Flowering now April 2007

[Kirsten]

Lovely saxifragas Kirsten, not a bite out of any of the flowers, how do you manage.
Can we see the whole tufa construction please? look interesting

Susan, I have two tufa beds. One is about 7 years old and placed among my troughs. There is no shadow at all on this bed. The other 2˝ yars old and facing to the north. It don't get sun at all in the Winter.

When I plant in the tufa I drill holes 2,0 cm by a maximum of 20 cm deep. The holes are filled with a mixture of tufa grit and sand (nothing else!). It takes quite a long time to plant because you have to be very careful not to damage the roots. For planting I use small plants, mostly seedlings or well-rooted cuttings. Until now I haven't used fertilizer on the tufa or on the plants.  

Maggi, I don't have much weed on the tufa, no more than I can handle. As far as liverwort is concerned I follow a piece of advice I got from Harry Jans 5-6 years ago: I sprinkle Magnesium sulphate on the liverwort (like salting an egg) and it dies within short time. It has worked very well for me.  

[johanneshoeller]

My first Gentiana after the redish one.

[Kenneth K]

The flowers come early this year. My spring favourite, Jeffersonia dubia, is at least two weeks earlier than usual. Hard to get the right color but I think I managed well this time.

[derekb]

Thank you Jozef when I first had the plant I looked in Will Ingwersons Manual of Alpines the only Alkanna in there was incana and he said full sun and alpine house but I will give it a try can not do any worse.

[annew]

Very impressive, Kirsten, and so well kept! How on earth do you cut the grass so neatly right up to the tufa? I imagine you on your knees with small scissors!

[Susan Band]

What a stunning rock garden you have created. And the greenhouses they look bigger than you house, no doubt filled with goodies.

[Paddy Tobin]

Kirsten,

Fabulous garden, brilliant. You are obviously an enthusiast. I can only imagine the many treasures which have found happy homes with you.

Many thanks for showing the photographs.

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

A few things in flower here at the moment. The Gladiolus tristis if grown in a cold greenhouse, the rest outdoors.

Arisaema amurense var. amurense
Chasmanthe bicolor
Dryas drummondii
Erodium pelargonifolium
Gladiolus tristis
Gladiolus tristis - change in flower colour followin pollination
Muscari 'Valerie Finnis'
Viola 'Molly Sanderson'


Paddy

[David Nicholson]

Paddy, Gladiolus tristis-absolutely beautiful, I must try some.

[Brian Ellis]

David you should be able to grow them outside, ours are just about to come out in the garden here.

Paddy is that pink one a particular named form?  I've only ever seen the creamy ones and would like to grow those too.

Brian

[Anthony Darby]

Here is Gladiolus illyricus flowering in the greenhouse. It is the earliest of my three pink gladdies (communis and italicus).

[Kirsten]

Very impressive, Kirsten, and so well kept! How on earth do you cut the grass so neatly right up to the tufa? I imagine you on your knees with small scissors!

Luckily it is not grass, Anne. It is a small Cotula sp bought many years ago as Cotula minima (which is an invalid name). It can stand you walking on it without problems. The problem for me is to keep the grass an other weed away from the Cotula. On the other hand I am glad that there also are a lot of Dactylorhizas reseeding itselves in the Cotula.

[Paddy Tobin]

Brian,

The pink flower is the same plant as the pale yellow shown with it. It seems to me that it goes pink following pollination. The pink flower was certainly yellow the day before.

Paddy

[mark smyth]

very very impressive Kirsten. Makes me look forward to the Czech conference even more

[Brian Ellis]

Paddy, Thanks for that, I must learn to be more observant!  Ours still in bud, can't wait for them to open as I love the scent.  One cut flower will scent the whole house (it is only small
Cheers
Brian