My Taraxacum albidum is looking good at the moment! The seed for this came from the Scottish Rock Gardening Club seed list 2016/17 (SRGC3660) and I planted two plants here. However, they look different in that the leaf shape is different (T. albidum is described as having deeply indented leaves) and only one has hairy scapes (as T. albidum). I suspect some crossing has been going on. T albidum is itself a hybrid between white flowered Taraxacum coreanum and Taraxacum japonicum.
It’s the time of year for seed to start falling into my postbox! Today seed arrived both from Scottish Rock Garden Club and Alpine Garden Society! Observant followers will notice I have seed for the first time of two new white flowered dandelions, Taraxacum denudatum and Taraxacum hideoi :)
On my way up north from Edinburgh by train I stopped off to visit Scottish Rockers ( Scottish Rock Garden Forum luminaries) Ian and Maggi Young’s wonderfully diverse garden in Aberdeen. Ian was actually the first person to review my book and I blogged about the review and Ian’s labour of love since 2003, his weekly Bulb Log here: http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=269
Maggi is the intrepid commander-in-chief of the Scottish Rock Garden Forum and other FB fora for many years, a forum I used to follow daily until FB took over as there’s an enormous amount of information and knowledge there, and perhaps 30% or so of ornamentals are edible!
Ian kindly volunteered to pick me up at the station and I spent a pleasant hour or two looking through their paradise. Although it wasn’t the best time of year to see the garden there were still a number of plants in flower and it was good to also meet Allium wallichii here too (see my blog about the Edinburgh botanics)…and this week’s Bulb Log from Ian features a great shot of this plant on the front page: http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2016Sep141473851515BULB_LOG_3716.pdf Now to plan a spring visit!
Home made alpine troughs everywhere!
Crocus spp. in a bed full of many spring flowering Erythroniums
A trough with 3 species of Aciphylla (Maori carrot)
One of several Celmisias in the garden (not edible)
Edibles appeared in due course!
An autumn flowering Hepatica
Eucomis, non-edible pineapple lily was in full flower
A developing ecosystem on a rock in the pond with butterbur!
Smilacina henryi?
Codonopsis grey-wilsonii is a stunning edimental climbing beauty!
New Zealand dwarf Fuchsia procumbens is a beautiful miniature edimental
Parochetus communis, shamrock pea or blue oxalis, has two widely different populations in South Africa and the Himalaya, the latter being hardy in northern Europe!
The plant of this trip as I saw it in most of the gardens I visited, often in large quantities and the Youngs’ garden was no exception, one of the 80 in my book!
Allium wallichii, Sherpa or Nepal onion!
Allium wallichii, Sherpa or Nepal onion!
Maggi and Ian
More Celmisias
More Celmisias
?
In the front garden is a great little collection of Vacciniums etc.
Ian Young
Rubus nepalensis?
Gaultheria spp.
The black form of Rosa ?
Celmisia spp
Veratrum fimbriatum has very special flowers! (Poisonous!)
Yes, perfect timing for the weekend and Margaret Young was in the letter box when I got home…well, Margaret is synonymous with the Scottish Rock Garden Club for many of us….. ;-)
What I’m trying to say is that my seeds from the Scottish Rock Garden Club Seed Exchange have arrived and all were first choices I believe….
These are mostly destined to a period of stratification / cold treatment under the snow…
Perennial vegetables, Edimentals (plants that are edible and ornamental) and other goings on in The Edible Garden
