Janis Ruksans - Bulb Belt of the Former USSR

Rick suggested folks here might be interested in the write up for our chapter newsletter for Janis Ruksan's
talk last month. I didn't write this one. The co-secretary of the DVC-NARGS Diane Cormack

If you were unable to attend our last meeting on October 27 you missed a very entertaining and
informative talk by Dr. Janis Ruksans ”The Bulb Belt of the Former USSR.” Dr. Ruksans had the opportunity to travel widely in remote places of the USSR at a time when few Westeners were able to enter the country. He has collected and grown many bulbs not often seen in Western catalogues. Dr Ruksans started collecting as a child and has always looked for unusual forms of bulbs common in that part of the world.

Our slide trip with Janis started on the Western edge of the USSR in Latvia and moved east across the old Soviet Union. Among the many bulbs we saw were Anemone nemorsa and A. ranunculoides, as well as two forms of A. nemeosa, ‘Kassari’ and Swedish Pink’. Sometimes natural hybrids of the two can be found. We also saw a variety of A. ranunculoides forms; usually a very uniform plant, but after the radiation fallout from Chernobyl these different forms began to appear. There were Corydalis solida cultivars ranging from white to pink to bright red. Many crocuses, C. heffelianus, and selection ‘Carpathian Wonder’ white with a purple band; C. banaticus, an autumn crocus, with inner petals much smaller than the outer ones; from the Crimea C. speciosus that blooms in the fall there, C. vallicola with hooked tips on the petals; C. michelsonii which is very difficult to grow in the garden, C. alatavicus which blooms as soon as the snow melts and a yellow crocus, C. korolkowii ‘Lucky Number’ as well as several others.

We saw a number of tulips, some contrasting the wild form with the Dutch form; T. hissarica, T. orthopoda, T. orythioides, T. butkovii, several T. greigii selections among others. There were several Fritallaria melagris forms and other fritallarias, galanthus, scilla, Pushchkinia scilloides selections, arums, eremurus and Erythronium sibiricum cultivars among the many bulbs we saw.
Dr. Ruksans has a catalogue which can be ordered by writing to:

Janis Ruksans, Dr. Biol.
“Pulkas”
PO Stalbe LV-4151
Latvia

The cost of the catalogue is $5USD. Maybe some of the above bulbs will do well for you.

Was he talking about the wild forms and the Dutch forms still sold as species, or Dutch forms labelled as derived from the wild species?

Ian Young says the species Fritillaria michailovskyi sold by the Dutch are really hybrids of some sort. Probably a good thing for most people. Given the conditions where they grow in my garden, they are pretty tough cookies. He says the real species are more demure, and with even narrower leaves. This is a box store Dutch "species", several years old in my garden.

I actually don't remember the details to answer your question.
sorry.

I really enjoyed Ian Young's talk a few years ago.
Tam

I missed Ian Young's talk but we did get Janis here and he gave us the same talk. Enjoyed it very much although I found his accent difficult to understand at times. I have ordered bulbs from him in the past and our society will place a group order next summer. I got a couple of species tulips, Iris magnifica and some Corydalis from him.