What do you see on your garden walks?

Submitted by Weiser on Mon, 05/24/2010 - 21:27

Here is some of what I saw on a stroll today, after work.

Comments


Submitted by Kelaidis on Tue, 05/25/2010 - 13:04

Boy, John, your garden looks terrific right now: I'd sure love to visit again.

Although not really MY garden, I will post three pictures I took yesterday at Denver Botanic Gardens of Plantasia Steppe, the South African Plaza, and Dryland Mesa


Submitted by Weiser on Tue, 05/25/2010 - 15:14

PK
Thank you so much for your kind compliment.
It's been very cool to cold around here. With a little warmth it should explode, with color. I will keep an eye on it and post more shots later.


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 05/26/2010 - 15:06

OK I call you John?

Your garden is very nice! I would love to take a stroll in your garden and study plants on close encounter if possible. My garden is very untidy and quite different from yours. Here are some shots I took this afternoon.
The first is from my front door.

Apart from some 30 rhodos I have not many plants in flower for the moment - or rather they are dispersed all over my property.


Submitted by Weiser on Wed, 05/26/2010 - 15:26

Trond

So lush and green. That is one color we don't have enough of around here. Lots more of the Gray tones. Do I spy a couple of Yuccas by the steps in the first photo???  :-\  I must say your woodland with the Rhododendrons is very natural appearing and that woodland slope is assume!!


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 05/27/2010 - 01:15

Weiser wrote:

Trond

So lush and green. That is one color we don't have enough of around here. Lots more of the Gray tones. Do I spy a couple of Yuccas by the steps in the first photo???  :-\  I must say your woodland with the Rhododendrons is very natural appearing and that woodland slope is assume!!

Lush and green are the right words! Even my house become green due to green algae so I (or my wife really) wash it every second or third year! Moss grows everywhere and other plants like grasses germinate where they shouldn't.

But I have to disappoint you  - it is not Yuccas but Cordylines (C. australis 'purpurea'). They stand in pots because I have to move them indoors in the worst winter days. It is also two New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax) there. They are hardy here but stand in pots too.

My garden is steep and difficult to access with heavy tools so I have to carry what is needed. The vegetation is mostly natural but I put in plants I think fit there like the big Skunk Cabbages in the background.

I have a couple of Yuccas (Y. filamentosa) though but they don't flower for me. I haven't found the right site then for they flower in other gardens.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sat, 06/26/2010 - 09:15

June 26, 2010
Photographed in the garden this morning.
1. Daphne velenovskyi 'Balkan Rose'
2. Daphne sp (label indecipherable)
3. Daphne (planted in natural rock crevice and regularly pruned by deer)


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sat, 06/26/2010 - 09:26

And more .......

1. Zinnia grandiflora
2. Paederota bonarota setting seed
3. Onosma albo-rosea with left-over seedheads
4. Tufa cliff in Irish stone trough
5. Acantholimon sp finishing bloom
6. mystery grown from seed and not what the seed pack said!  I.D. please
sorry, 5 and 6 interchanged


Submitted by Kelaidis on Sat, 06/26/2010 - 09:59

Your mystery plant is Pterocephalus: I will let you check my three pix and choose the one you think. They are notoriously bad germinators from seed, incidentally...

I am very fond of these, and am very anxious to obtain their cousin, Pterocephalus spathulatus, from Spain where I trod upon it one October by the acre in the Sierra Cazorla. It has powerdery white leaves and stunning pink flowers for contrast...and NEEDS to be in my garden...

The first is P. depressus from Morocco (the easiest in my experience, blooming all summer)
P. parnassii (or P. perennis v. parnassii) from Greece and the last P. pinardii from Turkey.

The genus is much larger, including taller, coarse herbs from Eurasia that I have not hitherto succeeded in overwintering.


Submitted by penstemon on Mon, 06/28/2010 - 15:18

Pterocephalus spathulatus caught Dwight Ripley's eye too; "... heads of rose-colored flowers sit almost stemless on the wide, chalk-pale cushions .."
There's been an empty space in my garden for this plant, ever since I read that description.


