Flowering now April 2007

[Hans J]

Hi all,

here comes some pictures from my garden - all is 3 weeks earlier than last year .
Flowering-Cacti
 P.-kavachensis
 P.-lithophila
 P.-mascula-ex-Caucasus
 P.tenuifolia
 Rebutia


Greetings
Hans

[Maggi Young]

Luckily it is not grass, Anne. It is a small Cotula sp

says Kirsten....
AHA! You see, there IS always a clue     ... how clever, it looks really fine.



Hans, is there any plant that you do not care for and grow? You seem to have very broad tastes, I admire you for it. Lovely to see the paeonias flowering already, and the colour of the Rebutia flowers in your last pic is so rich!

[Hans J]

Maggi ,

Thank you for your compliment .
To your question :
Yes - I grow not any Rhododendron !
But when I see all the pictures from your garden ....I have never seen before it.
I have luck with my climate and so I can grow a lot of plants where is not possibly in other areas - but not all .
Yes the Rebutias are always the first flowering cacti in my greenhouse and I like it too .
From Paeonia flowering in this time : P. emodi ,decomposita ,mascula v. hellenica , clusii ,mlokosewitschii ,lithophila ,tenuifolia ,different mascula .....

Greetings
Hans

[Paddy Tobin]

Hans,

A fascinating collection of plants. Many thanks for posting.

A few things in flower here at the moment.

Chasmanthe bicolor
Clematis 'Francis Rivis'
Lysichiton americanus
Muscari 'Valerie Finnis'
Velthemia bracteata

[Paddy Tobin]

Apologies for repeating some plants in posting.


Hans,

Fabulous paeonias. I have perfected a method for killing them, took years of practice and lots of plants on which to practice.

Paddy

[Hans J]

Paddy ,

I dont understand that you have problems with peonies -thats really hard plants .
This genus is so old and have survived millions of years - they grow from southern California to the cold Sibiria - there are only few things you must give them - the importent is a good drainge and a place with air - thats mountains plants and they grows always on slopes ...mostly in a little shade .
They are not sensible for cold -I have seen a wonderful collection in the french alps ( Jardin Botanique Col de Lautaret ) - this plants grows in 2000 m altitude .
The most peonies grows on calcy soil with some exeptions - only  really difficould are P. californica and P. rhodia :
P. californica has a other growing circle and P. rhodia start with growing in December -it is impossibly ( for me) to grow it outside .
The cold is not the problem for peony - it is the wet in winter .
If you have any questions - please ask .

Greetings
Hans

[ranunculus]

A few images from the garden today....

[Maggi Young]

Oh my word, Cliff, what super photos! Great detail in the hairy bits and a delight to see the Ladybird carrying on regardless of your activities!

[mark smyth]

Paddy your Muscari 'Valerie Finnis' is too dark but whatever they are it's a nice colour combination. Here are mine

[Paddy Tobin]

No Mark,

It's 'Valerie Finnis' OK.


Hans,

Yes, the only thing which really kills the paeonias is excessive wet and guess how I am at watering things in pots in my glassouse?

I had a good number in pots in the glasshouse and killed them all by rotting them through overwatering.  I'm afraid I am very heavy handed with the watering can and other plants have suffered the same with me. Yesterday, I decided I had enought of growing narcissus in pots in the glasshouse and planted out about 50 pots of them into raised beds in the garden. Other bulbs are just as unfortunate in  my hands and I am going to plant out anything that can go out. I am moving in potted plants of strawberries instead and will have an early crop to eat. Lovely.

Paddy

[Hans J]

Paddy ,

Peony are extrem difficould to grow in pots - exept treepeonies ( they have other roots )
Grow not any in pots -it is much better outside .
I have a lot of seedlings in pots - because my garden is full .I store it on the eastsite of my house -protectet from rain -and in winter covered with some branches of Abies .
I will search for you a picture.
Here are some peonies more in flower :
P.mascula-w.f. Sicily
 P.clusii-K
 P.clusii P.
 P.macrophylla
 P.mascula-Apulia1
 P.masculaHF

[Hans J]

Paddy here are some seedlings :

[Hans J]

here some more :
P.russoi-G.S
 P.russoi-M.C1
 P.russoi-M.G
 P.sinijangensis.
 P.steveniana
 P-mloko.

[Anthony Darby]

Hans, my peony seeds are sprouting too.

[Hans J]

Anthony :

Good luck !!!