Otto Fauser 

                              9 March 1938 - 15 February 2024

                                                                The keeper of the Crocus 

It is with great sadness that I let you know of the passing of a great plantsman Otto Fauser and pastry chef. Otto emigrated to Australia with his family from southern Germany at the age of 14. He gardened in Bentleigh, Victoria then moved to Olinda after his father passed away. He created a rock garden on a steep block with help and moving many large rocks himself into position that pleased his eye.

Otto grew every Crocus that was known at the time of his gardening life and 80 varieties of Fritillaria  many Galanthus and other dwarf bulbs, but he was known to us as The Keeper of the Crocus for the OPCA. He was generous in handing out his treasured plants. You only had to say thats a beautiful plant and it would be packaged up and labelled for you to take home you never left empty handed. He wanted to share his plants around in case he lost it knowing someone would still have it if he did loose it, because of the difficulty in importing plants into Australia it was important to him that we kept them going.

Dinner or afternoon tea was an exquisite affair with all the lovely old china used in the presentation of delicious food that was simple but tasty and beautifully presented. Everything Otto did was stylish and done with taste. 

He was friends with many famous gardeners of our time and kept in regular touch with them. Some of the overseas gardeners coming to see him when in Australia.

I will miss our chats and not being able to ask him what something is because he could alway identify the plant for me.

Otto had a few plants named after him a Crocus Fauseri an Iris, Galanthus and Pleione Otto Fauser (below). He was very proud to have these plants named after him.

 A weekend in the Country

Out of Town Nursery.

Mown field. Out of Town Nursery is a four acre garden, planted with a wide mixture of plants, shade loving and full sun.

The garden using plants that will tolerate hot dry conditions. The owners water the gardens with bore water in summer.

Garden and chickens.

Cutlery sculptures.

Alans garden at Tangambalanga.

Alan explaining the garden.

Small rock garden full of Thymus in a hot dry position.

Knifophia thomsonii var. Snowdenii

                                              Alyssum lenese, the yellow flowering plant in front.

Onlookers interested in a wide range of plants.

                                                         Nursery stock under shade cloth.

                                                                        Celmisia.

Rock Garden plants in a rubble mixture. After garden loam was sieved at his local nursery, Alan planted the plants in the remains of the rubble that was left over, lumps of soil, rocks, bits of bark and gravel all creating a perfect mixture for alpine plants that are thriving in this open mixture. Then all top dressed with course gravel and rocks. Larger rocks creating shade and protection of roots for the alpines.

Plant at the bottom of the photo is Rhodanthemum catananche.

Pots and pans filled with crevice rock, all very successfully growing rare plants and Australian natives.

                                                      Yellow Viola stojanowii in flower.

 

Pots and pans filled with treasures. In front is Gunnera cordifolia.

A very enjoyable day was had by all, topped off by Alan's scones, jam and cream.Those that attended were given a gift of Caltha introloba, a rare snowmelt native.

Fritillaria

 Fritillaria

Fritillaria acmopetala a relatively easy Fritillaria in the garden as long as it has some shade in the summer. Growing to 30cm tall coming from south-western Turkey to Lebanon and Cyprus which explains why it does well in Australia.

Fritillaria affinis syn. Fritillaria mutica above and below ex Marcus Harvey seed. Doesn't mind growing in a pot, don't over water in summer and keep cool. Grows to about 30cm in height and comes from North America from British Columbia to central California in scrub.

Fritillaria bithynica only reaching a height of 7 to 15cm high. Don't over water in summer as bulbs will rot. Found growing in Western Turkey, Chios and Samos, in scrub and open pine forests.

Fritillaria camschatcensis grows to 30cm to 75cm high, this is a paler form than normal, it is usually a very dark burgundy colour, not easy in the garden. Found growing in large areas from Japan, Kamchatka, Sakhalin and eastern Siberia, the Kurile Islands and Alaska to Washington State in meadows and marshes from sea level to mountains.

Fritillaria conica Ottos garden in the bulb bed. Growing to about 10cm to15cm may get taller or shorter in some plants. Well drained position growing in scrub and on hills of southwestern Peloponnese near the sea in heavy soil, among limestone rocks.

 Fritillaria ehrhartii 6cm to 20cm in height don't over water in summer. Fairly easy from seed when you can get it. Found growing on rocky hills among dwarf scrub at 200-300m from Andros, Siros and Evvoia.

