Cushions

[christian pfalz]

hello rogan, great.....thanks a lot
cheers
chris

[johnw]

A wonderful Helichrysum Rogan.  I too thought the foliage was like milforiae.  We grew that species for a number of years and it seemed quite hardy but the flowers were not as spectacular as yours.  I wonder how hardy this species is?  Does it grow in colder places there?

johnw

[Rogan]

I should imagine this species is very hardy John, as it grows on top of the Drakensberg mountains above 9000 ft. Winter minimum temperatures can drop to minus 20 'C or lower at this altitude.

[cohan]

there are delospermas from those areas being grown in zone 3 -- -30 or lower 

[astragalus]

there are delospermas from those areas being grown in zone 3 -- -30 or lower 

That's amazing, but do you have reliable snow cover? Which delospermas are doing well for you?

[cohan]

there are delospermas from those areas being grown in zone 3 -- -30 or lower 

That's amazing, but do you have reliable snow cover? Which delospermas are doing well for you?

unfortunately i am not speaking from personal experience yet (i bought two last year, but they were still in pots when we had our strange warm fall then sudden deep cold, and i still haven't decided if they are alive or not...lol)-but i have heard of growers in winnipeg, calgary (lori is on this forum) and elsewhere with happy delospermas...usually those marketed as nubigenum, gold nugget etc (see the related thread in this alpine section for discussion of proper naming for these) http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3795.0
beavercreek nursery in british columbia  has listed a few other selections that are possibly zone 3 hardy..
a key distinction to your eastern climate-our winter is mostly dry, though we could have some wet cold in fall and/or spring; winnipeg would usually have pretty reliable snow cover, calgary not usually.. i mostly do, though we can easily have had -20C before the snow comes, and again after its gone...

[Rogan]

Delosperma lavisiae is a very common species in the southern Drakensberg foothills and grows in crevices and beside rock sheets up to 2650 metres (8500 feet), so it should be quite hardy. The Drakensberg does experience some snow cover, but most slopes with a southerly or south-eastern aspect are frozen solid for many weeks during the winter months - D. lavisiae seems to favour the warmer, sunny slopes facing north or north-easterly. This is a picture-perfect specimen I photographed on the Sani Pass road:

[astragalus]

I AM definitely interested in the article and appreciate your offer. This stuff fascinates me.

Some time ago, I saw a graphic representation of the various alpine plant forms (in some level of detail). I've been looking for it since to no avail. I intend to use it to create keywords for my catalog of photographs.

Thanks.

Hi Carlo, I emailed you the article twice and both times it has bounced back. Please email me and I'll forward it to you that way. I must have a mistake in the address, sorry.

[FrazerHenderson]

and what about this cushion plant from Bolivia...beautiful but deadly. It may be hardy in the most temperate of areas provided it is kept dry.

Abromeitiela brevifolia

[Lesley Cox]

Why is it deadly Frazer? Are the spikees particularly rigid, like those of Aciphylla?

[Hoy]

Why is it deadly Frazer? Are the spikees particularly rigid, like those of Aciphylla?

It has to be spines! I once sat down on a similar cushion in the Atlas mountains in N Africa. I didn't sit long!

[cohan]

and what about this cushion plant from Bolivia...beautiful but deadly. It may be hardy in the most temperate of areas provided it is kept dry.

Abromeitiela brevifolia

a charming bromeliad!

[Alex]

It seems Dionysia season is starting - here's a small effort from me (D. Tapetodes 'Peter Edwards') - some of you must have some far more impressive specimens which it would be great to see...

Alex

[Alex]

Sorry, just revisited to see that i forgot to attach the picture!

[tonyg]

It seems Dionysia season is starting - here's a small effort from me (D. Tapetodes 'Peter Edwards') - some of you must have some far more impressive specimens which it would be great to see...
Alex

Give it time Alex and you'll be wowing us with a huge potful!  Most of my dionysias have shrunk as the children have grown