roof" as we use the word?

johnw

 ???Here GST means goods and services tax (VAT UK). Oh, now I see what you mean.

[johnw]

Does GST mean extreme cold or frost as in "frost on the roof" as we use the word?

johnw

 ???Here GST means goods and services tax (VAT UK). Oh, now I see what you mean.

It does here as well but was implemented after we started calling him GST.  His book is known as the Bible. We have never implied he was VAT.

Our squirming prime minister will appear on TV tonight to try to stave off a coup by the new coalition.  Let the big head roll. (not being political, of course)

johnw

[Michael J Campbell]

The sun came out today so I got a chance to take a few pics

Narcissus romieuxii X Comoro 1
Narcissus Zaianicus x Cantabricus 2
Narcissus romieuxii hyb 3
Narcissus romieuxii hyb 4
Narcissus romieuxii Hyb 5
Narcissus romieuxii Hyb 6

For those of you who got some of my hyb Lewisias
this is what they should look like first week in December

[Paul T]

Michael,

Fantastic pictures.  And oh those Lewisias!!    Beautiful.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great Narcissus Michael !  Quite some variation there.... and the Lewisias look smashing ! (The ones that you kindly sent me are doing quite well, but outside, so no fat buds at the moment)

[Tony Willis]

the petrocosmea are in flower now although this cold weather has made the foliage very tatty.This is P. grandiflora

[mark smyth]

There is a huge Mahonia surrounded by Cotoneaster horizonatalis growing in a bed outside a small shopping centre in Antrim. The potential was fantastic but last week they were hard pruned by the Housing Executive

[David Nicholson]

Still a bit of colour in the garden today:-

Helleborus niger- bought for 50p at a garden centre sale late last Spring

Penstemon- don't have the name but grown from cuttings from a neighbour's garden. I have three different plants and all throw up flowering spikes well into January.

Salvia- unknown, another garden centre sale purchase early last Summer and hasn't stopped flowering since I planted it out.