Hepatica

Liverleafs are among the spring bloomers I always look for when I can. It is common many places where I have my summer cabin.
You are right, Lori, it is diffucult to capture the blue color - the wild populations have many different blue hues and red and white too.
Here are some of the color types.

Great displays!  I think mine have been crowded out by my rather vigorous Skimmia!

More sunshine today,

Hepatica nobilis pink
Hepatica nobilis pink
Hepatica Japonica pink
Hepatica nobilis pyrenaica snowstorm
Hepatica nobilis blue
Hepatica transsilvanica
Hepatica japonica Sakuragari
Hepatica japonica Sakuragari
Hepatica transsilvanica Mrs Elison Spence
Hepatica japonica Akane

A great display, Michael 8)
The leaves of no 4 is awesome!

Michael,

a fantastic show. I love 'Akane' especially. Is it really that red?

Wim,it is a darker red than the pic shows but I can't get the camera to pick the true colour.

Beautiful Hep pics everyone.  So nice to be reminded of what a couple of mine will look like in Spring (well not those colours, but you know what I mean), unlike the rather tatty nature of them at the moment.  ;D  I love the intense pinks and red, and of course the doubles/semi-doubles.

Thanks to Michael, Tron and Lori!  8)

A few for today.

Hepatica japonica x 2
Hepatica nobilis x 2

I love the contrasts in that first Japonica, Michael.  Great with the lavender with the dark stamens.

Wow! Such rich, saturated colors! I bought 2 from Ellen Hornig last year with very strongly variegated leaves...can't wait to see them in bloom.

Just three today.

Hepatica nobilis rubra plena
Hepatica green typical
Hepatica japonica pink.

Michael, among my favorite topics on SRGC, and now here on NARGS, are the Hepatica ones, serving up such an array of dazzling colors and flower forms (I love the semi-double types).  And as diverse as the color palette is, one can still be surprised and amazed seeing pure reds, yellows, or even green ones, and whimsical variations of petalloid stamens.  Thanks for showing these here; wish they were as accessible here from American nurseries as they are in Europe and Japan.

Hepatica  Japonica  Kosino maboroshi
Hepatica  Japonica Hohobeni
Hepatica  Japonica Anjyu
Hepatica  Japonica Toki
Hepatica  Japonica Shikouden

Michael,

that Hepatica  Japonica  Kosino maboroshi  :o :o

;D ;D ;D

They're all :o :o :o !!!

When I was a kid, my family would spend most of our spring and summer weekends  at our cabin in northern Minnesota.  I was constantly exploring the rocks, hills, lakes, streams, swamps and bogs (I guess I should be saying fens).  Although the hills were not that high, and swamps not that low, it was the most rugged country for many, many miles around.  I briefly toyed with the idea of hybridizing Hepatica americana when I found a colony that tended toward five lobed leaves, while others had richly colored flowers with beautifully frosted picotees.

I'm glad I didn't embark on that!  I would be left in the dust.  But I do still grow, in my garden down here, descendants of transplants from our land up there.  It's surprising how much dryness they can tolerate in the shade.

I try to grow Hepaticas in my garden but it is difficult as some critter devour the plants. It is however no option to grow them in pots as I am away for long periods in summer.
But when I see all the very gorgeous liverworts here I am tempted to try!

Oh Michael.  :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o

Your previous ones were lovely, but that last lot!! (where's the smiley for fainting!?  ;D)

BEAUTIFUL!!  Thanks you.

Just three today,thanks Karl.
Hepatica  Japonica Kuukai.
Hepatica  Japonica Purple nidan saki,
Hepatica  Japonica Tosen. sorry this one is a little out of focus.

Michael, I find all of these Hepatica to be supremely desirable. The "Purple nidan saki" one is an eye-catching beauty, a unique color.  Can you tell us approximately how expensive it is to buy these plants.  Do you import any plants from Japanese nurseries, or are most of them available in European nurseries?  And, do you harvest and grow on your own seed to see what the hybrid progeny might be like?  Thanks for continuing to feed our eyes and souls with such delights.

