Dionysia, (as in Desire, Damnation and Dominion)

Dionysia involucrata

Before I progress into my tale of woe and wonder, I must flash one of my few moments of gloating delight: I grew this outdoors in the Rock Alpine Garden for three or four years. Small potatoes compared to what I am about to reveal...

One of many tables at Gothenburg botanic garden where dionysias are being grown to perfection.

If you don't know what a Dionysia is (yes, it was also a wild festival in Ancient Greece) but what this blog post is about is something else. A section of the genus Primula (like Dodecatheon and Cortusa--technically should be properly nestled under the umbrella of that overly capacious generic) but so recognizable and distinct and large a group that most of us will continue to call them Dionysia. Somewhere I have a picture of this bench in bloom. Few plants are more difficult to grow well--this room is more than astounding. I regret to have a picture of the giant mound showing the inevitable dieback--which occurs for ordinary mortals even in tiny plants.

Dionysia at Gothenburg Botanic Gardens

These were blooming randomly in September--but their real time to bloom is late winter and spring when they look like golden, pink, purple and even blue or white mounds. All the more astonishing when you realize these are plants that will drop dead if you look at them wrong.

More Dionysia at Gothenburg

One of innumerable benches filled with these demonic little monsters grown to sublime perfection. How ironic that Sweden should host the premier collection of these when the plants are entirely restricted to the Irano-Turanian floristic region (eastern Turkey, the Arabian peninsula, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Tadjikistan (and likely Turkmenistan)--regions far more like Colorado than say, Sweden for Heaven's sake. I was certain our dry air and bright light would suit them--and have overwintered a few species out of doors (notably D. involucrata see above). The rub is that these are chasmophytes that often grow on the concave undersurfaces of north-facing cliffs--a habitat more like an alpine house in Sweden perhaps than anywhere in Colorado, Wait a minute: we have those bandshells in Canyonlands (he says gobsmacked)...

Tufa wall at Jiří Papoušek's incredible garden in Prague

But a few of the Czechs have sussed the genus out. Notably Jiří Papoušek (who will be speaking at our NARGS AGM in Nova Scotia this June) has oodles of them grown perfectly on this amazing Tufa Wall. If you click on the yellow highlighted words you can see my post about his astounding garden.

 Dionysia at Papousek's.

I just missed seeing this one on my visit a few years ago. I wish I were going back in a few months when they stage their sold out Czech conference...but I've overscheduled myself I fear already!

Alpine house at Betty Ford Gardens, Vail, Colorado

I suspect the best display in America is to be found at the Betty Ford Gardens' outstanding alpine house: although I've admired them there many times, I've not been there in bloom time and keep forgetting to take pictures of some of the larger specimens...

A movie taken at Vail last summer

Maybe some will flash past in this movie I took of one of their flower beds there...click om "full screen" for it--although it's way too brief to do the place justice.

Dionysia aretioides

Not to say dionysias are impossible to grow: my talented colleague Brooke Palmer, has been cranking out hundreds of Dionysia aretioides as if it were a Sempervivum. These have gone out to hundreds of gardeners in the Denver area form our plant sales--with proper warning of course--and I wonder if there isn't someone out there growing it in character. I have had one nearly two years now, but not sure I want to show it off...I must remember to tell her to raid Vail's alpine house to try a wider spectrum (you don't have to suggest things twice to that lady!)

I just took this picture of a few flats Brooke has for the coming year's sale: they are uncharacteristically lax--by sale time they're usually quite tight and often blooming: irresistible! I share this to show that Denver Botanic Gardens isn't entirely empty handed on the Dionysia front.

Brand spanking new monograph on the genus by Magnus Liden and Iraj Mehregan.

But if and when you get this book you'll be exposed to the unbelievable level of sophistication that growing dionysias has achieved in Europe. A few botanic gardens (Gothenburg, Edinburgh and Tubingen stand out)--and a handful of amazing growers in Britain, Netherlands and the Czech republic have photographs scattered in among the vast scholarly apparatus that constitutes this book which describes half a hundred species (many for the first time) and features photos of many type specimens as well as plants growing in the wild an cultivation. And a great deal more--I dare not attempt a serious review of it. Although it's precisely everything I admire most in a book. I blushed to think that it was published in Linnaeus' own town in English.

This obscure group of primroses adapted to the moist cliffs in dry regions has mustered nearly a half dozen monographs over the last half century or so, and hundreds of stunning photographs in Alpine specialty societies--and aside from Vail I can think of not one public "botanic" garden in North America that has a decent specimen on display.

You will need a very special greenhouse, a fantastic green thumb and phenomenal luck in obtaining starts--but what a vast scope of experimentation for some North American gardener to explore!

If you're sufficiently gung-ho you can seek the book out here (according to one of the authors):

    Currently, copies can be ordered from acta@ub.uu.se

    350 SEK [Swedish Krona] (he is not sure about the cost of postage)

    Retailers get 35% discount.

I have a hunch the Alpine Garden Society may offer this soon from their amazing e-bookstore.

(By the way, if you Google image "Dionysia" be prepared to see some spectacular specimens of plants among many charming images of dionysian orgies depicted on Ancient Greek mosaics and amphorae--a rather pleasant combo)

[Another memory I must share: I may not have a chance to do so otherwise. Somewhere in my vast store of transparencies I know I must have pictures of Henrik Zetterlund presenting Ron Beeston with a large--spectacular really--pot full of the white Dionysia involucrata mutation that is grown at Gothenburg. I was lucky enough to be there and have my camera handy. If I ever locate it I shall append it here: Ron was the premier grower of Dionysia in his day who supplied all of Britain (and Europe) for fodder for their compost heaps {dionysias that died--if you don't get the reference}. Some of course prospered in the hands of the magician growers of A.G.S. and S.R.G.C. and can be seen in past issues of their journals--huge semi-domes of glowing color]