Syneilesis

[McDonough]

The first furry little troll is finally emerging...

That's the cute stage... too bad they don't stay like that longer.

Mine are jumping out of the ground; a photo from a few days ago:

[Hoy]

My Syneilesis spp. haven't even poked out of the ground yet!

Then we are two, Rick! But of different reasons I assume. Here the slugs are the culprits

[RickR]

Ahhh, but they are up now, Trond.  after giving some away and donating eight at the local Chapter sale (they sold for $6 and $7 for the white or pink flower forms), I still have many left.  The one in the ground emerged a few days later, but is now farther along.

[cohan]

cute things 

[Hoy]

Ahhh, but they are up now, Trond.  after giving some away and donating eight at the local Chapter sale (they sold for $6 and $7 for the white or pink flower forms), I still have many left.  The one in the ground emerged a few days later, but is now farther along.

I planted many seedlings last year and they grew well but I haven't seen anything to them this year Two plants I had in pots were fine though and I have planted them out but I don't know how long they'll survive!

[Geo F-W]

I do not know if anyone here grown it, but there is a beautiful form close to S.palmata
  but, in my opinion, prettier and strong growing, S. aff. tagawae BSWJ11191 (it's a Crug Farm collected form).
She is quite tall, close to a meter, a very good plant.

[McDonough]

Geoffrey, great seeing this one, even as an "aff." species, thanks for showing us this rarely seen species.  Checking it out on The Plant List, S. tagawae is one of 6 accepted species, never heard of it before, I see that a synonym is Syneilesis aconitifolia var. tagawae, so perhaps it is closer to S. aconitifolia.

I have never visited the Crug Farm nursery list, oh my!  Truly unique and intriguing plants, you're so lucky to have access to their offerings.  I enjoy the small genus of Syneilesis, wonderful additions to the woodland garden; I have an eye out for seed of other species.

[RickR]

I have not grown S. palmata, but I was under the impression that it was the real beauty of the bunch.  Your selection, Geoffrey, looks like a giant aconitifoilia, superficially at least.  I didn't know such a species existed either.  Would that be near meter high foliage or flower stalks?

Do you grow any of the other Syneilesis species?  Is the culture any different for S. aff. tagawae?

I thought that accession designation looked familiar.  Crûg Farm is the only place I have ever seen that has the real Lilium hansonii.  (Everyone thinks hansonii is yellow, but it's not.)  What a couple of very interesting (and learned) owners they must be!

[Hoy]

I managed to buy some plants from Crûg Farm last month but I didn't dare to buy Syneilesis as all my beautiful plants were destroyed by slugs last year

[Geo F-W]

Maybe it's closer to aconitifolia yes. In fact, it's like a compromise between aconitifolia and palmata : when it emerge from the ground, the leaves are well divided as an aconitifolia but the division becomes larger as a palmata...

I grow Syneilesis aconitifolia, Syneilesis palmata and its selection 'Kikko', and this one, Syneilesis tagawae.

Syneilesis aconitifolia grows well here, but I have some difficulty with palmata, which is annualy attacked by slug which are legions in the garden, despite of my vigilance...And I think that they grow in an inappropriate place, too damp, almost wet. Because they enjoy high air humidity, but grow in soil just damp. So I have to move them this spring.
I love such "umbrella" plants as Dysosma and Podophyllum, and the slugs too...

So Syneilesis tagawae grow in light shade, damp soil, humiferous, with Podophyllum, Saruma, Epimedium etc.

Crug Farm is a mecca! Sue and Bleddyn are extremely friendly. I am fortunate to have a neighbor (Thierry Delabroye, always ^^), who is friends with them and multiplies some of their plants. I wish I could go at Crug as much as I want, but Wales is not so close! And a bit isolated...There are many other British nurseries, which are small wonders for me, like Nick Macer's one, Pan Global Plants in the Gloucestershire.

[McDonough]

I love such "umbrella" plants as Dysosma and Podophyllum, and the slugs too...

So Syneilesis tagawae grow in light shade, damp soil, humiferous, with Podophyllum, Saruma, Epimedium etc.

Yes Geoffrey, there is something about "umbrella" leaved plants that adds intrique to the garden, I too like such plants.  Do you grow Diphylleia cymosa?  It's one of my favorites, great in the shady garden with adequate moisture; since I grow mine in average to at times dryish soil, it stays much smaller and manageable in such conditions, growing massive in a wet boggy situation.  The mottled brownish color of the spring leaves is a definite attraction, as are the expanding leaves, flowers, and berries.
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=253.0

I noticed Saruma henryi in some of your Epimedium photos, another of my favorite woodland plants, it is starting to seed around quite a bit too.

[Geo F-W]

I must admit that I have great difficulties with Diphylleia cymosa...
I do not know exactly why...
It didn't seem to enjoy the garden soil, can be too clayey...And slugs do great damages also.
In the garden of a friend in Belgium, the Diphylleia are monstrous, wealthy, it is a magnificent spectacle.
I'd have to try it somewhere else, but usually, after a failure, I'm a bit "chilly" (I don't know if this expression exists in English ^^) to try again...

Saruma henryi is one of my favorite plants in the woodland yes. A very easy plant which has the merit of naturalizing and whose flower color is the one I prefer at this time.
There's a scene in the garden that takes me to heaven every year, the Epimedium 'Flowers of Sulphur' surrounded by Saruma henryi with Paris quadrifolia and polyphylla and Polygonatum yunnanense, lined with and Selaginella sanguinolenta and kraussiana.

I love the Aristolochiaceae, I try to cultivate some Aristolochia here, as A.tomentosa, A.macrophylla, A.debilis, or A.clematitis A.mandschurica. My friend Mark Brown has a small collection.

[McDonough]

Paris is a genus that I would love to try, fascinating plants, but seldom ever offered here.  Trying to get a few more Polygonatums introduced in the garden, I have failed with some that I've tried.  You mentioned in a previous message the genus Chloranthus, one that I first encountered at Darrell Probst's nursery, utterly unique and charming plants; I must beg a piece from Darrell sometime.

[Geo F-W]

Paris are amazing plants, some are really impressive. I do grow a few here, Paris quadrifolia, which is common in parts of France, Paris polyphylla, Paris polyphylla yunnanensis alba, Paris japonica and Paris vietnamensis, but there are many other equally ornamental. (look at these pictures : http://www.greenmilenursery.be/photo_paris.html at Robin Callens's nursery in Belgium)

For Chloranthus, I was especially interested in them through Mark Brown (whose garden is based on an demential project retracing the evolution of flowering plants), because the Chloranthaceae are a very old family, phylogenetically speaking, almost fossils.
By cons, they are very slow to expand, their only fault! ^ ^

[kalle-k.dk]

I mean Syneilesis palmata is one of the best woodland plants and there are several Japanese forms. They come up early and still where we can get frost at night, but it seem that they not get any damaged.