Fritillaria frankiorum another one growing in Ottos garden in the bulb bed with good drainage likes plenty of water in winter and full sun. A rare species from Marcus Harvey. Seed is offered by Seeds of Peace, Oron says it is found growing in a small area of north east Syria and south east Turkey (Hatay Province). 

Fritillaria graeca about 10cm to15cm in height growing in well drained position. From north western Greece, Albania and southern Yugoslavia and on Corfu in woods, scrub and screes.

Fritillaria imperialis known as the Crown Imperial Fritillaria available at Tonkin's Bulbs Kalorama or can be raised by seed taking about 5 years to flower, reaching about 1 metre. They like a well drained area in a semi shaded position. In the wild they are found growing in south east Turkey, east through Iran to the West Himalaya on rocky hillsides. When travelling overseas the bulbs can be seen selling in mesh bags for 10 bulbs for about $20.00 or less. They can be found growing in the wild in yellow and red flowers through to orange.

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Fritillaria Lusitania growing at n' Hug in Spain growing about 10cm to 40cm in well drained sunny position. Found growing in Spain and Portugal.

Fritillaria meleagris stems 12cm to 30cm in Height. Beautiful grown in pans or in a semi shaded position in the garden that is cool in summer. Found growing in the wild from southern England, northern Yugoslavia and western Russia in peaty or chalky soil in flood plains and in open grassy woods.

Fritillaria michailovskyi no longer with me one of the harder Frits to grow in Australia. From north-eastern Turkey in screes and stony slopes at 2000-3000meters.

Fritillaria oblique growing in Aarons glass house. Height 10cm to 20cm comes from Greece on the Island of Kithnos and Serifos at about 1000m to 2000meters in rocky places.

Fritillaria pallidiflora growing in the garden. Height 10cm to 80cm in a semi shaded position not too dry in summer. It comes from alpine meadows in Kazakstan and north-western China.

Fritillaria pontica also growing in the garden a nice easy Fritillaria comes up every year. Growing in a semi shaded position well drained. Northern Greece and northern Turkey east to Ordu.

Fritillaria pyrenaica no longer with me only the green form, but the form above is much more desirable.

Growing from 15cm - 30cm in height, found growing Southern Auvergne, the Pyrenees and north western Spain in rocky woods and Alpine meadows.

 

     

Fritillaria pyrenaica from Marcus Harvey seed.

Fritillaria uva-vulpis an easy one to grow multiplies well from tiny pips. Likes to be kept dry in summer.

Found growing northern Iraq, western Iran and south east Turkey in meadows at 1000m to 2500meters.

The Alpine Garden Soc Victorian Group has a panel discussion on Fritillaria starting at 8.00pm on the 21st of October at the Community house, Olinda next door to the Olinda swimming pool, Olinda-Monbulk Road, Olinda. The panel hosts are Ian and Maggi Young, John F and Jane Tonkin. Our AGM starts at 7.30pm if you would like to be on zoom please ask Fermi for the log in details for the panel discussion and AGM.

The Collectors Garden Conference

 The Collectors Garden Conference.

What a day it was, very successful, we had the most beautiful weather for it and everything went to plan without a hitch.

The expert panel speaking on plants that they grow and love from left to right President Mediator Susan George, Matt Reed Antique Perennials, Russell Larke Botanic Garden Cranbourne, John Mitchell Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Jane Tonkin Tonkin Bulbs & Perennials, Craig Wilson Gentiana Nursery.

International Guest speaker John Mitchell speaking on plants collected in China for the Botanical Gardens Edinburgh.

The audience.

The Plant Stall with views overlooking Melbourne.

                      The workshop Aaron Condon showing how to build a Crevice Garden.

Demonstration on how to plant plants in the crevices.

Top dressing plants with gravel.

Alan Ayton demonstrating how to build a crevice garden in a trough.

The finished trough.

Alans trough to show one already planted up about 6 months ago.

                                             Plants to put into troughs using Australian natives.

                   How to create a woodland Garden and plant it out at Gentiana Nursery.

Mat Reed and Craig Wilson speaking, explaining how to position plants and where to grow them, in a woodland garden.

                                             Our garden as part of the garden visit.

                                      Jane Tonkin facing leading the group through the igloos.

                                      A visit to Tonkin Bulbs & Perennials Nursery.

Serapias neglecta looking absolutely stunning in the igloos.

Fritillaria recurva ( photos thank you Em and Jon).