In the hands of nature

Sunday, 26 September 2010

In the hands of nature

I have no idea what has happened to the leading on this type but my knowledge of HTML is insufficient to fix it, you'll just have to stick with me!

Well, everything has been removed from the windowsills (dry compost+wind=disaster), the hose will come out once the flower market's finished to give everything that needs it a last drenching (arilbred and juno irises exempted) and any seed tray/pot that can has been cling-filmed to keep the moisture in, although I think the Iris sibirica seedling (yes, one so far) might just carry on up through it, which is better than a bent seedling, I suppose.

The greenhouse will be zipped up and fingers crossed as I leave my babies to fend for themselves for a few days as I head of to 39C in Egypt (not good, I have ginger hair, but I will be spending a lot of the time 30m down indulging in a bit of marine biology).

My cunning plan for the bog-lovers seems to be working if this Primula japonica is anything to go by:

It has been sitting in that tray of water for almost a week now and has never looked happier. I was a little nervous as very few plants actively enjoy sitting in water, the Japanese Irises and our own native Yellow Flag, Iris pseudacorus, being exceptions (any excuse for a picture of an Iris!)

There is still plenty of action: I've got 9 lily seedlings now, a smattering of Delphinium zalil, plenty of candelabra Primula species seedlings (of course I won't know what they are until the flower and even then it's not that simple with the variability within species).

The primulas: honestlty there are at least a dozen in there!

The Iris "Eye of the Tiger" has clearly lost its iPhone cos it has no idea that it's not spring and won't be for a considerable time, but there are plenty of antirrhinum seedlings in the same pot so I'll get something out of it!

I know, the bowl's too shallow, it's my own fault but still...

The moisture/shade lovers such as Mecanopsis have been carefully placed to get any rain but little sun. I can but hope that you have a week of light, steady rain (sorry) so it can trickle down to thing like the Rhododendrons which do themselves no favours by covering the pots with a thatch of leaves.

There's still a lot to see: Dianthus, the winter violas underplanted with tulips, Dhalias, etc

Gentiana sino-ornata

I'm delighted with the Lupin seedlings, they look like Lupins now and the Dianthus knappii have transplanted successfully after sulking for a few days.

All in all I'm pleased with how year one has gone, especially when I saw several people in the courtyard outside (only open Sundays) taking pix of it. Year two will be all about finding space and hopefully enjoying a stunning display of Irises of all hues and sub-genus.

Some of the bearded Irises imported from Spain: with any luck a rainbow of colour and heights next year

Oh, and here's my DIY to take the Lathyrus chloranthus.

Until my return...

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My recommended suppliers for plants and seed

(And our only business connection is that I give them lots of money in exchange for high quality plants.) Rare Plants (http://rareplants.co.uk/). Paul Christian concentrates on the very choice and rare (and consequently expensive but not unfairly so. Mainly but not exclusively bulbs and a great stop for the hardcore Iris and Lily collector. Mail order. Growild A small operation on the West coast of Scotland dealing largely on eBay and not a garden centre or public nursery so it's a case of when they have it, they'll list it. So keep an eye out for the odd gem (I recently spent £80 on rare Lily species on eBay so it's the market that sets the prices. An esoteric range, best found on eBay Kevock Garden Nursery in Scotland (www.kevockgarden.co.uk/) specializing in unusual alpine, woodland, and bog plants, many of Asian origin. Think along the lines of Meconopsis and candelabra primulas. Online catalogue and mail order. Cayeux Irises Based in France, near Orléans, this lot deal almost exclusively in bearded Irises (550 varieties, many their own) with a few beardless and Day Lilies. Superb quality plants, sent out bare-root from Late June to mid-October (www.cayeux-irises.com).

SEEDS

Chiltern Seeds I have to start with the suppliers who first showed a spotty teenager that there's more to seed catalogues than Petunias and Sweet Peas (although they are in there too). They offer a huge range of genera and the species within. The catalogue (too comprehensive to illustrate, it would be the size of the Birmingham phone book) is witty and informative (or not, which is refreshingly honest on rare occasions when they doubt the provenance of an item, something usually reflected in the price). I've raised many an Iris, Meconopsis and Primula from them and portion sizes are generous. Germination instructions for the needy (seeds, not necessarily gardeners) care often stuck to the packet, otherwise just stick a pin in and have a go! (www.chilternseeds.co.uk/)

Chileflora.com Suppliers of an astonishing range of South American (mostly Chilean and Argentinian) seeds, especially the likes of Alstroemerias, Tropaeolums (the rare ones), Bomareas and a seemingly endless range of Rhodophialas and other bulb seeds. And remember, a lot of Chile is far colder than you think it is! Hundreds of seeds per packet so experimentation with sowing techniques is possible, if at first you don't succeed (you usually will). Many species yet to be named, eg Calandrinia sp. 1212 (mine have yet to germinate). An amazing website with thousands of stunning images taken by the proprietor, Mikhail Belov, and each entry comes with a wealth of habitat, hardiness and other info. He even rates them for ornamental value! (The aforementioned gets an A+).

Rareplants.de Offering many of the above (don't know if they have a reciprocal deal or something) but many, many more genera from all around the planet, seeds are broken down in to sections such as geophytes (bulbs, basically), climbers, hardiness and geographically. And you ALWAYS get a free packet of some Aeonium (Houseleek) species that I never sow. I must have a dozen. Also well illustrated and a HUGE range. Prices are in Euros (the .de domain name should have given that away so be aware of that minute's exchange rate when you order!

Secret Seeds A UK firm specialising in rare perennials (that's where I got my Impatiens namchabarwensis seeds, although at the time of writing they have a picture but no stock), they also deal in grasses, veg and herbs, should any of that float your dinghy. All seeds come in little packets, sometimes a bit on the stingy side but they do tell you how many are coming so fair's fair, with detailed cultivation instructions. Top stuff. (www.secretseeds.com)

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