Chris Chadwell - Little Tibet Expedition 2011

Just received a couple of photos from Chris; a most enticing Delphinium brunonianum, from Chang La, 5000m.

Thanks for posting the pictures! It seems like he had a wonderful trip! I did contribute a little bit for the first time to this year's Little Tibet Expedition 2011; Chris said that seeds will be delivered around Christmas time and I can't wait to see what I will receive!

Saori wrote:

Thanks for posting the pictures! It seems like he had a wonderful trip! I did contribute a little bit for the first time to this year's Little Tibet Expedition 2011; Chris said that seeds will be delivered around Christmas time and I can't wait to see what I will receive!

Saori, welcome to the NARGS Forum!  I quite agree, I'm full of anticipation and excitement waiting for the seed, a forthcoming grab-bag of goodies.  Sometimes it is easier this way, to be surprised, rather than agonizing over narrowing down an affordable selection from plant and seed lists.  Maybe we can compare notes on the forum when the seed arrives.  :)

Thanks for warm welcome, Mark! I have been lurking the forum for long time and have learned a lot!

McDonough wrote:

Maybe we can compare notes on the forum when the seed arrives.  :)

Sounds good! I'll let you know when I receive the seeds!

Is there any after the fact sell off of leftover seed?

cohan wrote:

Is there any after the fact sell off of leftover seed?

I'm not sure, but you could certainly send an email to Chris (address is above) and see what he has to say.

I emailed Chris about seed above and beyond the normal seed-share process, he replied:

To answer the question: No, I do not have much in the way of seed left over from the expedition - it is allocated to shareholders [those who purchase a share].  I usually keep a pinch of each collection to sow myself but most collections are allocated in their entirety.

The prospectus for my 2012 Himalayan seed collecting expedition is available upon request and should be ready by April.  I also have other (non-expedition) seed available on a per packet basis within my January 2012 Chadwell Seeds catalogue including items from Japan and a small number collected on my behalf from other parts of the Himalaya.  I currently have a short Fall 2011 seed listings from Kashmir.

Best Wishes,

Chris Chadwell
Freelance Lecturer, Himalayan Consultant, Proprietor of Chadwell Seeds
www.chadwellseeds.co.uk
[email protected]

If you're interested, you can email Chris and ask to be sent the "CHADWELL SEEDS - December 2011 Listing (Kashmir Section).pdf" and order form.  The PDF is too large (2.5 MB) for me to post on the forum, but I'm sure he'll send it to you upon email request.

Just to add the human touch, here are a couple photos of Chris Chadwell and I this past summer when he visited in July 2011.  The first is in Kris Fenderson's most excellent garden in central New Hampshire.  Not sure what I was laughing about, whatever it was, it struck me as hilarious ;D  (photo taken by Chris' son Matthew Chadwell).  Every couple of years or so Kris Fenderson opens his garden up to tour, it should not be missed.
http://www.growingwithplants.com/2009/07/garden-tour-july-in-kris-fender...

In the next photo, Chris and I are deep within my Allium garden, in the foreground waist-high in weedy field grass plumes that have infiltrated my beds.

Woo hoo!!! :D My seeds arrived yesterday and I'm so excited! This was my first contribution and I didn't know what to expect, but I'm more than happy! I got 25 beautiful packets of seed including Delphinium brunonianum, and I have been enjoying looking at the accompanying CD that came with my package. The pictures and documents are very informative; not only I can see the flowers of the seeds I received, but I can see their native growing conditions. Plus, it's wonderful to hear and see his experiences on this trip.

The seeds I received:

Anemone poyanthes
Anemone rivularis
Arenaria festucoides
Arisaema propinquum
Arisaema unknown
Bergenia stracheyi
Boenninghausenia albiflora
Capparis spinosa
Cardiocrinum giganteum
Delphinium brunonianum
Geum elatum
Iris lactea
Ligularia amplexicaulis
Lindelofia stylosa
Meconopsis aculeata
Nepeta floccosa
Parnassia cabulica
Peganum harmala
Primula meeboldii
Primula munroi
Primula moorcroftiana
Primula reidii
Saxifraga ?hirculoides
Saxifraga moorcroftiana
Waldheimia sp.

Cohan, thanks for the update. I was going to ask Chris a similar question as to whether he had leftovers for sale...

I hear that my seed share is in the mail, can't wait to see what it is.  Saori, you got some good stuff, some I don't know what they are and would have to look them up.  Very exciting indeed.

Oops, sorry Mark, your post about the message from Chris came in the middle of my writing a post, and I attributed your comment to cohan by mistake. Sorry about that, and thanks for the information!