Submitted by Weiser on Tue, 06/29/2010 - 11:37

Great garden shots all around!i

I am seeing a lot of Opuntia polyacatha blossoms scattered around the Garden this time of year. Here are a few, to wet your appetites.
Opuntia polyacantha var. polyacantha (North Dakota)
Opuntia polyacantha var. polyacantha (Idaho )
Opuntia polyacantha var. polyacantha
Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea- syn. var. ursina (Mt. Charleston,NV)
Opuntia polyacantha var. hystrucina
Opuntia polyacantha var. polyacantha ("Crystal Tide")
Opuntia polyacantha aff. nicholii
Opuntia polyacantha var. polyacantha-syn. var. rhodantha (Idaho)
Opuntia polyacantha hybrid “Snowball”
Opuntia polyacantha hybrid Claude Barr selection


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Tue, 06/29/2010 - 13:43

Kelaidis wrote:

Your mystery plant is Pterocephalus: I will let you check my three pix and choose the one you think. They are notoriously bad germinators from seed, incidentally...

I am very fond of these, and am very anxious to obtain their cousin, Pterocephalus spathulatus, from Spain where I trod upon it one October by the acre in the Sierra Cazorla. It has powerdery white leaves and stunning pink flowers for contrast...and NEEDS to be in my garden...

The first is P. depressus from Morocco (the easiest in my experience, blooming all summer)
P. parnassii (or P. perennis v. parnassii) from Greece and the last P. pinardii from Turkey.

The genus is much larger, including taller, coarse herbs from Eurasia that I have not hitherto succeeded in overwintering.

I think it must be P. pinardii.  That seems to ring a bell.  It seems OK in the lime bed. Thanks


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Tue, 06/29/2010 - 13:45

Skulski wrote:

Incarvillea zhongdianensis is in bloom here now:

Lori, I'd kill (not really) to see that in my garden, what a gorgeous plant.


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 07/01/2010 - 22:58

Mark, I'll definitely post a photo of the allium when it's in bloom.  I bought it labelled as Allium senescens ssp. montanum var. glaucum - dang, have to correct those records again, but Allium nutans sure rolls off the tongue a lot more easily!  Thanks for the ID! 

Ann, I always collect seeds from the incarvillea for the seedex, so let me know if you would like to try it.  I must say, that particular plant is looking pretty good this year, but Todd Boland's incarvilleas, grown in his alpine beds, always look much better than mine!

Here's the first flower on Telesonix jamesii var. heucheriformis , bought this year from Beaver Creek and stuck in the new tufa bed... and what an interesting flower!


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 07/02/2010 - 00:38

I am jealous on those Opuntias!
Here the Incarvilleas have gone to seed and the Sedums rule. It is very dry here now at the south east coast of Norway where I have my summerhouse.


Submitted by Weiser on Fri, 07/02/2010 - 07:22

Hoy
I like the habitat shot. Have you ever tryed growing Opuntia fragilis or it's hydrids in that area? It grows in similar enviroments in Canada. I think it may do well for you planted in the shallow soils that thread through the rock outcroppings. Two others that would be worth a try are Opuntia macrorhiza and Opuntia humifusa.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Fri, 07/02/2010 - 08:43

Skulski wrote:

Mark, I'll definitely post a photo of the allium when it's in bloom.  I bought it labelled as Allium senescens ssp. montanum var. glaucum - dang, have to correct those records again, but Allium nutans sure rolls off the tongue a lot more easily!  Thanks for the ID!   

Ann, I always collect seeds from the incarvillea for the seedex, so let me know if you would like to try it.  I must say, that particular plant is looking pretty good this year, but Todd Boland's incarvilleas, grown in his alpine beds, always look much better than mine!

Here's the first flower on Telesonix jamesii var. heucheriformis , bought this year from Beaver Creek and stuck in the new tufa bed... and what an interesting flower!
Lori, thank you, I'd love to try some seed.


