Hepatica

[Afloden]

Hello,
 
 Here are some selected forms of Hepatica acutiloba, americana, and one japonica. These are just wild types and a few years breeding should develop even better forms and colors, but it will be years before they approach the multitude of forms and colors of the japonica types. I have a flat of 2 year olds that should all bloom next year if I get to potting them on soon.

 1-4) H.acutiloba selections - the stamenless plants are rarely encountered.
 5) H. americana from Tennessee. Large leaves and flowers.
 6-7) H. acutiloba forms
  H. japonica pubescens "Tanchou-bai" with red pistils, exact info, ((H. nobilis var. pubescens or "ke-suhama-sou) seedling and originally from Mt. Rokko, Hyogo Prefecture (West Japan near Kobe):
This kind of hepatica is called "ke-suhama-sou". "Ke" means "hair" as the leaf of this kind is hairy and "suhama" comes from the round shape of the leaf (not a sharp triangle shape as of "misumi-sou" or "oo-misumi-sou") and "sou" means plant. This one is named "Tancho-bai".  "Tancho" is a crane with red feathers on the top of the head and "bai" means cherry blossoms.  This flower has red (wine red) pistils with white petals and it looks like a red-topped crane and the flower has a good and beautiful shape as a cherry blossom.  Red pistils are seen only on some pubescens populations and it is very unusual among Hepatica).
 9) H. americana selected for leaves

[Paul T]

Aaron,

Beautiful!!  The flowers are lovely in all their forms, and the leaves are worth growing the plants for anyway (and you get them for so much longer than the flowers! <grin>).  The doubles certainly are double aren't they?

Thanks for the pics.  Enjoying them immensely.

[Thomas Huber]

I found lots of Hepatica's in France last week - mostly blue ones
and never in great quantitiy, but in one spot I found hundreds
of white plants:

[Paul T]

Thomas,

With the odd little blue one in there as well, just for contrast.  Lovely picture of them in the wild.  Must be delighful to walk through that sort of show.

[johngennard]

This is the last to flower of my hepaticas.Nobilis Picos strain.I thought that you might like to see some of the different leaf markings of the now mature plants.

[Maggi Young]

I thought that you might like to see some of the different leaf markings of the now mature plants.

You thought right, John! What a super variation in their leaves. Just as fascinating as the flowers.
Your H. nobilis Picos strain is very elegant, hard to beat a simple white bloom, isn't it?

[mark smyth]

It's amazing how fast the leaves are coming up just now

[Paul T]

Beautiful!!  Just beautiful!!

[Hkind]

I have been for the first time this year to my summer house and garden. Many of the hepaticas are not yet in full bloom, but here are some bicolor forms:

[Hkind]

I have been for the first time this year to my summer house and garden. Many of the hepaticas are not yet in full bloom, but here are some bicolor forms:

[Hkind]

Sorry, it is some time I visited the forum and I cannot manage to post more than one image per message.  Hannelotte

[Hkind]

One more blue and white:

[Hkind]

And so the last for to day:

[Maggi Young]

Hello, Hannelotte, I hope you had a lovely birthday and it is good to know you are getting out to your summer house to see the flowers, because it means that WE will see the flowers, too!
How well the blue of the hepaticas stand out against the leaf litter, and the leaves will be giving them good feeding, too.
As to the posting of more than one picture, I know that it is tricky to remember it all after a break!
After you have clicked "Additional options" and "Browse" to post one pic, then click "more attachments" to open other browse buttons , up to ten in total.
Cheers,
Maggi

[Hkind]

Thank you, Maggi!