October 2011 in the Northern hemisphere

[Lesley Cox]

Have just caught up with this most interesting topic so lots to think about. John I'd forgotten about the Celmisia. It's good when one's advice occasionally comes up trumps. It looks fine now anyway.

And I want to say, Meanie, if you can pollinate your passiflora and get a fruit, do it because P. antioquiensis is the BEST of all for flavour. It's not hardy with me and I have no glass cover but a friend who gardens in the north of the North Island has it scrambling among his trees and the fruit is really to die for.

[Lesley Cox]

I thought I had lost my miniscule Rhodothamnus seedlings over the winter, even with a magnifying glass I could see nothing until yesterday when I noticed pin-prick sized leaves on little brown stems. The whole plants are no more than 2mm high - still! But they've come through 2 winters now. Are they every going to get any bigger?

[johnw]

I thought I had lost my miniscule Rhodothamnus seedlings over the winter, even with a magnifying glass I could see nothing until yesterday when I noticed pin-prick sized leaves on little brown stems. The whole plants are no more than 2mm high - still! But they've come through 2 winters now. Are they every going to get any bigger?

Lesley - I got mine from Siskyou Rare Plants back in 1995. It was in a 2" pot and is now 6" across.  In New Zealnd with your wonderful climate it should be even bigger than that in 5 years.  Baldassare said he rooted cuttings whilst still quite soft.

Any pix from your recent Rhodo show?

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

I hope I don't die before it does

Baldessare rings a bell. He was here some years ago I think and I seem to remember a marvellous story about communist block botanists exploring/studying in Yellowstone National Park. When both disappeared and it was realized a huge female had eaten the Russian, the guides said "The Czech's in the male."

No pics of the rhodos sorry, the show was in Chch and I couldn't go up this year. Maybe someone like Doug Logan has some. I have more pics for the Trillium weekend thread but am finding it hard to get the time to post them. I might be able to take a pic of the couple of flowers (mean thing) on R. megeratum.

[Hoy]

Thanks, but I have them all, I've kept backups inside Think I have 5 or 6 different ones, but still searching for the purple-leaved one which I don't think has been introduced. I'm a bit curious about how you got 'Milo'? It's named after a cat of mine, it's my nick on GardenWeb If you've lost it I got backup from a friend in Bergen, she said it was rather weedy there.

I have another clone of omeiana as well. It is blooming now for the first time ever. I think all the rain this summer has been to its liking. It has somewhat purple leaves (a bad picture but you can see the colour of the leaf).

[fleurbleue]

Very nice omeiana Hoy 

[arisaema]

I have another clone of omeiana as well. It is blooming now for the first time ever. I think all the rain this summer has been to its liking. It has somewhat purple leaves (a bad picture but you can see the colour of the leaf).

Very nice! I have it, but don't believe I've actually ever seen it in flower, I've been away the last couple of years. Here's the really purple-leaved one I was talking about, on WawuShan: http://www.mrimpatiens.com/images/species/Impatiens%20omeiana%20ex%20wawu%20shan%20sichuan.jpg

[fleurbleue]

I didn't know I. omeiana had so many coloured foliage forms 

[Hoy]

Very nice omeiana Hoy  

Thanks

I didn't know I. omeiana had so many coloured foliage forms  

Neither did I although I have 3 different forms.

I have another clone of omeiana as well. It is blooming now for the first time ever. I think all the rain this summer has been to its liking. It has somewhat purple leaves (a bad picture but you can see the colour of the leaf).

Very nice! I have it, but don't believe I've actually ever seen it in flower, I've been away the last couple of years. Here's the really purple-leaved one I was talking about, on WawuShan: http://www.mrimpatiens.com/images/species/Impatiens%20omeiana%20ex%20wawu%20shan%20sichuan.jpg

Bjørnar, den var flott!
I didn't know that photo gallery and although I knew it exists many species I hadn't realized that number - and many hardy ones too!
Do you know any retailers shipping to Norway?

Here are some forms I pictured in East Africa a couple of years ago. I don't think any of them are hardy!

[fleurbleue]

Impatiens world is immense   http://www.hodnik.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21&sort=2a&page=15
http://www.pepinierefleursdusud.com/fichesrecap/recap-impatiens.html

[arisaema]

Bjørnar, den var flott!
I didn't know that photo gallery and although I knew it exists many species I hadn't realized that number - and many hardy ones too!
Do you know any retailers shipping to Norway?

I don't off-hand, I'm afraid, but I think there's one in the Netherlands selling a couple of hardy species... Plant Delights may also ship to Europe? Most of the hardy species in cultivation are still quite obscure and hard to find, and I think only a fraction of those that have a potential for hardiness have been introduced.

[meanie]

Lesley - I may have the use of quite a large glasshouse next year, and this will be in there. So hopefully I'll be able to sample them then.

Fleurbleue - that was an interesting link, thanks!

My final Tricyrtis (T.hirta Lightening Strike) has finally bloomed this week. It got a little stroppy about the cool nights and was dropping its buds, so I had to move it into the conservatory at night to get it into bloom.

[fleurbleue]

I grow I. puberula and I. arguta in my garden on which I put leaves for winter. Untill now, they seem hardy enough but they get no seeds. I have just bought I. uniflora but I'll plant it only in next spring.

[mark smyth]

I can recommend Impatiens omeiana.
Here are a few shots of the whole plant.

My Impatiens omeiana looks nothing like yours. Mine is only 15cm high. I'll look for a photo.

[Hoy]

I can recommend Impatiens omeiana.
Here are a few shots of the whole plant.

My Impatiens omeiana looks nothing like yours. Mine is only 15cm high. I'll look for a photo.

Yes please!  My plants are much taller as you can see here - the tallest are 60cm. However they grow in the shade of a Sweet Chestnut tree.

   

I grow I. puberula and I. arguta in my garden on which I put leaves for winter. Untill now, they seem hardy enough but they get no seeds. I have just bought I. uniflora but I'll plant it only in next spring.

I am always looking for new species to try! hanks for the links.
However I never cover my plants with anything as they seem to cope well with the winter anyway.

Meanie, nice Tricyrtis!