Excellent New Resource: A Midland Alpine Gardener's Diary

[angie]

 

Angie

[Peter Maguire]

I think I've just been complemented, but I'm away from home at present and haven't seen the photo in question, however knowing how Cliff lurks in dark corners with his camera and never seems to catch my good side....

[fermi de Sousa]

Is this Cliff's good side? 


cheers
fermi

[ranunculus]

Is this Cliff's good side? 
(Attachment Link)

cheers
fermi

I was probably praying at the shrine of the great Ranuculus god!!!   

[David Nicholson]

Were you there to help him up Fermie?

[annew]

Hmmm. He seems to have progressed from the Tumpod.

[ranunculus]

Hmmm. He seems to have progressed from the Tumpod.

It's still there as ballast Anne ... forcing me to my knees!   

[annew]

Excellent bit of scientific reasoning, Cliff. More stability if you lower the centre of gravity.(That could be your excuse anyway).

[Maggi Young]

Diane's latest  Midland Diary is online http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/diaries/Midland/+July+/369/

As many of you may know, Diane is closely involved ( understatement of the year!) with the AGS Seed Exchange and this diary shows the progress of her own seed harvest, in preparation for donation to the Seed Ex. 
Must say I was made  rather envious by her good paeony harvest.... many of mine did not even manage to flower this year, let alone set seed.
 Bloomin' weather! ( or NOT ,as the case may be!   )

[fermi de Sousa]

I used to be able to store seed in open cups like that - till we got our current lot of domestic pets! The little darlings are convinced that such things were only put there by us for them to empty out and chase across the floor!
Oh well, back to the envelopes
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

A wonderful edition of the diary because it shows so well what is said in many more words (and many people fail to read properly) in the seed exchange notes in the Journal and the Bulletin.

Re Crepis incana, Simon Bond of Thuya Alpine Nursery in Gloustershire DOES have fertile seed produced on his Crepis incana. I don't know of any other source but my own plants are from his seed and they too, produce fertile seed now. He does donate regularly to AGS and, sometimes at least, to NZAGS. It seems this is a similar case to that of Cosmos atrosanguineus. "No, it doesn't produce seed," we're told, but then a fertile clone is discovered and the seed production begins and is carried on through the seedlings. SB has listed Crepis incana seed for many years and so this is far from a new situation. If you want it and think to avoid the AGS listed seed because it won't be fertile, think again.

I would have put this note in the discussion place on the AGS Forum but yet again, I have forgotten my login details.

[Lesley Cox]

Ah, I see Tim Ingram has made a note about it. Certainly here it doesn't need a glasshouse. Mine is in the open garden and takes whatever the weather throws at it, through the year.

[Diane Clement]

Ah, I see Tim Ingram has made a note about it. Certainly here it doesn't need a glasshouse. Mine is in the open garden and takes whatever the weather throws at it, through the year.  

Don't know who suggested a glasshouse?  It's too big!  My plant's a metre high, and more than that wide, threatening to take over the crevice garden.  It must be very hardy as it has survive the last two hard winters with no protection.  
Very interesting about the viable seed issue - four separate people have now mentioned about Simon Bond's seed.  I wish I could remember where my plant came from, don't think it was Simon.  I'm sure mine has never produced viable seed so far, just a load of fluff  

[Lesley Cox]

The same can be said (load of fluff) for both Carduncellus rhaponticoides and C. pinnatus. They appear in the lists sometimes but has anyone ever had a plant from the seed sent? I've sown mine several times and had nothing at all. Have to do them from root cuttings.

[Diane Clement]

Since the clue as to where we went on summer holiday in the puzzle thread was not solved 
Famous watershed

(although I know that several forumists have been there, and it was partly due to reading their reports that we chose to go there)

... so I'll have to reveal the answer. To find out the where we went and what we saw, click here

Midland Diary No 46 - A week in the Engadine

no spoilers here as no pictures allowed at the moment.