2010 YES!!! The "I'm so happy" thread.

[Rodger Whitlock]

My pot of Primula × bileckii won "Best Plant in Show" at our local club's show this weekend. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Evidently the judges liked the very naturalistic planting with the primula growing out of a layer of moss. This is not due to skill; it's due to dumb luck, but I'm certainly not complaining.

I'll try to get a decent snapshot of it and append that to this posting so you can see what I'm talking about.

PS: Two photos of the prize winning plant.

[Anthony Darby]

Weeeeeeeeell done!

[David Shaw]

Well done, Rodger. We look forward to the picture.

[angie]

Good for you Rodger, looking forward to see your Primula.
Angie

[Paddy Tobin]

Well  done, Rodger. The moss is very artistic, perfectly composed!

Paddy

[David Shaw]

Very nice Rodger. I like that sort of presentation but in Scotland the judges, generaly, prefer a plant in a round clay pot dressed with grit. Occaisionaly an 'alterantive' presentation will be recognised.

[Rodger Whitlock]

Very nice Rodger. I like that sort of presentation but in Scotland the judges, generaly, prefer a plant in a round clay pot dressed with grit. Occaisionaly an 'alternative' presentation will be recognised.

We theoretically use the AGS rules, but our actual practice here is to prefer a top dressing that is reminiscent or indicative of the plant's native habitat. it's rather silly to exhibit, say, a cyclamen or erythronium that is fundamentally a woodland plant with a top dressing of grit, no? Our approach certainly hasn't been codified (where is Justinian when you need him?), and there's a great deal of variation between exhibitors and amongst judges, but I personally prefer the concept of letting the presentation be loosely guided by the plant's natural habitat. Thus, rather coarse shattered rock for real alpines, and dead leaves, conifer needles, or living moss for woodlanders. The overall spirit is closely akin to, and possibly derived from, the practice of bonsai growers.

In the present case, what you see is what the plant looks like 24/365. The moss planted itself, and understandably I'm not about to interfere with success! Underneath, iirc there's nothing but pumice, a medium I find very good for many "difficult" plants.

As for pots: Myself, I'm also agin' terra cotta pots. They're expensive, heavy, prone to breaking if dropped, and their garish color clashes horribly with the beauty of the plants exhibited. Plastic pots have the great advantages of price and ready availability. For plants liking warm soil, the absence of evaporative cooling through the walls of a plastic pot is advantageous. But otoh, in my books the optimum growing system is terra cotta pots plunged in sand.

My distaste for terra cotta is  a quasi-political stance that sometimes infuriates the old guard and the more rigid-minded, of course. When plastic pots first came out in the 1950s, they were widely scorned, and to this day that attitude persists. But on the whole a show looks much better when the exhibits are in black and dark green pots that don't call attention to themselves.

The pot in the photograph was made for me by a handy friend, and reproduces pots made by Ed Lohbrunner's brother during World War II when other pots were unavailable. They're made of a cement mix, which has weathered quite nicely. We also have floating around in our local pot-o-sphere cement pots of standard circular design; at some point after the war, a local firm had a machine for making them. Their very quiet, neutral gray color makes them, along the the Lohbrunner-style square pots, the best of all for exhbiting. Both the Lohbrunner cement pots and the machine made circular ones are now antiques, and sought after. Sadly, the machine made ones have become brittle with age and are now becoming fragile.

[Footnote: it may have been Butchart Gardens that made the cement pots. I've heard scuttlebutt that they have rejuvenated the machinery and are now selling new ones at fancy prices, but cannot confirm this.]

Yet another category of pot encompasses decorative glazed pots. The proprietors of the former Grand Ridge Nursery in Issaquah, Washington, designed and made frost-proof glazed stoneware pots specifically for alpines. The glazes are mostly a crackle finish enhanced with India ink, the pot proportions being rather wider than usual, with enormous drain holes. I have a few of these, and wish I'd bought many more when they were available.

From time to time I run across commercial pots suitable for alpines, usually made in China or Viet-nam. Some of these are much deeper than usual, which offers cultural advantages, but beware the trap of the sometimes garish glazes. I find that if you tap a pot you are contemplating the purchase of, if it gives a good clear ring, it's probably frost proof. If it's a dull ring or a thud, stay away. Italian and Mexican pots are generally not fired to a high enough temperature, and if exposed to freezing temperatures, begin to disintegrate by the rim spalling.

The traditional Tokonama ware bonsai pots in very dark brown are also a good choice, but well made ones of proper proportions for alpines are costly.

[Maggi Young]

concept of letting the presentation be loosely guided by the plant's natural habitat. Thus, rather coarse shattered rock for real alpines, and dead leaves, conifer needles, or living moss for woodlanders.

In fact this type of presentation is very often seen in the show benches in the UK and is welcomed.  

[Gail]

Fingerprints taken and visa granted.  All being well will be on my way to Iran on Easter Saturday.

Have a great trip Arthur - can't wait to see the photos!

