2025 in the round

[Chad]

Not a Syneilesis, Nigel.

It is growing rapidly, but I fear it has no roots, so any day now it may collapse.



Chad

[BenC]

Hmm, looking at the newest photo I'm going to guess some kind of Aralia. Maybe Aralia vietnamensis?

[Chad]

Spot on Ben.

If I've cracked its propagation I'll be very pleased.

I've been trying for years, and although 'pot on pot' root cuttings worked sparingly, I lost my potted stock plant in The Beast From The East.

Mark Fillan has excavated some roots from the one growing in the ground in the tunnel and may have more success than I've had so far.

It gets stooled each spring, so if I've worked out how to root bits of the removed stem, I'll have more to play with next year.

If, and I fear it isn't rooted so it is a big if, it has worked this year, the answer was heat.

I've always left the cuttings [they are huge] in the tunnel before. This time it is in a heated case at 25C.

Pictures will continue until it is established, or dead.

Chad

[BenC]

Very exciting, Chad! Progress updates would be fascinating to see!

[Chad]

Not dead yet.

Chad

[JohnH]

Not as exciting as Chad's Aralia, but I'm very chuffed my Paeonia tenuifolia has finally decided to flower.
It was bought as a very tiny, very expensive plantlet 8 years ago and has done a full tour of the garden after being swamped by various other plants and sulking endlessly.
I recall it was a quite rare sub species (?) specific to one hillside in Ukraine, but the label has faded away and the seller has too.. It will be interesting to see if it is the real thing.. if only I could remember what it was supposed to be :roll: Any help would be greatly appreciated. I will post a pic of the flower when it opens.

[Chad]

John,

That is so much more exciting.

It is another plant I have failed with several times.

It needs summer heat, but not in the humidity of the tunnel.

All the named sub-divisions of the species have been 'sunk' back into the species.

In Ukraine it was only ever found wild in Crimea.

Was the subspecies biebersteiniana?  

There is also a named 'pink' form [ tenufolia rosea ] with a particularly fine form of that being 'Kinlen'.

The forms named for leaflet width [brevifolia, laciniata, latifolia etc], are now all thought to fall within 'the range' of the species and at best are 'forms', but from seed you get a range of leaf shapes. I have kept them alive long enough to see leaves!

Please post again with flowers open.

I'm vicariously excited.

Chad

ps.
A good introduction is here.

[JohnH]

Thank you Chad, that is a very interesting read.

I have been exceptionally lucky having moved it around the garden so many times, eventually stumbling upon a spot it likes.

I will post a pic when it flowers and try to ignore it in the meantime...... :|

[charlie]

Just about recovered from this years "Eskimo Day" along with all the pot fulls that normally overwinter under cover there were additional pot fulls of big plants from the conservatory being retired rather than repotting them. most of these have ended up in the beds at either end of our new courtyard wall. trying to lift 50 and 75litre pots full of compost up onto the beds to get them planted wasnt my idea of fun!

Be interesting to see how it all does, some stuff like the Marsdenia should be fine, Bougainvillea more of a punt but it does have quite a woody framework , also stuff like Tibouchina which survives here outside but never flowers in subsequent seasons - hoping the wall may make the difference, will add some pictures to the wall thread once its stopped looking as if I have dragged stuff out through a hedge!

[Chad]

Well it hasn't died yet.

It's growing huge.



I think a second leaf is forming.



I've had to increase its growing headroom.



I guess I won't know if it has rooted until it either dies or there are visible roots coming out of the drainage holes.

Chad