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 07/02/2010 - 10:29

Weiser wrote:

Hoy
I like the habitat shot. Have you ever tryed growing Opuntia fragilis or it's hydrids in that area? It grows in similar enviroments in Canada. I think it may do well for you planted in the shallow soils that thread through the rock outcroppings. Two others that would be worth a try are Opuntia macrorhiza and Opuntia humifusa.

That's an idea! I think I will try. I have never tried cacti here. Maybe the deer don't eat them either although they seemingly prefere plants with thorns like my roses.
I'll look out for seed.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Fri, 07/02/2010 - 14:22

Lori, wonderful pictures.  Your asyneuma seems much tighter than mine. Do you grow it in full sun? Mine has a little shade, maybe that's a problem? The carduncellus is marvelous and has just made it on my want and need list.  Have you had it long? What can you tell me about it?


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 07/02/2010 - 14:43

Thanks, Anne!  The asyneuma is in full sun; the tallest stems are 5-6" (although there are also a couple of little cuties in the same bed with blooming stems only 1.5" tall!)  Having only grown it this short time, I don't know anything more about it, other than that it does seem to like lime, as I had read.  
The carduncellus is a bit of a conundrum... I've had it for many years, and have sent seed to the seedex for a long time, but unbeknownst to me, apparently it is very difficult to start from seed or possibly even self-sterile... ???  (Upon hearing this, I did give it a try last summer and got no germination at all from fresh seed after a couple of months (moist paper towel/baggie method).  A very experienced grower over at SRGC has, reportedly, tried seed at all different stages with no germination, and hence, suggested that it may be self-sterile.)  It does propagate itself by producing the odd offset a few inches away, not at all rambunctiously.  Other than the apparent germination problem, it's very carefree in these conditions.

Edit:  Hmm, as I do have 2 different plants/little colonies, bought from different sources, I should try cross-pollinating them...


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 07/03/2010 - 22:38

Fabulous gardens, all!  How I wish they were in my neighborhood, so that I could walk by and admire them!  

Here are some recent pix, some alpine-ish, some not at all.
A couple from seed last year...
1) Oxytropis megalantha
2) Penstemon virens

Others:
3) Saxifraga paniculata var. minutifolia 'Red-backed Spider' - I know I showed this one before, but my saxes out front got eaten by rabbits, so I'm asking for indulgence!   ::)
4) Saxifraga 'Mrs. Winifred Bevington' - some bird took a liking (or a dislike?) to it this spring and pulled chunks out of the rosette, so there are not so many flower stalks as in previous years, unfortunately.
5, 6) Dracocephalum botryoides
7) Scutellaria orientalis ssp. alpina
8 ) Mimulus guttatus, along the greenhouse edge, where they enjoy the runoff from watering/messing-around-with-the-ponds inside.
9) Oriental poppy 'Dwarf Allegro'.  (Actually, there's never been anything particularly dwarfish about them.)
10) Salix x boydii... Hmm, the ant activity on a couple of those stem tips suggests that I need to go out tomorrow and squash some aphids...


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 07/05/2010 - 22:30

What a terrific place you have there, Trond!  Pardon my ignorance, but does your fjord connect to the sea (salt water, or at least brackish?), or is it blocked off (hence, fresh water)... ? 

1) One bloom each on Erigeron aureus, from seed this spring - a pleasant surprise. 
2, 3) The start of bloom on Penstemon speciosus var. kennedyi


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 07/05/2010 - 23:19

Skulski wrote:

What a terrific place you have there, Trond!  Pardon my ignorance, but does your fjord connect to the sea (salt water, or at least brackish?), or is it blocked off (hence, fresh water)... ?  

Thanks, Lori! We all love to be here. (Now my two daughters are travelling on their own - the eldest is in fact visiting LA these days!)
Yes, this fjord connects with the ocean. It's about 10min with my boat and I'll see the open sea (Skagerrak). A lot of small islands and skerries are sheltering us from the oceanic waves.

Are the Erigeron aureus planted out in your new mountain? If so it isn't strange they flower first year in such a pristine environment!
I am sorry i have never succeeded with Scutellaria orientalis from seed.


