was: Re: Crinum in MO; now: Agapanthus in Connecticut

Ellen Hornig hornig@earthlink.net
Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:25:19 PDT
It (Seneca Hill Perennials) isn't quite my former nursery, because we'll certainly be selling for the next year (write me at <hornig@earthlink.net> to be put on the mailing list - limited selection, rudimentary packing, micro-wholesale only, i.e. 6s and 12s and a 1-flat minimum). After that, I think, probably not.

But on to agapanthus.  Because of our wonderful snow cover here in Oswego NY, I grow several A. campanulatus hybrids, plus the species A. campanulatus ssp patens, in the open garden without protection.  All the plants I grow bloom freely.  The cultivars include A. campanulatus 'Mooreanus' (what we sold as 
"old Wayside Gardens clone" for years, until Wesley Whiteside, our original source, unearthed a Wayside catalog from the 60s and discovered it was originally distributed as 'Mooreanus', which is described elsewhere as a selection of A. campanulatus ssp patens), Agapanthus 'Prolific White' (probably a campanulatus hybrid, and the name is misapplied because it already belongs, I believe, to an A. africanus selection), A. 'Prolific Blue' (same heritage, same nomenclatural problem), and A. 'Bressingham Blue'.  I would describe all of them as "thriving" rather than merely surviving.  This year David Salman sent me plants of a hardy white campanulatus type that I look forward to trying (sorry - too lazy to run down the hill to check the name, but I believe he got it from Arrowhead Alpines, and it's on the High Country Gardens website).

On a related (sort of) note, Ed Bowen's marvelous eucomis hybrid 'Rhode Island Red' (E. 'Sparkling Burgundy' x E. pallidiflora ssp pole-evansii, with the latter as pod parent) survived last winter in the open garden (3/3), much to  my surprise.  I'll be interested to see how it performs in the longer run.  It's a gorgeous plant.  I just sowed a bunch of seeds from it (selfed) - will be fun to see what develops.

Ellen


-----Original Message-----
>From: pelarg@aol.com
>Sent: Jun 4, 2010 7:55 PM
>To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
>Subject: Re: [pbs] was:  Re:  Crinum in MO;  now: Agapanthus in Connecticut
>
>
>An agapanthus from Ellen Hornig's former retail nursery, an old clone from Wayside Gardens, likely a cultivar of A. campanulatus, has survived here in Tuckahoe NY for at least four years.  It is much smaller than the evergreen monsters in California.  It blooms reliably, is totally deciduous, and slowly the clump gets larger.  Does not produce seed, thus far. 
>Ernie DeMarie 
>Where I am excitedly awaiting the opening of the first flowers on a Melianthus overwintered against a wall (got thru 2 winters so far) at my school in Chappaqua NY.  Also happy to see Senecio coronatus from S Africa did not in fact die out, its little leaves are emerging nearby from three plants.
>plantblog: http://geraniosgarden.blogspot.com/
>
>

Ellen Hornig
Seneca Hill Perennials
3712 Co. Rt. 57
Oswego NY 13126
Phone: 315-342-5915
Fax: 315-342-5573
http://www.senecahillperennials.com/


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