JEARRARD'S HERBAL
Thats enough introduction - on with the plants!
To navigate this site, use the links above, or the detailed links at the bottom of this page.
... out in the garden.
26th April 2009
Lachenalia contaminata .
I don't know what happens to time in the spring. I think it gets a bit frisky and disappears behind a hedge with a friend for a quick........never mind.
Whatever the cause, this week has happened at full tilt. More seems to happen than I manage to photograph and even a day or so of rain hasn't slowed things
at all.
This Lachenalia is one of the hardiest of the species. I have been trying more and more of them in the cold greenhouse over the last couple of years, so
last winter was a big test. Fortunately, most of them have resisted low temperatures without problems and although they need repotting they are putting on a good show.
26th April 2009
Epimedium Acuminatum Hybrid .
The Epimedium are still flowering at their peak. Before long they will suddenly shed their petals and it will be over for the year. The seed is fattening nicely on the early
flower stems, and although I should probably throw it all away, I will almost certainly sow it to see what comes up. Epimedium is another of those genera that
isn't too choosy about who it disappears behind a hedge with, and as a consequence almost all seedlings are hybrids. All Epimedium are beautiful so they get
kept and propagated and distributed and before long there will be more new names than you can shake a stick at (which is a very strange thing to do,
but spring seems to stir even the most lethargic of us to action).
This one came from China, just to show that it is happening worldwide. It was listed as "acuminatum hybrid", though the long horned flowers could have come from a
dozen or more species just as well. The red and yellow flowers show a very clear influence from E.davidii. There are a number of seedlings
about that are similar - 'Asiatic Hybrid' springs to mind, and I have one of my own (which is of course the best thing since sliced bread). The long petal spurs
of this one are more striking than any other I have seen so far.
26th April 2009
Epimedium seedling 230409 .
Another seedling that opened this week for the first time. I was really pleased with it, but it is close enough to 'Jean O'Neill' to mean that it isn't worth
naming or distributing (unless it suddenly develops a special talent - solid gold seeds would be nice - I'm not greedy). A bit darker, perhaps but not
sufficiently distinct.
One of the parents was E.rhizomatosum, but the other one was left to the bees to choose. For some time I have been trying to collect together different clones
of the various species so that I can raise some true to name species seedlings, but I'm not sure there are enough isolated corners in the garden to house them all. I get
the same problem keeping the Hellebores apart, but fortunately they get frisky when it is still too cold for the bees to confuse the issue too much.
26th April 2009
Smilacina paniculata .
I still haven't quite got to grips with Smilacina being combined with Maianthemum, so I apologise for the outdated name. This has been 'interesting'
for a couple of years, with a scattering of green flowers at the tip of the new growth, but last year it started to fatten up substantially, and this year
the flower head has formed on the end of the stem like a giant green droplet.
Plenty to do next week, hopefully I will get some time in the garden. Every spare moment last week was consumed by paperwork. I have just started to pot up bulb seedlings
, and throw out things that died in the winter. With luck it will be done before the autumn chill strikes!
To find particular groups of plants I grow, click on the genus name in the table above. Click on the "Index" box at the top of the page for the full list.
I have a lot of good intentions when it comes to updating this site, and I try to keep a note
about what is going on, if you are interested.
If you want to contact me, the address is infoMONKEYjohnjearrard.co.uk
When typing the address in, please replace MONKEY with the more traditional @ symbol! I apologise for the tiresome performance involved, but I am getting too much
spam from automated systems as a result of having an address on the front page.