late season interest?

Many of the fall blooming Gentians can work in the rock garden though they can look leggy.  For a good display of colour, try Androsace lanuginosa.  It is easy to grow (though I don't know about Zone 3)  and flowers profusely in the late summer and fall.

Sedum cauticola is well behaved, and blooms for me now.  Campanula rotundifolia seems to bloom off and on all season. Summer blooming Alliums, like our native Allium stellatum is still going strong.  Perhaps some Colchicum spp. are hardy for you?  C. agrippinum grows well here in zone 4a.  I expect that Scilla scilloides would be hardy for you, too.

CScott, welcome to the forum.  In what general geographical area do you garden?

Just starting to show its scarlet trumpets now, is Zauschneria garrettii (now Epilobium canum ssp. garrettii).
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=EPCAG

A bit tall and vigorously spreading for a small rock garden spot, but ideal with enough room to allow it to spread 5-6' or more, and about 12" tall, it provides brilliant color for late summer and early autumn.  I find it perfectly hardy here in USDA Zone 5, but not sure how it will do in your Zone 3 garden.  In one of the views below, you'll also see the large yellow flowers of Oenothera fremontii.  Since mine are just starting to show blooms, I post two photos from September of 2010.

:)  Thank you for the suggestions.
I am in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Our winter Chinook winds make for cycles of warmth: thawing and freezing.
Caroline

Hi, Caroline!  Welcome to the forum!  That's a great question you pose, and one I'd like to find out more about too.
I can confirm that some of the plants mentioned are indeed hardy here:
Zauschneria garrettii - puts on a nice show of brilliant vermilion flowers up until the first hard frosts.  Z. californicum did not winter-over for me, however I tried it only once with one plant;
Colchicum autumnale and the more commonly-available hybrids are hardy here.  (I would wager you are already growing some?)
Scilla scilloides is indeed hardy... they seem to have settled into blooming yearly now, whereas they had been blooming rather irregularly before.
Some others that I have that provide some late summer/fall interest are Carlina acaulis, Heterotheca jonesii (blooms all through the season... if somewhat sparingly on my plant), Campanula incurva, Satureja montana ssp. illyrica (it has come through one winter, not sure of long-term hardiness)...
I have heard on a different forum that Zinnia grandiflora is very hardy and late-blooming - seems very promising; I only managed to get one seedling this year, and had to plant it out in what are not likely the best conditions (but hope to relocate it soon).

If you have some others that you would recommend for late season bloom, I'd love to hear of them!

You probably are thinking more of rock garden plants? But there are several Alberta natives flowering now and up till frost-- a couple of gentians and Gentianopsis-- crinita, for example.. could be small enough for the rock garden if you can give a vernally moist spot.
lots of Asters are in flower still, though most of these are 40cm tall and up... native Campanula rotundifolium is still in flower here, not sure about in Calgary, as are Achilleas; Erigeron spp and Gaillardia I have seen flowering very late in the foothills and a bit higher...

Sempervivums are also good for late season colour, not flowers but foliage which on many looks even better after some chilly weather

Almost forgot about the genus Patrinia, until they start blooming late summer and fall.  Some are rather tall, but there are some short growing ones too.  The only one I currently grow is Patrinia rupestris, the yellow blooms starting late August and going into Sept-Oct are most welcome, and the plant has attractive dissected dark-veined leaves.  This species can be a bit large for the rock garden, but I do enjoy it... in this photo it has seeded into the edges of a garden path.  It comes from very cold places (Russia, Mongolia, Siberia) so might be a good addition to an Alberta climate.

More links on Patrinia rupestris.  I have never checked out whether my plants are correctly named, but after viewing plants shown in the wild, I do believe it looks right.

Patrinia rupestris, photographed in SE Transbaikalia, Siberia, Russia. 15th July 1997
ftp://193.166.3.2/pub/sci/bio/life/plants/magnoliophyta/magnoliophytina/...
Link to an image on a FTP site does not work in all cases, so in fair-use provision, I attach a copy of it below, the image titled with the photographer's name.

And a plant of P. rupestris photographed in Mongolia, photographed in the month of September.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stationalpinejosephfourier/5054250764/in/ph...

