New Zealand Alpine Flora

[Hoy]

Beautiful pictures Jandals!

I have no keas here but a pair of magpies doing some research in my beds assisted by blackbirds of course. They haven't showed interest in my car yet but the earthworms have. I do find earthworms on my windshield and roof

[Jandals]

I do find earthworms on my windshield and roof

OK . I give up Trond . How do you get earthworms on the windshield ? Do you have a roof garden on the garage or maybe you do  handbrake turns in the vege patch???

[Hoy]

I do find earthworms on my windshield and roof

OK . I give up Trond . How do you get earthworms on the windshield ? Do you have a roof garden on the garage or maybe you do  handbrake turns in the vege patch???

God knows. My car is parked outside my neighbours boat shed. But when it's raining here I find worms creeping everywhere - even at the walls and windows of the greenhouse. Maybe they are looking for mates?

[Toole]

Spent last weekend up near the top of the South Island attending the Nelson Alpine Garden Society's annual Winter Study Weekend.
 I managed to grab a lift up with Pete ,(owner of Hokonui alpines--- hokpines@actrix.gen.nz), and forumist Jandals,(aka Steve).

Being a 12 hour trip we broke the journey by staying a night, just out of Christchurch, at another forumists residence ,Senecio 2 ,(aka Stuart).

Stuart grows a wide collection of wonderful healthy looking plants in numerous small ,raised covered frames --my pics unfortunately don't show his system where the lower part of the pots are suspended in a grid pattern--(I'm sure Stuart will be able to answer any questions folks may have..........).

Firstly a few scenic pics from the Lewis Pass nature walk on the main divide followed by Stuarts set up.

Cheers Dave

[Toole]

Cheers Dave.

[Tim Ingram]

That has to be the weirdest nursery and most impressive plants I've seen for a long time! These NZ Alpines are really in a class of their own - I wish I could grow some of them better in our dry garden. I'm getting better with Leucogynes leontopodium (this is the first time I've seen flowers) and I took Steve's advice from his talk at Edinburgh and have planted Raoulia australis in pure sharp grit; great success and remarkably tolerant of summer drought. Fantastic to see these pictures as ever.

[Toole]

Hello Tim
Stuart doesn't have a  nursery --it's his own private collection ....... 

I'm probably biased  but i never tire of NZ natives that's why they were in all of my pics of Stuarts plants
 

Congrats on the flowering Leucogenes leontopodium--interestingly my plant flowers regularly in a sand crevice bed at the back door where it receives no sun at this time of the year for 3 months then as the sun gets higher about 4 hours during the middle of spring into summer.

Cheers Dave.

[Booker]

Hi Dave,
Wonderful post as normal ... can't get enough of your incredible flora and Stuart seems to grow them so beautifully.  Does he succeed with Ranunculus as well?
Replying from our hotel in Dalyan, Turkey where the weather is gorgeous.  We are on a beach holiday with the grandchildren but still managing to see a few plants here and there. 
Steve looks as well as ever, though he didn't have a glass in his hand?
Kind regards to you all.

[Hoy]

Dave, a beautiful landscape, and your friend Stuart has an impressive collection

[Jandals]

Pleased you are having success with Raoulia australis Tim . Using the same principle here for growing Myosotis australis .

Stuart's frames are designed to withstand snow and prevent knee/back damage . The most cunning thing is that the covers can be lifted from either side . Lots of nice plants inside .
 
Message to Mr.Booker - Just because you are  on a beach in Turkey with a glass glued to your hand doesn't mean the rest of us have to . Actually I put my glass away for the picture because the sandflies were drinking too much of the contents and then flying away to crash into each other or damage themselves on nearby trees . They can't handle a good malt

That is why it is such a good sandfly repellent . Either you are too drunk to notice them or they are too drunk and they fall off

[Hoy]

Steve, here's my equivalent of jandals bought in South Africa 9 years ago. The soles are made of old tyres!
Picture taken now (10PM in my yard).

[Jandals]

Way to go Trond . Wish mine would last 9 years . I guess if I took them off every now and then it might help

[Hoy]

Way to go Trond . Wish mine would last 9 years . I guess if I took them off every now and then it might help

Surely you have to take them off in the shower

[Toole]

Hi Dave,
Wonderful post as normal ... can't get enough of your incredible flora and Stuart seems to grow them so beautifully.  Does he succeed with Ranunculus as well?

Thanks Cliff
Stuart has so many pots that we didn't scratch the surface in terms of viewing them all however i wouldn't be surprized if he grows a few buttercups --failing any pics from me i suggest you might need to come out here sometime and view them in the wild  

Actually I put my glass away for the picture because the sandflies were drinking too much of the contents and then flying away to crash into each other or damage themselves on nearby trees . They can't handle a good malt

That is why it is such a good sandfly repellent . Either you are too drunk to notice them or they are too drunk and they fall off

The SPCA have been contacted and are investigating !!!!

Surely you have to take them off in the shower

Hoy --I'll check with Mandy as i have a suspicion he wears them to bed.......  

Cheers Dave.

[cohan]

Interesting collection and set-up- saving knees and backs is a good idea-- I wonder are they more storm (wind) proof than they appear, or is he lucky to be in an area without many strong winds? The plants look wonderful. No bias in loving NZ plants, the native flora is quite wonderful, many I'd love to grow if I thought they had a hope of being hardy here!