Yet another newbie for the forum

Submitted by Hatchett on Sat, 05/08/2010 - 21:31

I just joined this forum but have been growing alpines and dryland plants for quite a few years. My garden is in Eagle Idaho which is not far from Boise, the state capital. We have very hot summers and moderately cold winters that don't usually have too much snow. The elevation is around 2700' and the average precipitation is less than 12'' per year most of which comes in the winter as either rain or snow. MY primary interest is in North American dryland and alpine plants though i do fiddle around with the odd exotic. I have a pretty unstructured outlook on growing plants, my general method is scatter lots of seed and see what works. I like to collect my own seed as much as possible but I do buy seeds from some of the collectors every year. As in nature, it is all about lots of seeds getting spread around to find the right conditions. My garden area is about an acre which has pressurized irrigation from the Boise river. This fall I will be adding a fairly major addition that will be focused mainly on western dryland plants with a special focus on Penstemons and Eriogonums. I also have a small "prairie" section that currently has 11 western grass species. Wow, that was more than i wanted to say.
Here are a couple of links to my pictures, one just for this year and one for the last few years.
http://ImageEvent.com/teita/jimsrockgarden2010
http://ImageEvent.com/teita/spring06rockgardenplants
I look forward to being an active member of this forum.
Jim

Comments


Submitted by Mark McD on Sun, 05/09/2010 - 07:38

Jim, welcome to the NARGS Forum.

Your links to photo albums have me spinning with excitement and envy ;D  Wow, Astragalus coccineus flowering beautifully in a garden setting, you've got to be kidding!  And plants like Collomia debilis, Viola beckwithii, Penstemon acaulis, all things I'd really like to be able to grow.  And the "Cyps" (Cypripedium) too, nice job.  When I saw your 6-year old sprouts of C. acaule, to think this native plant that grows nearby absolutely refuses to grow in a garden setting for me. 

Since your are near Boise, Idaho, I immediately think of Allium aaseae, the rare endemic dwarf allium that is primarily found in hills near the Boise area.  I believe it is threatened and endangered status.  When I lived in Washington State, my favorite place to visit was Idaho, with such rich and diverse flora and fabulous scenery, spending most of my time in the Ketchum area and surrounds, and the Sawtooth Mountains, finding some of the best Eriogonums and Penstemons ever!

Jim, you have fabulous plants and gardens, looking forward to your participation in the forum. 


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 05/09/2010 - 20:29

Ah, another garden I'd love to tour!  Thanks for posting, Jim! 
So, I gather that Astragalus coccineus goes dormant after blooming?  If so, it seems like rather extraordinary behavior for an astragalus!  Do other species do this?
Terrific little penstemons in your galleries too!


Submitted by Hatchett on Sun, 05/09/2010 - 21:51

McDonough wrote:

Jim, welcome to the NARGS Forum.

Your links to photo albums have me spinning with excitement and envy ;D  Wow, Astragalus coccineus flowering beautifully in a garden setting, you've got to be kidding!  And plants like Collomia debilis, Viola beckwithii, Penstemon acaulis, all things I'd really like to be able to grow.  And the "Cyps" (Cypripedium) too, nice job.  When I saw your 6-year old sprouts of C. acaule, to think this native plant that grows nearby absolutely refuses to grow in a garden setting for me. 

Since your are near Boise, Idaho, I immediately think of Allium aaseae, the rare endemic dwarf allium that is primarily found in hills near the Boise area.  I believe it is threatened and endangered status.  When I lived in Washington State, my favorite place to visit was Idaho, with such rich and diverse flora and fabulous scenery, spending most of my time in the Ketchum area and surrounds, and the Sawtooth Mountains, finding some of the best Eriogonums and Penstemons ever!

Jim, you have fabulous plants and gardens, looking forward to your participation in the forum. 

Yes Idaho has a lot to offer. Actually south eastern Oregon and the Owyhee uplands are full of interesting plants. Funny you should mention Aase's onion, I was just thinking about it the other day. I have sort of lost track of what it's ESA status is now, i know it was a candidate species for a while. I have my doubts about it actually meeting the standard as a true species, especially in light of it's close similarity with A. simillimum with which it intergrades at the margins of it's habitat. I have found a few populations of it though I was not looking all that hard, i could ride my bike to them they are so close. Though i am not much of an onion collector, this one does have a nice color. It likes the sand hills type habitat which has been seriously degraded by invasive species--the worst being live stock. If a person wants to see an incredible display of a large variety of onions the scab lands on the plateau above Hells Canyon in the very early spring is like nowhere I have ever seen-- truly awesome in it's diversity.


Submitted by McGregorUS on Wed, 05/19/2010 - 03:40

Hi Jim - welcome to the forum. It's fascinating to see your dryland garden with such great plants in it. I've got low rainfall for England - nearly twice yours although very little here for the last two months so its great to get models of what other people do with such low precipitation. Love the garden.