International Rock Gardener e-magazine

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General Alpines

The March Issue of the e-magazine from the Scottish Rock Garden Club is now online here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=international

.... you can be sure we have a hyperlink from the name of Zdeněk Zvolánek to the NARGS 2010 "Romancing the Rockies The Marriage of Plant and Stone " July 11-14, 2010, to be held in Denver & Salida, Colorado !

Here is a photo, by ZZ, from the March issue, of Adonis vernalis .....

Comments

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Fri, 03/26/2010 - 3:33pm

I can't say that Adonis vernalis is one of the plants we have a lot of trouble with from the slugs ..... or perhaps I am so busy worrying about the slug damage to other plants and the predations of the mice that I haven't noticed! I'll have to check tomorrow ..... you've got me worried now!

Trond Hoy's picture

Trond Hoy

Sat, 03/27/2010 - 2:43pm
IMYoung wrote:

I can't say that Adonis vernalis is one of the plants we have a lot of trouble with from the slugs ..... or perhaps I am so busy worrying about the slug damage to other plants and the predations of the mice that I haven't noticed! I'll have to check tomorrow ..... you've got me worried now!

Sorry, didn't mean to worry you! But I am very sorry I haven't been able to grow this wonderful plant.

Now I have had time to take a look at that as RickR says, fantastic edition , and I agree!

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Sat, 03/27/2010 - 5:00pm

Well, slugs are always a worry, are they not?! Pesky creatures!

Coincidentally, as we had that photo in the IRG ( and thanks to all of you who are so complimentary about the venture) we were able today to enjoy in the SRGC Forum some great photos from Forumists living in Bulbgaria of Adonis vernalis in the  Rusenski Lom Nature Park.... a spectacular sight to see these golden flowers scattered on the hillside..... take a look: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5093.msg144817#msg144817      8)

Lori S.'s picture

Lori S. (not verified)

Sat, 03/27/2010 - 6:29pm

Joining in with the praise for the latest edition... what an exquisite corydalis!

I assume "Bulbgaria" was not a typo... ?  ;)  ;D   It is wonderful to see Adonis in the wild... they have not even breached the ground surface here yet, but I am thankful that slugs have never been a problem in our yard.

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Thu, 04/29/2010 - 4:20pm

Issue 4 ,April 2010 of International Rock Gardener is now online at the website of the Scottish Rock Garden Club........
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=international

As ever, your comments are most welcome here and if you would like to contribute to a future issue of IRG, please email Margaret  Young via info AT srgc.org.uk

I would like to share, from the April issue, this charming photo of Hepatica nobilis Alba, taken by SRGC Member and Forumist, Robin Gemmill, in the wild near her home in Switzerland

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Tue, 05/04/2010 - 6:56am

Thank you to all those getting in touch to tell us what you enjoy about IRG. Your kind words are an inspiration. Remember, if you have an idea for a feature (and if you would care to actually contribute a feature, so much the better! ;)) then email either your suggestion, or the article and pictures, to Maggi Young at this address ....  [email protected]    8)

Mark McDonough's picture

Mark McDonough

Fri, 05/28/2010 - 9:32pm
IMYoung wrote:

Issue 5 of International rock Gardener, for May 2010 is now online at
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=international

This Aethionema subulatum picture is from Zdenek Zvolanek, it is growing in the "Beauty Slope", the Czech garden of ZZ and Joyce Carruthers.

Please be aware NARGS Forum readers, that downloading the latest Issue 5 of the International Rock Garden requires that your free "Adobe Reader" application be updated.  I had version 7.x, which is fairly up-to-date, but the newsletter requires a newer version (the latest version of Adobe Reader is 9.3).  The installation will require the installation of auxiliary software called Adobe DLM (Adobe DownLoad Manager), be sure to unselect the option to install some "promo" virus protection software... retain your own virus protection software... the installation of the Adode Reader upgrade uninstalls the older version and upgrades to the newest version, then requires a computer reboot to initialize the new Adobe Reader version. All this assumes you have administrative access to your computer to perform these updates.  It would be good if future versions of posted International Rock Garden PDF files were "saved as" a prior PDF version to not instigate required upgrades to the latest software, for general lowest common denominator access to the majority of interested users.

Trond Hoy's picture

Trond Hoy

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 1:24am

Fortunately I had no problem downloading the issue but it is more problematic reading it! Then I don't speak of the language but all the very tempting plants do me sick to have something like that myself! Which I know I can't achieve - not with all, maybe a couple of them.

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 2:14am

Trond, it is good that we are tempting you!

