May 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere

[annew]

Fantastic plants on this page!
David, thank you for posting the penstemon - I have one and wondered what it was. It makes a great display.
John, what more can be said, a beautiful garden. I especially like the Staphylea which appears to have heads of small white trumpet daffodils!
Arisaema, I LOVE that Ribes, which is, I suppose, fully hardy with you?
Luit, the Mellitis is very interesting, and the yellow paeony is pretty too, as well as your others.

[arisaema]

The Ribes is fully hardy here, with no freeze-back

[Gerdk]

5. Oresitrophe rupifraga - Saxifragaceae from China, acquired at the occasion of the Galanthus event at Oirlich

Gerd

  (from Gerd K. March 2011.)
Gerd, I had this plant outside without cover this winter, but the buds were so early out
and were frozen. Now I have some nice leaves and know that it is hardy at -15C at least but should not flower to early  !

Oresitrophe rupifraga

Luit,
Thank you for this information! My plant is outside also now although Erich Pasche lost his one last winter - he wasn't sure what the reason was.

Gerd

[David Nicholson]

Luit, I can't find any details on Iris barbata and Brian Mathew doesn't mention it. Could you fill me in please?

[Lesley Cox]

David, I don't think I. barbata is in general use, not now anyway. It was a sort of coverall name for the cultivated bearded irises, talls, medians, dwarfs. It is used in the index of my edition of 'Iris' by Fritz Kohlein, (he refers to Barbata - Elatior Group, Barbata - Media Group and Barbata - Nana Group so  Iris barbata 'Silverado,' Iris barbata 'Gingerbread Man' etc. Much the way Hellebores are all Helleborus hybridus, (unless they're from other known species) even though originating mostly from H. orientalis. I doubt if it was ever applied to the other beardeds, such as the oncos or regelias.

[Lvandelft]

Luit, I can't find any details on Iris barbata and Brian Mathew doesn't mention it. Could you fill me in please?

David I named it as a I. barbata MDB but I should have named it as a SDB, or a Small Bearded Iris. I don't know how I otherwise should call it now.
May be just Iris+Hybrid Name+SDB.(Group)
Many years ago I acquired this plant as Iris Barbata Nana Gingerbread Man, (thanks Lesley to awake my brains) but it is not this cultivar because there is no blue in the beard. I still hope by showing this beautiful plant to find out the real name

[johnw]

It's great to have berries and flowers at the same time on Skimmia japonica. But why do the birds consistently only eat the berries on the south side?

johnw

[johnw]

Oh my that Ribes is stunning.   

What sort of low temperatures can it take?

johnw

[johnw]

I have three plants in my garden but they haven't flowered yet. They are about 5 years.
A friend has a shrub in his garden which is 4m tall now and flower every year. They are from the same batch - he collected seed in Chile and I grew them and allocated seedlings!

Gerd / Hoy - Can the Embothrium survive very low temperatures?   I have a knack for killing them in pots (even kept frost-free), usually they die in August.  I'd be interested in the mixes you and Gerd are using.

johnw

[Gerdk]

I have three plants in my garden but they haven't flowered yet. They are about 5 years.
A friend has a shrub in his garden which is 4m tall now and flower every year. They are from the same batch - he collected seed in Chile and I grew them and allocated seedlings!

Gerd / Hoy - Can the Embothrium survive very low temperatures?   I have a knack for killing them in pots (even kept frost-free), usually they die in August.  I'd be interested in the mixes you and Gerd are using.

johnw

John, I'm not sure about the minimum the plants tolerate. I once lost Embothrium coccineum var. lanceatum 'Norquinco Valley' outside in winter. This proveniance is told to be hardier than others.
I believe Trond/Hoy is able to tell more about this topic.
Concerning the mix I use:
Because I found the species in Chile growing on vulcanic ashes I add about one third lava grit. The rest is a peat based compost and a little loam.
I hope Trond/Hoy will report more about the conditions concerning temperatures and soil in which his specimen grows.

Gerd

[arisaema]

Oh my that Ribes is stunning.   

What sort of low temperatures can it take?

johnw

We had -20C, and that was with hardly any snow cover following a cool and moist summer and autumn.

[Hoy]

Regarding Embotrium.

Our plants are from seed collected far south in Patagonia. almost all the seeds germinated and we got lots of plants. Many were given away and I don't know how they fare but of those my friend and I kept some have died. The two last winters have been very cold and dry. One plant which were huge died this winter after suffering dieback the other winter. However the biggest plant in my friend's garden has survived with only some burnt leaves and my three plants have survived but they are smaller. My friend grows his plant in ordinary garden soil (that is mostly peat and sand here) in the open and I grow my plants in the woodland with woodland type soil. All plants have excellent drainage - they make very long roots!

The lowest temps was about -18C the other winter (with snowcover) and -16C without snowcover the last year. I think desiccating dry wind in winter can be a problem - not only the cold.

[David Nicholson]

David, I don't think I. barbata is in general use, not now anyway. It was a sort of coverall name for the cultivated bearded irises, talls, medians, dwarfs. It is used in the index of my edition Of 'Irises' by Kohlein, so Iris barbata 'Silverado,' Iris barbata 'Gingerbread Man' etc. Much the way Hellebores are all Helleborus hybridus, (unless they're from other known species) even though originating mostly from H. orientalis. I doubt if it was ever applied to the other beardeds, such as the oncos or regelias.

Many thanks Lesley and Luit for the clarification. Thus, my education is further improved

[johngennard]

I may have said it before, John, but you have a stunning garden! The Staphylea went straight to the top of my "wants-list", but I notice a few sites mentioning a suckering habit - is it bad?

Ribes lobbii below, first time flowering from seeds + a Filipendula multijuga.

I have never heard of staphyllea colchica suckering and in the 4oyrs. that I have had this plant it has never produced a sucker

[Gerdk]

Trond,
Thank you for the Embothrium notes.
The hint at good drainage will be helpful if I ever plant my specimen out!

Gerd