Pictures of plants you are growing from Archibald seed

[Maggi Young]

What are you growing from Archibald seed?/ Pictures of  plants you are  growing from Archibald seed

Alstromeria pallida cw 2200 m,   Archibald 94-14355 5/95 flowering today. Two seedlings.

johnw   - +15c and cloudy

Alstromeria pallida cw 2200 m,   Archibald 94-14355 5/95 flowering today. Two seedlings.
johnw   - +15c and cloudy

John, your posting of this JJA coll. gives me the chance to flag up something that I hope you and others will note and remember:  we would like to gather as many photos of JJA collection plants as possible, complete with any comments etc.  Yes, another project is in hand!
Cheers,
 Maggi

some alstroemerias blooming here in Spain, including…..
A. garaventae and also A. pallida. Probably Watson & Flores collections from JJA seedlist
Alstroemeria garaventae 2.027.000
Alstroemeria pallida 2.028.500
Alstroemeria diluta 2.026.700
   

Rafa - what a mouthwatering collection of alstroemerias. I've grown two or three of them, but must try more - garaventae grows well outside on a raised bed, and I once had a beautiful dwarf form of hookeri which it would be lovely to grow again. Your pictures remind me of the collection I once saw in one of Jim Archibald's greenhouses, and trying to stop myself listing every species down on my seed order!

I undestand you Tim, Archibald's catalogue was a dream and a nightmare at the same time . This is another form of A. garaventae of the last seeds I received

I really like the idea of amassing information and photos of JJA collections. I have a lot that have come and gone in the garden (after all many were not the easiest of plants! I recall a whole lot of different bomareas). It would make a great tribute to one of finest plantsman, nurseryman, seed collector and speaker that any of us have been privileged to meet - and relatively unrecognised by the wider horticultural world. The main difficulty that I see would be in accurately assigning Jim's collection numbers to specific plants but this shouldn't be too hard to overcome with contributions from many gardeners who had seed and have kept those wonderful seedlists.

Yes, Tim, attribution of the proper collection numbers would be the best option  but I think that even plants more loosely labelled as from JJA seed are of interest.
Of course, not all seed offered by Jim and Jenny was wild collected, and not all of it by themselves, but again, everything goes towards an overall picture of the contribution made to our gardens.
I am, naturally, collating all the photos in this Forum that are shown as being from the Archibalds to  the picture listings. 

Tomorow I will take pictures of A. pallida, this is a good project and a good tribute to Jim's work. He sent me an emotional letter few months before die that It touched me a lot. I didn't meet him in person, but I will remember him forever as the generous Gentleman he was, and the important work he did for plant conservation.

[ronm]

A most worthy initiative Maggi. Another SRGC important innovation. Its such a loss if information of this type fades into oblivion with time. Bon chance, 

[Darren]

A brilliant idea and I will certainly contribute where I can.

[admin]

Another SRGC important innovation. Its such a loss if information of this type fades into oblivion with time.

Indeed. This is in part to tie in with a new resource being brought to you by Maggi and Ian's hard work. All will be revealed  before too long, but for now, it's safe to say that  Jim Archibald's work will not be fading into oblivion. 

[Tim Ingram]

I visited Jim and Jenny Archibald in 2005 and was wonderfully lucky to be given hospitality and the chance to explore their garden. I only have slides taken from this and a visit a couple of years earlier so can't show them on the Forum unless they are scanned, but it is the most remarkable garden I have ever seen - partly because of how beautifully and sensitively it was made, but more because of the incredible range of plants which underpinned Jim and Jenny's eye-opening seedlists. I have copies of these from 1990 and one caught my eye, in reference to Ron McBeath when he left as assistant curator at Edinburgh Botanic Garden. Jim was a wordsmith as well as a great gardener and he chose to play on the word 'curator' - 'care for' - something that all gardeners feel for plants, even if we don't have such great abilities. Those introductions to Jim's and Jenny's seedlists may have come from someone with extremely exacting standards, but he shared these rather than, as what can happen, impose them on others, and the result was to inspire so many gardeners around the world and keep our eyes open to the wonderful diversity of plants. The best legacy of all will be for new gardeners to develop specialist nurseries and collect and distribute seed and write so evocatively about plants, and give such exciting and enjoyable talks on their exploits!

[Gerry Webster]

I was lucky enough to  visit Jim & Jenny's fascinating garden many years ago. Among many wonderful things I vividly remember the clumps of Erythronium dens canis - the best I have ever seen.

It would be good to publish a selection of Jim's introductions/editorials, although the more acerbic ones  might discomfort  some members of the horticultural establishment.

[Brian Ellis]

It would be good to publish a selection of Jim's introductions/editorials, although the more acerbic ones  might discomfort  some members of the horticultural establishment.

..and why not

[Darren]

Anemone petiolulosa JJA 162.050  Sown October 1998. 14 years old and still going strong.

[Darren]

Thanks to the WONDERFUL new Archibald resource (and splendid new SRGC home page), I've been able to correct my data for the above. And note Jim said it is 'not wonderfully long-lived' so 14 years isn't a bad effort!

Well done to all concerned!

[ronm]

Well said Darren. The archive is amazing work  , and the fronts page is very 

[Maggi Young]

There is much more to come yet in the Archibald Archive :  Jenny has been very supportive and David Stephens is working, even as we speak, on Jim's field notes.

Jim was a giant in our plant world and we very much hope that this archive will do him justice.

[admin]

The new site with the Jim Archibald resource is at

http://www.srgc.net

[admin]

Jim was a giant in our plant world

He most certainly was that and it is fitting these records of his work are saved forever and presented to the wider plant community by a giant of the plant society world. The SRGC. 

[Tim Ingram]

A few plants in our garden from Archibald collections (many more are on slides):-

Anchusa undulata - JJA 153.200
Delphinium luteum
Eucomis schijffii
Gladiolus flanaganii - JJA 3.261.000
Helleborus ex. 'Cosmos' - 6.564.020
Lilium humboldtii - JJA 1.498.901
Muscari pseudomuscari - JJA 690.700
Narcissus panizzianus - JJA 702.680
Pelargonium quercetorum - JJA 758.100

[Doreen Mear]

Here's my contribution, just a handful of plants that I remember and that I have pictures of. The notes in brackets are from the little tickets that came with the seeds (I knew I was hanging on to them for a reason ...)

Iris iberica subsp. elegantissima 589.609
(Ex Turkey, Erzurum, Kirekli pass to Tortum, 2200m. Steppe. Ex KKPS 93-44)
Quite yellowish standards on this plant.