Thursday, June 16, 2016

Seed Collectors; J & J Archibald. Marcus Harvey. Brian Duncan.

Seed collectors

Sometimes great men come along and we seem to take it for granted they will be around for ever and we will be able to buy seed and plants from them as long as we feel like it, but it is not the case at all. 


Cyclamen coum forma albissimum from Archibald seed 2001 collection No. 0.360.100, with little or no colour on the nose at all, just a shading. A bit trickier to grow than Cyclamen coum, likes high shade and good drainage, but moisture as you can tell by the moss around the Cyclamen.


A close up of Cyclamen coum forma albissimum seed from Senica Hill, seed that Fermi ordered for us.


 A collection of Cyclamen elegans two forms or colours. Seed collected by Archibald in Iran 2001 362.000 and 362.001 they flowered in 2006, and I had a few spare corms to sell last year at our meeting.


Acis tingitanum syn. Leucojum tingitanum they are also from Archibald seed  630.480 collected in 1996 and flowered in 2000 only four years to flower, not long to wait really. They grow beautifully off the Mt and do not mind the heat and a clayish soil in Montrose as well as doing quite well here in the Dandenong Ranges in a sunny position. The Acis do well in Australia as in a previous blog I showed a photo of Acis valentinum from Marcus doing incredibly well, but I must stress well drained soil and lifting every few years.


Narcissus 'Limey Lass' from Brian Duncan Ireland seed 2013. It flowered last year but I didn't get a photo then, but it is going to have 3 flowers this year. I can't tell how limey it is or do a comparison as  one flower opens as the others fade so will have to wait until it is more mature, and has many more flowers.

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