From Kazakhstan to Bracknell

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This is the fourth (and last) of my blogs on some of the plants I saw on my trip to Kazakhstan earlier this year.

Being a plantsman, I am always on the look-out for unusual or interesting plants or others that just capture my attention. These go on a ‘wants’ list which somehow never seems to get any shorter! These are the ones I added from my trip to Kazakhstan earlier this year.

The first one I saw was eremurus cristatus – perhaps it was the brown flowers that captured my attention

If I had to choose just one plant from the holiday to grow, it would be leontice eversmanii. There were thousands of these growing on open grassland – from a distance, it looked like a field of yellow footballs. I don’t think this plant is in cultivation so perhaps it is not easy to grow

I had never given more than a second glance before to allium karataviense, but seeing it growing wild in stony places inspired me to plant it in coarse gravel where it looks very much at home

Rosa persica is an important plant in rose history as it was the first yellow one to be discovered and used in rose breeding. Unfortunately our British summers are generally not warm enough to encourage it to flower and it is currently not on sale in this country

Another eremurus, E. lactiflora, was growing in snow so it must be hardy enough for Britain

Everyone on the trip got excited over fritillaria sewerzowii. The flowers were very variable in both size and colour – we saw brown, orange and yellow blooms on different plants. I have managed to track this one down (from Living Colour, a bulb firm near Penzance who sell plants by mail order) and ordered three plants. It really needs dry summers so may be tricky to grow but I will try giving it a sheltered spot and see if I can please it

Gymnospermium alberti is a small plant from the berberis family (see how similar the flower are). This one usually had its roots tucked under a rock or in shade which gives a clue as to what it needs

We saw primula kaufmanniana on the last day, growing in light woodland. But it is not for sale in Britain so perhaps it will not grow outside for us

Thank goodness for Plant Finder and the internet!

• 13 Nov, 2008
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