No problem Saori.  By the way, your dog is adorable (see: http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=916.msg13584#msg13584), what is his or her name? 

Thanks, Mark! His name is Peppa. He is a nine-year-old standard poodle. He 'helps' me in the garden. :)

Wow, can't wait to see the results of growing that most interesting list of species! 
I was just looking at Lindelofia stylosa and I think it may the one pictured in the upper right of the photo montage in Mark's first posting in this thread?

The illustration in this link (below) shows seed pods that look very similar to the photo:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200019084

The link says the flowers are purple or purplish-red... sounds nice!

Yes, I think it is Lindelofia stylosa; I'd be happy if I received seed of this one.  Here are a couple links I found showing the plant in flower:

http://www.nature-museum.net/Data/2009/200910/20091011/Normal/90bba430-6...

http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/6447.html

Thanks, Mark, I've emailed for the list, not like I need more...lol

I got my share of Chadwell's  seeds when I came home today!

Hoy wrote:

I got my share of Chadwell's  seeds when I came home today!

Curious to know what you got!

McDonough wrote:

Hoy wrote:

I got my share of Chadwell's  seeds when I came home today!

Curious to know what you got!

Me too! The American Primrose Society NE Chapter purchased a share and I am so excited about getting some of this seed!!  :o

Some lovely seed there Saori - I grew Primula reidii years ago from Jack Drake seed and it is one of the most exquisite plants I have ever grown. Chris has given us talks on his seed collecting trips; always very impressive.

I must say I would be very happy with Mark's grassy allium beds, very naturalistic and attractive.

Well, here is my share - many are the same as Saori got ;)

Acer acuminatum
Anemone rivularis
Arisaema propinquum
Arisaema sp
Bergenia stracheyi
Boenninghausenia albiflora
Capparis spinosa
Cardiocrinum  giganteum
Clematis ladakhiana
Codonopsis clematidea
Corydalis flabellata
Cotoneaster cashmiriensis
Cyananthus lobatus
Delphinium brunonianum
Eleagnus parvifolia
Gaultheria trichophylla
Geum elatum
Iris lactea
Ligularia amplexicaulis
Lindelofia stylosa
Meconopsis aculeata
Nepeta ?leucoalena
Nepeta floccosa
Nepeta longibracteata
Parnassia cabulica
Peganum harmala
Potentilla atrosanguinea
Potentilla bifurcata
Potentilla sp
Primula meeboldii
Primula meeboldii
Primula moorceoftiana
Primula munroi
Prunus cornuta
Rhododendron campanulatum
Rosa webbiana
Saussurea ?gnaphaloides
Saxifraga ?hirculoides
Saxifraga ?pseudopallida
Sorbus ?cashmiriana/microphylla
Viburnum mullaha
Waldheimia sp

Hoy wrote:

Well, here is my share - many are the same as Saori got ;)

Sweet!!! Nice haul...you'll have fun with those I'm sure!  :D

Hoy wrote:

Well, here is my share - many are the same as Saori got ;)

Fun stuff-- that will keep you busy sowing!

McDonough wrote:

Yes, I think it is Lindelofia stylosa; I'd be happy if I received seed of this one.  Here are a couple links I found showing the plant in flower:

Mark, if you do not get L. stylosa seed I can send you half of mine, no problem.

cohan wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Well, here is my share - many are the same as Saori got ;)

Fun stuff-- that will keep you busy sowing!

AmyO wrote:

[
Sweet!!! Nice haul...you'll have fun with those I'm sure!  :D

Yes fun, and sorrows. I am not sure that I have time to do my usual work ;D  And many seedlings will die - from slug attack, lack of water or every disaster you can think of!

Lori wrote:

Wow, can't wait to see the results of growing that most interesting list of species! 
I was just looking at Lindelofia stylosa and I think it may the one pictured in the upper right of the photo montage in Mark's first posting in this thread?

Lori, I was excited about these seeds as well! I'm hoping that I can give a positive report on their progress in the future!

Tim wrote:

Some lovely seed there Saori - I grew Primula reidii years ago from Jack Drake seed and it is one of the most exquisite plants I have ever grown. Chris has given us talks on his seed collecting trips; always very impressive.

I might ask you for some tips on growing Primula reidii, since it would be my first time...

Hoy wrote:

Well, here is my share - many are the same as Saori got ;)

Did you see the pictures of Lilium polyphyllum, Aconitum heterophyllum and Gentiana algida var. nubigena on his CD? They are gorgeous!

I've received the updated January 2012 Seedlists, from Chris Chadwell- 3 separate lists- some nice stuff in there!