Mark, I'm not sure what has changed with this issue which has been saved to the same "standard" as the previous ones.

I'll take technical advice on the matter to see if something has changed here.  :-\

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 2:26am

Okay.... I'm told that this  Adobe version we are saving to has been out for over a year and is the one used for the Bulb Log, also.

The option of saving to previous versions of Adobe would mean either we cut the size of the magazine altogether and/or cut the quality of the photo files to enable a reasonable download size of 3 Mb.  
Since the Adobe reader is free to download and anyone using a work computer is likely to be using the latest versions, we have not found this to be a problem cited by other readers.

Experimenting here, on a pc, we have found that an upgrade is quite straightforward and did not require a reboot.... so perhaps there is some variation in these things?

The other problem with making something backward compatible is, how far do you go? We are trying to make the best use we can of the facilities available free to access.
We are also mindful of download limits for folks, too.
Do let us know of others are having problems and we will see if we can help.

Mark McDonough's picture

Mark McDonough

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 8:21am
IMYoung wrote:

Okay.... I'm told that this  Adobe version we are saving to has been out for over a year and is the one used for the Bulb Log, also.

The previous International Rock Gardener PDFs were PDF Version 1.6 (Acrobat 7.x).  The current Issue #5 May 2010 is PDF Version 1.7 (Acrobat 8.x).  When going to a newer release of software, requiring readers to also upgrade their software, possibly hardware too (see below), it is advisable to mention the newer version requirement on the downloads page.

IMYoung wrote:

Since the Adobe reader is free to download and anyone using a work computer is likely to be using the latest versions, we have not found this to be a problem cited by other readers.

It is not necessarily straight forward when the upgrade requires...1) an ancillary or adjunct piece of software be installed which is new and unfamiliar to the user (Adobe DLM)... one wonders if it is legimate... 2) one must be diligent about NOT INSTALLING the promo virus-protection software that is bundled or "piggybacked" ontop of the "free" Adobe ancillary software (which could mess with one's current legitimate virus protection software), and on my system where I was using Adobe Reader 8, installing version 9 required a reboot, as it did on my wife's computer. 

My wife, when confronted with the same Adobe Reader upgrade requirement, under different circumstances, was befuddled and alarmed about the extra software being downloaded and installed (Adobe DLM) and the prompt to install so-called free virus protection software (it defaults to being installed), an immediate concern because of one of the most malicious and predominant viruses out there one that pretends to be legitimate virus-protection software, when it itself IS THE VIRUS.... so her hesitancy and confusion as how to proceed were justified.  This last point, the phony but incredibly real-looking bogus Anti-Virus "virus" can trick almost anyone, (see: http://www.sophos.com/security/threat-spotlight/020510-threat-spotlight....), it appears to be a Microsoft Security Update running a virus scan on your computer, displaying phony alerts about a bunch of viruses it is finding... the phony AV software (virus) comes in many guises... at my previous company we had dozens of laptops users fooled by this with their computers trashed and requiring a redo, and my wife's computer caught the virus (I was able to remove the virus), my daughter's computer got it twice (was able to remove it the first time, the last time around requiring that the whole operating system Windows XP be reinstalled).  So, an upgrade to Adobe Reader, that wants to install anti-virus software, should raise a red flag, many users will not know what to do with this situation.

The point of my message, was to alert readers of the IRG May 2010 issue, is to be very aware of what the upgrade steps/concerns might be.

IMYoung wrote:

The other problem with making something backward compatible is, how far do you go? We are trying to make the best use we can of the facilities available free to access.
We are also mindful of download limits for folks, too.
Do let us know of others are having problems and we will see if we can help.

In businesses, we always set PDF creation utilities and software, to create the PDF as PDF Version 1.5 (Acrobat 6.x), as that version is the most universally used (it takes a while for all users in the world to catch up), to avoid a preponderance of call-backs saying they can't read our documents.  One also needs to be mindful, that not everyone has high-speed internet access, so for someone in rural areas like Jane McGary, still using dial-up telephone access, to download and install a 38 Megabyte update, and the adjunct software, is not quick and easy task.  The newer version of Adobe Reader states a System Requirement of "•Intel® 1.3 GHz processor or equivalent"... on two other computers used by my family members, both or only 1.0 GHz processors... yes we probably need to upgrade our computers too.... but I'm not "going there" at the moment.

