Syneilesis

[Hoy]

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.

I would love to grow them but the slugs have damaged them every time I have tried Maybe they tolerate frost but not slugs >

[Geo F-W]

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.

I would love to grow them but the slugs have damaged them every time I have tried Maybe they tolerate frost but not slugs >

Indeed, here too slus are public enemy number one, a constant struggle...

Karl, your selections are superb, I grow 'Kikko here, but in pots, precisely because of the slugs ...

I love your site, since a long time, bravo!

[McDonough]

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.

Karl, those Syneilesis are the epitome of horticultural whimsy, just fantastic, and I'm totally smitten with what you show. Are these generally available in Europe?  I assume these all come out of Japan, did you import them or obtain them from a European nursery?

Slugs are no problem here in my dryish New England garden, so I suspect if these whimsical Syneilesis were to become available here, they should grow just fine in our climate.  Thanks for showing these wonders.

Karl, in your experience, do these varieties come true from seed, or do seed-grown plants offer lots of variability?

[cohan]

Very interesting, Karl! I will be happy to hear the answers to Mark's questions....

Does anyone know what the Japanese growers are doing to get so many variegates and other forms? Is it simply sowing thousands to find the one sport? Or do they have some techniques to speed mutations?

[kalle-k.dk]

No they are very rare in Europe and I got them from a Japanese friend. About the varieties forms of Japanese plants I think it is because they are very good plants man and they got lot of material in the nature, as you also see in Trillium in US and we see in our nature plants.
Syneilesis belongs to Asteraceae family and my wife and I have sown several plants from that family before and with luck, but we have any luck with Syneilesis I don’t know why. I have divided a few of them and then I also know they are right.

[cohan]

I ask because I look at a lot of plants in nature, and we have many species here that are very very common, so I see thousands of them in a season- and never any variegates! I've seen one small willow/Salix in nature, that seemed to be variegated, and that is the only thing! The Syneilesis makes me think of our native Petasites palmatum -very nice leaves, woodland plant, and very very common, the leaves are everywhere in our woodland- I have never seen a variegated leaf......

[RickR]

It only takes finding one mutation to be propagated and spread around the world, Cohan.  I don't think your observations are abnormal.  Of course, some species seem to be more prone to variegation or other mutations than others.  Even certain populations or areas of the same species can be discovered to mutated more "commonly" than others.  For instance, a disproportionate amount of dwarf and otherwise interesting forms of Canada hemlock (tree) are found in the northeast U.S.

[McDonough]

With the current heat wave, plants are jumping out of the ground.  Syneilesis aconitifolia appeared a couple days ago, with the umbrellas leaves opening up today... they're so cute.

[Hoy]

Mark, that's why you wouldn't have slug problems even with lots of slugs. The plants grow too quickly.
Very cute, I agree!

[McDonough]

Trond, too dry for slugs here in this garden, I only ever see them when we have long bouts of rainy weather.  There's a place down the street that has small wetlands on one side, and sometimes in the mornings slugs will attempt to cross the street, but since they're so slow, by the time the sun rises and starts baking the pavement, there is a mass slug-drying   I see this when I run around the neighborhood, and I have to gingerly step to avoid treading on drying slugs.  It's a fine sight indeed.

[McDonough]

A late afternoon view of emerging S. acanthifolia, in afternoon light:

[RickR]

Mark, yours are at about the same stage as mine in pots.  Mine in the garden on the north side of the house have not emerged yet. S. intermedia in pots are only an inch high.

Syneilesis aconitifolia

               

[McDonough]

Today I attended our NARGS New England Chapter annual meeting and rare plant auction, and on this chilly start of a sunny new day, the event was well attended (about 40 people) and there were some very desirable one-of-a-kind plant offerings for auction.  I set my eyes on Syneilesis palmata 'Kikko'.  It was mentioned that the local nurseryman who imported this plant from Japan spent $200 for it. Bidding was spirited but I prevailed with the Syneilesis, which as it turns out, cost me the same as the Plant Delights Nursery price:
http://www.plantdelights.com/Syneilesis-palmata-Kikko-Kikko-Shredded-Umbrella-Plant/productinfo/8408/

I donated a nice looking plant of S. aconitifolia, which went for around $30.  Rick, a few of your S. intermedia plants would have raised a handsome sum and increased the chapter's coffers.

Syneilesis palmata 'Kikko', the net-variegated plant in the top-center:

[RickR]

That must be one of those plants that become more variegated as the leaves mature.  I grew a variegated forsythia (Forsythia 'Kumson') that did that. I planted seed from Syneilesis palmata 'Kikko' from the NARGS seed ex.  The first one emerged a few days ago.   It's hardly done anything since it has been so cold this last week.

My Syneilesis aconitifolia are just coming up in the garden now (among our native Thalictrum thalictroides), but ones in pots have been growing for a while already.  

        

[McDonough]

I planted seed from Syneilesis palmata 'Kikko' from the NARGS seed ex.  The first one emerged a few days ago.

My Syneilesis aconitifolia are just coming up in the garden now, but one in pots have been growing for a while already.

I must have missed Syneilesis palmata 'Kikko' from the NARGS seed ex.  I was talking with NARGS members about S. aconitifolia and they mentioned that they never get viable seed.  Last year, I collected lots of seed, but never donated nor sowed the seed , so it's hard for me to comment, so now I wonder about seed viability of this species.

Please show us see your results with the very-variegated 'Kikko' seedlings once they develop.  Does Syneilesis have some attraction at your local NARGS meeting plant sales, I would think they must be popular.