RARE BULB NURSERY. LATVIA
by Dr. Janis Ruksans & Liga Popova
- You are here:
-
Home
- Garden News
Login Form
Ranunculus ficaria (when I learned gardening, it was named Ficaria verna) is native plant here, but there are many cultivars selected which just now are in full bloom in my greenhouse whilst outside is snowing and all again is white. Hope it is the last whim of passed winter.
I'm never reusing soil mixes at repotting - all used substrates go outside to garden to level lower spots, to rise up perennial beds etc. Sometimes some bulb escapes my eyes and fingers and then in garden suddenly blooms some beauties. In this entry such tulip escapers: - Tulipa berkariense, bifloriformis, dasystemon, orythioides and Crocus cvijicii from N Macedonia.
Some more pictures from yesterday, hoping that it will work, although even with former entry was problems.
Today quarantine in Latvia will be prolonged up to 15th of May, so it means that two more of my flights to mountains will be cancelled.
On pictures - Allium paradoxum var. normale, from Talish near Lerik
Fritillaria grandiflora - Russia (from Dima)
Erythronium oregonum - USA (from Gothenburg)
Fritillaria pallidiflora 12KZ-076 - S Kazahstan
Fritillaria tortifolia from China
Today I brought outside some Erythroniums (sibiricum allies, dens-canis group), all Cyclamens and peonies, many crocuses - all species, which don’t like too hot summer temperatures – Crocus abantensis, vallicola, cvijicii, veluchensis, gilanicus, heuffelianus and some others. At weekend now offered some snowing, but I hope it will not damage them. Today is real summer and tomorrow will be even warmer. On pictures: My "summerhouse" for some bulbs, then Narcissus scaberulus, collected in Portugal and two tulips from outside garden - Tulipa kaufmanniana 'Pārsteigum,s' raised by Juris Egle and Tulipa kaufmanniana 'Ugam' raised by me.
It seem that now my Facebook page again works, although still it is slow. Crocus blooming almost finished, but blooms many other bulbs. Yesterday morning we had minus 7 C, but it seem that bulbs didn't suffer - in afternoon all outside planted looked perfect and fresh. In greenhouse were minus 3 C and it is nothing, in wild night frosts sometimes are much harder. Here Erythronium oregonum from Cowichan River, USA, then Fritillaria argolica from Greece, Scilla bifolia - white form, Corydalis hyrcana 16IRS-082 from Iran, Bellevalia hermonis from Israel and Iris aucheri Leylek Ice from Turkey.
Very strange is Crocus jablanicensis. It must to have white stigma, but this year some are with yellow and in one pot even orange stigma. I suppose that reason is in pH of substrate. In wild it is growing on acid soil and corm planted in rhododendron mix + coarse sand really still has white stigma, same gathering planted in standard mix with pH 6.5-7 has orange stigma. All corms are originally collect and are not seedlings.
Beautifully blooms Crocus veluchensis sensu lato from Serbia - with very large flowers of strong texture and blooms as one of latest. Another with white stigma, but only occasionally, is Crocus scepusinensis. Those I name as var. leucostigma. Still continue blooming of Crocus cvijicii Cream of Creams - this comes from Archibald.
Some years ago I crossed Crocus cvijicii from Greece (may be will be renamed as C. grammosii) with some of so named C. veluchensis - stock from Serbia with deepest blue largest flowers. Although population is quite variable, includes purest white and slightly bluish shaded individuals. Here both parents (behind purple veluchensis its white form) and two selected seedlings from this cross. There are some brownish, too, but I don't regard them as very spectacular.
