Sunday, April 01, 2012

Cyclamen pseudo-ibericum pale forms


This came to me as "pseudo-ibericum white" seed from the Cyclamen Society seed exchange. I didn't expect a pure white but one in this potful does have nearly white flowers and a very dark nasal blotch which is unusual. Unfortunately the flower is a bit dumpy - unlike these "roseum".

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Primula allionii Eureka


Ken Wooster's great triumph, a pure white allionii with almost no bad traits (it sometimes produces a four petalled flower I find). A lovely thing!

Sunday, March 04, 2012

Primula allionii hybrid


Many years ago I would sometimes find seed capscules on P. allionii - I tried a few and got good germination. Most of the plants were nice - this one I think picked up something from one other hybrid I had (Lismore Jewel?). That original hybrid has gone and over the years my "allionii" has got better and better. The reason why I think this is a hybrid is because the yellow in the eye.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Cyclamen persicum - a beautiful weed


As defined a weed is a plant that grows where you don't want it to. In that case my greenhouse is full of weeds!

Several Cyclamen species have a habit of seeding into the sand plunge, or seed pots or pots of other Cyclamen species.

Cyclamen persifum is one of them - I usually leave them out of laziness and because quite often they outlive a pot's original occupants.

Also with Cyclamen you do get some variation from the parents - this one has a lovely pure pink shading - a bit different from other plants I have.

As an added bonus many of these self sown seedlings are quite vigorous having undergone some natural selection to my greenhouse environment and routines.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Almost spring


It's a polyanthus rather than a true primrose, but it's close.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

New Year's Plants


Some pictures of flowers ushering the very early "Spring". Primula allionii Elizabeth Burrow, Narcissus romieuxii rifanus (it may or may not be, I grew it from seed), Viala reniforme (possibly better known as V. hederacea and an early Cyclamen persicum.