Hepatica 2010

[angie]

Michael amazing plants again , really enjoying these pictures.
Angie

[TheOnionMan]

here one you dont see often, H.insularis, the old leaves disappear in autum? the flowers and leaves appear together in spring

Chris, a demure beauty, love the chocolate bronze new leaves, sets off the simple white blooms nicely.

All the other Hepaticas posted here are setting me up for a terrible plant addiction, they're all so amazing, I want each and every one of them.

[chris]

here 3  verry small flowers, divisions from wild plants send to me
there is a blog from Philippe Feret with a lot of Hepaticas: http://www.horti-culture.com/

[fleurbleue]

So pretty, Chris     

[Peter Maguire]

That's a great link Chris, there's plenty of tempting photos.
Your wild plant divisions are interesting, I had always assumed that most of these double forms were the result of intensive breeding.

[Gunilla]

here 3  verry small flowers, divisions from wild plants send to me

All three are exquisite.    How small are they, Chris ?   

[chris]

only 1 cm, and they grow verry slow, I had to wait 3 years for the first flower,

[Vilma D]

Vilma welcome and hope You find the hepatica again. Maybe the same seller will have more this year?

Kind regards
Joakim

Dear Joakim,

Thank you very much.  Great idea and I was toying with the same thought for a while.

I bought my H. nobilis var jap. 'Oomurasaki' from Jacques Amand International last year.  I thought myself very fortunate as I never even expected to find hepaticas on show in June!  I did found their website, but I cannot find any hepaticas on their online plant list. They probably do not specialise in these plants.
 
The Beeches Nursery had this plant on their plant list 2009.  However, by the time I gathered my wits, it was removed from their 2010 plant list.  They've sold it!

I shall continue to treasurer the hope  

In the main time, I absolutely adore the Hepatica pictures on this thread.  Michael and Chris, your Hepaticas are stunning!

[Vilma D]

Dear Hepatica specialists,

Simply curious...  I call on your expertise!

I read that some hepatica species (not mentioned which ones) can have a delicate fragrance  .  Do you happen to know of any such hepaticas? 

[WimB]

Vilma,

Edrom nurseries listed it once too. It's no longer on their sales list but you can always ask them.

[Vilma D]

Vilma,

Edrom nurseries listed it once too. It's no longer on their sales list but you can always ask them.

Thank you, WimB.  That's an idea

I am full of questions today..  I have another one for those who propagate hepaticas by seed. 

I have this crazy idea to try and collect hepatica seeds myself this spring (no experience whatsoever).  I read of the seed collection with the help of a teabag which you attach onto flower head past it's flowering and once the seed look ripe.  Easy peasy, but...
How do you know when the seeds fall off and take the teabag (with the seeds in it) off?  It's rather hard to see... As the freshness of the seed is important, I suspect you do not tend to keep them in the teabag for long.. 

How do you do it? Are there any other ways of collecting the seeds?

Also, how do you tend to collect hepatica seeds in the wild? 

Your answers are very much appreciated...



This should keep the thread going for a couple of minutes 

[Gail]

I am full of questions today..  I have another one for those who propagate hepaticas by seed. 

I have this crazy idea to try and collect hepatica seeds myself this spring (no experience whatsoever).  I read of the seed collection with the help of a teabag which you attach onto flower head past it's flowering and once the seed look ripe.  Easy peasy, but...
How do you know when the seeds fall off and take the teabag (with the seeds in it) off?  It's rather hard to see... As the freshness of the seed is important, I suspect you do not tend to keep them in the teabag for long.. 

How do you do it? Are there any other ways of collecting the seeds?

I've read about the teabags too but as you sound like someone who will be checking your hepaticas regularly, I think you will find it easy enough without the teabags.  I just check them every few days - if you hold a seedhead between your first two fingers and rub the seed with your thumb, when they are ready they come away easily and drop into the palm of your hand.  Once the first ones are ready you can check every day for the rest.

 

[Diane Clement]

OK, I admit it, I'm the teabag person.  

I can't manage to check the plants daily    also I have too many, and the plants are inclined to drop their seeds into the next pot.  

The pictures show:
1.  Green seeds still firm on the plant.
2.  The curling down of the stems ensuring they drop into the next pot.
3.  Tea bag held in place with wire twist
4.  Green ripe seed - this is ready to sow when it has dropped off, or as Gail says, when it comes away in your fingers.  The teabag holds it until you can harvest it.  You can feel when it has dropped off, but a few days or a couple of weeks will not matter.  

Last year my seed was harvested from the middle to the end of May and I was so busy posting it round the world I didn't get round to sowing my own until 19 June.  It was clearly OK after 3 weeks, as several pots have recently germinated (picture 5).    

[Diane Clement]

Some more detail here in my blog last year
http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/diaries/Midland/+April+/189/

At Ashwood they use a similar system to hold the seed on hellebores - muslin bags with a draw string (used by bird ringers).  I think that gave me the original idea and I did try home made fabric bags, but the mice bit through them.  The resident mice haven't yet worked out what the teabags are holding, or maybe they just don't like the taste of tea    

[Afloden]

Vilma and all,
 
 Hepatica acutiloba tends to have a sweet fragrance like what we call Jawbreaker candies here in the US. It is especially strong on still warm spring days when you can smell it coming down a hillside full of Hepatica. I have not noticed this in H. americana. A friend in Japan says certain populations of H. japonica are also "fragrant" which he likened to womens powder makeup.

 Collecting seed in the wild is based on timing. Normally seeds are ripe about 4-6 weeks after flowering, but this changes on temperature during the ripening process. I missed them in the wild last year in nearly every population I visited due to a week of warm weather.

 Aaron