Strange, strange season. Tonight we had minus 7 C - I still didn't visit greenhouse, don't know how looks my bulbs there. Yesterday snowing changed to sunshine all the day and blooming of crocuses continued. Again 3 hours I passed taking off old flowers. But crocus blooming is extremely strange - some only now comes out, some very early blooms together with very late. Some pictures from yesterday I start with Crocus chrysanthus from Mt. Falakro in Greece. C. chrysanthus is one of the earliest bloomers. Yesterday started one of the latest - Crocus veluchensis aff. from Serbia with the largest and brightest flowers between crocuses of this group. Finally almost opened flowers one of the best seedlings from my cross between C. grammosii (Greek cvijicii) and Serbian C. veluchensis aff. with beautifully shaded deep creamy yellow flowers. Still blooms some of Crocus harveyi, usually early blooming species from Ikaria Island in Greece, but this is the last flower. Another late bloomer is C. scepusinensis with white stigma. Such are quite rarely foundable between usual flowers with orange stigma.
Here all the day is raining. At weekend minus 5 C forecasted, so now some pictures from yesterday. Started blooming of Fritillaria baisunensis, I almost lost it but now succesfully restored by seeds from hand-pollinated last 2 plants. Another in full bloom already is dwarf Fritillaria serpenticola. Reticulata irises almost finished - as last is very light blue form of I. reticulata from near Vanadzor, Armenia. From Juno irises nicely bloom seedling of I. svetlaneae - unfortunately it turned hybrid with some other species. And as last in this entry - Scilla danubialis from S. biflora group, which is regarded now as true Scilla.
Some more pictures from sunny Monday -
Late flower of Crocus vaclavii
Iris sisianica - stoloniferous species found in Armenia by Dima and Leonid
Narcissus x suzanneae from Portugal
Scilla monanthos from nr. Artvin, E Turkey
Iris winogradowii from Georgia, Caucasus
Scilla taurica Pink Kubalatch from Crimea, at present temporarily occupied by Russia
Some crocuses from last week.
Crocus candidus Orangino - nice form which was found wild by Ibrahim Sozen from Turkey, seedlings are splitting from pure white to various shades of pale yellow and creamy.
Crocus reticulatus Alba from Pjatigorsk, Russia - very bright albino found by my Russian friend
Crocus suaveolens TCH-0813 from Italy, received from Thomas Huber
Crocus cvijicii from Greece, could be renamed as C. grammosii, but new name still isn't published.
Crocus named by Dutch breeder as FANTASY, but as I long before named one of my autumn blooming crocus hybrids as 'Fantasy', I renamed it as Crocus x Spring Fantasy. It is similar to my old cultivar 'Yalta' which is widely grown in Holland, too.
Now blooms late spring crocuses, but some only yesterday started to show noses out of soil. Weather still not favourable for them even inside greenhouse.
At first Crocus exiguus from Slovenia was included under C. heuffelianus in my monograph. Last researches shows that there are several genetically different groups under name of C. heuffelianus joined.
Several years ago I got some blue crocus grown up from C. malyi seeds in Gothenburg BG. It was unknown which species was pollen donor. I selfed this hybrid and now got first flowers of F-2 generation. This F-2 seedling shows that most likely pollen parent was some from C. heuffelianus group.
In spring 2015 I together with my wife and Dima Zubov revisited Eastern Carpathian mountains i n W Ukraine for pictures of Crocus heuffelianus for my book, but few were collected, too. Next 2 pictures show you darkest purple and lightest individual - both in wild were growing side by side.
Some crocuses from last week and last days when some sun shined. Today again endless rain...
Crocus gembosii Erich - was named after Erich Pasche 9 years ago, when he visited my nursery together with friends from more than 10 countries, when I celebrated 64.5 years (I'm born in September, and to invite worlds top bulb specialists I decided to celebrate "half" year).
Crocus candidus Orangino was found and named by Ibrsahim Sozen. Pity, its seedlings split in all shades of yellowish and white.
Two of Crocus gembosii seedlings - could be hybrids of some generation with C. concinnus. On Greembos Yaila both grow together, hybridizes and seedlings are fertile, too.
The last is spring form of Crocus laevigatus.
Still some crocuses from last week - earliest ones together with late bloomers, but some only coming out. At first Crocus aerius from Soganli pass in Turkey, then Crocus adamii white form from Artmenia, Crocus balansae 96-1750 Chios Island, Greece; Crocus biflorus group SE Ardahan and as last Crocus korolkowii selection Apricot from Sjaak de Groot.