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 11:45am

I bow to your greater technical knowledge, Mark and I quite agree that one should always be wary of any "sneaky" add-ons.
I  can only say that I have made all the IRG pdfs and have changed nothing from issue to issue. If there is a difference it was not of my deliberate action ..... I am no expert in such matters, I freely admit!
Naturally, if there were any deliberate change then it would be both politic and polite to make an announcement to that effect though a little tricky to do so when I was  unaware of any such need.

 

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Sat, 05/29/2010 - 12:05pm

Interestingly, I have just taken the following info from the five IRG issues:
January shows as PDF version  1.7
February shows as PDF version 1.6
and March , April and May are again PDF version 1.7

If anyone has been having trouble viewing the IRG, please contact me at [email protected] and I will willingly send you a version saved to the earlier specification, as Mark recommends.

I am aware that not everyone is able to have a broadband or even a reliable service for their internet connection: I live in the city that is the oil capital of Europe and my broadband connection falls off all the time but I soldier on.... it still beats the carrier pigeon and the slate!  ;)

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Fri, 06/25/2010 - 10:39am

Issue 6 June 2010 of International Rock Gardener is now online at the SRGC website
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=international .....for the listing
and here for the June issue.....

http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2010Jun251277455250IRGJUNE.pdf

[size=12pt]This issue is the beginning of a concerted celebration of the various rock garden organisations around the world and, of course, that brings us to the subject of the International Conference to be held in Nottingham, England in April 2011, so there are the first two  introductions to the Speakers for that Alpine Extravaganza..... including, I'm delighted to say, NARGS own Todd Boland !  :)

More about the other Conference Speakers in upcoming issues.

[size=12pt]The deadline to take advantage of the great discount for early booking for this event, which only takes place every ten years in the UK, is the end of Agust 2010, so make a note in your diaries to be sure of securing your place in good time!
The event is being organised by the Alpine Garden Society and will be held at the East Midlands Conference Centre at the University of Nottingham....
see here for a flavour of the venue: http://www.nottinghamconferences.co.uk/emcc/

and here for the programme : http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/events/Eighth+International+Rock+Gard...

and, most importantly   :D here for  booking your place:

http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/sales/conferences/bookings/2011/

8)

Todd Boland's picture

Todd Boland

Sun, 06/27/2010 - 2:11pm

What a lovely article Maggie!  You did your homework finding the various internet groups where I have posted pics!  I hope I can live up to the expectations!  Really looking forward to the International meeting and as luck should have it, I will leave the day after the meetings conclude for a 1 week botanizing trip to Crete.  Looking forward to that too!

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Thu, 07/29/2010 - 4:53pm

Issue 7 of International Rock Gardener, for July 2010 is now online at the
SRGC website.

http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=international

In this issue there are more introductions to Speakers arranged for the
Alpines 2011 Conference, organised by the Alpine Garden Society, to be held
in Nottingham, in the UK, in April 2011.

The issue also features more floral emblems of alpine plant organisations
around the world.....if  your local club emblem hasn't  been featured yet, why not drop a
line to me to tell me about it?

M.

Anne Spiegel's picture

Anne Spiegel

Fri, 08/27/2010 - 7:34am

Congratulations on Issue #8 of The International Rock Gardener.  I'm always waiting eagerly for the next issue and the quality of photography and content continues to inspire.  I've read and reread these many times and think they could easily become a book.

Mark McDonough's picture

Mark McDonough

Fri, 08/27/2010 - 8:49pm
IMYoung wrote:

Issue 8 of International Rock Gardener, for August 2010 is now online

http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=international

An excellent issue!  And finally, we see Lori Skulski the person and NARGS Moderator, not as a distant blip in some far away avatar ;).  Thanks Lori for all of your fantastic botanical travelogues so far, these are worth their weight in gold, not only on NARGS, but on SRGC too.

Lori S.'s picture

Lori S. (not verified)

Sat, 08/28/2010 - 2:48pm

I echo the praise for IRG!  Great work, Maggi, on another fascinating and engaging issue!   I thank you very much, also, Maggi, for the very nice introduction.

McDonough wrote:

And finally, we see Lori Skulski the person and NARGS Moderator, not as a distant blip in some far away avatar ;).  Thanks Lori...

Dang, my cover is blown!  ;D ;D  You're welcome - it's my pleasure to share those experiences!  I hope others enjoy seeing them, as well, and are encouraged to add their own accounts, or to participate in whatever way they wish in this forum.

Trond Hoy's picture

Trond Hoy

Sat, 08/28/2010 - 11:47pm

The 8th issue gives me the same dilemma as the others have done: Where in my garden can I try to put more stones and plants? (By the way - if you ever get the chance visit the Lake Van area and take a bath in the soda water. )

Nice to meet you "in person", Lori! Who could think that spent flowers could be that impressing!

