Flowering Now - May 2009

[annew]

Paddy, you are right about the Vicia and Phuopsis, or as we call the latter - Phew!-opsis...

[Lesley Cox]

Mmmmmm..... boysenberry ripple ice cream!!

Oh Yes!!

Some years ago when Inshriach Alpine Nursery was in its full glory - Jack Drake's day - Iris chrysographes 'Black Knight,' rubella and 'Inshriach Form' were listed regularly (seeds). 'Black Knight' had beautiful gold stitching on the falls, 'Inshriach Form' was a sold deep purple and rubella was a little shorter, and a deep red (boysenberry!!) colour. Now they all seem to be mixed forms of various colours and the form usually listed simply as "black" frequently has little or no gold stitching. All are lovely though, in my opinion.

Did Phew-opsis used to be called Crucianella? If so it's the plant which dismantled a rock wall in one of my gardens. Talk about thuggery! 

[WimB]

Wim, I think Paul is right, boysenberry = raspberry x blackberry but the boysenberry is much larger than either, up to about 4cms long and 1.5 or even 2cms wide. Black when ripe and very luscious.

Sounds very good. I'm going to see if I can find them anywhere...

[Paddy Tobin]

Ah, Paul T,

A man after my own heart. We grow lots of loganberries, tayberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants here and ice-cream is the favourite use from them. Jam is a second choice and straight from the plant to the mouth for strawberries.


Lesley, you are perfectly correct re the phuopsis, a terrible thug, pretty but dangerous. Likewise re the Iris chrysographes 'Inchriach', a great dark colour but little markings. Pity!

Paddy

[Paul T]

Lesley,

I've tried chrysographes a couple of times but never been successful.  I think one of these days I need to try it from seed and see if I am more successful that way.

[Ragged Robin]

Ah, Paul T,

A man after my own heart. We grow lots of loganberries, tayberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants here and ice-cream is the favourite use from them. Jam is a second choice and straight from the plant to the mouth for strawberries.

Paddy

Paddy, what a diet 

Mulberries are my all time favourite berry raw (for a quick fix of Vit C) or cooked with homemade icecream or sorbet but wild strawberries or blaeberries are incredible for bursts of flavour straight from the plant 

Blueberries belong to a well-travelled family, going back a long way in time and place. Perhaps, who knows, even to the Garden of Eden.

http://www.wildblueberries.net/bluehistory.html

[Maggi Young]

I haven't ever eaten a fresh mulberry   

[WimB]

I haven't ever eaten a fresh mulberry   

Neither have I, Maggi. There seem to be a lot of berries I still have to taste. Maybe I should plant a berry-garden...

[Paddy Tobin]

There was a large mulberry tree in the grounds on the primary school I attended as a child. We ate the berries with great relish.

Here is Iris chrysographes grown from seed collected in China about 5 years back. This is the first flower of the year.


Iris chrysographes SOB form

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Nice Iris, Paddy.... but it's June now....

[gote]

Paddy
Trollius europaeus

Are you sure this is Trollius europeus? It loooks like my Trollius yunnanensis.
The europeus that are wild here are less orange and with more ball shaped flowers.
See http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/ranuncula/troll/troleur.html
Göte

[Paul T]

Paddy,

Glorious Iris chrysographes. 

[Paddy Tobin]

Gote, You are perfectly correct - I have T. europaeus on one side of the garden and T. yunnanensis on the other. Old age!

Oh Maggi, of course I know it's June but this is in relation to previous postings of Iris chrysographes.

Paul, can you accept seed in the post. Let me know if so and I will tell she who deadheads absolutely everything to leave it alone.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Oh Maggi, of course I know it's June but this is in relation to previous postings of Iris chrysographes.


Paddy

So it was, Paddy.... I'd missed that point! Sorry.... heat stroke, surely, since I am too youthful for it to be caused by old age!!

[Paul T]

Paddy,

My wife is in general afraid to touch anything in the garden in case it is something important.    There's a lot of things that never get deadheaded here as a result, because I never get to it.

The Iris is on our accepted quarantine list so any seed would be gratefully accepted.  Thank you!!