International Rock Gardener e-magazine

Welcome to year twelve of the IRG at a time when we sincerely hope that the coming year will see a return to more ordinary activities that we are all used to, with freedom of travel and congregation. The lack of opportunity to meet up with like-minded plant lovers has been a much-regretted downside of the past year and gardeners, as some of the most sociable folk around, have certainly found the lockdowns wearing – if a good chance to catch up on weeding! Authors this month are Wim Boens from Flanders, Jim Jermyn from Scotland and Zdeněk Zvolánek from Chechia. https://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2021Jan281611871267IRG133.pdf Cover image: Meconopsis ‘Sikkim’ at Branklyn Garden – photo by Jim Jermyn.

This month in IRG: a review of the striking rockwork in the Czech garden of Martin Brejník, with comments by IanYoung, photos by Jiří Papoušek. Next up is an appreciation of Potentilla lignosa from Zdenek Zvolanek & completed by the description of a new species from Chile, Oxalis ranchillos by John & Anita Flores Watson. Read all free here: https://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2021Jun241624568360138.pdf

In IRG 140 August 2021, a new fritillary species from the Fergana Valley, southern Kyrgyzstan, Fritillaria rugillosa (subgen. Rhinopetalum; Liliaceae) is described by Alexander Naumenko and Dimitri Zubov. Dr Zubov, of the State Institute for Genetic and Regenerative Medicine, National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine; Kyiv, Ukraine, is already familiar to IRG readers for his plant articles and species descriptions – he is also known for his medical science papers, of course. Alexander Naumenko opened the Nova Zahrada nursery in Mořice, in Central Moravia (Czech Republic) in the spring of 2014. He had begun to grow his plant collection fifteen years earlier, in Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia. In 2012, Alexander wrote, with Dr. Sci. Georgy A. Lazkov, "Растения Кыргызстана" ("Plants of Kyrgyzstan") 2nd article is Patagonian Verbenas - Junellia ( part 1) by Martin Sheader, a marine biologist from Southampton UK, who is known for a great interest in all plants. Dr Sheader has travelled extensively in this part of South America and his book ‘Flowers of the Patagonian Mountains’ is the most comprehensive photographic guide yet published to the area’s diverse and fascinating flora. Dr Sheader has travelled extensively in this part of South America and his book ‘Flowers of the Patagonian Mountains’ is the most comprehensive photographic guide yet published to the area’s diverse and fascinating flora. Click the link to download and read - it's free! https://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2021Aug261630008637IRG_140.pdf Cover image: Junellia tridactylites, showing the three-lobed leaves. Photo Martin Sheader.

As many around the world celebrate a holiday period, the IRG Team wishes all its readers kind greetings of the season and good hopes for health and happiness in the coming year. Of course, we wish the same for your plants! After one hundred and forty years, a species of Oxalis, long thought lost, has been rediscovered, in part thanks to the IRG. Julian Shaw of the Royal Horticultural Society writes about the rediscovery of Oxalis brevis. Staying in South America, we learn of a lovely new Euphrasia species in Chile, from David Santos, John Watson and Ana Rosa Flores. The Eyebrights are generally rather overlooked, which is sometimes the case for these charming flowers, which can be tricky to grow in cultivation. This extremely rare species is most unlikely ever to come into cultivation, but it is wonderful to learn about it, nonetheless. Fresh from a fact-checking trip to Kos, Jānis Rukšāns describes a new species, Crocus samarsii and two more new Crocus (Iridaceae) species from Turkey and Chios. These are Crocus erolii from Turkey, named for Prof. Osman Erol, of Istanbul University and Crocus homeri from Chios. Crocus samarsii is named for Theodoros Samaras, who discovered this novelty. The last article is a book review by J. Ian Young of an excellent publication, “A Field Guide to the Plants of Armenia” by Tamar Galstyan from Filbert Press. IRG 144 Cover image: Euphrasia achibuenoensis - photo by David Santos. Click here to download the IRG : https://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2021Dec291640808762IRG144.pdf