Flora of China entry; the species is found throughout much of china, from low to high elevations, and in Mongolia, Russia, Siberia).  Plant height is listed as 20-100 cm tall, quite a wide range:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200022543

The best Patrinia species for dwarf habit, hardiness, and early late season of bloom, is probably Patrinia sibirica.  Here are some photo links:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/311783/
http://www.filuna.cz/picture/2009-Jaroleto/Patriniasibirica.JPG
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/103706.html
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/34581.html
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/34582.html
http://fitoapteka.org/images/foto/000112/587.jpg
http://www004.upp.so-net.ne.jp/kazuhito/daisetsu/da-chisimakinreika.jpg

Excellent thought, Mark!  I do like Patrinia, and have grown P. scabiosifolia (a tall one) and P. rupestris (a more compact one)... I seem to have lost the latter though, and must try it again.  
Oddly enough, Patrinia sibirica bloomed in spring for me though*, rather than fall like the other Patrinia spp. I've grown... ??  It was only planted last year though, so who knows what it will do as it gets settled in?  Actually, I have to admit that in this remarkably wet summer, part of the plant even rotted off (yes, my tufa garden soil is too rich!  The extension of the bed will be done better!) but the surviving part looks healthy.  

* The plant in my tufa garden: 
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/311783/

Another thought... many of the rock garden plants that bloom in mid-summer in warmer zones, would be "late season" plants for us here, given our short season.  Perhaps that will twig some more suggestions for far north late-bloomers?

Lori wrote:

Another thought... many of the rock garden plants that bloom in mid-summer in warmer zones, would be "late season" plants for us here, given our short season.  Perhaps that will twig some more suggestions for far north late-bloomers?

My mistake, I made an assumption that all Patrinia are late bloomers (like the way most or all Solidago are late bloomers), but looking up Patrinia sibirica in Flora of China, it is indeed a spring bloomer, flowering May-June.

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200022546

It's funny that one of the image links was to your photo, I didn't realize  :)  It's a small gardening world ;)

It's been a funny old season here in Devon, a distinct lack of sun and plenty of rain. I had a quick trip round the garden yesterday getting a few pictures (and not very good ones too!) of plants that are flowering that shouldn't be. Ones I forgot to picture were a couple of small Rhododendron that have had odd flowers on them for weeks now. The Dryas in the last picture is having it's third show of flowers this year.

How bizarre, David!  I suppose I can understand the Dryas blooming again, as I see recurrent bloom on one of its parents, D. octopetala, both in the wild and in the garden, but the others seem most odd!  The Pulsatilla is especially surprising.

Mmm. I had a Pulsatilla in bloom August 2010 too, another diabolical summer. I don't think it's unusual for Hellebores to throw up the odd flower out of season, I've seen them at the RHS Garden Rosemoor here in Devon, but this one of mine has been in full flower for weeks. Hope it doesn't mean it will now die on me ???

it is very common here that early spring flowering plants have an autumn flowering period too. Most of them produce the flowerbuds early fall and are ready for an early blooming next spring. The rather long season and mild fall weather together with the short days make them flower unseasonally.

If you have space you can try this one: Inula racemosa 2-3m (7-10ft) tall!

. . . or this one: Erysimum (Cheiranthus) cheiri.

Thisone selfsow and the seeds that germinate in summer bloom in fall.

I know you asked about rock garden plants, Carolyn, but it seems this thread has moved on, so here are some more late-bloomers, mostly common stuff, for the perennial garden  ;) - please pardon that everything in my yard looks ratty from hail damage!

Clematis x 'Pamiat Serdtsa' (x2); Campanula dolomitica; Eryngium planum:
     

Salvia glutinosa, which forms an impressively large plant... its name ("glutinosa") seems self-explanatory from the second photo!
 

A late-blooming Adenophora sp. - a pleasantly noninvasive one, not sure of the species:
 

Ratibida pinnata - our native R. columnifera is still in bloom too in the garden; Eryngium x zabellii:

I guess these are sort of rock garden-ish...
Cyclamen purpurascens (x2) - (though I grow them in more of a woodland-like setting); Inula ensifolia; Allium sikkimense (x2);
       

Dalea purpurea - done blooming in the wild, but the mega-specimens in the yard are still in bloom:

(More to follow...)

And now I'll bet you've just spent next spring's hellebore bloom, David...
-- Enjoy them while you can!

I don't know what to think about the pulsatilla, since there is just one (or two) blossoms...

Here's a dryland prairie native that would probably be suitable for the rock garden, and is (obviously  :)) late-blooming... Heterotheca villosa.  They are in brilliant bloom in Bowmont Park now.  
This plant, from seed collected a couple of years ago at a roadside rest-stop in Saskatchewan, is planted along the sidewalk hell-strip next to the alley... very tough conditions out there, yet this tough plant is coping.