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 07/08/2010 - 15:19

1, 2) Inula rhizocephala - while the plant in the tufa bed looks clean and pristine, these out along the sidewalk collect all manner of fine sand, spent salvia petals, pulsatilla seeds - you name it - on their fuzzy leaves.  I actually worked on them for a while with a brush before taking the photo... yeah, the neighbors already know I'm odd.   ;D

3, 4) Saponaria suendermannii... I suspect this is a hybrid, as it doesn't seem to produce seed?

5) Phlox hendersonii - the bloom has sparse at any one time, but very extended this year.

6) A new prize, Caragana jubata.  (A gift from a gardening friend at work!  :) )


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 16:49

Yes, Trond, the Erigeron aureus are in the tufa bed, where I'm sure they will be happy, judging from their natural habitat here.

1) I lost my old Salvia juriscii this year, so was pleased to remember this little one along the sidewalk.  What bizarre and interesting flowers!

2) Erigeron pumilus var. condensata

3) Hieracium villosum

4) Scutellaria nana var. sapphirina - this little thing is a bit of a wanderer, but is so tiny, that I hope it will not seem a problem. 

5, 6) Silene saxifraga - I like this one a lot - pristine little flowers and a long bloom.


Submitted by Mark McD on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 17:15

Skulski wrote:

4) Scutellaria nana var. sapphirina - this little thing is a bit of a wanderer, but is so tiny, that I hope it will not seem a problem.   

Lori, maybe Bob Nold will chime in on Scutellaria nana var. sapphirina.  He sent it to me many years ago, along with another small blue one, S. angustifolia, with "you've been warned" warnings about how invasive they can be.  Initially I grew mine in pots in a bark mulch "plunge" area, and they of course escaped their confinement in short order.  Eventually, S. nana v. sapphirina died out, but I still have S. angustifolia mildly romping about in the decomposing bark mulch layer over hard rocky clay soil.  I found a couple pics of S. angustifolia from June 2001.


Submitted by Mark McD on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 17:31

So, I was checking into Scutellaria nana var. sapphirina, and couldn't find it initially... what's going on I ask?  Seems that S. nana and S. sapphirina are now two separate species, but initially using the USDA pages and typical sites I use to find this info, wasn't coming up with much, but I did finally find the following:

USDA classification for Scutellaria
http://plants.usda.gov/java/ClassificationServlet?source=display&classid...

This USDA classification cites S. nana var. sapphirina as a synonym of S. sapphirina... aha, found it
http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch?keywordquery=Aria&mode=sciname

USDA page on S. sapphirina
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SCSA6

USDA page on S. nana:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SCNA

CalPhotos page on Scutellaria nana (note: some great looking dwarf cream to pinksih-yellow dwarfs)
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where...


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 18:28

Ahhh, thanks for the warning!  I think I'll exile it to the hellish conditions of the front yard, where it can fight it out with fireweed, invasive native asters, and the remnants of Euphorbia cyparissias.


Submitted by Weiser on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 20:57

S. nana and S. sapphirina are both occur in Nevada.  S. sapphirina at high elevation in the southern mountans. S. nana is found locally in northern Nevada.
I have been thinking about hunting down S. nana, just haven't taken the time.
I think I have a leg-up though!  Gary Monroe the Photographer of S. nana on the USDA link is a very good friend, and Warm Springs Valley is only fifteen miles away. 


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 07/10/2010 - 17:17

A rainy day here, after a hot one yesterday (28 deg C).

