Eritrichium howardii

I grew two plants from seed a few years ago, and after I planted them out, they overwintered and flowered the next year, and then came 19 days of rain. They didn't survive. The next year I placed seed directly in the open garden, and this year, three years later, I have 3 rather nice little plants which have bulked up considerably but which don't show any indications of flowering yet. Having survived two winters, I'm optimistic that I'll get some flowers next summer. It's a beautiful plant and flower, and one we don't see very often here in New England.

I grew these from NARGS seed this year...ended up with Lindelofia longifolia!  Oh well, at least its in the same family...but really, how could a person mistake one for the other?!

Photo taken at end of June 2012 in my garden. The seed of this Eritrichium was collected just south and east of Ima Mine, above Patterson Creek, Idaho, on cold alpine tundra in 2009. The leaf blade appears to be narrow as in E. howardii, but, from my general observation, unlike the broader blade of E. aretioides as it is found on other mountain ranges (Bighorn;Wallowa). The cushion in nature is extremely congested. There appear to be flower buds: This plant already seems preparded for winter which won't come here for another five months! The second photo of the same plant was taken earlier in the season.

Fine looking small cushion there, with howardii-esque looking narrow silver foliage.  I bet (and hope) you'll be showing us photos of this plant in flower next year.

Here's my best E. howardii right now. Now to tune in to precise flowering conditions; collect tons of seed and start a strain that is resistant to pestilence and is easy to grow.

I pictured this one a few weeks back. I'm surprised how well it is handling our climate. It was snowing in August when I collected the seed (Lemhi Mountains)! Any flowers that were forming aborted.

This one was grown from seed collected in the Wallowa Mountains in 2009. The Wallowa population produces lovely proportioned and large cushions, for the genus. It's a very pretty plant. It shares a wide leaf blade and hairiness with the next. The second photo was taken in April.
 

This one was collected in the Bighorn Mountains in 2009. This eastern form is the hairyest I know of. The rosettes are large but the tufts are small and parched looking even in habitat. It grows on west/southwest facing shale slopes that likely don't collect a lot of snow. The second photo was taken in April.
 

I hope to post all of these in glorious flower next year!

Here's a mid December 2012 update on the Eritrichiums in the garden I posted previously; Eritrichium howardii (same age as others -2009 seed); E. ex Lemhi Mountains; E. ex Wallowa Mountains; and E. ex Bighorn Mountains.

Michael Peden, Dec. 6, 2012

Michael, wonderful photos (and plants), in both seasons shown, but I am drawn to the fall/winter forms of plants as they prepare themselves for hibernation. Congrats on your success growing these treasures.

Isn't the correct spelling in English Sayan? The Russian spelling is Саяны, and the letter я should be ya in English (ja in Norwegian though ;) )

Seems to be a remote place anyway.

Lovely photos Lori, Michael and Brian!!

To see them is to want them and I do!! :)

Lori, the name of the plant is one thing, the English name of the mountain another ;D

Hoy wrote:

Lori, the name of the plant is one thing, the English name of the mountain another ;D

So true:
omeiensis, omeiena, emeisensis, emeiensis ...
koreana, coreana, koraiensis ...
etc.

I came to think about something - do you say you speak English or Canadian in Canada? (Not talking about French . . . )  ;)

I have to say something of the Eritrichiums too! They are very beautiful plants, like some refined form of forgetmenot. However I have never tried to grow any assuming they'll dislike the humid climate here.

Pictured is Eritrichium howardii, which manages to get through our winters OK.  It will never look as it does in the wild. but the great news is that it seeded itself into a piece of tufa, where it has persisted for three years but has yet to flower.

January 31, 2013 update on Eritrichiums here. A day of record warmth for the date here (55F.) has melted all the snow that was covering these. E. howardii is showing full normal winter dormancy. There's probably some significance to the few yellow leaves. The dormant growing point appears purplish and the outer foliage is obviously dead. The Lemhi Mountains plant remains largely green. The Bighorn Mountains plant pictured has changed little since December despite its respite under the snow. Ditto the Wallowa Mountains plant (not shown).

So nice to document these differences, Michael!

Do they all have the same exposure?

Eritrichium howardii (my garden) in late March 2013. They grow well in cool weather. It appears as if the flower buds begin in spring on these as opposed to fall, but I don't really know.

I think you're right, Michael.  I've never noticed any bud-forming in the fall.  Your plants looks really good.  Follow-up pictures, please.

Spiegel wrote:

I think you're right, Michael.  I've never noticed any bud-forming in the fall.  Your plants looks really good.  Follow-up pictures, please.

Yes, Anne, of course! I was out there just a minute ago and there has already been change in the plant since morning. I love rock gardening!

That is gorgeous.

Looks good in a pot too ;)

Eritrichium howardii in bloom. I recently fed this African Violet food (high in P) as part of its regime hoping to get a truly pumped up specimen. This may be risky down the line and I'm not sure it makes a big difference on bud set -timing still undetermined.

The Bighorn Mountains plant got the same dose. It actually had two blossoms at about the time I dosed it. Now it is definitely "out of character". I think this not necessarily bad for plants growing in the (relative) greenhouse that is the northeastern garden. Precise conditions/feed will do this wonders but perhaps I won't!

Eritrichium from the Wallowa. No intention of blooming. Ever? Note the minuscule bug at right in the photo: It is a pest of these; eating flowers and perhaps pollen. Mmmmm....blue candy....

Eritrichium  from the Lemhi Mountains: Oops! Hope Y'all didn't go up onto the land of eternal winter in search of the rare Eritrichium with the tiny leaves. The Drabas got me! This wouldn't be the first time a small collection packet (of mine) had more than one species put into it. Good odds that this extremely tiny growing Draba came from up there in August winter.

Bundraba!

Michael, do keep us up to date on your fertilizing experiment.  I've never had the nerve to try it with this plant.  My big eritrichium news is that E. howardii has made two new seedlings.  I'll try taking a photo with a zoom.  The seedling from two years ago is still there in a piece of tufa but no blooms yet.

Lori, it looks like a winner to be.  Mine didn't flower as well as last year but since it made seedlings it can be forgiven anything.  The others didn't flower at all but look good.

Seems Eritrichums are the ultimate plant for a dedicated gardener to keep alive during the winter! Then I wont try - not at home anyway - but maybe I'll give them (and me) a chance at my mountain cabin! They are great plants ;)