I have never dared starting collecting liverworts - I had never been satisfied and always wanted more and more!
Besides, some culprit often devour my few hepaticas :'(
But it is a pleasure and a tease to see the beautiful plants here :o

Mark,yes they are expensive from about £35 to £200 ( sometimes £350) per nose. I bought a few five years ago but now I trade with other like minded folk and that way build a collection. A lot of them are available from one or two or nurseries in England (Edrom & Paul Christian)who import them from Japan, but as you can see from the prices above one would to mortgage the house to buy them. I do pollinate them and grow the seedlings on to flowering size as do some of the folk I trade plants with. Occasionally one can get a nice one and can then swap with others for something We don't have.

Cheers.

Absolutely amazing plants! Can you go over the best way to divide mature plants and your tips on sowing seed? I live in the woods here in Vermont where there are loads of colonies of Hepatica and would love to collect seed and/or divisions as some of the color variations are quite beautiful!

Plants can be divided at the start of the growing season or in the Autumn. Just dig a plant,shake of the excess soil and pull it apart leaving each piece with one nose and some root.plant immediately and never let the roots dry out. (a dry Hepatica is a dead Hepatica) Seeds should be harvested when they fall from the plant if you touch it gently. They must be sown immediately they are harvested and kept damp and shaded  until the following spring, when should germinate freely. Pot them on as soon as they have developed their first true leaves, keep shaded and feed weakly weekly. They should be ready for planting out in the autumn.

Hepatica japonica to-sen
Hepatica three step double
Hepatica japonica   'Murasaki'
Hepatica  Japonica akafuku,

Michael,

You have an absolutely amazing collection of Heps.  :o

Michael, please tell me if you ever get more seeds than you manage to grow! I'll buy the surplus seeds right away ;D

Hoy, I will put your name on my seed list.

;D ;D ;D

How cow!  What a spectacular collection of Hepatica...I never realized there were so many.  I know some of these fetch huge prices.

Oh Lordy...I'm in trouble now!! I am just in love with these plants after seeing those photos! I saw that Peter Joppe of Hillside Nursery in Mass. sells a few species including the japonica. I will have some for sale of his at the American Primrose Societies National Show at the end of April. Or maybe I won't have any for sale & will keep them for myself!!  ;)

Hepatica  Japonica Purple nidan saki, sorry this one is a bit fuzzy.
Hepatica japonica  'Murasaki'
Hepatica  Japonica Asahizuru,
Hepatica japonica  Hyoujunka
Hepatica  Japonica Hokutosei,
Hepatica americana lavender blue.
Hepatica transsilvanica
Hepatica media harvington beauty
Hepatica transsilvanica Mrs Elison spence.

And again I say.... Wow!  I love the first, fuzzy photo or not. ;D

Not only that, with the expense of these, where else would we even get to see them, except here and the SRGC forum!

Thanks so much Michael!

Anyone interested in Hepatica can view my collection here.

https://picasaweb.google.com/michaelJcampbell63/Hepatica#

Thanks for propagating info Michael.....and please oh please put me on your seed list!!

Will do Amy, thanks.

Hepatica Nobilis in the garden.

Here are a few from the woods near my house last spring. Not nearly as pretty as your Michael, but they'll do. ;)

Nice leaf form on that second pic, Amy.  It's different from a five lobed form I have seen in Minnesota.

I think this is pretty typical of Hepatica americana flower form in northern Minnesota, although there is a lot of variation:

I have always been fascinated by liverworts ever since I was a little child and my mom and dad took me and my sister out in the woods to find and pick the very first "blueflowers" in the spring. Sometimes we found a red or a white one and that was very exiting. But I never realized all the different colors "blueflowers" can have! Now I really wont to establish a population of different colors in my garden :o
I would like to try H americana as well!