Mark, may I request your help to identify this unknown Allium that is in bloom now?  I can get better photos if needed (though I doubt you will need them!!)  Edit: Identified as Allium senescens var. glaucum.  

Here are some more late-bloomers...
Silene schafta:

Dianthus amurensis:

Solidago 'Crown of Rays', being enjoyed by a variety of bees, wasps, flies, and butterflies (a skipper, in this case):
     

You still have a lot of plants in flower, Lori! And the next week seems to be a good one for more flowers too ;)

Very few small plants flower here now - almost all are huge. Here is Lonicera henryi, an evergreen climber that flower all summer but sparsely and the spent flowers turn into black berries during fall and winter. it is strong growing, last summer I had to remove a shoot that had found its way behind the wall panel from the groundfloor to the top of the roof (8 meters in darkness) where it spread out and flowered.

This Euonymus planipes has very nice "flowers" in the fall from a young age.

Was away most of August and couldn't wait to get back to check for damage from Irene.  Thankfully, all OK here.
The Cyclamen fatrense is now in bloom.  It's the only cyclamen that has done well here and came form Dick Redfield.
Dick told me some people insist that this is really Cyclamen purparescens, but that never succeeded here and this one does.  Usually the leaves show some marbling but not this year.

It is a very pretty plant regardless what you call it ;)

Lori, that's a very good looking clump of Allium sikkimense (worthy of 2 pictures!).  The second Allium you posted is surely a form of Allium senescens var. glaucum; plants in cultivation are very variable as it hybridizes readily with other forms of senescens (and other alliums too if present and flowering at the same late season).  I'm still envious of the Dalea purpurea, it's the only seed variety that you sent me for which I received no germination :'(

Trond, I love the Euonymus planipes, such beautiful and distinctive red fruits, reminds me of gals from The Red Hat Society:
http://www.google.com/search?q=red+hat+society&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=782&prmd=ivns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=QmRpTs7DMobe0QGfmKXjBA&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQ_AUoAQ
How tall does it grow?  Can it be classified as a "small tree"?

One that I planted about 10 years ago continues to provide a long season of interest and fruiting spectacle, Euonymus sachalinensis.  Here's two photos from a number of years ago, it needs a bit of pruning to best reveal the dangling fruits (red pods with orange "berries" or seeds), and this year I never got around to trimming it up, but it is still quite a show right now.  There are a bunch of "Spindle Tree" Euonymus species that have similar fruiting appeal.  I first encountered E. sachalinensis at The Case Estates, an "extension" of Arnold Arboretum in Wayland, Massachusetts, where it was espaliered to show off in spectacular fashion the bounty of dangling fruits.

Thanks for the onion ID, Mark!  Let me know if you want to try some more Dalea seeds.  Other than scarifying them, I have no other suggestions on how to germinate them (as, to be honest, I just chucked the original batch of seeds out along the fence and they came up on their own).  

Beautiful Euonymus!  

Rick, have you grown either Euonymus planipes or Euonymus sachalinensis?  Anyone else in colder zones?  I'm looking for some encouragement that these could possibly be hardy in zone 3, needless to say. 

Hoy wrote:

it is very common here that early spring flowering plants have an autumn flowering period too.

Interesting... and enviable.  I was going to attribute the general absence of such behavior here (or, at least, in my yard) to a very short season, but I guess you have a darned short season too.  Maybe the difference is related to climate then?  The end of our season is certainly very final, when everything is frozen off.

Cyananthus are later-blooming rock-garden plants.... Most species tend to have blue flowers but here's a macro of a pale yellow-flowered species, Cyananthus macrocalyx, that has been blooming sporadically here since mid-summer:

Boy, that feathery whatever it is at the base of the petals on that cyanthanthus is really cool!

Lori wrote:

Rick, have you grown either Euonymus planipes or Euonymus sachalinensis?

Mark sent me some E. planipes sachalinensis seedlings last fall. (Thanks, Mark!)  They weathered the winter just fine in pots and in the ground.  (Remember that rabbits love anything euonymus, though.)  I've not grown E. sachalinensis, but E. hamitonianus var. sieboldianus, E. nanus var. turkestanicus, E. bungeana and E. verrucosus all do well here.  I have a friend in zone 3 that grows E. bungeana.  Though all of these a very nice in their own right, none are like planipes or sachalinensis, in my opinion.