[Ragged Robin]

Yes, have a great trip Art and can't wait to see some photos 

[TheOnionMan]

Yet another category of pot encompasses decorative glazed pots. The proprietors of the former Grand Ridge Nursery in Issaquah, Washington, designed and made frost-proof glazed stoneware pots specifically for alpines. The glazes are mostly a crackle finish enhanced with India ink, the pot proportions being rather wider than usual, with enormous drain holes. I have a few of these, and wish I'd bought many more when they were available.

Back in the years 1982-1986 I was fortunate to live about 10 miles from the proprietors (Steve Doonan; recently deceased, and Phil Pearson and his wife Kitty) at Grand Ridge Nursery in Issaquah, Washington.  Their nursery was situated in the "foothills" of the Cascade Mountains, due east from Seattle, Washington.  Phil Pearson created his amazing pots for the express purpose of growing alpines, built his own kilns engineered specifically for his high-fire pottery innovations, the pots made from locally collected and blended clays and aggregates.  Most of their pots were not glazed, they were beautiful high-fire clay pots with natural finish and colors, in all sorts of sizes and proportions; deep ones emulating "long toms" to enormous round ones that could serve as a trough unto themselves, and every size and shape between. The use of gritty natural color aggregates added to the resulting strength of his clay blends, as well as adding aesthetically to the finished products.

And as Roger recounts, there were some glazed pots too, special glazes again made from natural materials and elements that Phil would find in nature.  If I remember correctly, his pottery methods, and in particular, his glazing recipes, broke new ground and were published in pottery making journals. The glazed pots too, were exquisite and refined; wish I bought more than just one of the glazed ones. When I moved back to the Northeastern USA in autumn 1986, I brought about 1 dozen of Phil's pots back east with me.  While designed to be frost-proof (break proof), here in a much tougher winter climate, I lost some of these pots due to winter frozen soil expansion and cracking.  I still have three pots left, the trick it seems, is to partially plunge the pots in soil or bark mulch over winter; with more uniform pressure of frozen soil all around on both sides, these three pots are now into their 25th year outside... so YES, I'm so happy about these beautiful pots.

Just scanning through my digital photos, found a couple pictures of Tulipa vvedenskyi that I grew outside in a long-tom-style Phil Pearson pot.  As you can see, the medium brown color is attractive, and notice the blackish aggregate or grit used in the clay blend, giving the pots a naturalistic look and feel.  This Tulipa species has since been planted outside, just love those crazy squiggly leaves.  I have an Eriogonum growing in one of Phil's low-and-shallow-style wide pots, of a dark charcoal color clay which sets off the silvery foliage of the Eriogonum (no pics of that one).

[Maggi Young]

Great pots..... we have a weakness for pots.... but not so much for outdoor ones because of the breakage risk, but for the work of art potters, certainly.

 I'm going to give you yet another link, McMark; in the Connoiseur Collection thread, Luit pictures some lovey Tulipa vvedenskyi forms, many of which are from Janis.....
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1331.msg41562#msg41562   

[TheOnionMan]

I'm going to give you yet another link, McMark; in the Connoiseur Collection thread, Luit pictures some lovey Tulipa vvedenskyi forms, many of which are from Janis.....
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1331.msg41562#msg41562   

Thanks for the link, certainly some beauties there.  I do have Janis' catalog and read through the long list of T. vvedenskyi hybrids with kaufmanniana and greigii, with some color photos, many there for total temptation.  Would it be possible to resize two photos at that link, the photos of x 'Girlfriend' and x 'Lady Gune' are up to 1732 & 1920 pixels wide respectively, and much of the photo goes way off-screen... thanks.

Just scanning through my digital photos, I came across a photo of a surprise Tulipa seedling, one that just sort of showed up in May of 2009, not sure how a flowering size tulip bulb appeared about 30+ meters downhill and away from where my little T. vvedenskyi is planted, but here's a photo... looks like it might be a hybrid, but certainly with vvedenskyi-ish foliage.  Again, I'm so happy

[Maggi Young]

Would it be possible to resize two photos at that link, the photos of x 'Girlfriend' and x 'Lady Gune' are up to 1732 & 1920 pixels wide respectively, and much of the photo goes way off-screen... thanks.

It is possible and I have done so, McMark  






I'm not happy..... the wind is getting even worse and all the hellebores and corydalis are lying flat......

[TheOnionMan]

Would it be possible to resize two photos at that link, the photos of x 'Girlfriend' and x 'Lady Gune' are up to 1732 & 1920 pixels wide respectively, and much of the photo goes way off-screen... thanks.

It is possible and I have done so, McMark  

Thank you!

I'm not happy..... the wind is getting even worse and all the hellebores and corydalis are lying flat......

Sorry to hear that, but you can't say that here... no frownie faces in the YES!!! The "I'm so happy" thread, should be in the moan moan moan thread instead
We're having our second day of steady rain, a good soaking spring rain, I had better finish cleaning up hundreds more Epimediums this week before the new sprouts intertwine themselves amidst last years dried or dying foliage.