No Hepatica blooming here yet so these are from last spring at my cabin! (Wild population)

Trond, yours have such a nice rich color. Especially the pink one! I haven't found any that saturated yet, but I'm still hoping and tramping through the woods around here. I'm going to hopefully get out at the right time and collect some seed this year.

AmyO wrote:

Trond, yours have such a nice rich color. Especially the pink one! I haven't found any that saturated yet, but I'm still hoping and tramping through the woods around here. I'm going to hopefully get out at the right time and collect some seed this year.

AmyO
The red one is a member of a population that consists of almost 30% reds and a few whites. I can try to collect some seed if I hit the right time and if you are interested we can swap!

Oh yes Trond, I would love to! And thanks! ;D

Absolutely amazing hepaticas, Michael!  The flower forms and colours are incredible!

Nice to see the wild forms! This is one of the woodlanders I feel cheated by--they just didn't make it this far west or north, or something! Wild, that is... cultivated I'm working on.. sowed some seed in 09 that I saw no sign of last year... maybe this spring? Hoping to try more, esp from wild seed...

I've just come from visiting Plant Delights Nursery during their open house and what a time that was! I of course came away with a cart load of treasures, but no Hepatica. I did get this pic of one and it was lovely!

AmyO
Brunswick, GA (temporarily)

Nice one Amy, the simple purity of the white starry bloom hold their own, even among the more flamboyant cultivars.

Here are some magnificent examples from the beautiful Rundle Wood gardens (a private garden which is also the display garden for an excellent small alpine and perennial nursery) from the first CRAGS open garden, last weekend:
     

I was surprised to find how late spring is here, even in the "tropical south" parts of the city!  (I live in the high, northwest hinterlands.  ;D)

Wow!  No problems with hepatica in calgary!  My acutiloba have died (or crowded) out.  The two nobilis I got at the WWSW will have to be treated with more respect!

Wow2!  The second photo is great, revealing such variation in flower color. Very nice.

Skulski wrote:

Here are some magnificent examples from the beautiful Rundle Wood gardens (a private garden which is also the display garden for an excellent small alpine and perennial nursery) from the first CRAGS open garden, last weekend:

I was surprised to find how late spring is here, even in the "tropical south" parts of the city!  (I live in the high, northwest hinterlands.  ;D)

Great show! I haven`t looked to see if they have their 2011 catalogue out...

Yes, it is out, Cohan.

Thanks, I'll browse when I feel like teasing myself...lol

Hepatica japonica pink
Hepatica japonica white
Hepatica nobilis pink
Hepatica japonica Anjyu
Hepatica nobilis rubra plena
Hepatica japonica kuukai
Hepatica nobilis dark blue
Hepatica japonica blue
Hepatica japonica sakuragari,something is nibbling the flowers on these two.
Hepatica japonica deep pink

Michel, you know how to make me jealous  ;) I can hardly wait till my few plants come up in a month or so - however they are all in the garden!

Do you know what kind of creature that nibbles your plant?
I have lost some plants in the garden, not to slugs - or maybe slugs too - but to a kind of insect, small beetles or something which destroy the leaves :(

Quote:

Do you know what kind of creature that nibbles your plant?

I suspect Earwigs (Forficula auricularia.) they prefer aphids but as I don't appear to have any this year yet (touch wood) I think they are nibbling the flowers. I go out at night with a torch looking for the culprit but can't find anything. I don't think I have any vine weevils either as I have treated all the vulnerable plants.
Maggi Young thinks it might be sparrows.

All beautiful, Michael! But I especially love the singles- all of them :)

Sin gle flowered, and preferable with a clean color all over the flowers. thats my favorites. I have them growing semiwild in the garden. Will wisit one of the danish wild locations this spring. Shall take photos.

Martin

Looking forward to seeing those, Martin- love those wild colonies :)

Quote:

Do you know what kind of creature that nibbles your plant?