Lori S.'s picture

Lori S. (not verified)

Sun, 08/29/2010 - 4:51pm

Thanks, Todd and Trond.  Yes, that's the constant dilemma... where to put more rock gardens?  We are long since out of lawn area, but do have big planted areas that no longer hold much interest and are starting to seem expendable.  My problem is to come up with an actual plan!
I wonder if Lake Van is compositionally similar to the alkaline sloughs (lakes) across the prairies where I grew up?  The salts in the water provide great buoyancy, and dry white on the skin.  (This year, with the ridiculous amount of rain out there, they will all be terribly diluted though!)  I must look into that further.

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Thu, 09/23/2010 - 2:29pm

http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=international

The SRGC e-magazine 'International Rock Gardener'  No.9  for  September 2010  is online now.  This issue contains more tributes to the late Jim Archibald and and his work and includes photos of the plants being grown worldwide from Archibald seed, sent in by growers who really appreciated the  chance to grow these plants.

This photograph of Iris iberica ssp. lycotis grown from seeds he received from Jim and Jenny a few years ago is by Hans Achilles.
This Iris,  as with all  Hans'  bulbous plants, grows outside in the garden without any protection (either in winter or summer), despite of an annual rainfall of about 800 mm.

The seed of this delightful oncocyclus Iris from Iran, was collected by a Scotsman,  grown by a German living on Mallorca and is shared with gardeners from every country with an internet connection, all via the IRG ..... says it all really, doesn't it?

Mark McDonough's picture

Mark McDonough

Tue, 10/05/2010 - 10:28am

Congratulations to the IRG Team on the latest superb installment of the International Rock Gardener (#9, September 2010).  It is a poignant tribute to Jim Archibald, and great plant hunters as a whole, masterfully presented by John Watson... a must read.  Coupled with a partial pre-publication peak at Janis Ruksans' new Crocus monograph, and publication of a a new Crocus commemorating Jim Archibald, Crocus speciosus subsp. archibaldii Rukšāns (subsp. nov.), the story is all the more poignant. 

Very sorry to hear the tragic news about Joyce Carruthers.

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Tue, 11/02/2010 - 3:26pm

Issue 10 of International Rock Gardener is now online:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=international

This issue is dedicated to the late Joyce Carruthers, who guides us to some of North America's great alpine plants in this issue (and also in the issue for November).... we are really pushing the North American boat out...... we think you folks deserve to have your plants given as wide and audience as possible....we hope we will enthuse everybody to try growing your great native flowers 8) ;)

Joyce was a tremendous advocate for these plants and grew as many as she could in her Victoria B.C. garden and in the Beauty Slope of Karlick .......some of them are very challenging in cultivation.... but that is half the attraction for some folks!

Eriogonum shockleyi, near Garrison, Millard County, Utah 

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Fri, 11/26/2010 - 6:20am

Hello from snowy Aberdeen in Scotland - the November issue of IRG is now online
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=international

IRG 11  shows us more beautiful plants from the mountain areas of north America.
Take another tour with IRG and enjoy the photos of sunny days in the Wild West.

We also have some suggestions from Michal Hoppel about how he grows some of these "American Beauties" in his garden in Poland.

from
Margaret and the IRG Team

Anne Spiegel's picture

Anne Spiegel

Fri, 11/26/2010 - 9:30pm
IMYoung wrote:

Hello from snowy Aberdeen in Scotland - the November issue of IRG is now online
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=international

IRG 11  shows us more beautiful plants from the mountain areas of north America.
Take another tour with IRG and enjoy the photos of sunny days in the Wild West.

[attach=1]

We also have some suggestions from Michal Hoppel about how he grows some of these "American Beauties" in his garden in Poland.

from
Margaret and the IRG Team

  An absolutely wonderful issue of IRG.  Every month has been beautifully done and the illustrations are marvelous.  I can't wait for the December issue.  Congratulations to everyone involved.

Trond Hoy's picture

Trond Hoy

Sat, 11/27/2010 - 3:35am
IMYoung wrote:

Hello from snowy Aberdeen in Scotland - the November issue of IRG is now online
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=international

IRG 11  shows us more beautiful plants from the mountain areas of north America.
Take another tour with IRG and enjoy the photos of sunny days in the Wild West.
We also have some suggestions from Michal Hoppel about how he grows some of these "American Beauties" in his garden in Poland.

from
Margaret and the IRG Team

I have thought of it for a long time -and today I signed in as a member!

