Fall flowering Gentians

Submitted by deesen on

I haven't grown Gentians before but having created an ericaceous bed (my garden soil is pretty neutral) in an attempt to cure a sick Camellia I bought a few to give them a try. Here are the first two to flower:-

Gentiana 'Strathmore'
Gentiana 'Serenity'

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Comments

Submitted by Mark McD on Sat, 09/03/2011 - 13:15

Nice ones David! And while it's hard to improve on the gorgeous sky blue colors, the pure white one certainly ranks right up there on the desirability scale.  Are these G. farreri or sino-ornata hybrids?  For a number of years I had one named 'Drake's Strain' and it seemed happy in the garden until it was eventually crowded out... I should try them again.

The only Gentian I'm currently growing are color forms of G. clausa, our native bottle gentian... it has been showing buds for weeks but only starting to show hints of color, here is the "alba" form about 1-2 weeks away from prime.

Also see:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=418.0

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Submitted by deesen on Sat, 09/03/2011 - 13:55

McDonough wrote:

Nice ones David! And while it's hard to improve on the gorgeous sky blue colors, the pure white one certainly ranks right up there on the desirability scale.  Are these G. farreri or sino-ornata hybrids?  For a number of years I had one named 'Drake's Strain' and it seemed happy in the garden until it was eventually crowded out... I should try them again.

From what I can find 'Strathmore' is one of a group called G x stevenagensis (Stevenage is a town in the county of Hertfordshire) originally raised by a Frank Barker, of that town, and it received an RHS Award of Merit in 1934. It was a cross between G sino-ornata and G veitchiorum. G 'Strathmore' was a sport from G 'Inverleith raised by Ian Christie of Christies Nursery in Scotland in 1986.

As far as G 'Serenity' is concerned, I can't find a thing about it, but if I find more I'll post it here.

I've found them easy so far Mark, although they could have done with more sun, but will I have them at this time next year!!. They need acid conditions, a lot of moisture (they've had that!), and sun to flower to their best. I have a few others in bud and I'll post them when they open.

Submitted by RickR on Sat, 09/03/2011 - 22:15

It's the striped backs (especially) of the sino-ornata type species that I really like. 

Avery nice selection, David!

Submitted by Mark McD on Sun, 09/04/2011 - 17:16

Short YouTube video of Gentiana asclepiadea, a beautiful late summer to fall blooming species:

Submitted by Mark McD on Sun, 09/04/2011 - 17:22

Oh my, this is how you're supposed to grow autumn blooming asiatic gentians!

Submitted by Mark McD on Sun, 09/04/2011 - 17:29

Here's how bottle gentians get pollinated, the species in question is either G. clausa or G. saponaria.


Here's a second one, with sound (pretty funny given the bee's efforts), taken on a bottle gentian in Massachusetts (thus probably G. clausa).

Submitted by Howey on Sun, 09/04/2011 - 17:37

Mark:  Those youtubes of the gentians and bees are fascinating - I have watched the bees go in and out of the flowers but didn't realize till now that they sometimes go in head first and also back in?  Can't help but love those bumble bees.  Fran

Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b

Submitted by RickR on Sun, 09/04/2011 - 18:12

That's a great site, David!  and not just for gentians, too.

Frances, if you are referring to the first bee video Mark posted, the bumblebee went in head first both times, but the second time turned around inside the flower(!).

Submitted by deesen on Fri, 09/09/2011 - 12:10

Another of my small collection of Fall flowering Gentians.

Gentiana x macaulayi. I have an old book, "Gentians In The Garden", by G H Berry published 1951 by Faber and Faber (cost me 50p a couple of months ago) which, given it's age is very good indeed. Berry says that Mr Macaulay made the original cross between G sino-ornata and G farreri but it is not known which was the seed parent.

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Submitted by Boland on Fri, 09/16/2011 - 18:03

Love the Asian fall species and hybrids...mine are just starting to bud..I'll be lucky if they get open this year unless autumn stays nice...they typically don't flower here until late October at the best of times. Only G. andrewsii, G. cachemiriana, G. septemfida and G. asclepiadea are blooming in my garden at the moment.

Submitted by RickR on Fri, 09/16/2011 - 20:51

Despite (or more likely because of?) the exceptionally long hot but wet summer, my Gentiana septemfida is just beginning to bloom now.  Usually it starts blooming in mid August.