Author Topic: May 2012 in the Northern Hemisphere (Read 38719 times)

hadacekf · « **Reply #75 on:** May 07, 2012, 07:37:10 PM »

Quote from: Luc Gilgemyn on May 06, 2012, 08:21:52 PM

Wonderful shrub Mike !!!
Love the Viola YT !!

Some more in flower here :

1 Androsace studiosorum "Doksa" - out in the garden starting flowering
2 Androsace studiosorum in full swing
3 Asperula boissieri looking quite promising
4 Dicentra "King of Hearts" starting its' endless flowering period - well.. that is until frost comes in Autumn...
5 Erigeron scopulina nestling between rocks - a shame the colour isn't a bit more attractive - this would make it a top alpine..
6 first flower on Oxalis "Ute"
7 Ramonda nathaliae at its' best
8 Jankemonda vandemii flowering for the first time !

Superb plants and pictures]

fredg · « **Reply #76 on:** May 08, 2012, 05:26:12 PM »

The foliage may be old but the flowers are new

The leaves should be shooting soon and set for a season eating flies

Darlingtonia californica

WimB · « **Reply #77 on:** May 08, 2012, 05:36:55 PM »

Quote from: fredg on May 08, 2012, 05:26:12 PM

The foliage may be old but the flowers are new
The leaves should be shooting soon and set for a season eating flies

Darlingtonia californica

Wonderful, Fred! Mine are still too young to flower...but it's nice to be able to enjoy yours!

ronm · « **Reply #78 on:** May 08, 2012, 06:43:24 PM »

Lovely Fred.

Do you use the double pot method per A. Slack, or just regular potting system?

fredg · « **Reply #79 on:** May 08, 2012, 07:46:29 PM »

I grow in double gravel trays of live sphagnum , filled to the top with rainwater Ron.
Totally unorthodox but it gets decent results for me.
Excuse the rough photos but these are the kind of results I get.

ronm · « **Reply #80 on:** May 08, 2012, 08:06:27 PM »

Better than I ever got no matter which method i tried. Beautiful growing Fred.

Paul T · « **Reply #81 on:** May 08, 2012, 11:51:37 PM »

Fred,

Can you please explan what "double gravel trays of live sphagnum" means? (I just can't visualise what that means?).

Also, how cold do they get down to? Is your glasshouse heated, and if so, down to what temperature? I've not tried Darlingtonia as yet, but I grow Sarracenia etc outside here quite successfully. No proper glasshouse here though.

Thanks.

Stephen Vella · « **Reply #82 on:** May 09, 2012, 10:21:35 AM »

Wim..very nice Paris sp,love the colour of the stamens and the arrangement, a beauty....not a species that I know

WimB · « **Reply #83 on:** May 09, 2012, 12:41:32 PM »

Quote from: Stephen Vella on May 09, 2012, 10:21:35 AM

Wim..very nice Paris sp,love the colour of the stamens and the arrangement, a beauty....not a species that I know

Thanks Stephen! José Callens once told me the name, but I forgot

I'll ask him again!

ronm · « **Reply #84 on:** May 09, 2012, 02:45:22 PM »

Some darkness in the garden today, in more ways than one.

ronm · « **Reply #85 on:** May 09, 2012, 04:59:16 PM »

The sun came out for 10 minutes.!

A very dark day,

fredg · « **Reply #86 on:** May 09, 2012, 05:43:59 PM »

Quote from: Paul T on May 08, 2012, 11:51:37 PM

Fred,

Can you please explan what "double gravel trays of live sphagnum" means? (I just can't visualise what that means?).

Also, how cold do they get down to? Is your glasshouse heated, and if so, down to what temperature? I've not tried Darlingtonia as yet, but I grow Sarracenia etc outside here quite successfully. No proper glasshouse here though.

Thanks.

Paul
The double gravel trays are 52cm x 45 cm x 10 cm ( 20.5" x 16.5" x 4") ie. double the size of a standard seed/gravel tray.
[ For those in the UK, these are good strong trays made by Stewart available at Wilkinson's for £2.87)
The medium I use in them is live Sphagnum moss and the Darlingtonia are planted directly into it.
I use rainwater to fill the tray to the brim and then top up every few days.

My greenhouses are not heated and the plants are subjected to ambient temperatures.
Vents are open all winter.
Darlingtonia are very cold tolerant, I believe the main winter problem is allowing the plants to become too dry.
Excessive heat however can cause problems.
Much is said about keeping the roots cool and some have invented cooling systems and devices to help.
Black pots are also widely held to be taboo.
(NB: these trays are shallow and black and sit in the sunniest parts of my two greenhouses

)

Just don't get me started on the cultivation of Cephalotus , I do that completely wrong too

according to many.