Nice to see the membership slowly rising.  Come on, folks - we'd all love to see photo-tours of your gardens!  :)

Not a very alpine-ish selection today:
1) Helianthemum nummularium 'Ben Nevis'
2) One of the many self-sown Verbascum phoeniceum... I used to refer to the colour of this plant, somewhat disparagingly, as "puce" but it's grown on me over the years.   ;)
3) Silene zawadskii with a groundcover of Linnaea borealis, which also drapes down the side of the raised acid bed (4)
5) Last of the bloom for the Dodecatheon
6) Astrantia
7) Interesting seedpod on Papaver lapponicum
8 ) Talinum sediforme
9) Codonopsis clematidaea
10) Helianthemum oelandicum ssp. alpestre


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 07/11/2010 - 03:08

I have no objections to rampant plants! At least not if I can grow them here at my summerhouse. No formal beds, just seminatural plantings - that is native and foreign plants put down where they are supposed to thrive and spread! They have to cope with summer dryness and deer and trampling of sheep and people. I gladly receive rampant plants!


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sun, 07/11/2010 - 03:19

Skulski wrote:

1, 2) Inula rhizocephala - while the plant in the tufa bed looks clean and pristine, these out along the sidewalk collect all manner of fine sand, spent salvia petals, pulsatilla seeds - you name it - on their fuzzy leaves.  I actually worked on them for a while with a brush before taking the photo... yeah, the neighbors already know I'm odd.   ;D

3, 4) Saponaria suendermannii... I suspect this is a hybrid, as it doesn't seem to produce seed?

5) Phlox hendersonii - the bloom has sparse at any one time, but very extended this year.

6) A new prize, Caragana jubata.  (A gift from a gardening friend at work!  :) )

Lori, what a friend to have! Caragana jubata is a marvelous plant that I'm hoping to try. Yours looks really good. Ditto the Inula rhizocephala. I grew that once from seed and loved it. May garden at the moment is the Dolomites, have been taking many pictures but can't look at them on the computer since I left the camera connector at home. The other day I almost sat on Androsace hausmannii by mistake. The season is early and the plants have been fabulous!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 07/11/2010 - 17:14

Well, where I am usually reluctant to ask for things, he tends to be quite bold, so he got me this fabulous plant from another grower!  :D
We look forward to your photos, Anne!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 07/11/2010 - 23:07

1) A rather odd dianthus, Dianthus calocephalus, which has rather stiff grassy foliage and tall flowering stems with widely-spaced narrow leaves.  It's native to Iran, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan.  From the NARGS seedex.  
http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?13823

2) Edelweiss, Leontopodium alpinum

3) Athamanta turbith ssp. haynaldii - a long-blooming perennial here.
http://luirig.altervista.org/schedeit/ae/athamanta_turbith.htm

4) Another variation on the puce Verbascum phoeniceum (or hybrid thereof, as these are likely offspring of 'Helen Johnson', bought years ago, which I just read is said to be V. phoeniceum x bombyciferum?), this one approaching a pale yellow.  

5) Penstemon lyallii

6) Sideritis glacialis


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 07/12/2010 - 14:54

Inspired by Lori's biking route!

Not my garden but a nice place to walk and see!

We have to take the boat 15 min to get there. This island is about 10km long and narrow consisting of glacial sediments from the last ice age.
On the sheltered inside the shore consists of fine quartz sand. The interior is mostly covered by deciduous trees and farms.
Cars are forbidden.


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 07/12/2010 - 14:58

Very beautiful, Trond!  I love the stone wall and the rustic fence!  Lovely meadow and sea view in the first shot.


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 07/12/2010 - 15:09

Nice sandstone outcrop - love the patterns of bedding and fracturing, and the lichen!  What sorts of deciduous trees do you see there?


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 07/12/2010 - 15:15

Skulski wrote:

Nice sandstone outcrop - love the patterns of bedding and fracturing, and the lichen!  What sorts of deciduous trees do you see there?

The commonest trees are oaks, hazel, grey and black alder (Norw. names), crabapple, maple, elm, ash, rowan, whitebeam and maybe more. Lots of shrubbery (barberry, sloe and more).


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 07/12/2010 - 15:48

Once again, I'm reminded of how easy it would be, in relative terms, to have a comprehensive knowledge of the native tree species here... which are so very few, by comparison!


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 07/13/2010 - 00:47

Skulski wrote:

Once again, I'm reminded of how easy it would be, in relative terms, to have a comprehensive knowledge of the native tree species here... which are so very few, by comparison!

