February 2010 Northern Hemisphere

[johnw]

Dave - A very smart-looking dwarf persicum.

johnw

[WimB]

Bought this one this winter and I haven't been able to plant it out, since it is still freezing here in Belgium. Now it's flowering inside.

Soldanella 'Spring Symphony'

[David Nicholson]

Nice Wim, I have failed miserably with every Soldanella I have tried.

[WimB]

Thanks David,

they seem to like a place in the shade, a leafy soil and not drying up in summer.

[Gail]

Looks lovely Wim, I've just bought this one from Edrom nursery but it's not flowering yet.  I really like soldanellas and grew S. villosa for a few years until my chickens got a taste for it.  I was intrigued to see that in the last four years of the AGS online show there has not been a single entry in the Soldanella class so presumably other people find them difficult??

[fleurbleue]

I read once it needs no water from 1st November to 1st March  as it was under snow 

[Hristo]

Possibly the smallest bulb / flower we have growing in the rock garden;
Gagea minima

[Ragged Robin]

Just shows that: 'small is beautiful" Hristo 

[Hristo]

True RR, though small is also bad knees and back as you lie down on the cold,cold ground to take a picture!!

Also flowering today, Galanthus elwesii, or as it is known here, 'Snow Knots', or 'Snow Buns' ( Bun as in a knot of hair ) These ones came with the garden and are getting big year on year as we dump more and more sawdust and bark on the garden.

[WimB]

@ Gail: They don't seem to have any problems growing here.
One of my S. montana's flowering last year is here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3329.msg85314#msg85314

@Nicole: it gets water here during the entire year (Belgium = constantly raining  )

[Gail]

Lovely picture Wim - I feel a new addiction coming on....

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Love your Soldanella Wim...
I could never get them to flower properly here... so I gave up ! 

[Ragged Robin]

Wim your Soldanella 'Spring Symphony' is a beautiful colour - I am going to try growing them here one day 

[WimB]

@ Gail, at least it will not be a very expensive addiction, there seem to be no more then 25 species, some crosses and some 'alba' forms. So you can try to collect them all!! 

@ Luc, they really aren't that hard to grow over here if you give them shade and a good leafy soil

@ Robin, you really shouldn't have any problem growing them where you live, I think they would really like it in Valais 

[Mike Ireland]

The sun decided to shine this morning which helped the Adonis amurensis open a few more flowers. The foliage just starting to unfurl in the second picture.

Mike