Plant trends - 1987 to 2007 by Mike Grant, Editor, The Plantsman

[ideasguy]

Have a read over this document.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/RHSPlantFinder/documents/trends.pdf

What do you think of "the trend"?

Echinacea

Now you can buy virtually every species in the genus and interspecific orange and yellow hybrids are set to become highly popular.

I was very interested in the paragraph about Helleborus. Its made me determined to buy a few more varieties.

Hellebores have made great strides since 1987. Breeder Helen Ballard had exhibited a pure yellowflowered hellebore in 1980 but she was still trying to improve the vigour of her yellow-flowered selections in 1987 and they were not commercially available. Since then several other skilled hybridists working from nurseries have taken on hellebore breeding with superb results. We now have broad, substantial sepals on outward-facing flowers with purer colours, fantastic patterning, double flowers and anemone-centred flowers. The doubles are derived from wild origin double-flowered H. torquatus introduced from Montenegro in 1971.
But the most infamous hellebore introduction of recent decades was Chinese H. thibetanus. Slow to propagate, there has been deep concern that collectors have been repeatedly removing plants from the wild.

Ive checked the Master Database, and find TheGardener (Chrissie) grows Helleborus thibetanus.
Anyone else?

there is now a bewildering array of tree peonies available due to the opening up of trade with China. And it?s not just esoteric plants like peonies that are flooding out of China ? their immense horticultural production facilities are resulting in big trade shifts away from Holland for everything from tulips to grafted Japanese maples.

Michael (GardenExpert on the forum) has a wide range of tree peonies for sale on his on-line shop (UK based).
http://www.imberhornelanenursery.co.uk/

[Palustris]

I have H, thibetanus and it is not as hard to propagate as it is reputed, but it is probably not self fertile and as it flowers in January there are few pollenators around so it needs some help there. Abercony Nurseries in N. Wales supply it, as far as I know NOT from wild colledted material.
Echinacea are not as easy to gorw as they are made out. They certainly do not survive our cold conditions too well, even in well drained soil.

[ideasguy]

Have you any photos of Helleborus thibetanus Eric?
Thanks for you information on that plant, and sourcing details. Anything that flowers in January has to be a good choice for a garden with the right conditions.
Would you recommend it?

Any photos would be much appreciated for our Master Database. I will be campaigning soon to get a photo to go with every plant included.
Only 9200 or so - so should be easy enough 

Thanks for your comments about Echinacea. I understood they were easy to grow. Having said that, some I planted as bare root plants didnt even get out of the ground.
Thanks to the seed exchange program on this forum, Ive grown E. purpurea from seed - sent to me my Harry (noideasman) and André (Greenfinger)
They germinated well, and did OK after potting on.
I planted some out in 2006. No flowers from them this year (2007).
I kept one in a pot and planted it this year (while in Flower). I'll keep an eye on it.

Perhaps André and Harry (or other members) will comment on their experiences. Growing tips would be useful!

[greenfinger]

About Echinacea I remember to have read somewhere they don't like much competition from neighbouring plants. In my own garden I have fullgrown Echinacea's purpurea in their own patch and they are doing very well over the last few years.