I almost forgot birch, gean and aspen! This is a species-rich area however. It is not like that everywhere in Norway. On the contrary, birch is the commonest deciduous tree.
Two more pictures..


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 07/13/2010 - 01:19

Some of the area is heavily grazed by cattle. This is to keep down the undergrowth in the woods and keep the meadows open. They have too many animals so the meadows are very short-cut, and almost no flowers. Some areas are fenced off to keep the animals out.
These are common:

Geranium sanguineum and Galium verum.
Especially Lady's bedstraw, you can smell it far out in the sea.

Excuse the diffuse pictures. The camera lens was covered by salt (and so was my spectacles so I didn't notice!)


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 07/13/2010 - 09:03

Very pretty!  Do I see Campanula rotundifolia in there too?  I had to look up "gean" -wild cherry?  (Not a familiar term for me - nice to learn things!)


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 07/13/2010 - 09:57

Skulski wrote:

Very pretty!  Do I see Campanula rotundifolia in there too?  I had to look up "gean" -wild cherry?  (Not a familiar term for me - nice to learn things!)

Yes, you do; and yes, that's right! (The Norwegian name is fuglebær - "bird-berry".)

Here are the harebell, and a spruce to show that they also creep in the lowlands!

The island's name is Jomfruland = Virgin land.


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 07/14/2010 - 23:25

I'm not sure of the white flower above - is it Daucus carota?

Just spent the evening "controlling" the virtual plague of self-seeded delphiniums out front, and moving other plants in front of them to hide their tatty, yellow lowermost leaves... mission accomplished, for a while, I hope.  There was a casualty though... I broke the top off an Eremurus... grrr!
A few things from the yard, some alpine-ish...
1) Phyteuma nigrum, done flowering now.
2) Stachys discolor
3) A stem of Lilium martagon 'Album', with Lupinus argenteus in the background
4) Allium obliquum
5) Scutellaria baicalensis, from seed last year... very interesting flowers and buds
6) Phyteuma scheuchzeri
7, 8 ) A long-time favourite plant, Linum flavum 'Compactum'
9, 10) An extremely hardy (at least zone 2) and elegant plant from the Caucasus, Echium russicum


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 07/15/2010 - 00:34

The white flowers are a carrot lookalike: Pimpinella saxifraga (and the blue grass is Leymus arenarius).

Nice clump of Phyteuma nigra! I sowed this species many years ago and it lowered this spring for the first time!

I have other Phyteuma but never seen discolor, seems to be a fine plant.
My Lilium martagon have all grown small and nonflowering!
It seems that the Onion Man is not the only one growing Allium! I am at the lookout for new species to try here - they have to be summer-flowering and able to cope with very dry periods.
Scutellaria baicalensis have I tried from seed several times but never had any success.
Another nice Phyteuma! We have one native Phyteuma in Norway, P. spicatum, but I have never seen it in the wild.
Longtime favored Linum you say, how long? My perennial Linums never live more than a couple of years! Have not tried this one, however.
Is Echium russicum perennial? Our local Echium, E. vulgare (a very pretty plant by the way) is biennial.


Submitted by Weiser on Thu, 07/15/2010 - 09:33

I grow two grasses in my dry-land garden that add light and movement to my plantings.

The first is my favorite, Indian Rice Grass - Achnatherum hymenoides (syn. Oryzopsis hymenoides, Stipa hymenoides) A moderately sized (6-12 inches) western bunch grass with airy, light refracting inflorescence.

The second is a taller (18-24inch) drought tolerant bunch grass. Mexican Feather Grass - Stipa tenuissima (syn. Nassella tenuissima). For soft flowing movement at the slightest breeze it is hard to beat.

I use these two grasses as companions for an assortment of western prairie natives.


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 07/15/2010 - 09:39

I like your grasses, Weiser!
Can't you open a new thread on grasses?
By the way, do you collect seed of any of your plants?