RickR wrote:

Boy, that feathery whatever it is at the base of the petals on that cyanthanthus is really cool!

I think a comparison to this photo from mid-July confirms that that what we are seeing there are indeed... pardon the scientific terminology... what I refer to as "fuzzy bits".  ;D ;D

Thanks for the info on the Euonymus... awaiting updates through time!

RickR wrote:

Mark sent me some E. planipes seedlings last fall. (Thanks, Mark!)  They weathered the winter just fine in pots and in the ground.  (Remember that rabbits love anything euonymus, though.)  I've not grown E. sachalinensis, but E. hamitonianus var. sieboldianus, E. nanus var. turkestanicus, E. bungeana and E. verrucosus all do well here.  I have a friend in zone 3 that grows E. bungeana.  Though all of these a very nice in their own right, none are like planipes or sachalinensis, in my opinion.

I do not have E. planipes; Rick, what I sent you was E. sachalinensis.

Oops!  I guess I might have discovered my naming error many years from now....
Thanks again, Mark.

:)  Thank you for all the great ideas in this discussion.
I can now make a list of plants to look for next season.
And I will need to think through the idea of early bloomers in warmer climes as later bloomers here.
Caroline

I also occasionally see a late flowering Pulsatilla in my damp climate.

Re-Patrinias: Having discovered that these are/were commonly wild foraged food plants in Japan and elsewhere in the far east, I've been eagerly trying to make a collection, although they aren't that easy to get hold of. Most successful so far has been this one which I received as Patrinia triloba but I believe it's P. gibbosa (a small plant). P. scabiosifolia seems to have died on me, but P. triloba v. takeucheuma survived the last very hard winter here as small plants, so there's hope. I would be very pleased if anyone can offer seed of other Patrinias....

The P. gibbosa flowers late July early August here.

How very timely, Stephen: just yesterday I was going through the "P" section of leftover seeds from the 2010-2011 Nargs seed ex that our Chapter received.  There is a packet of Patrinia scabiosifolia.  Would you like it?

By the way, there are always really good seed selections in the leftover packets of past seed exchanges.  If your chapter doesn't elect to receive a bunch of them, you are missing out!

I have Patrinia ruprestris, and typically get seeds on it, I'll be on the look out for seed for you.

Thank you both and a yes please, but no hurry!

Lori wrote:

Hoy wrote:

it is very common here that early spring flowering plants have an autumn flowering period too.

Interesting... and enviable.  I was going to attribute the general absence of such behavior here (or, at least, in my yard) to a very short season, but I guess you have a darned short season too.   Maybe the difference is related to climate then?  The end of our season is certainly very final, when everything is frozen off.

A short season? It depends on the weather ;D

Usually the first flowers emerge February and the last ones in December .. .. .. Except the last two years when we had rather cold winters (mid November to mid February).

It is too late for seeds of E planipes, Lori, but I can save some next fall if you want.

By the way, here are some blooming now: Phygelius capesis blooms the whole summer and autumn too while Clematis heracleifolia starts blooming in September and keep going for a moth or two.

The Anemone is a common fall flowering one but the Impatiens is an annual similar to I balsamina but more compact (1m) and branched (it is weedy though!) The Daphne is from seed and unknown (it is not what the label said).  However it flowers sparingly all summer and autumn.

Phuopsis stylosa still stays put.

Trond, nice pics of late blooming stuff; I've always admired Phygelius capesis but don't believe it is hardy here.  Clematis heracleifolia is attractive and looks like something to add to my list.  Good photo of Phuopsis, a genus name that I like saying aloud :D  My phone-camera takes terrible photos in the rain, and its supposed to rain for the next 4 days, so might not get many photogenic scenes to add here.  With all of the rain, I saw a slug today ;)

The native asters are in full force (and I still call them Aster instead of Symphyotrichum), in the following view of a weedy strip in front of a stone wall along the street, is Aster pilosus (the main white-flowered aster), and on the left is Aster ericoides (denser clusters of tiny white flowers arranged in spires), and blue Aster laevis.  All are native here.

Aster laevis is one of the better larger-flowered purple-blue asters; a fairly tall grower it often reclines and with smaller lateral branches gives the illusion of being a smaller growing species. One of the first and last to bloom, with an extended blue time.  They contrast nicely with the brilliant red of Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) which turns color early.

Two views of Aster linariifolius (Ionactis linariifolius), which is seeding around a bit too much, but I do love this species with low twiggy stems, bright green bristly needle-like foliage, and typically light powder blue flowers, but I also have lots of white flowered ones, descendants of white forms I found growing at the town dump many years ago.