Saori - I am not sure I can give great tips on growing Primula reidii! A good moist but open textured compost, and most important cool, moist atmosphere (this is what we lack in the summer). By coincidence Lesley Cox on the SRGC forum mentioned that she grew 100 or more plants in a shade house - their scent is glorious - so she could give much better advice than I!

Timothy, thanks for your tip about P. reidii! I've been wanting to grow this one for a while so I'm excited to see how it goes. We have relatively cool summers, so hopefully the plant will do well here and I will be able to see the flowers. Since you mentioned that Lesley has been growing many of this variety, I will follow up with her about any tips or ideas she might have. Thanks again!

My seed share arrived in the early New Year, finally had time to enter the information into an Excel file, here's what I got:

Anemone polyanthes
Anemone rivularis
Aquilegia fragrans or moorcroftiana
Arenaria festucoides
Arisaema jacquemontii
Arisaema propinquum
Arisaema propinquum
Arisaema propinquum
Arisaema sp.
Arisaema sp.
Arnebia euchroma
Astragalus ?munroi
Astragalus ?zanskarensis
Bergenia stracheyi
Boenninghausenia albiflora
Capparis spinosa
Caragana brevifolia
Cardiocrinum giganteum
Clematis ladakhiana
Codonopsis clematidea
Corydalis flabellata
Cotoneaster cashmiriensis
Cremanthodium ellisii
Cyananthus lobatus
Delphinium brunonianum
Elaeagnus parvifolia
Geranium himalayense
Geranium regelii
Geum elatum
Iris lactea
Iris milesii
Ligularia amplexicaulis
Lindelofia stylosa
Lycium ruthenicum
Morina longifolia
Myricaria elegans
Nepeta ?leucoalena
Nepeta floccosa
Nepeta longibracteata
Oxytropis ?tatarica
Peganum harmala
Potentilla atrosanguinea
Potentilla bifurca
Potentilla fruticosa var. pumila
Potentilla sp.
Rhodiola ?tibetica
Rhododendron campanulatum
Rosa webbiana
Saxifraga ?hirculoides
Saxifraga ?pseudo-pallida
Saxifraga brunonis
Saxifraga moorcroftiana
Sibbaldia cuneata
Silene ?moorcroftiana
Silene sp.
Waldheimia sp.

The share comes with a CD with lots of information on Chris Chadwell's travels and plant collection, including three Powerpoint presentations filled with terrific (and dramatic) scenery photos and plant photos, many items look very desirable.  Since the photos are taken at seed collecting time, many plants have gone over, one can only imagine how they must look when in full flower.  Must get busy sowing!

It looks like Arenaria festucoides has just germinated recently! :D I just found it today and I think this is a great start! I hope that it continues to grow for me!

One point about Primula reidii is that it usually grows where no water can fall directly on to it - mouths of caves, overhanging cliffs and so on. So a shade house would be the perfect situation for it. Good luck - very intriguing to find out if it turns out to have lilac or white flowers. Have fun.

Looks to have been some wonderful stuff collected and i like the idea of being able to view the scenery and plants --seem to be a well organised venture.

I can only echo what has been said about the beauty of Primula reidii. :-* :-*

Here's a pic (9Oct 2010), of my plant --actually i had two plants and managed to germinate 6 seedlings from them --alas my inattention during a prolonged warm ,dry period resulted in the loss of both adult plants and youngsters . :'(

Cheers Dave.  

McGregor wrote:

One point about Primula reidii is that it usually grows where no water can fall directly on to it - mouths of caves, overhanging cliffs and so on. So a shade house would be the perfect situation for it. Good luck - very intriguing to find out if it turns out to have lilac or white flowers. Have fun.

Thanks for the tip, Malcolm! It seems like it would definitely be a pot plant here... We have lots of rain in the winter... So is it wise to put the pot in a shallow dish filled with water as opposed to watering it from above when it gets dry?

Dave, your P. reidii are very beautiful! Thanks for the pictures! I hope that I can see the flowers in person in the future...

P. reidii is amazing!  I thought it was a rhododendron until I enlarged the photo!

The best part is the amazing scent! If only that could waft from the photo. This has definitely made me want to grow this plant again...(and there are just so many beautiful primulas, but alas not really for our garden).

Darn...I wish i could have gotten in on these seeds...those are types I could probably grow here.  Wet and Himalayan generally works well here.

My seed from the Chadwell expeditions is germinating. Here are a couple The Lindelofia stylosa, sown in the greenhouse for a few weeks, then set outdoors for the rest of our mild winter - noticed it sprouting today outside, and the Ligularia amplexicaulis remained in the greenhouse -  not shown, all of the Arisaema are germinating, as well as the Impatiens, both in the greenhouse.