Haut Chitelet Alpine Garden (France)

[Philippe]

SEASON 2018, MAY

Other Primulas do much better when cultivated in pots in the propagation area: they sure don't get the freedom others may have in the garden, but they get more care and security, thriving under rain/hail or sun shelter whenever needed.

Of course the smaller species belong to that group.




Primula minutissima for example, who just asks for a moist peaty fresh soil, where the tiny rosettes can settle down without any competition from larger plants.



I have tried  Primula macrophylla ssp.moorcroftiana several times directly in the rockbed, but it seems it is not that easy to find the place that will please it on the long term. The vicinity of water is absolute prerequisite but even then, it can suffer from the hot sunny spells that tend to punctuate more and more our summers.



Primula warshenewskiana also profit from pot cultivation, as long as watering is carefully given. The plant will only need repoting after flowering.



Soldanella minima doesn't need special car it seems. It can grow in the rockbed and even be happy there, with a wonderful blossom in the first half of May. Notice that practically no leaves are present at this moment!



Rhododendron myrtifolium, from the southern and eastern Carpathians and also from the Balkan Peninsula. The overall geographic distribution of the species may be quite widespread, populations however are restricted to very small areas within this larger range and are often much fragmented. Therefore this species has gotten a special protection status.

It looks like a very dwarf Rhododendron ferrugineum.

[Philippe]

SEASON 2018, MAY



Raoulia tenuicaulis from New Zealand.

Excellent ground cover. Here at flowering time ( nasty smell), dealing with the green Scleranthus uniflorus in the foreground ( or is it rather Scleranthus that is dealing with the Raoulia?) Anyway, the thick Raoulia carpet provides super shelter for seeds of other species around, and you can find for example Gentiana corymbifera, Scleranthus uniflorus, Plantago muelleri and other seedlings emerging safely and seemingly happily from the grey green carpet.




Gentiana alpina shows an abundant blossom this year. Always a delight with its comparatively huge flowers above tiny foliage.

[Leucogenes]

Hello Philippe

I, and probably many others, am very happy to see pictures from your beautiful garden again. Fantastic photos of great species. I'm hoping for a sequel.

Best regards
Thomas

[Gabriela]

Wonderful to see little gems from Haut Chitelet starting to bloom Philippe. Looking fwd to more of course!

[Maggi Young]

Jardins botaniques du Grand Nancy et de l'Université de Lorraine

Le jardin d'altitude du Haut Chitelet  opens its doors for the season on June 1st! Situated on the route des Crêtes  in the heart of the Vosges, it offers a tour of the world of the most beautiful mountain plants.
Full of new features this year: Educational Booklets for children, animal trails, mosses and geology. A unique place for the whole family!

https://lc.cx/mPPH

[Philippe]

SEASON 2018, JUNE

Thank you Maggi for the announcement to the garden opening on June 1st!

June comes , May goes. It has been the warmest May month over north eastern. And this just after April, which was the second warmest April month ever. Usual news now. Just scary how pretty quick things are going.

That being said, some plants pictures of the recent very thundery days. Much damages over north-eastern France through heavy rain and/or hail, but fortunately we went through all this so far.



Primula agleniana

The  Primula I spoke of in the first update in May turned to be obviously true Primula agleniana. With great joy, as this is a magnificient Primula with huge, long lasting ( 12 days!) flowers. Just inly one in this case for this year. I hope  the plants will bring it  through next summer and winter. Maybe then there could be both beautiful blossom and seeds of course next year!




Primula pulverulenta

A bit tough to go on with the common Primula pulverulenta after P.agleniana. But of much easier cultivation, and still beautiful when flowering.

 


Aquilegia fragrans.

A sweetly perfumed Aquilegia from the Himalaya




Anemone rupicola

Another chinese/himalayan exceptionnal plant, with imposant and wide-open white flowers




Polygonatum hookeri

After 4/5 years of outdoor cultivation, Polygonatum hookeri has now firmly settled down in the chinese rockbed. It begins to roam around rocks and adjacent plants, but is no problem, as both leaves and flowers really grows directly on the soil, and soon disappear after that.

[Philippe]

Megacarpaea delavayi

The cultivation of that species was no easy ride, as the genius seems to be heat sensitive and plants can go dormant much too soon during summer which are too warm or too dry, preventing them to build up enough before dying. It is also probably monocarpic. Of the 5/6 plants that were initially planted 4/5 years ago, only two survived so far, and this one finally managed to flower this year! This is no outstanding beauty, but the kind of thing you are personaly just happy to grow.

Once again, another very fragrant flower, reminding of lilac.




Primula japonica with Rhododendron molle  in the japanese area.




Trollius asiaticus

I must have posted a picture of this plant last year, but here it is again. The bright orange sepals are so cute on so consistant flowers!




Iris flavissima

A small very good looking Iris from moutains of western China and Central Asia




Paeonia daurica ssp.coriifolia

It might need some identification. Anyway, a shame that these beautiful flowers don't last much more than 1 or 2 days ( just as many other botanical Paeonias)

[Philippe]

Kelleria dieffenbachii

From New Zealand. Tiny leaves, tiny flowers, ground carpeting





An old trough which has been overhelmed by Globularia cordifolia, Dryas octopetala and Silene acaulis. Actually a plant association that can't be commonly found in the wild on calcareous rocks.




Close up on Linaria alpina

[ruweiss]

2 weeks ago we took the chance to visit Haut Chitelet and were amazed by this beautiful place, well
operated by Philippe abd the staff. It was another world for us - cool, high and a bright light - we saw
clearly, that many plants cannot do well in our hot lowland garden. The high alpine plants were at their
best, plants from NZ simply perfect.
One problem was there, unlike to other years there was no rain in the last 4 weeks, so the staff had to
spend much precious time with watering.

[ruweiss]

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[Maggi Young]

How wonderful to make a visit  and to meet Philippe !

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