Excellent New Resource: A Midland Alpine Gardener's Diary

[Diane Clement]

Diane's latest diary is online:

http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/diaries/Midland/+August+/299/
    ..all about "underground strategies"... is there any wonder the BD and Diane get on so well?  

Thanks, Maggi, you just beat me to it.  Of course, I learnt (and still learn) a lot from the BD!  I think it was the first time I heard him give a talk I realised it was OK to photograph all the underground bits (I'd been doing it a while but thought it wasn't something to admit in public)     

Just three pictures from the current blog

1. Dry land strategy
2. How to tell Arisaema ciliatum from A consanguineum
3. The garden is full of these  

[Maggi Young]

Diane, it is just this sort of photo that tells us so much about the plants and their life and needs, as you realise.... a million times more valuable than a pretty photo of the flowers and why these details are so fascinating to readers/ viewers.

[Diane Clement]

Before seed takes over all of my spare time, I've done a diary entry, click to view:

http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/diaries/Midland/+September+/304/

It's about propagating gesneriads, and a certain September storm  

a couple of spoilers

[fermi de Sousa]

There is a tradition held by some people to water their bulbs on 1st September but this tradition started considerably north of me, and I have found this to be a bit too early

How far North is Aberdeen?
A good indication about adapting cultivation to your own conditions.
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

There is a tradition held by some people to water their bulbs on 1st September but this tradition started considerably north of me, and I have found this to be a bit too early

How far North is Aberdeen?
A good indication about adapting cultivation to your own conditions.
cheers
fermi

Wolverhampton to Aberdeen = 314 miles or 505.23 Kilometers ......and though that doesn't sound very far, there is quite a difference in our local conditions.....as usual Diane is showing he "grower's sense" in adapting cultivation to her own situation. 

[Diane Clement]

Wolverhampton to Aberdeen = 314 miles or 505.23 Kilometers ......and though that doesn't sound very far, there is quite a difference in our local conditions.....as usual Diane is showing he "grower's sense" in adapting cultivation to her own situation.    

more on this later, but check your source Maggi, it must be over 400 miles

[Maggi Young]

I will do that Diane... it didn't SEEM far enough, if you know what I mean!!

 How about 425/ 680 ? 

[Diane Clement]

I will do that Diane... it didn't SEEM far enough, if you know what I mean!!

 How about 425/ 680 ?  

Sounds more like it.  We used to drive up to Aberdeen quite a lot and it was more than 300 from Preston where we used to stop off.

[angie]

Diane I found that really interesting about propagating gesneriads. I got a couple of Petrocosmea grandiflora from Maureen Wilson. I would hate to lose them so I will follow your instructions and hopefully will have some success.
Thanks

Angie

[Diane Clement]

Diane I found that really interesting about propagating gesneriads. I got a couple of Petrocosmea grandiflora from Maureen Wilson. I would hate to lose them so I will follow your instructions and hopefully will have some success.
Thanks
Angie    

Good luck with them, Angie, I think you'll find P grandiflora quite easy to propagate although it can take a good few weeks.  Some of the other species do not seem quite so amenable.  If they are they mature plants they'll be coming into flower fairly soon, mine are currently budding up nicely.  Also, bearing in mind that 400+ miles difference in latitude, I'd keep them frost free to be on the safe side     

[angie]

Thanks Diane for the advice. I am keeping them in my greenhouse. Hope mine flower.

Today I had a man from the Cactus Society take some of my succulents and cactus away. He was going to take my funny face plant away and I hurriedly said oh no not that one he is famous I have got to keep him forever. Told him where to look on Ytube if he wants to see the plant talking. He said he couldn't wait to see it.
Now I have more space in the greenhouse.
Thanks

Angie

[Maggi Young]

I have just made a post in the Seed Exchange area about Diane's latest Midland Diary...http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6215.new#new for the post and here for the diary:

http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/diaries/Midland/+November+/311/


Diane is a tireless worker for the AGS Seed Exchange and you can read something of the work of  a Seed Ex. here..... if you have ever benefitted from the fruits of the labours of any of the seed ex. folks from the various plant organistaions, I suggest you read the diary and take a moment to thank the workers for their efforts!

[Diane Clement]

We haven't had as much snow as our friends up in Scotland and in the north east of England, but we have had a little bit.  Out in the garden, I have protected a meconopsis from the worst of the weather.  And in the greenhouse there are a few brave flowers.  To see more, click here for my latest blog:

Midland Diary Number 35 - An early start to winter

[Maggi Young]

At last I've had a chance to enjoy Diane's latest  log...Diary Entry No 37 - A cold garden.

Most of us can sympathise with that title at the moment. 

The Petrocosmea deserves its little bit of heat to give you such flowers at this time.  I keep mine in the corner of a kitchen window which they seem to enjoy.

As for out of doors, seems we all have a lot to be thankful to Hamamelis for -certainly the most flower power at the moment.

[Roma]

Noticed again your protected Meconopsis in your December 1st, Diane when Maggi's comment brought me back to this page.  I wish I had covered mine. I have /?had a three year old self sown seedling of Meconopsis superba, a young plant I bought last year and a small Mec. napaulensis.  The outer leaves of the big plant look ok and I hope the centre is, as it looks as if it is going to flower this year, but there are a lot of dead leaves in between.