cistus laurifolius & kerria japonica pleniflora

[jc (pmm)]

I would love to give the cistus and the kerria  a try in my garden. Of today I grow about 2000 species of perenial, shrubs and trees from around the world although most are rated zone 3 or 4  some are from zone as high as 9. Listing them all is a dawnting task so if your looking for something in particular for trade, just ask and I'll look if I grow the plant.

jc

[Onion]

JC,

I will look if my plant of Cistus laurifolius have some seeds. The Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora' is sterile. So you can't get seeds from this form.  Very easily propaged by layers ? (my dictionary says runners).

[jc (pmm)]

Great to know someone grows these plants. I guess zone 7 that means your plants must be quite happy . My book, flora, over 20,000 plants by firefly (a great book that ways a ton) says cistus laurifolia is the hardiest of the cistus. So I'm hoping to be succesful growing from seeds It is my experience that seed grown turn out  hardier than bought plants. None the less none of these plants are available up here, in frigid alberta , so I'll have to forgo the japonica pleniflora unless I can find a canadian greenhouse willing to ship such plant at a reasonable price . It already sounds improbable. Let me know if you get seeds

thanks

jc

[Rodger Whitlock]

The Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora' is sterile. So you can't get seeds from this form.  Very easily propaged by layers ? (my dictionary says runners).

Easy from cuttings, utterly sterile. When first discovered (in a Chinese garden or nursery) it could not be assigned to a family as the flowers are so fully double as to completely obliterate the structural details. Only when a single-flowered form was discovered years later was it possible to say it was in the Rosaceae.

There is a very nice single form 'Golden Guinea' that's worth seeking out. But beware: Doris Page, whom I have mentioned in these pages more than once in the past, had a single, but the flowers of her specimen were small and unlovely. Golden Guinea has quite large flowers, perhaps 4 cm diameter and is entirely a horse of another color.

[johnw]

The Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora' is sterile. So you can't get seeds from this form.  Very easily propaged by layers ? (my dictionary says runners).

Easy from cuttings, utterly sterile. When first discovered (in a Chinese garden or nursery) it could not be assigned to a family as the flowers are so fully double as to completely obliterate the structural details. Only when a single-flowered form was discovered years later was it possible to say it was in the Rosaceae.

There is a very nice single form 'Golden Guinea' that's worth seeking out. But beware: Doris Page, whom I have mentioned in these pages more than once in the past, had a single, but the flowers of her specimen were small and unlovely. Golden Guinea has quite large flowers, perhaps 4 cm diameter and is entirely a horse of another color.

JC  - Roger's absolutely right, the GG is beautiful. The colour of the double is disturbing (Heinz mustard) and one gets bored with the double and its squiny flowers rather quickly. Go single.  The stems are a wonderful fresh green.

Are you growing things like the fig and peach in pots? I'm intrigued with this Kadota fig you mention. Brown Turkey lived here but never produced in the ground.  I gave one to a friend this spring, he grew it on the patio and one fig this year but the racoons got the fig and shared it if you can imagine that.

johnw

[Onion]

Great to know someone grows these plants. I guess zone 7 that means your plants must be quite happy . My book, flora, over 20,000 plants by firefly (a great book that ways a ton) says cistus laurifolia is the hardiest of the cistus. So I'm hoping to be succesful growing from seeds It is my experience that seed grown turn out  hardier than bought plants. None the less none of these plants are available up here, in frigid alberta , so I'll have to forgo the japonica pleniflora unless I can find a canadian greenhouse willing to ship such plant at a reasonable price . It already sounds improbable. Let me know if you get seeds

thanks jc

JC,

you can get seeds from the Cistus laurifolius. Enough on the shrub. Send me a pm with your address. My plant comes from seeds of the German perennial society. I have the Kerri jape. '' in the garden. When you can wait till end of October I can send you stem-cuttings (don't find the English term for this). This you can plant in a container and they will grow in spring/summer by building new roots.

Uli

[jc (pmm)]

Hi Roger
Thanks for the history behind it.The golden guina sounds very nice. I've not seen any of the cultivar in real life  the pleniflora has orangy yellow flowers in my book and I'm partial to orange and yellow so either one I'm sure would be lovely.
Hi John
THe fig is growing in the ground and from what I have gathered, it is supposed to grow an ever greater root system and although it suffers major winter kill (at least in zone 3) it will put out an ever greater show each year a bit like a herbaceous plant. It wont give you two crops a summer like in warmer regions but you should get one crop mid summer. Mine was bought as an indoor plant but I'm sure started from seeds some seedling would show greater tolerance to cold.

Hi Uli
Thanks very much it's very generous of you. Are you looking for any plants in particular? If I can help you in any way I'm more than willing.