The Czechs in the post. As is the Uzbek, Turk, north Amercan...

Saturday, 6 November 2010

The Czechs in the post. As is the Uzbek, Turk, north Amercan...

Today I decided to do an inventory to see what I'm still waiting for orderwise.

This was prompted by an order from Paul Christian, sent to me on October 20 but yet to arrive, which has one of those useless tracking numbers that only work when the item has been delivered, ie, when it is no longer any use. And the value of the order is £48, £7 more than the PO's insurance, not to mention the fact that even if they turn up they will all be dead. This is annoying as these are plants I really want!

Iris Orchiodes dwarf form

Iris Stolonifera

Fritillaria bucharica, from the Bukhara (somethimes spelled Bokhara) region of Uzbekistan

Notholirion bulbiferum, which I used to grow in the open ground with similar results, despite it being a heavy clay broken up with the surprisingly successful compost we made from prunings/grass etc. Oh the image is copyright Paul Christian but they're in no position to complain!

The second order I placed with them (having forgotten about the first, was the one that came the other day with the Iris Svetlanae, Frits and Notholirion thomsonianum.

Now, I'm currently waiting for TWO orders from Buckland Plants, who have a phone but no-one to answer it during the day. One order was PLACED IN AUGUST. It turns out it was lost when they switched websites or ordering systems or something but the gentleman with whom I spoke was very nice and promised to get it off on Monday, while managing to sell me Liliums medeliodes and volmeri. He did promise to tuck a little something extra in by way of apology so what was about the be a vicious character assassination of the people behind Buckland Plants now becomes a cosy love-in. Although annoyingly the only plant on the original list they might not have is Lilium lankongense, the one I really wanted!

While the individual blooms are stunning, it's the way they are held on the stem that I love. Sadly I can't find any images by anyone I'm owed a favour by so but this one from The Scottish Rock Garden Club hints at it. Join their site btw, it's packed pull of information you don't need to be Scottish to find useful (I'm lucky enough to have an English Rooftop and a Scottish Garden

Nomocharis Mairei is extremely variable in its marking, making for a taxonomist's nightmare. In fact they all are. What's a hybrid and what's a species? No one really knows © SRGC

Already got this one but there's safety in numbers, Fritillari camschatcensis

Helleborus "White Spotted" ©plantes-et-jardins.com

Corydalis flexuosa. Perfect for Tayside. Useless for a baking roof in London! © MACGARDENS

So, that's what I've got to look foward to next week.

I am also awaiting a collection of 5 x 5 Giant Asiatic Lily hybrids from Van Meuwen, the planters for which I bought weeks ago! And these beauties...

Lilium Triumphator

Robert swanson

L, lancifolium florepleno

Lilies Triumphator, Robert Swanson and Flore Pleno have yet to arrive from J. Parker which was worrying as all the other bits of the order (including the 25 free mixed Narcissus that I can find no use for) but they were quick off the mark with an email to say they are just getting the Lily orders in now and they would be marking my order as urgent, so 5 stars there too.

I'm also waiting for a load of Frits from someone and Pelargoniums too which I only ordered after the revelation of my visit to the hothouse at Kew. They will handily solve the problem of what to do with the . And these are only the one I can find the email receipts for.

Oh no, here's another (in this order) : Lilium tenuifolium, Iris suaveolens, Nomocharis hybrids and Rhododendron radicans which will be coming from Potterton and Martin in mid-January

Take your pick!...

1 comment:

Keith6 November 2010 at 14:53
This is why I tend to avoid mail order in all forms of life!
Burncoose made a cock up with an order earlier this year, but bless 'em, all it took was one e-mail and it was sorted!
So I now have three Sollya heterophylla (see it here..... http://meanie-allthingsfloral.blogspot.com/2010/11/ten-plants-i-wouldnt-be-without.html).
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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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