August 2012 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Pete Clarke]

Roscoea Red Ghurka - flowering for the first time for me. Stunning, get one if you can.
I was told that it is not reliably hardy. Can anybody advise if I should lift it for the Winter or leave it in the ground?

[Tim Ingram]

I have 'Red Gurkha' too, bought from Julian Sutton at the Nottingham AGS Conference. Little problem with hardiness, this has been through the coldest winter we have had in Kent with temperatures down to -14°C. I think the bigger problem is likely to be summer drought. It is a stunning plant, though maybe even eclipsed by the pristine pure white Roscoea that Ron Mcbeath showed at the Edinburgh Conference in 2001.

[KentGardener]

Roscoea Red Ghurka - flowering for the first time for me. Stunning, get one if you can.
I was told that it is not reliably hardy. Can anybody advise if I should lift it for the Winter or leave it in the ground?

Hi Pete

I am not too far form Tim and also find 'Red Ghurka' to have been fine over the last half a dozen years.  (But my garden is walled, small and middle of town).

Regards

John

[KentGardener]

P.S.

Every year I worry I have lost 'Red Ghurka' as it does not put in even the slightest appearance until very late June.

[Brian Ellis]

Looks super John 

[Pete Clarke]

Thanks Tim and John. I am now happy to leave it alone in the ground.
I hope that I can get some seed off it and see what colours it produces.

[johnw]

Albizzia julibrissin v. rosea 'Ernest Wilson.

Photo 1 at 1pm today
Photo 2 at 6:30pm today

Photo 3 Stephania foliage.

A strange thing, the Puya mirabilis flowered last year and that shoot died. Today a flower stalk is arising from the centre of that dead leafless shoot stump.    Am I missing something.

johnw - +24c

[ashley]

A strange thing, the Puya mirabilis flowered last year and that shoot died. Today a flower stalk is arising from the centre of that dead leafless shoot stump.   

Strange that.  I wonder whether puyas are strictly monocarpic, or perhaps the 'decision to die' depends partly on conditions.
Several years ago I had a P. berteroniana that produced a strong side-shoot (not from the base either as you might expect from a bromeliad) the season before it flowered.  Unfortunately the plant was killed the next winter by unusually harsh conditions so I'll never know whether it would have survived flowering.

[ArnoldT]

Two events here in Northern New Jersey.

A Dahlia of unknown variety and the most famous English apple.

[Natalia]

Slightly yesterday pictures of my garden ...


 Anemone trullifolia var linearis -  Magnar thanks!
 Gentiana paradoxa
 Eryngium yuccifolium
 Gentiana asclepiadea 'Alba'

[Brian Ellis]

I am really pleased with the delicate colouring of this Crug farm sourced Aconitum loczyanum.

[Maggi Young]

Super colour, Brian - it is tall?

[Brian Ellis]

Not this year Maggi, but it is it's first year in situ. Round about 1m 20cm I would say, pretty isn't it!

[David King]

Crocosmia 'Okavango' rather nice peachy red in the garden at the moment.

[David King]

 Complete opposite to the tall Prince Igor earlier, Kniphofia 'Little Maid' and Clematis 'Gravetye Beauty'.