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 07/15/2010 - 19:17

Scutellaria baicalensis ... I wonder what I have that is supposed to be baicalensis?  It's scads different.  Mine bloomed in a pot rather than in ground, but still...


Submitted by Mark McD on Thu, 07/15/2010 - 20:29

RickR wrote:

Scutellaria baicalensis ... I wonder what I have that is supposed to be baicalensis?  It's scads different.  Mine bloomed in a pot rather than in ground, but still...

Rick, it does look scads different than Lori's plant... but will  the  real  Scutellaria  baicalensis  please  stand  up?  Googling, one finds scads of herbal sites, many of which seem to use any ol' Scutellaria plant photo... it doesn't matter in their drug/herbal world, so those should be largely ignored.  

The species is named for Lake Baikal, an area in Russian Siberia.  Googling, one learns about this fascinating area, Asia's largest lake, and the world's deepest lake.  This species is also found in China; Flora of China says "traditionally used as a febrifuge, for relieving fever... this is one of the most commonly collected species in China.".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal

I gathered up a few photo links, not sure who's got what, but all these upright "scoots" are a hoot to grow, I like em.

Flora of China drawing and species description:
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=3315&flora_id=2
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200020285

More photo/info links:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/po...

http://www.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/plants/magnoliophyta/magnoliophytin...

http://www.rmrp.com/Images/Plants/S/Scuttelaria%20baicalensis%20100DPI.jpg


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 07/16/2010 - 00:02

RickR wrote:

Scutellaria baicalensis ... I wonder what I have that is supposed to be baicalensis?  It's scads different.  Mine bloomed in a pot rather than in ground, but still...

I don't know which plant is the real thing - yours or Lori's or both!
Yours seems to be a pretty plant anyway, Rick!


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 07/16/2010 - 09:22

Rick, the differences between our supposed Scutellaria baicalensis seems to be the flower arrangement on the stem - multiples, apparently, on yours and on the UBC photo plant; only orderly pairs on mine - and also that mine has a narrower lower lip.  No comment on the flower arrangement on the eFlora of China site though, unfortunately.  (Thanks for all the research, Mark!)  Mine seems to be the oddball.  I was sent seeds for it in a trade last year - interesting plant anyway, but strangely different from yours.  I think mine is something else again...

Trond, Linum flavum 'Compactum' is a long-lived perennial for me.  Echium russicum is completely perennial here too.

John, I wish those grasses were hardy here but no such luck!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 07/17/2010 - 21:13

So, what's happening in your gardens in mid-July?

1, 2) Campanula thyrsoides... with a deadly surprise for a bumble bee
3) Erigeron peregrinus ssp. callianthemus
4) Papaver lapponicum blooming fitfullly
5) Convolvulus lineatus var. angustifolius, starting to bloom
6) Hemerocallis dumortieri
7) Geranium x 'Magnificum'
8 ) Anthemis marschalliana
9) A group of 5-year old Campanula barbata... pretty good mileage for a "biennial"!


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 07/20/2010 - 05:42

A nice bunch, Lori!

Campanula thyrsoides have I never succeeded with and Papaver lapponicum is a shortlived perennial in my garden. It grows naturally in the northernmost parts of Norway. Other similar papavers, P. radicatum and allies, also grow in the mountains here, many are endemic to Norway but I have never seen them either in the wild.

Campanula barbata is a native perennial in Norway. Although I have some here they are from seed and selfsow in the short grass.

We have moved from the sea to the mountains, or rather undulating plain (800-1200m) where we have a cabin. No formal beds here, just more or less natural flower meadows (we help by sowing fitting plants).

A piece of the meadow ordinary plants like Vicia cracca, Lothus corniculatus, Viscaria vulgaris, Antennaria dioica.
Campanula barbata in a natural setting.


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 07/23/2010 - 19:28

Lovely to see your plant selection, Trond!

Here's a few:
1 - 2) Cheiranthus roseus is a very pretty little thing!  I suspect it is likely also fragrant so I'll have to kneel down on that cheese-grater tufa to find out (ouch).
2) Delphinium brunonianum


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sat, 07/24/2010 - 06:11

Skulski wrote:

Lovely to see your plant selection, Trond!

