May 2012 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Lesley Cox]

Oh yes, I remember now, I DID do something on Friday, abandoned IE as a browser and went for Google Chrome, which is working 3 times as fast as IE. I did it because I kept getting a little window saying something about at error at line 0. Can't even remember that properly now

I just Googled Sanicula arctopoides and it does exist. I think I must have seen it in an old AGS bulletin or somewhere and I think I included it on a long forgotten "wants" list but it never came my way. It goes to prove though, what I sometimes tell people at the market, people I know well by sight but don't know who they are. "If you were a plant I'd know your name."

[brianw]

Do you know where Gingerbread Boy came from? I have a very similar one I know as Gingerbread and the Plant Finder has G. Man and G. Castle. Mine seems to be similar to G. Man from online photos. Is there a register of Iris of this type?

[Lesley Cox]

Maybe the best option would be to google American Iris Society and look at images of dwarfs. Or catalogues. My 'Gingerbread Man' is probably the same as yours Brian, rather less rich in colour, the falls a little closer to mustard (JUST a little). Maybe someone raised a seedling from GM and named it GB. But bearded irises must be registered for the names to be accepted and recognized.

The little 'Dot Com' is another lovely form but another Dot Com is less popular in NZ at present, An American (I think) of German birth, some time ago changed his name by deed poll, to Dot Com (as a surname) and is currently being hassled by the USA govt - or NZ is - to be extradicted to the USA on charges of computer pirating on a massive scale. He is hugely rich as a result. Also is involved in so-called anonymous donations of large amounts to a right wing politician who has failed to declare their source though everyone knows darned well he knew it. You don't accept $50,000 from someone who happens to need certain favours, and not know who that person is. Get real.

[WimB]

The little 'Dot Com' is another lovely form but another Dot Com is less popular in NZ at present, An American (I think) of German birth, some time ago changed his name by deed poll, to Dot Com (as a surname) and is currently being hassled by the USA govt - or NZ is - to be extradicted to the USA on charges of computer pirating on a massive scale. He is hugely rich as a result. Also is involved in so-called anonymous donations of large amounts to a right wing politician who has failed to declare their source though everyone knows darned well he knew it. You don't accept $50,000 from someone who happens to need certain favours, and not know who that person is. Get real.

Hadn't heard about that...interesting....no such "dot commers" in my garden 

[Maggi Young]

Sanicula arctopoides is an American species, I think.

As usual, we have dear Fred to thank for the addition of the spell  check.......

[Brian Ellis]

Do you know where Gingerbread Boy came from? I have a very similar one I know as Gingerbread and the Plant Finder has G. Man and G. Castle. Mine seems to be similar to G. Man from online photos. Is there a register of Iris of this type?

Sorry it's my fault, for some reason I have a mental block on the name of this Iris and have re-christened it in my head 'Gingerbread Boy' - I think because my class used to love the story of the Gingerbread boy.  I shall have to label it and then it mights stick in my head, I told David it was 'Gingerbread Boy' and it is in fact 'Gingerbread Man'.  Mea Culpa.  Ours came from Four Seasons Nursery when they were closing down and we were invited to go round and dig any iris up that we would like along with the rest of our Norfolk & Suffolk Hardy Plant Group.  Consequently our gardens our littered with Iris (what a hardship), this does remain my particular favourite (although I say that of all of them when they are in flower).

[YT]

Well, YT, now you have started a rush to get that plant! And I'm in that queue
Do you know whether it is easy from seed? Or obtainable from somewhere?

Yes, its very easy from seeds. Look the attached pic, there are many seedlings under a mother plants now

interesting to see the blue Sanicula lamelligera var. wakayamensis, there is S caerulescens which is just as blue and easily avaliable and self seeds in a woodland condition. C europeans has creamy flowers and acts the same way.

It would be nice to see the japanese sp freely available

thanks for showing Tatsuo

I didn't know another blue sanicule, Chinese native S. caerulescens Looks very similer to Japanese one. Thank you for the information, Stephen

Yeah, put me in that queue also   

 

Some eyecatchers in the garden at the moment :
8 ) Meconopsis "Huntfield"

Luk, a beautifu blue poppy It is one of my dreams to grow blue poppies at my place...

[fredg]

It's tiime for the Sarracenia to begin flowering.
At least this Sarracenia flava ( Copper Top) doesn't have the usual S. flava 'Tom Cat' trait.

[David King]

This is Sarracenia 'Brooks Hybrid' at Cambridge Botanic Gardens last week.

[ichristie]

Hello all, this is probably the wrong place to post this topic but I had a visit today from the Rhododendron society they come to see our garden as we have different plant then I took them to Ascreavie the once owned garden by Major Sherriff it was a wild windy cold day but nobody noticed that it was super to see the structure of the big old Rhodos and others so I post a few pictures, cheers Ian the Christie kind

[Maggi Young]

Weather pretty horrible here, too, Ian.  So  said most of the callers to the radio programme today, from all over the country. 

Super to get this glimpse of Ascreavie's old plants - plants with an impeccable provenance!

[Michael J Campbell]

Androsace pubescens
Pulsatilla vulgaris
Geista pilosa var. minor

[Olga Bondareva]

Hello all!
That's interesting Pulsatillas bloom at the same time here and in Europe. 

Pulsatilla vulgaris Perlen Glocke


Epimedium leptorrhizum


Pulsatilla flavescens & Lewisia tweedyi


Pulsatilla campanella

[David Nicholson]

My Pusatillas are over and done with. Some very interesting ones there Olga, and , as usual, your pictures are beautiful.

[Lori S.]

Exquisite photos, Olga, as always! 
Is that really a different colour and form of Pulsatilla campanella, or might it be something more along the lines of, maybe, P. albana (if I'm thinking of the right one)?