Gentiana farreri

Peter wrote:

I've got two small rooted cutting of Gentiana farreri, which I've never grown before. I need some advice on what this plant needs in the open garden. Thanks in advance.

I have only grown it in a pot Peter.  A difficult, but beautiful species that repays every effort when it flowers.  I wish you well with your attempts and hope that it survives with you for far longer than it ever did with me.

I have grown Gentiana "Drake's Strain", reputedly a hybrid between G. ornata and G. farreri, growing at the base of large deciduous hardy Hibiscus, flowering and lasting for several years in my current garden.  The plant ultimately succumbed to being overshadowed and totally shaded by 5' tall expanding Hibiscus species and cultivars.  I believe the species should be growable and perennial in an open well-lit shady spot that is not too dry, yet with enough light to bloom and grow well.

Needs an acid soil.

deesen wrote:

Needs an acid soil.

That's what I have here, acid soil, I need to try growing more of these. :)

I have acid soil and I have tried growing these gentians but they are always swamped by the neighbors when I look another way.

Gentians are a special love of mine.  I got this plant from Wrightman's 2016, wintered it over in a pot outside in Anchorage, Alaska, finally planted it late summer of 2017, and had some flowers on Aug. 27.  See first photo (please forgive the fingerprint smudge on the left).  This year it is doing well and just forming buds on Aug. 14.  We have had a late, cold spring and lately some heavy rains.  See second photo, taken in light rain today.  I planted it close to large rocks in a slightl raised bed in very well-drained area with generous amounts of rock.  It is exposed to rain, of which we have a lot in Aug/Sept/Oct. before snow arrives.  I do shovel as much snow as I can on it (and my whole rock garden) from the street and driveway to protect against mid-winter thaws which have become multiple and common the past decade.  We have had wildly variable climate conditions trending warmer and drier.

It wouldn't let me post both pictures, selected the most recent one, so here's another go of the first photo.

Sorry, new at this, not sure why it is loading the photo and then hiding it.  I'm not sure what the difference is in display between embedded and attached.  Not the obvious one like email apparently.  If it comes through it is the older photo.

Gentian blue is always welcome in my garden and yours is exquisite.  Given our terribly hot summer this year, I've had to give them more water than usual.  If I don't, the flowers fry.

Thanks for persevering with posting the pictures.

...Claire

That one, especially, is very cool !!!

When you add an embedded photo as you did, you have already discovered how to browse your files and upload.  Before you click the "insert" button, the cursor needs to be in the message dialog box where you want to photo to be placed.  Otherwise the system doesn't know where to insert it. 

To add another embedded photo, repeat the steps under "Add a new file".

The image attachment will post the photo at the end of the message without the cursor in the message box.  It will post the photo twice if you insert it with the cursor in the message box.  This system is very antiquated, and we just need to do the best we can with it.

This image put in with the image attachment, without the cursor in the message box.