Hello Karen, there is certainly in Ethiopia a rare flower you would try to find, worthy to be grown in the garden: it is Arisaema enneaphyllum. from Guy Gusman: " it is a tall plant with a pure white limb curving above the spathe, up to 110 cm tall and 50 cm wide, habitat grassy road banks in erica arborea shrubs; open grasslans, rocky slopes, thicket margins, in shade of trees, near clearings at margins of forest; 2000-3000 mts. flowering from May to July; ripening time October to November " the fruit spike is 8 cm long with berries about 10 mm long. the tuber is subglobose, 8 cm across when mature. In both his books he couldn't show a picture of the living plant but only a herbarium specimen. I cannot say if it is hardy but I think Gusman will be pleased to tell you if it needs greenhouse care in your garden. Anyway a picture of the plant, foliage and seeds, or the tuber , would be very interesting. Have a nice journey, Giorgio Italy zone 7 Il giorno 12/lug/07, alle ore 19:27, Alberto Castillo ha scritto: > > > > >> From: greenweed@btinternet.com> To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Date: >> Sun, 8 Jul 2007 19:45:54 +0100> Subject: [pbs] Introduction> > Hi >> Guys,> > > > This is my first post so an intro is appropriate I >> think. I live in the> easternmost part of England and garden in >> what is usually the driest part of> the UK on a very sandy soil, >> half a mile from the North Sea. My garden is> mostly very >> sheltered so I benefit from the warning effect of being near the> >> sea without suffering too much from those Siberian easterlies that >> hit us> occasionally for a week or so.> > > > I grow a lot of >> Mediterranean plants which survive very well in the free> draining >> soil, examples are an eight foot olive tree, Pittosporum tobirum,> >> lots of Cistus and Halimium, and lavender both English and French. >> I lust> after traditional blowsy herbaceous borders but can't >> achieve them on such> poor soil sadly. > > > > I have a great >> weakness for Echeverias and Agaves most of which have to be> found >> space indoors or in un-heated cold frames over the winter. I have> >> travelled a lot in Europe and have snaffled seed from various >> places which> is how I have fallen into growing more bulbs.> > > > >> I have a very happy Urginea maritima from Crete growing in the >> open in> almost pure gravel (collected as a grapefruit sized bulb >> which had been> dislodged by road works - honestly it's true, I >> have a witness) producing> three flower heads each year now - >> despite the trip's botanist being very> negative about it's >> chances. This year's triumph was to flower Iris xiphium> from seed >> collected in Andorra five years ago and two of my five bulbs> >> flowered a deep indigo blue, much nicer than those wishy washy >> blue> florists versions. I have lots of Anemone pavonina in pots >> grown from seed> collected in the Peloponnese - scarlet, shocking >> gorgeous scarlet ! not> those pretty pink and blues you get mostly >> in the islands. I also have three> pots of unidentified somethings >> collected on the southernmost point of the> Matapan peninsula on >> the same trip. An iris of some sort I think but what ?> My current >> bet is on Iris tuberosa but they are being real buggers and have> >> refused to flower so far.> > > > I am going on a trip further >> afield than usual in November, three weeks in> Ethiopia, >> travelling about the country from high elevations to low. Is >> there> anything I might find there that would be worth keeping an >> eye out for?> > > > I used to post in the uk.rec.gardens newsgroup >> a lot so hi to anyone who> knows me from there - I see Rodger >> Whitlock continues being very helpful to> everyone.> > > > Finally >> I'd like to thank all you guys for posting such fabulous photos >> on> your wiki. I have spent many a happy lunch hour at work >> browsing the pics> and drooling. > > > > Karen Mountford> > >> _______________________________________________> pbs mailing list> >> pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/ >> pbs> http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > _________________________________________________________________ > Descubre Live.com - tu mundo en línea reunido: noticias, deportes, > el tiempo, y mucho más. > http://www.live.com/getstarted/ > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/