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Sat, 11/27/2010 - 5:15am

Anne:  Thank you for your kind words which are much appreciated by our little IRG Team.

Trond: This is excellent news, I am sure you will enjoy your membership. The SRGC has many Scandnavian members and there is a very active group of these folks in the SRGC Forum, too.

Best wishes,
Maggi Young

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Fri, 12/24/2010 - 11:04am

Greetings, NARGS Friends..... I have just loaded the December IRG, No. 12, to the SRGC Website.... it is a week early but I thought some of you might like a break from holiday festivities to have a pleasant trip with IRG. :D

See it here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2010Dec241293215996IRG_12_December.pdf

Glassford Sprunt has kindly prepared an Index of this first year of IRG, which is included in this issue.

As usual there are a variety of plants , places and people , which we hope will interest you.

This photo is of the volcano  Erciyes Dag by   Štěpánka and Cedrik Haškovec.....

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Wed, 02/16/2011 - 1:14pm

My apologies for failing to remind you here of the January Edition of IRG. A plaintiff email today brought my shortcomings to the fore.
It will not be long before the February IRG is  ready!

We begin 2011 with a focus on some classic plants of the European Alps. These flowers have been admired for years and their charm is undiminished for the modern rock gardener, even if they still present challenges in cultivation in the 21st Century. We also have more thoughts on Crevice gardening -this type of rock garden is in vogue at the moment and so this style is something we will follow from various gardeners in the months to come. While the plants seem to enjoy life very much in these crevice constructions it must be said that some people do not find the crevice gardens to be aesthetically pleasing. If you have a different type of rock garden that your plants are finding a happy home from home why not submit an article on your experiences to the IRG? Is it possible to be a successful rock gardener with no rock?
To get in touch please email - Editor AT internationalrockgardener.org  (replacing the AT with @)

January 2011 Issue 13 IRG:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2011Jan271296161952IRG13.pdf

A ridge in the Dolomites - photo Michal Hoppel

cohan's picture

cohan (not verified)

Fri, 03/04/2011 - 10:35am
IMYoung wrote:

The February issue, #14. of International Rock Gardenr is online ....
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2011Feb241298591020IRG14_Feb_2011.pdf

A mix of contributors and plants from around the world- perhaps to whet your appetite for some travel or give you a push to make a start on a garden project?

Close up of Eranthis pinnatifida, picture Ian Young 

The article by Harvey Wrightman on clay filled crevices was especially interesting--I will be thinking about this!

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Sat, 03/05/2011 - 11:22am
RickR wrote:

Yes, and that skillfully built crevice trough must weigh a ton!!!

Thanks for another great edition!

Thanks Cohan and Rick.

Yes, Harvey's article is a pointer to placing a heavy trough BEFORE you make it any heavier with rocks and soil, isn't it ?  :D

Amy Olmsted's picture

Amy Olmsted

Fri, 03/11/2011 - 5:48am

Thank-you so much for every issue...they are full of inspiring articles and I too am enjoying the one on trough building. I plan to create a small crevice garden around a large boulder. I've got a few pieces of tufa and ready access to lots of stone slabs perfect for creating crevices! Can't wait for spring to get here!

Cliff Booker's picture

Cliff Booker

Fri, 03/11/2011 - 7:53am
Todd wrote:

I'm way ahead of you...have plans to do an article on the serpentine alpines of Newfoundland  ;)

Excellent Todd ... we await it with great anticipation!

Typing this on my laptop in a Best Western Hotel, near Malpenza airport, Milan after our flight to Manchester this afternoon was cancelled and we have been advised by our carrier that we MAY be on a flight tomorrow morning or we may not?  We have had the most amazing vacation by and around beautiful Lake Como (seeing incredible primulas, hepaticas, hellebores in white, pink and yellow, crocus, tussilago and ajugas among others), the weather has been beautiful and our trips into Switzerland, up to Snow Eagle in northern Italy and the stunning mountain areas near Sondrio have enhanced an already incredible holiday. Hopefully we will get home tomorrow ... touch wood!

Margaret Young's picture

Margaret Young

Fri, 03/11/2011 - 2:29pm
Todd wrote:

I'm way ahead of you...have plans to do an article on the serpentine alpines of Newfoundland  ;)

Hurray!  8) 8)

Amy....Thank you!  This is just the effect we hope these articles will have, to encourage  folks to have a go themselves at these constructions..... great fun and a good home for the alpines. 

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