E-magazine feature on SRGC Website

[Maggi Young]

In the June issue of IRG Christoph Ruby, of the Hof Botanic Garden in Germany is upbeat in his report on the plants in Hof’s crevice garden and we are able to offer encouragment to growers with examples from the gardens of  forumists from several countries.

We again return to Turkey to examine some more of the fine plants that so tempt us, but those in this selection are proving none too easy in cultivation. So much so that  Zdeněk Zvolánek calls them  "Anatolian Troublemakers"!  The flora of Turkey is immensely varied and greatly admired by many rock gardeners : "Dr Rock" -   David Millward who contributed the cover picture of Arnebia densiflora from the steppe, near Erzincan, Anatolia  has reported on a recent SRGC trip in the Forum in pages about Eastern Turkey, here :   

http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=7936.0     

All issues of IRG (International Rock Gardener) can be found here : http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=international

 Cover photo


The International Rock Gardener  June 2012 :
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2012Jun281340917807IRG_30-June2012.pdf

[Maggi Young]

This month, when the USA celebrated Independence Day, the IRG has a distinctly North American bias to the plants covered, starting with the first of a small series by Gene Mirro about the lilies of western America.
IRG 31 July 2012 : http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2012Jul261343329301IRG31_July2012.pdf
Rex Murfitt addresses a charming Iris whose needs have been mis-stated over a great many years and ZZ throws a friendly challenge to a friend about another North American plant, Telesonix heucheriformis.


photo by Gene Mirro

Drift of natural hybrids L.  x pardalinum
Hybrid 2

[Maggi Young]

International Rock Gardener - IRG 32  August 2012
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2012Aug301346354548IRG_32_August2012.pdf
 
This month we learn of two diverse Gatherings of Rock Gardeners - the NZAGS Study weekend in February 2013 and the Second International Czech Rock Garden Conference, in May 2013.  The SRGC is proud to be a sponsor of these events.
Plant-wise......
 Gene Mirro continues his  series with the lilies of Southern California and the Sierra Nevada; 
.......we have a note on  Gentiana occidentalis;
...... and Kirsten Andersen and Lars Hansen explore the diversity of Oxalis laciniata var. pubescens. 

[Maggi Young]

September's IRG is loaded a little early   
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2012Sep271348748134IRG33_Sept2012.pdf

This month sees features by......  nurseryman Tim Ingram about the Welsh garden of
the Plant-hunters Jim and Jenny Archibald. This article has been added to the Archibald Archive in the SRGC website. http://www.srgc.net/site/index.php/features-mainmenu-47/srgc-information/41-resources/271-srgc

Tim is a passionate believer in the importance of gardens, particularly in the context of organisations such as the SRGC and its sisters.

Adrian Young presents one of his preferred Saxifraga species and it is his photo that gives our cover picture: Saxifraga catalaunica.

Gene Mirro concludes his series on the lilies of North West America – a piece on the germination of these western species lilies is posted in the SRGC Forum area, here:
 http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=9610.new#new

[Maggi Young]

October IRG is online:

http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2014Jun2414036385622012Nov071352287814October_IRG_34.pdf

This month is a real celebration of the many talents of SRGC Forumists as their (present day) photos  of seasonal colour are used to illustrate  both an old SRGC Journal Article from 1953 about Autumn colour in the Scottish garden of the Knox-Finlays at Keillour Castle and also some  Spring joys in the southern hemisphere.

[Maggi Young]

Online now: http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2012Nov291354225242IRG35_November2012.pdf


As gardeners we can sometimes be accused of creating unnatural settings for our plants: the first article this month shows how well nature creates “real” rock gardens, surely we can do no better than follow her example! Cliff Booker, who has also contributed the cover picture, shows a selection from various locations.


Rhododendron ferrugineum above Corvara in the Dolomites


 Zdeněk Zvolánek abandoned the Beauty Slope this summer for some plant hunting excursions – he shares with us a  brief trip to Italy.'s Apuan Alps.

For some growers, their interest lies in working to produce hybrid plants which they hope will be easier of cultivation or more floriferous: In the world of saxifrages we are aware of the immense skill of the Czech growers - Adrian Young highlights for us the work of a British grower, Ray Fairbairn, who has done a lot of work with both Saxifraga and Primula. Photos for this article are from Adrian Young and David Hoare.


Saxifraga 'Allendale Comet'



Saxifraga Allendale Allure'

[Maggi Young]

 See http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2012Dec271356608342IRG36December2012.pdf
 for the December IRG

This is the 36th issue, completing the third year of our "one  year experiment"   

Our thanks to all our wonderful  contributors and loyal readers - we hope the coming year brings health and happiness to you all - and provides continuing interest for you in the IRG.

Seasonal Greetings from the IRG Team !

[IRG ED Team]

IRG 37 - January 2013

This issue heralds the Snowdrop Season with news from Valentin Wijnen, who has also provided the cover picture. Valentin will be familiar to many “Galanthophiles” from his talks at Galanthus events in several countries as well as his contributions to the VRV (http://www.vrvforum.be/forum/index.php ) and SRGC Forum pages where Snowdrop threads are immensely popular! 

Taking us ‘out and about’ to the Swedish region of Abisko is Susann Nilsson who shows the natural habitat of many fine plants that are treasured by many of us in our gardens.
Susann is known for her Passion  for Pulsatillas!