I have a love/hate relationship with Hemerocallis.  I dislike many of the overbred cultivars one sees today, with thick lemon-peel petals that are ultra ruffled and heavily frilled, many with gross early-senescent course foliage.  There are of course exceptions; here's one called Hemerocallis 'Autumn Prince' with narrow basal foliage, and a long slender stem and a few small, simple, yellow trumpets, elegant in its simplicity and certainly welcome for its Sept-October bloom period.

All the rain seems to be putting the garden to bed exceptionally early this year.  There are daphnes reblooming, but that's not that unusual.  After the heat and drought, the excessive rain has forced a lot of plants into growth - hopefully they'll have a chance to harden off before winter.

And I just got online to post a pic of C. weyrichii !

Not a nice specimen like yours, though, Ann.  No, this pic is to show the tenacity of the species.  I rooted some cuttings of C. weyrichii 'Pink Bomb' back in 2009 in a mix of 3/4 perlite, 1/4 peat.  Some I grew on, but these were left in the original rooting pot.  They have been sitting forgotten in my menagerie of potted plants,in the shade of a Dwarf ninebark.

And even then, they still put on happy faces outside my kitchen window.

I have that pink form too. Rick.  Here it blooms first by a week or so.  C. weyrichii just sat and did nothing for a couple of years and then it took off, seeding itself in delightful places.  So nice to have something to look at this time of year.

Leibnitzia anandra anandria has very dark leaves this fall.  
Phemeranthus (Talinum) spp. have nice autumn color.

Rick, when I googled Leibnitzia anandra anandria  I got a lot of hits - in Russian! But when I googled Leibnitzia anandria I got a lot of "normal" hits!?

Anyway, the plant looks good and so does the Phemeranthus. The last one, is it a succulent?

I grew Leibnitzia anandria many years ago when I lived in Seattle, Washington, an oddity to be sure, that's able to create non-flowering flowers in summer that go directly to seed (analogous to cleistogamous seed production in Viola species).  I barely remember the spring flowers, so googled to see what they looked like again.

The Phemeranthus in fall color look like upsidedown squiddies ;D

Anandria, yes, a slip on my part.  I never have gotten a good close up of the real flower, but here is a blown up one:

Hoy wrote:

The last one [Phemeranthus], is it a succulent?

Yes. and deciduous.

Phemeranthus looks nice, is it possible from seed?

Phemeranthus is quite easy from seed

Yes, the genus does seem to be easy germinators, but Somehow, I lost the tag on that seeded pot.  I get volunteers in my potted materials very often.  Usually they need a cold moist period before they sprout at warm temps. 

Thanks. Something to try, then!

We don't live far from Christopher Lloyd's famous garden, Great Dixter. Not many alpines in evidence but it is always very dramatic late in the season as these few photos show. Lots of dahlias, begonias and tender perennials. It is a real one off garden centred around one of the most beautiful houses you can imagine! The last picture is taken in the (extra) exotic section of the garden which is more like a jungle; it is a buddleja whose name I forget but I think with vivid orange flowers over that marvellous crimped foliage. It is hard seeing all these plantings to not want to branch out into a more exotic style of gardening, but the garden is very labour intensive and has many volunteer helpers.

RickR wrote:

Anandria, yes, a slip on my part.  I never have gotten a good close up of the real flower, but here is a blown up one:

Well, it seems to be named L. anandra in the Russian pages anyway ;)
An interesting plant anyway.

Tim wrote:

The last picture is taken in the (extra) exotic section of the garden which is more like a jungle; it is a buddleja whose name I forget but I think with vivid orange flowers over that marvellous crimped foliage.

Seems to be a form of the North American  Buddleja marrubiifolia.... with VERY good foliage 8)

IMYoung wrote:

Tim wrote:

The last picture is taken in the (extra) exotic section of the garden which is more like a jungle; it is a buddleja whose name I forget but I think with vivid orange flowers over that marvellous crimped foliage.

Seems to be a form of the North American  Buddleja marrubiifolia.... with VERY good foliage 8)

That's one I never heard of, so had to look it up.  Here's a page to this Arizona native, a rather handsome thing:
http://ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Buddleia_marrubifolia.html

I was at a used bookstore this weekend, and they had a book on the genus Buddleia... wish I had bought it, but with 3 books already selected for purchase I had to limit myself  :(

I had never recognized that as a Buddleja but I believe you when you say so (and Mark's link shows the flowers too!). Seems to be hardy down to -10C, something for me to try - if I ever get hold of it!