I was not entering new pictures at first for trip to Spain together with daffodil lovers and after returning I had surgical treatment on my eye so my working capacity at computer and with reading etc. for some time was and still will be limited.
Here I'm entering picture of Iranian crocus about which is known only that it came from Iran and was sent out by Giesen BG - I named it as C. iranicus, but I'm not sure is the name correct. Several Iranian crocuses are visually quite similar.
Next is Crocus kerndorfiorum, few years it looked very poorly,, but this spring seem that recovered.
And last 3 pictures shows crocus about which I had hard discussion with Kerndorff - it is Crocus mawii. The first two pictures are from crocus received as mawii from Kerndorff's partner in research Erich Pasche. Although both are from same acquisition, you can easy see the great difference in position of stigma, regarded by Kerndorff as quite important feature in separating of species. The third is the same crocus which I used for front cover picture of my book and about which I got very "sharp" mail from Kerndorff - that it isn't true and only commercial fraud from my side. It was collected very closely to supposed type locality of C. mawii and I really can't identify it under other name. Unfortunately the data about type locality of C. mawii is so incorrectly published, that for identification I used exclusively morphological features. Only position of stigma in this plant is below anther tips, but such are 27% of wild population (according Kerndorff) and same looks one of E. Pasche's plants. Stigmatic branches according original description "often held tightly together" but not so on Pasche's plants. So I remain to my opinion that I correctly identified this as albino of C. mawii.
Some more crocuses from last week.
At first is Crocus olivieri from W Turkey. This year it is very bright, really orange, but not so impressive as balansae from Samos Island.
From Iranian crocuses in this entry C. sanandajensis published by HKEP and collected for my in Iran by my friend at supposed locus classicus.
Follow selected form of Crocus sieberi from Crete named by me as 'White Giant'- due very huge size of flowers - just as Dutch so named C. vernus, although this season flowers are smaller than usually.
and as last unusually coloured new crocus species from C. veluchensis group. At its locality almost all plants has more or less expressed yellow shade, sometimes only just-just visible, in the throat. There are some other features confirming its status as new different species.
In this entry few very special crocuses. I start with seedling from Eugenius Dambrauskas named by him as Snow Tiger. Augis suppose that it is occasional hybrid between korolkowii and michelsonii grown up from open pollinated seeds of C. korolkowii.
Next is my collection of Crocus crewei 'Hot Chocolate'. The name was given by Ibrahim Sozen to the plant collected at the same locality and looking identical with mine later gathering, so I decided to keep the same name, although they are not clone originating from single plant.
And the last two pictures are from my most lovely crocus, and why it is so - explains the name - Crocus ruksansii - named by Dima Zubov. It is tiny crocus from Karpathos Island in Greece. I four times visited this island trying to find this crocuis, but only once saw few plants long after blooming. Half of plants, collected by me, I sent to Erich Pasche, but later it was named by Dima, who found it on the same Island, following my advice - how to reach mountain top where it is growing wild. Earlier it was regarded as C. nubigena, but is very different from it and from other species from same series.
Started frosty week. Latvian weather forecasts predict this one week as coldest this winter and similarly looks weather forecast from my favourable meteoblue.com. Only Russian gismeteo.ru predicts horrible frosts from mid February up to minus 17 entering in March. Will keep fingers crossed... Today will be full sun, so many new pictures will come and I hurry to publish from yesterday.
The first is typical biflorus from Craco, Italy.
Then Crocus brickellii 12TU-020 - relative to danfordiae but note the very long stigmatic branches overtopping anthers.
Turkish Crocus chrysanthus LST-068B I already show to you, but now flowers opened without bringing in
Crocus corsicus from Crenargo, Sardinia was in closed buds for 2 weeks, and now opened for the first time
and as last - Crocus hartmannianus 10-1997 from Gothenburg Botanical garden.
