Some random pictures

[PeterS]

Andy - I do agree about foliage - Photinia is lovely.

Thanks Charlie - very helpful.

I wasn't sure about point 2 - whether any offspring of registered plants still belonged to the owner of the parent. I am sure Monsanto would like to own the next 1000 generations.

I remember the Rozanne/Jolly Bee case. It was some time ago and DNA tests must have been pretty expensive in those days - but probably not as expensive as all the lawyers. :roll:

Some time ago, I visited Paul Picton's Old Court Nursery in the Malvern Hills. It was autumn when all his Asters were in flower - a glorious sight. But I couldn't get over the fact that large numbers of them, particularly those in dark blue, all looked identical - even though they had different cultivar names. But then they weren't protected in those days, and I suspect that the definition of a new cultivar was pretty loose.

[AndyC]

Andy - I do agree about foliage - Photinia is lovely.

It does look like a Photinia but it is in fact Persea thunbergii.
While on the subject of lookie likies here is my Ceiba pentandra grown from seed collected on our Madeira holiday a few years ago.
IMG_1899 by atropica2012, on Flickr I think it looks a bit Schefflera like

[PeterS]

Andy - both very interesting and new to me - though I had heard of the Kapok tree. I assume neither of them are hardy with you, so presumably you grow them for as long as you can overwinter them.

[AndyC]

Peter, the Kapoc tree is brought inside for the winter as I'm not very brave and have no idea as to it's hardiness. It will probably outgrow the available space within a year or two and will have to be tried outside for a winter then.
The Persea thunbergii has been in the ground since 2009 and despite suffering some severe leaf scorch in it's first two winters has thrived in my garden since then. The red colour on the leaves will disappear within a few weeks but even then they have a very fresh bright green colour which makes the plant very attractive.

[LONGK]

Echinopsis subdenudata.................


A lone Clianthus bud has been hanging in there on a spent raceme for weeks now. Over the last week it swelled and opened at the weekend...................


Clerodendrum ugandense..............

[AndyC]

It is hard to believe that your Clerodendrum ugandense is of the same genus as C. trichotomum and C. bungei, it seems to have no similar characteristics at all. Is it very tender and how do you grow it?

[charlie]

It is hard to believe that your Clerodendrum ugandense is of the same genus as C. trichotomum and C. bungei, it seems to have no similar characteristics at all. Is it very tender and how do you grow it?

A few years back they decided it wasn't a Clerodendrum but they now seem to have moved it back. Its often the way with name changes if you sit on your hands for a few years it will go back to what it was :lol:

[charlie]

Andy - I do agree about foliage - Photinia is lovely.

Thanks Charlie - very helpful.

I wasn't sure about point 2 - whether any offspring of registered plants still belonged to the owner of the parent. I am sure Monsanto would like to own the next 1000 generations.

I remember the Rozanne/Jolly Bee case. It was some time ago and DNA tests must have been pretty expensive in those days - but probably not as expensive as all the lawyers. :roll:

Some time ago, I visited Paul Picton's Old Court Nursery in the Malvern Hills. It was autumn when all his Asters were in flower - a glorious sight. But I couldn't get over the fact that large numbers of them, particularly those in dark blue, all looked identical - even though they had different cultivar names. But then they weren't protected in those days, and I suspect that the definition of a new cultivar was pretty loose.

You definitely do not have any rights over the seedlings of a registered plant.

With regard to cultivars looking very similar, there are several factors in play. One tactic used by big wholesale producers when faced with a new and popular plant that they would have to pay royalties on is to simply rename it and sell it under the new name (you would be surprised how often that is got away with) occasionally the plant is worth going to court over but often it is not.

Another often found problem is that someone has received a plant they think is good but have no idea what its called so they give it a name (often the name of where they got t)

There is also the issue that when registering a new plant great lengths are gone to regarding the name, is it a valid name? has it been used before? etc but absolutely no checks are made on the plant being registered whether it is any improvement on the many other similar plants already available. A bit unsatisfactory but at the moment a process that is completely free. Even the supplying of pressed herbarium specimens to Kew and the RHS is voluntary so in many case it is not easy to sort out years later

[LONGK]

Is it very tender and how do you grow it?

It is tender, although I allow mine to take a few light frosts as a] I can have it blooming in the living room for Christmas, and b] by doing it again in the spring it reshoots from older growth which reduces its stragglyness.

[charlie]

Some nice iris in the ponds this year
iris gerald darby 002 by charliepridham, on Flickr

iris 003 by charliepridham, on Flickr

004 by charliepridham, on Flickr