This is a small shrub which I had never come across before - Leptodermis oblonga. It is native to N. China and grows just to 3 or 4 feet, flowering from July to September (according to Bean, Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the british Isles). The flowers are rather intriguing with lobes at the end of the petals.

The plant came from Robin White at Blackthorn Nursery, and it is reminiscent of the daphnes that he grows so well except with five rather than four petals. It belongs to the Rubiaceae, a huge family with some nice alpine members like Asperula and Galium, and also coffee and quinine! Quite a stimulating family!

Tim, Leptodermis oblonga has become increasingly available over here in the US, showing up in some nursery lists.  I've had a nice little bush of this that I planted about 5-6 years ago, still only about 2' x 2' in size (60 cm x 60 cm), and just this past spring a couple of volunteer seedlings.  It flowers for a long time, and reflowers sporadically all season.  Cute, very hardy small shrub. I believe I got mine from Collector's Nursery, but will have to check my label to be sure.

Does it need warm temperatures or can I hope growing it here? Seems to be a very nice plant - now on my ever increasing wishlist!

Trond, I wish I knew that answer to your question.  I do grow Leptodermis oblonga, but it often experiences a little die back from winter cold and never begins to leaf out until the end of May.  I don't know if it is the winter cold that delays flowering for me (late August) or if it is our shorter growing season. 
------------------------------
I am heavily into transplanting lily bulbs now, and transferring many pot grown seedlings into a seedling beds.  I was pretty surprised when I came across this.  The size and shape of the bulbs are not what I expected.  The diversity of species lilies can be so interesting!

These Lilium oxypetalum var. insigne bulbs are two inches long, and the scales are wedge shaped.  One did bloom for me this season.

A bit of color in the garden caught my eye, and I was surprised again by Aconitum incisifidum.  Only a week ago I was looking at it, and the flower buds were so small that I felt sure that they would never have enough time to open this fall.

Rick, congratulations on getting Lilium oxypetalum var. insigne to bloom, what a choice rock-garden-sized Lilium!

Your photos of Aconitum incisifidum stikes a nerve, because a couple years ago I was given a very tall autumn blooming Aconitum from a local garden club lady, but I don't have a name on it.  Here, I have seen it planted as a backdrop to postal mailboxes along our rural streets, where it grows 5' tall or taller, with big bold heads of royal purple-blue flowers, the individual florets relatively huge.  The closeup photo you show, looks similar to my plant, although lighter in color.  How tall does your A. incisifidum grow?

I show 3 photos my my Aconitum sp., the first two are more accurate in color, the third close-up view looks bluer than it actually is.

After days of rain and downpours, it is a magnificent sunny breezy day in New England, and Leucoseptrum stellipilum caught my attention with its fuzzy floral candles sparkling near the top of each spike.

McDonough wrote:

...Leucoseptrum stellipilum caught my attention with its fuzzy floral candles sparkling near the top of each spike.

They look like the old fashion sparklers we had as kids on the 4th of July!

My aconitum is almost 4 ft. high.  Last season flowers were darker, but not as dark as you pics, Mark.  My individual flowers seem to be about 3/4 the size of those in your photos.  This plant has very strong stems, and substantial (thick) leaves that are still in perfect condition.  It seems to arise from corms, or tubers, or some kind of structure (see pic).  Do all aconitums do this?

Those L. oxypetalum bulbs are four years old from seed germination, I think.  And if I remember right, the seed waited until the second season to germinate.  I'd like to say it just takes patience, but really, for me it's just ignorance.  I can't be coddling everything in anticipation of some event. Rather, plants just do their thing, and I notice them along the way  :D.

In my early years when I knew very little about any pure species in the garden, I had ordered Lilium oxypetalum var. insigne from Arrowhead Alpines.  It was drop dead gorgeous!  Better than any photo I have ever seen since.  Unfortunately, I didn't research its growing preferences, and I sited it incorrectly.  I had one glorious season, but never more.  These are terribly scanned photos, but you get the idea.  Actually, I was lucky I had a cheesy scanner at all back then.  But I really should dig those originals up and rescan them...

Nice lily Rick! Does it flower as late as October?

Here are some of the plants still flowering at this time of the year - not rare but welcome late in the year.

Some have started anew like Primula auricula and a Geranium sp

Others like Fuchsia molinae, Salvia glutinosa and Senecio polyodon start in summer and continue till freezing temps occur.

