Shopping around. And around. And around

Sunday 5 December 2010

Shopping around. And around. And around

Well, I can't remember which of you told me eBay was a good place to pick up bargains but I wish you hadn't! It's a good place for any normal person to pick up bargains but for those with an addictive personality, it can prove very expensive indeed!

That said, I've picked up a lot of seed and bulbs that I would never have got anywhere else, including two honorary Irises, Dietes iridiodes and Belamcamda chinesnsis.

You can see where it got the name from, it must be a couple of strands of DNA from being the real deal

Ditto!

I've also been able to try things I would never have thought to touch before such as the dozen or so South African plants I went through a few posts ago. The seed has arrived, leaving me with the conundrum of what to do with it. I think I'll have to exercise self-control and wait until late spring before sowing them, it's not like they're going to flower next year anyway. The delivery also contained some very odd (but gratefully received) free seeds such as Okra and Capsicums! I really want to get the Gladioli going but in the meantime I have bulbs of G. communis ssp byzantinus planted up along with three other genus which are living at the bottom of the stairs: a genius solution to space/domestic harmony issues. It's not heated down there but it's indoors and it's a good deal warmer than outside or the (already full to bursting) bulb frame or polyframe. I had never heard of Dichelostemma ida-maia but it's gorgeous! Also down there is an Oxalis deppei I won by accident and Calochortus venustus, a pretty little thing.

Gladiolus byzantinus naturalised, not imprisoned in a pot like mine!

Dichelostemma ida-maia: What a remarkable and stunning plant! And I've got one! In fact I've got ten!

An Oxalis. Actually, it's quite nice really

Calochortus venusta. Not bad for less than £2 for 10

I can't remeber if I told you about the red Delphinium seed? Well, I've got some red Delphinium seed. I think I can safely sow that in Feb/March.

I went a bit mad yesterday in my pursuit of Lilies and ended up paying well over the odds for Hansonii x 3, Pumilum x 4, Henryii x1, Superbum, Oxypetalum insigne x 3 (£21!).

L. hansonii

L. pumilum (I'm really glad I won this one, I love it's vivid waxy blooms)

L. Henryii

L superbum

The dainty and very expensive (but worth it) L. oxypetalum insigne

In the meantime, there has been a steady flow of packages arriving (just as well I'm only working three days a week at the moment or I'd spend my life in the Post Office depot surrounded by staff, no not surrounded, separated by a glass wall from a maximum of two members of staff who radiate unhelpfulness. None of these cost more then £2.50 (until we get to the two bulbs at the end!).

A couple of Rhodys: "Ginny Gee" and williamsianum:

A very nice specimen of Williamsianum (above) below, Ginny Gee, which the late great Euan Cox considered the finest dwarf Rhododendron hybrid ever bred. And I don't think it's even once of his!

R. Williamsianum

Primula secundiflora (secund means held to one side. The flowers that is. That's some below.

Polyanthus "Paris 90"

Penstemon "Windor Red"

Alstromeria psittacina variegata (below in flower. Nice!)

Pelargonium dichondrifolium. A little bit feeble looking but the lovely vendor, wyll-o-wytch, added this for nothing;

Pelargonium "Lady Plymouth", which is scented of something although I'm not sure what, and will look like this:

Digitalis "Pam's Choice"

Primula chionantha

Primula waltonii

Corydalis flexuosa "Blue Dragon"

Phyteuma scheuchzeri

Clematis Napaulensis (see last post)

Narcissus humilis

Iris dandordiae just poking through yesterday

Iris Zenaidae (in flower below)

1 comment:

Betonyjoy13 December 2010 at 11:31
Erm guilty as charged!
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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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