Crocus in pots February 2010

[mark smyth]

Armin I like this one http://www.tierundnatur.de/wildbienen/wbschutz.htm are they expensive?

[arilnut]

Last night in surfing I did run across a retailer who did list it but haven't been able to find it again yet!

John B

Otto,
I failed to find cv. E.A. Bowles too and I believe it is no longer in commercial cultivation.

[TheOnionMan]

Wonderful Crocus clumps Mark MCD !!  Beautiful !
Love the hybrids too - I found some of my own as well last year - will show them when in flower.   

Looking forward to seeing your hybrid seedlings Luc.  In the brownish one I show, the only seed I sowed was from C. chrys. 'Blue Pearl' around the mother clump, but within 60 cm there are clumps of 'Goldilocks' and 'Advance', so obviously the bees are doing their work.

[Janis Ruksans]

Janis,
thank you for your excerpt of your first monograph on Crocuses. I feel pity some real beautiful cultivars in your graphic are no longer available i.e. chrys. Nanette, Buttercup, E.A. Bowles, Mariette, Blue Peter, vernus Early Perfection.
I don't know "Maximilian". Is it one of your own selections/hybrids?

MAXIMILLIAN - very old Dutch(?) variety, if I remember correctly, it was light lilac, if the lightest was VANGUARD, followed VIOLET VANGUARD and the third in line was MAXIMILLIAN.
All those varieties were in my collection more that 15 years ago. It was difficult time after aquairing of independence, absolute collapse of economy. inflation 10 000% and I was forced to shorten collection. The first were shortened foreign raised cultivars, giving accent to wild species and my own hybrids. Not easy decision, but such was the life. Some years ago I sold all my daffodil collection - 1400 cultivars and selected hybrids, in total 1 acre of plantings. Again it was not easy to decide, but such is the life.
Janis

[Regelian]

Mark,

I've created a 'bee box' with old stumps and a hand drill.  Simply bore various sizes of holes the depth of a drill bit into the wood and place vertically in a dry area of the garden.  Most bees prefer a dry, warm spot for their homes.  Another method is to take reed stems about 8"/20cm long and bundle them together.  Different bees seem to prefer different sites. Composite bee homes are possible, made of drilled logs with reeds or mud placed in the spaces between the logs.  Best to frame these together with some planks or metal band.

My house has lots of holes in the facade , as the bricks are in 'shadow pointing', which leaves the canals in the bricks somewhat exposed.  Bees love it (and so does the frost!).  Not to be recommended for house longevity, but this was fashionable in the '50s.

I have an amazing amount of bees, hoverflys, dragon flies, butterflies, etc. simply due to these 'shelters'.  Highly recommended.

Armin,  great link!

Jamie

[mark smyth]

The only bees I see in my garden are bumblebees and the small black one that collects pollen on it's under side. I have a place I can put a bee house

[Ragged Robin]

I've located just the spot for a bee hotel and just need the 'man with the drill' who says he will do it  

[art600]

I was at Wisley yesterday to attend the Cyclamen Early Show.  Whilst there I visited the Alpine House and took photos of some of the Crocus

Crocus biflorus crewei

Crocus biflorus isauricus (I particularly like the one at the front of the pot 
Crocus biflorus ssp. punctatus

I have included the labels where there was additional information

[art600]

At the Cyclamen Early Show at Wisley yesterday, there was a section for plants that grow in association with Cyclamen. 

There was this amazing pot of Crocus michelsonii grown and shown by Lee & Julie Martin    The original 3 corms came from Kath Dryden and were swapped for 3 corms of their white Crocus banaticus

[mark smyth]

that's some potfull. They look too warm

[art600]

Mark

The room was warm and they had been flowering for some time.

[TheOnionMan]

At the Cyclamen Early Show at Wisley yesterday, there was a section for plants that grow in association with Cyclamen. 

There was this amazing pot of Crocus michelsonii grown and shown by Lee & Julie Martin    The original 3 corms came from Kath Dryden and were swapped for 3 corms of their white Crocus banaticus

Art, it looks like a crocus salad.  Let's get StephenB over here and he can eat it 

[I.S.]

Art a very nice crocus show. just isauricus pots seems quite mixet to me. Leaves are not in same wide and lond, the flowers also not in same form! like season salad 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thanks for the show Art !! 
Some great Crocus there and the potful of Michelsonii.... 

[Gerry Webster]

that's some potfull.

Yes it is quite a potful. It's several years since I've seen any of Lee & Julie's show plants in the flesh but my memory is that the majority of their exhibits were always like this. While undeniably impressive, I don't find such pots attractive. When crowded like this the beauty of the individual flowers is lost. However, I suspect mine is a minority opinion.