I found the little blighters this evening munching on the flowers (small black slugs) they have gone for their holidays. ;)

So , it was slugs?  Well caught, Michael.

Perhaps it is only my sparrows which are guilty of flower nibbling. The little hooligans:P

Michael wrote:

Quote:

Do you know what kind of creature that nibbles your plant?

I found the little blighters this evening munching on the flowers (small black slugs) they have gone for their holidays. ;)

Slugs! Is that good news or bad news though? Are the slugs newhatched or older? I have found some newhatched slugs in my seedpots >:( I don't like it at all!

Michael wrote:

Quote:

Do you know what kind of creature that nibbles your plant?

I found the little blighters this evening munching on the flowers (small black slugs) they have gone for their holidays. ;)

Hope you got that problem nipped in the bud before they can nip too many of yours!

A few more Hepatica.
Hepatica Purple nidan saki.
Hepatica Purpre nidan saki
Hepatica japonica Akane.
Hepatica japonica Asahizuru
Hepatica japonica Haruno awayuki.
Hepatica nobilis
Hepatica japonica
Hepatica nobilis
Hepatica nobilis
Hepatica nobilis rubra plena

Beautiful! It's very heartening to see those vivid colours, Michael! 
Can any colder zone gardeners who have experimented with H. japonica comment on their experiences? 

Last few.

Hepatica americana.
Hepatica americana.
Hepatica transylvanica Blue Jewell.
Hepatica Japonica Murasaki.
Hepatica nobilis

More beauties!

The colors are quite clear.  Excellent!

Michael (or anyone), do you find that the pH of the soil is important in bringing out the "correct" hues?

I have some H. americana that grow in sandy soil, pH about 6.5.  They seemed to be the same color blue-purple as their parents in the acid soil (pH 5.5-6.0) in Northern Minnesota.  Now I have moved some of them to a clay based pH 7 soil with more sun, and they are pretty much white.

I grow mine in a loamy soil and never bother much about the PH, just throw a handful of lime into the compost when mixing. I would think that it is the sun bleaching the flowers.  Mine are shaded from March until November and full winter sun (and we don't get much of that) the rest of the year.

cheers.

Stunning variety!  I have just the wild pink and blue nobilis.

Hepatica japonica To-sen
Hepatica japonica Akafuku
Hepatica japonica white with a hint of pink.
Hepatica nobilis snow  storm

A gorgeous set! Love those gentle pinks..

Very nice Michael! Now I'm very much looking forward to spring!

In my youth, I toyed with the possibility of breeding hepatica with our native specimens.
  After all, no one else was doing it, I naively thought.  (I was only 18 years old then.)  :rolleyes:

Very glad I didn't go down that road...

You have so many beauties, Michael!

RickR wrote:

In my youth, I toyed with the possibility of breeding hepatica with our native specimens.
  After all, no one else was doing it, I naively thought.  (I was only 18 years old then.)  :rolleyes:

Very glad I didn't go down that road...

Rick, who knows, you could have made a fortune by now :o Think of the fabulous Japanese cultivars ;D

Hepatica acuta semi double Deep Blue

Hepatica actiloba with walking fern on moss covered dolomite in the wild in southern Ohio this weekend

Those pics could have been taken in southern Minnesota, too, complete with the moss and the Asplenium rhizophyllum.
Although I have to say, the hepatica is exceptionally richly colored.

The walking fern, especially, seems to love moss covered limestone here.

Hepatica can get the red coloured leaves if growing in sun and it still is cold. I have seen it here too but not often that much. The walking fern however, I've never seen - it doesn't exist here.

But I have never seen a hepatica as blue as kalle-k's!

Cool habitat shots!

Hepatica nobilis and H. transylvanica (x2), starting to bloom:
   

Nice! I can't wait till I get flowering plants, I do have a few seedlings, but don't think anything is mature yet..