Saxifraga fortuneii is a late starter but do well in the mild weather now.

Wow, your garden just won't quit, Trond!  :o
We had a couple of centimeters of snow on Friday and down to -12 deg C at night since then, so other than some autumn crocus that look like they might be able to open if the sun shines on them, the flowers are pretty well done.

I agree, good stuff Trond.  I must try Salvia glutinosa sometime, would like to try hybridizing it with S. koyumae, a low-ish growing late summer or fall bloomer with sticky gutinous foliage and light yellow flowers. Really nice spread of Saxifraga fortunei.

At my office, growing in a narrow dirst planting strip between parking lots, lots of weedy things blooming, including this Silene sp.  It grows near my yard too, but I've never bothered to key it out or find out whether its native or not.

Still have some crocus in bloom, a couple late blooms on Crocus speciosus.  Many of the earlier flowers were nibbled or snipped off by squirrels.

Lilium oxypetalum blooms in June for me, Trond.  And those beauties were from back in 2005.  I surely miss them.  Your flowers still look very fresh, Trond!

Last week we had our first hard frost, almost a month later than normal.  The tender Delosperma bosserianum hasn't been touched yet.

I posted a pic, in Reply 13 on September 3rd, of a Helleborus hybrid double pink when it had been in full bloom for about a month. I've posted it again below and as a comparison with the same plant pictured today. It bloomed throughout last spring too, wonder if it will in spring 2012?

We have a few things flowering this late, including Saxifraga fortunei, really a great plant but not too good in our relatively dry garden. The shoots of snowdrops are just appearing through the ground and there is a large collection of these which adds great anticipation to the early weeks of 2012. We are lucky to have such (relatively) mild winters! However, the greatest fun this November has been my daughter's 18th birthday, for which we lit the garden with night lights and consumed quantities of cake and alcohol - a good change from the ongoing 'garden renovations'.

Tim wrote:

. . . and consumed quantities of cake and alcohol - a good change from the ongoing 'garden renovations'.

I prefere cake and coffee, or alcohol (that is red wine) and peanuts, or beer and a pub ;)

However, seems you had a nice evening anyway! Congratulation with your daughter.

Tim wrote:

However, the greatest fun this November has been my daughter's 18th birthday, for which we lit the garden with night lights and consumed quantities of cake and alcohol - a good change from the ongoing 'garden renovations'.

What an interesting and fun-looking cake! Baked with a surprise in it...kind of like the cakes prisoners would get with a hacksaw baked in... ;)

AmyO wrote:

What an interesting and fun-looking cake!

And tasty, no doubt. 

A very enjoyable evening, I'm sure.

RickR wrote:

Anandria, yes, a slip on my part.  I never have gotten a good close up of the real flower, but here is a blown up one:

Interesting plant-- I think I've come across the name somewhere.. nice fall colour too...

RickR wrote:

How very timely, Stephen: just yesterday I was going through the "P" section of leftover seeds from the 2010-2011 Nargs seed ex that our Chapter received.  There is a packet of Patrinia scabiosifolia.  Would you like it?

Many thanks for the Patrinia seed which arrived today!! Let me know if there's anything I can send in return!

Thank you for the ideas for late season interest in a rock garden.
I am keeping a list and will look for either the plants or seeds.
Caroline

Nice to see that you are still "lurking" around, Caroline. 

Stop in anytime... ;D

Not sure where to post this.

Loasa coccinea ( Caiophora andina)?

This flower might look innocent but each of those hairs can deliver a sting equal to a wasp sting but fortunately the pain does not last quite as long.

Michael wrote:

Not sure where to post this.

Loasa coccinea ( Caiophora andina)?

This flower might look innocent but each of those hairs can deliver a sting equal to a wasp sting but fortunately the pain does not last quite as long.

An AWESOME plant Michael!  I too wonder where the species fall, whether it be Loasa of Caiophora, the taxonomy seems to be in flux.  It sounds like you know the stinging effect of touching the plant's bristles first hand.

The structure of the flower itself is certainly unusual, too, and in several ways. 

Even the leaves look interesting!

Cool plant! Though surely the end of may is not late season? Heavens, just getting started here  ;D

Here is another pic with the flower opened

cohan wrote:

Cool plant! Though surely the end of may is not late season? Heavens, just getting started here  ;D

I doubt it survives year-round in zone 3, either.   ;D ;D

A very special one, Michael! From Chileflora?

