Notes?
I'll try.

Twit, think you can come next spring? The Smith hotel will reserve you a room.

Sorry, I'm almost on the east coast and have no money for travel. Not remotely possible at this point to attend.

The Skrocki method sounds like my kind of gardening!

I think I need to start looking at property across the pond.....

Hopefully Toby will be there to record the clinic again, that way you can watch it twit.

Come on over Kate.

it's done

all photos from Sue Thomas are uploaded to the database; it's been a pleasure to see them all again en bloc

Thank you so very much Peter. It is a wonderful service you have done for all of us semp lovers.

Yes, thank you Peter. They will provide nice semp dreams for a long time.

Peter,

Have you grown all of these ones of Sue Thomas in your garden? 'Purple Dazzler' is very good here but I'd be interested on your opinions of them.

Kevin

Hi Kevin;

the photos are all direct from the breeder; I only have a few of them (about 50) but not Purple Dazzler;

they are all a little bit less coloured than the photos show; I think it's because Sue in England has a warmer and sunnier climate;

they all grow good, aren't sensitive and the most of them bring enough offsets;

Great news to hear Peter.

Peter that makes things sound sad where you are if you're saying england is warmer and drier

Look at a map Greg, of where he lives.

I did because I want to visit Gruenex nursery which is "closeby" (Also if I remember Sue is in Devon, and that is a warmer part of england I think)

Do you have a lot of storms Peter?

Greg that would be a trip of a lifetime.

valleylynn said:
Do you have a lot of storms Peter?

not that kind of storm you know from the states; we have no hurricanes or twisters

but I am near to the coast and so we sometimes have a lot of cold wind and rain;

We don't have hurricanes or tornadoes either here in the Pacific Northwest.

I thought your definition of "storm" might be influenced by the power of them....

What we call a storm is much like your conditions, dark, very windy and lots of heavy rain. Sometimes thunder and lightening.

Oh, and sometimes it is a snow storm, lots of snow (sometimes you can't see very far) and wind that can cause it to pile up against things.

Peter,

I notice that things color differently here than they did in MA too. That not only goes for semps but also irises and daylilies too. Out here I get better anthocyanin pigments (purple and red) but less good carotenoids (yellows and orange pigments). The time that things color are also affected out here. Our spring is very prolonged here so we have several pigment changes over that time. 'Killer' for example goes through a phase where it is nearly black and other times a red/ green bicolor and all patterns and colors in between. One seedling from it is so variable I have jokingly thought of calling it "Chameleon" as it has phases where it;s a lovely lavender, a red/ green bicolor, and a red. All the phases are lovely but I keep looking at the tag and saying "Who are you" and I'm surprised it has gone through this change.

'Missouri Rose' is very different out here. In MA it was rose for much of the year and faded slightly over the summer. Out here it's best color is in August.

Even as a PhD in botany i find these changes fascinating.

Kevin