Dionysia 2009

[Carlo]

and Ger's list JUST came in in the last day or two..........oh......oh......

edit by Maggi...... Yes, if anyone wants the list  email me!

[gervandenbeuken]

Helen, it's not too difficult here in the Netherlands to grow Dionysias. Just a matter of climate, some experience and taking cuttings as many as you can to keep the collection up to date.
Cuttings of D. afganica for example are difficult to take but quite easy to root. The problems often start after potting. The plants seem to die back very easy. Also at the moment of potting you have to be also quite lucky with the weather. (not too warm)
This is however not the reason that there are almost no Dionysias included in my list.
Last season I was not focused enough on this genus, which is actually a shame. I will do my best next spring!!
Ger

[Carlo]

Ger...great to have you on the list! How's Mariet (oh...and all the plants too...)?

[ruweiss]

What fascinating plants, I fell in love with them since more than 25 years ago when I saw
the first specimen in Michael Kammerlander's collection. In the meantime,many new species
got introduced and many splendid hybrids were raised.

[gervandenbeuken]

Mariet is fine Carlo. We hope you and Sharon are keeping well.
The alpines are still under cover but don't look too bad. I hope most of them will survive our rather hard winter.

[Ewelina Wajgert]

Ger,
What is on your avatar in the background?

Wonderful collection of plants.

[Lesley Cox]

Welcome back Ewelina, we haven't heard from you for quite a long time. I hope all is well with you.

Carlo, do you mean the Ger has a LIST? a seed list maybe?

If that's so, please Maggi?

[Ewelina Wajgert]

Welcome back Ewelina, we haven't heard from you for quite a long time. I hope all is well with you.

Hi Lesley,
Yes, all is well with me. I travel a little...
Last year I have made 10 trips (in Poland and foreign countries, short and longer), on Saturday I trip again for 2 weeks. Perhaps later I calm down for longer. Although I have still in Poland the places, that I would visit.

[maggiepie]

Helen, it's not too difficult here in the Netherlands to grow Dionysias. Just a matter of climate, some experience and taking cuttings as many as you can to keep the collection up to date.
Cuttings of D. afganica for example are difficult to take but quite easy to root. The problems often start after potting. The plants seem to die back very easy. Also at the moment of potting you have to be also quite lucky with the weather. (not too warm)
This is however not the reason that there are almost no Dionysias included in my list.
Last season I was not focused enough on this genus, which is actually a shame. I will do my best next spring!!
Ger

Ger, thank you for your advice on Dionysias, they are truly beautiful and I look forward to next Spring.

[gervandenbeuken]

I'm sorry Lesley, I do not have a seedlist. I have just only a plantlist. I admit however that just a few Dionysias are included.
If you have any interest, please let me know and I will send you my latest list.

Concerning your question Evelina, I would like to know what you mean with, "Your avatar in the background"
Ger

[Ewelina Wajgert]

Concerning your question Evelina, I would like to know what you mean with, "Your avatar in the background"
Ger

Where have you taken the photo, which you have as avatar? This landscape resemble me something.

[gervandenbeuken]

It was taken in 2007 near the Perito Moreno Glacier in S. Patagonia. (Argentina)

[Lesley Cox]

Thank you Ger. Two Forumists have already sent me your wonderful list and I'm about to lie on the floor and scream in desperation at all those incredible saxifrages which I can't have. We have almost none in NZ now - and those few mostly wrongly named, old vars - as we've had a succession of long, hot, dry summers and we don't garden in alpine houses here, just in the open, so we've lost most of what we had.

A great pleasure to see the list and dream......

[gervandenbeuken]

What is the problem Lesley with growing Saxes in N.Zealand.
Is it a matter of climate??

[Lesley Cox]

It's partly climate Ger, in that we have to grow them in full shade during the warmer part of the year (4 or 5 months or more). That can be done all right. The real problem is that we can no longer import new stock. The costs of importing are astronomical - many thousands of dollars for even a small consignment so that no-one could contemplate it. All plants coming in have a 12 month quarantine period and as well, must have generic and specific names attached, so that many modern saxes would be difficult to identify back that far.

In 1993, before the current horrific regulations were fully in place, I brought in about 60 hybrids new to NZ, some from the Czech Republic and the rest from the UK. When they arrived their treatment by MAF during the inspection process, was such that not a single one survived. I had a quarantine facility at that time and the full costs of quarantining were not put on the user. Now they are and it is all impossible.

Our only possible way to get new saxifrages would be to bring in some seed and make our own hybrids, a long term project for young growers, but there are not so many of those around I'm afraid. Most of our young gardeners, if interested in such projects, are so besotted by our native plants that saxifrages, dionysias, primulas or whatever, are way off their radar.