The Editorial Team send their grateful thanks to all those who have been in contact to say they enjoy this form of magazine. Such comments are most welcome and are an inspiration to us to continue in this work. Most important in this process, of course, are our contributors, without whom none of this is possible. We take this chance to thank all those who have contributed in the past and encourage everyone to submit articles or ideas for the future. Many kind comments about the IRG concern the fine photographs that are the backbone of our publication. So many people, not just our authors, are kind enough to allow the use of their photographs in these pages: as with text, the ownership and copyright of these photos remain with the originator and anyone wishing to use them elsewhere should seek permission. To do so, or to submit an article, please make contact in the first instance to editor@internationalrockgardener.org   

IRG January 2013 : http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2013Jan241359046525IRG37Jan2013.pdf



IRG Index: A full index to IRG, compiled by Glassford Sprunt may be download via this link:

http://files.srgc.net/journals/International_Index_37.pdf

[Maggi Young]

IRG  #38 February 2013

Ian Christie has been lucky enough to travel to see plants in nature in many parts of the world but he never loses sight of the beauty that is available in his own country, Scotland. Scottish Mountains may not be the highest, but the landscape can be dramatic and plants of the mountain and woodland can be found even almost at the edge of the sea. Ian shares his delight in such plants.

 Ian Young, writes for the ‘world of bulbs’ on one of his favourite tubers, Corydalis solida and the garden forms of this plant that do well in North East Scotland. Ian has documented his experiences growing bulbs corms and tubers every week since 2003 in his Bulb Log Diary on the SRGC Site.

http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2013Mar011362129867IRG38Feb2013.pdf

[Maggi Young]

March 2013 - IRG 39  - http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2013Mar291364556865IRG39March2013.pdf

The plant world is full of many stories and interlinking paths: over the years both plants and people come together, drift apart and meet again.
It is often said that very little is truly new under the sun, though happily discoveries are still made by intrepid and determined plant hunters, but for many, there is just as much interest in uncovering the connections between the hunters and plants of the past - be that distant or in living memory.
Yes, there are those who are happy to just see a plant or seed for sale and to obtain it to grow in their garden, never giving its origins a second thought – but there is so often a “back story” to a plant that adds so much intrigue to the process – we are happy to celebrate such tales in our pages.
 
This month we feature   Androsace euryantha  by Jozef Lemmens
and Erodium cheilanthifolium by  Zdeněk    Zvolanek


a local beauty with a primula posy - photo Jozef Lemmens


 
See every issue of IRG here  http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=international

[Maggi Young]

The April issue, IRG 40  is now online  http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2013Apr261366962255IRG40April.pdf

Plant hunters have always been intrepid souls, venturing into areas where all sorts of unknown tribulations lurked. Happily, the fate of David Douglas – who died in a pit trap in Hawaii in 1834 - has  befallen few recent plant explorers.

The Latvian nurseryman, bulb expert and author Jānis Rukšāns is a valued contributor  to this  SRGC forum. Last month he made a trip to North West Turkey. This issue of IRG  includes much of that story but a great many more photographs can be seen  here in the SRGC Forum along with other references.

Jaroslav Baláž, a Czech grower  who has a small alpine nursery in  the village of  Dolní Rožínka, writes about Ranunculus seguieri

This photo of Ranunculs seguieri in the wild is from  "Ranunculus" himself, Cliff Booker.



A full index to the IRG is available here :
http://files.srgc.net//journals/IRGIndex40.pdf

[Maggi Young]

IRG 41, for May 2013 is now online. this is the first issue dedicated to  the exciting gathering of International Rock Gardeners in early May in the Czech Republic.
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2013May301369920930IRG41May.pdf
It seemed fitting to celebrate these gardeners!

Photos of many of those  attending can be seen here : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=10517.0   and those who attended the event  are invited to post their 'people pix' there as well. For other photos there is this thread in the forum, where your photos will  also  be greatly appreciated : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=10484.0

Here is the "missing Alpine Parrot"- Vaclav  - with his Mother, Ludmila



Main page of IRG http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=international

[Maggi Young]

June 2013 IRG  42 http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2013Jun271372340302IRG42June.pdf
new url
 http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2013Jun281372419197IRG42June.pdf

We conclude our look at the recent events hosted by the rock gardeners of the Czech Republic with a visit to the garden of Vojtěch Holubec in Praha-Suchdol and of Zdeněk Zvolánek in Karlík, the Beauty Slope.


In the Holubec garden


ZZ "the Stonerider" on the Holubec garden !



Cameras on the Beauty Slope


Tim Ingram, an English nurseryman gives a brief overview of his experience of the Czech trip.

[Maggi Young]

My apologies, there is a change to the url for the June Issue, now it is
 http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2013Jun281372419197IRG42June.pdf - there was a mistake in an Edraianthus name - Edraianthus pulevicii  - on page 4 - now corrected.

[Maggi Young]

I hope you will take time out from your busy lives to read the July issue of IRG:

Gerrit Eijkelenboom from Lelystad  in the Netherlands describes himself as a "gardener on the sea bottom", he grows a wide range of both rock garden and shade loving plants and has something of a fondness for Epimediums and Meconopsis - the latter being quite a struggle for him to grow well in his local climate. Gerrit and his wife enjoy plant hunting by camera on holiday and he contributes photos of some orchids seen recently in Crete.

Jan Jílek,  a nurseryman who divides his time between the Czech Republic and Samarkand in Uzbekistan, is one of the brave folk  with only a little English who still takes the time to contribute to the SRGC Forum in our strange language!

IRG 43 here: http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2013Jul261374832351IRG43July.pdf

 N. B. erratum  page 12 - Ophrys spruneri is shown incorrectly as Ophrys sprunneri


Ophrys heldreichii
 

Orchis papilionacea     .....these photos by Gerrit Eijkelenboom.