Flowers and foliage- Now- November 2007

[Rafa]

This is Spain, dear friends...

Thank you Gerd for show this pictures.

This problem starting on the Spanish coast and Islands, but now every little village has been the target of the "ethically retired" people who basically make their high level living from destroying the environment.

In my Region (Castilla León) there are many projects in villages less than 100 inhabitants which will soon increase in 15 hundred ihabitants. ¿How, you might wonder? Easy:
1. Take a little village where only old age pensioners live and their heirs will sell you all the fields very cheap.
2. Get in touch with the "right people" from the administration, and there you are!!.

The people encharged of the environment will be precisely the ones who help them to avoid any legal obstacle.

[Maggi Young]

It is a terrible thing that is happening to ruin your beautiful country, Rafa. I must say that it must be that all the people from UK and others who are so keen to find a holiday home or even to retire to Spain are often the cause of these troubles. We are told that there is protection here for our plants and birds and animals, which is often not true. And anyway, in most of our country we have so little left now many  have given up.

[Mick McLoughlin]

Mandrake root featured in th film`Pan`s Labyrinth` also included a time release footage of a crocus opening. I remember watching it at the cinema and thinking `I wonder what species that is?`
That`s when you`ve got the bug I suppose.

[Rafa]

Little pdf about N. viridiflorus, is in spanish, sorry. What a joke they don't menthioned any illegal urbanistic developpment as a pricipal threats, ¿why?

[Anthony Darby]

Thanks Gerd and Rafa. It is amazing what these little plants have to put up with? I will certainly let you know how my bulbs do. I have viridiflorus from three sources (CGF, PC and Pottertons), but they never do as well as I would like.

[Anthony Darby]

I have the Ranunculus [bullatus], ex Anthony, just coming in to growth. I thought it had died

Mine are looking good too Mark, but no flowers so far.

[annew]

This is a delightful little aster that I planted on the edge of one of my herbaceous beds, but would be much better on the rock garden. It hugs the ground closely, and so far has only made a mat about 40cm across. I'm trying to remember if it dies back in the winter but the little grey cells are not very willing. The flowers are only about 5mm across, but very numerous. Aster 'Snow Flurry'.

[Mick McLoughlin]

A couple of flowers from this weekend:
First an out of season Gold Laced Polyanthus.
Crocus goulymii and a small Cyclamen intaminatum.

[Anthony Darby]

Talking of flowering our of season. My Crinodendron hookerianum never flowers well in the spring, but this past month has been great!

[mark smyth]

Anthony my Ranunculus has a flower bud

[Anthony Darby]

Mark, where are you growing your Rb?

[Gerdk]

Yesterday I reported Dieter Zschummel from Wallendorf about Mandragora autumnalis from S. Spain.

He sent me this pic of  M. acaulis which he photographed in Yunnan/China.
Strange plant, isn't it.

Gerd

[Anthony Darby]

Ooooooh!

[Cris]

Gerd, the Narcisus I've seen here are the N. Papyraceus. It was last year and I don't remember if it was in this date ou later. We have also the little N.Bulbocodium, I like it very much.

Kindly
Cris

[David Shaw]

That Mandragon is something rather special.
I suppose that the problem with trying to cultivate it is that you might die every time you re-potted it?