No not Chileflora, I got it from  Gerd Stoop in  Germany.

Goodness, I thought it was already open...

Now it's even cooler!  8) 8)

RickR wrote:

Goodness, I thought it was already open...

Now it's even cooler!  8) 8)

Oh, so did I - nice development on this :)

Chileflora lists several species, none as showy as yours though Michael but some seem to be quite hardy.
http://www.chileflora.com/Florachilena/FloraEnglish/ESeeds.htm?G_CAT=CT3...

Tricyrtis is a genus I don't know much about, but they can be really valuable late flowers in the garden - I have seen them late into October at Wakehurst Place in Sussex. This is one I couldn't resist from a local Garden Centre - extraordinary flowers, rivalling those of Michael's Loasa. I wonder about the name because the picture tag along with the plant showed something completely different! There are species and hybrids with purple spotted and blueish flowers, but I've never come across one like this. We will collect seed and take plenty of stem cuttings next year.

Pressed post too soon...

Tim wrote:

Tricyrtis is a genus I don't know much about, but they can be really valuable late flowers in the garden - I have seen them late into October at Wakehurst Place in Sussex. This is one I couldn't resist from a local Garden Centre - extraordinary flowers, rivalling those of Michael's Loasa. I wonder about the name because the picture tag along with the plant showed something completely different! There are species and hybrids with purple spotted and blueish flowers, but I've never come across one like this. We will collect seed and take plenty of stem cuttings next year.

The colour seems extraordinary! Never seen anything like it before :o

I have tried several species and I can tell you one thing: They are among the slugs' favorite food! They never last more than one season  :-\ However, I hope to grow some one day when I have solved the slug poblem!

I've seen only a hint of blue in the white form flowers here.  And now that I think about it, I'm not sure if it is just bluish in the spots or a tint to the background white.  Now that I have gone back to see an old photo, I see it is the former.  This, at a friend's garden:

Ticyrtus formosana 'Miyazaki'
           

A lot of people try tricyrtis here, but I think many just give up because it seems to take so darn long to establish and flower well in our short season.  But old clumps can be quite amazing.

That's pretty fancy, Tim, let us know how it goes!

Tim wrote:

Tricyrtis is a genus I don't know much about, but they can be really valuable late flowers in the garden - I have seen them late into October at Wakehurst Place in Sussex. This is one I couldn't resist from a local Garden Centre - extraordinary flowers, rivalling those of Michael's Loasa. I wonder about the name because the picture tag along with the plant showed something completely different! There are species and hybrids with purple spotted and blueish flowers, but I've never come across one like this. We will collect seed and take plenty of stem cuttings next year.

Another mystery!  First of all, that Tricyrtis is a beauty.  I have a dismal track record with the genus, they seem to always die out after a few years, although it is worth every effort to grow such magnificent species like the golden flowered T. macranthopsis.

So what is it really?  The name Tricyrtis "abdana" is not a published name, definitely not a valid name, I realize you thought so by adding a question mark at the end ;).  So then I look for name corruption and possible identities.  There is indeed a plant known as both Tricyrtis 'Adbane' and more commonly T. 'Taiwan Adbane'.  So what species is it really; well based on most google hits, it seems to be a cultivar of T. hirta, although some sites list it as a cultivar of T. formosana.

I'm one of those frustrated souls who has terrible trouble trying to establish Tricyrtis here. They never seem to last and I really love them. :'(
I've never seen a blue one like Tim's and I think it is FAB! There was a bluey-purple one shown on the SRGC - http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=9268.msg252434#msg252434  - but Tim's blue is something else!

At least in relatively mild gardens this shrub must be one of the top ten for the autumn - Ceratostigma willmottianum. Keeping on with the blue theme, I know of no other woody plant of such a true gentian-blue.

Tim wrote:

At least in relatively mild gardens this shrub must be one of the top ten for the autumn - Ceratostigma willmottianum. Keeping on with the blue theme, I know of no other woody plant of such a true gentian-blue.

Agreed! But I grow it in a pot ;) Due to the very wet and cool weather the last weeks it has just started flowering.

That's a real delicate beauty, Tim! but if you guys are talking about 'mild gardens' that means houseplant here..lol

I had one flower of a yellow Tricyrtis but now it is gone too :(

However these are still going strong: a Phygelius hybrid, an Anemone and Fuchsia magellanica. They all flower for months and the Fuchsia is 6ft now.

The Anemone looks huge too! or is it on an embankment?