Hepatica

[John Forrest]

I have been enjoying all the wonderful Hepaticasshown by the members of the millionaire's club (having seen the price of someof them).

Here is my humble offering.

1 & 2 a seedling from one of my own

3 One I got from Ewelina Wajgert, who doesn't seem to have joined in this thread yet. Hope you are well if you are lurking on th side Ewelina.

[Lesley Cox]

John, I love the double blue and all the other doubles but I can't help but feel the elegant singles are really what is best in a hepatica. This is probably sour grapes on my part as while we have a few "ordinary" doubles, pink and blue here, we haven't seen the more complicated Japanese forms and perhaps never will unless we can find a seed source which is likely to produce at least some doubles.

I join you in hoping Ewelina is well and lurking out there. I miss her on this thread and miss her lovely plants and pictures. It was great on the old Forum to have a Polish connection and learn something of what gardeners do in that relatively remove part of the world. Remote from me at least. So Hi Ewelina, we hope you'll rejoin us soon

[Maggi Young]

 I was in touch with Ewelina recently and she is fine, just very busy with work and with her garden. She'll be back later!

[mark smyth]

why do my plants that I grow in long toms never look at good as I see on here?

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Don't be modest John !
Great looking plants - I love the true blue !

[chris]

thanks for H.'Junisen', Diane. I'm not a millionair John but I have the luck that I can exchange Helleborus for japanese Hepaticas, Mark most of my plants I grow in cold greenhouse and I think that's the reason why they look good, rain and wind is outside and dont damage the flowers.
here tree photo's from H.'Sandan sire', the flower schange in about 7 days

[Maggi Young]

Your photos showing the change in the flower of 'Sandan Sire' are most interesting, Chris. I wouldn't have believed it was the same flower, what a transformation!

[chris]

here another changing Hepatica, maby not so spectacular but also a beauty, Hep.'Cho no Mai'

[johngennard]

Nice pictures Chris.Sandan-sire is very interesting but I am not sure whether I like it or not.Most of my hepaticas have past their best now with only one or two exceptions,mainly pyrenaica forms.

[Maggi Young]

Can any of you Hepatica growers tell me something about the names of the Japanese forms?
Do they represent a person's name, such as Narcissus 'Cedric Morris' or are they more like 'Bright Star', 'Moonlight Wonder' and so on? They seem so exotic, I would be disappointed to learn these rippling names translated as 'small fat one' !!

[Diane Whitehead]

All Japanese flower names that I have seen translated have been a poetic
description or a reference to a literary figure.

There must have been a mistake made in Sandan Sire, as Japanese does not
have an 'si' syllable.  It has 'shi'.

It is difficult to know the meaning of a name without seeing it written in
characters. Cho no mai, for example.  'no' is a preposition and means
'of' 'at' 'in' etc.  'Mai' can mean 'dance' or 'soaring'.  'Cho' has many meanings,
from 'butterfly' to 'pimple' 'street' 'intestines'  and even more.  Let's choose
a suitable name for a flower from the possibilities:  "Dance of a Butterfly".
It sounds good, and only a person able to read the characters would know
whether that is right.

[Maggi Young]

"Dance of a Butterfly"

does sound good, Diane, better than "soaring intestines", anyhow. Mind you, with some of the stranger doubles, that could still be a possibility!

[John Forrest]

Just keeping up with the forum whilst visiting with my bother in law in Tenerife.

Isnt it good to have forumists like Diane to answer these questions for us.

 
I like the poetic name Dance of a butterfly, much less embarrasing than some of the Sax varieties.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Watching alpines from Tenerife must be quite special John !
I can think of worse and more "down to earth" occupations.
Have fun !

[mark smyth]

Isnt Kojo butterfly? As in Prunus 'Kojo no Mai'?

these you will either hate or love. I like it. It reminds me of Geranium pratense ver striatum. No two flowers are the same. They are out of focus - sorry
Hepatica nobilis 'Prickle'