Here's a few:
1 - 2) Cheiranthus roseus is a very pretty little thing!  I suspect it is likely also fragrant so I'll have to kneel down on that cheese-grater tufa to find out (ouch).
2) Delphinium brunonianum

Lori, that Cheiranthus roseus is a lovely little thing.  I'm attaching a photo (taken in my temporary garden of several weeks) of Androsace hausmannii, not too plentiful in the Dolomites.  Found it accidentally when I sat on a huge slab of limestone to take off a boot and it was all over that side of the rock.  Was so excited to see it that I photographed it bootless (ouch!).


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 07/24/2010 - 18:02

What a gorgeous little androsace!  I do hope you'll show us more pix of your trip, Anne.  :)

1) Jovibarba sp.
2) Iris sintenisii
3, 4) Police car moth (Gnophaela vermiculata)on Allium roseum
5) Gentiana gelida
6) Heterotheca jonesii
Now, getting pretty far from alpines... but these may provide cooling images to those of you in the extreme heat!
7) Nymphaea 'Marliaceae Albida'
8 ) Nymphaea 'Crystal', a tropical day-bloomer


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 07/26/2010 - 00:26

I like that spidery Iris, Lori. You too do grow houseleeks?
Why the name "police car moth", does the color resemble that of a police car? Here we have seen lots of butterflies the last days, but only common ones as far as I can tell.

Do you have a pond too? I have built one but it is too narrow for waterlilies. I tried but no success - leaves and flowers in a heap. yours are nice.


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 07/26/2010 - 22:42

Very nice, Rick!  What else do you have in bloom?

Hoy wrote:

How tall does Delphinium brunonianum get?

My plants are only in their second year now.  The one shown is in regular soil and is 50cm tall... I imagine they may be more restrained in a rock garden setting?  Can anyone else comment?


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 07/27/2010 - 12:54

Hoy wrote:

You too do grow houseleeks?

Yes, sempervivums are extremely hardy and very easy to grow here, and therefore very commonly grown.  They do look best growing in rock, though, rather than in regular soil (in which they are quite happy nonetheless).

Hoy wrote:

Why the name "police car moth", does the color resemble that of a police car? Here we have seen lots of butterflies the last days, but only common ones as far as I can tell.

Yes, police cars used to be black with white doors, hence the common name!  (It is no longer the standard colour scheme, though.)  This is a really poor area for butterflies and moths, and for insects in general - we see vastly more in the mountains than we do at home, despite having a yard full of bloom throughout the season.  (We see so few butterflies/moths that we run and tell each other when we do see one!   ::))  A couple of years ago, there was an irruption of Painted Lady butterflies, which was wonderful to see!

Hoy wrote:

Do you have a pond too? I have built one but it is too narrow for waterlilies. I tried but no success - leaves and flowers in a heap. yours are nice.

Thanks!  Growing water lilies is one of my husband's interests.  We have no outdoor ponds, as it's too cool here for even hardy water lilies to do well (I mean for them to be able to act like the flower machines that they should be, in suitable conditions) - just seasonal above-ground ponds in the greenhouse, where the water can be kept constantly warm (with the help of some heaters, when necessary).  Hordes of various tropical fish also enjoy their summers out in the ponds.    


Submitted by Mark McD on Wed, 07/28/2010 - 06:27

RickR wrote:

Iris sintenisii ssp. brandzae, but in May!  (Spring was 3-4 weeks early for us in Minnesota this year.)

Rick, what sun/soil conditions did you give Iris sintenisii ssp. brandzae?  I have seedlings coming along that I planted in the partial shade of very-late-to-leaf-out Chionanthus virginicus, but it's a dryish spot, and the mid-day to afternoon sun does cook the spot, although been hitting up the seedlings with the watering can almost daily, and they're growing and look fine so far.


Submitted by penstemon on Wed, 07/28/2010 - 21:38

McDonough wrote:

So, I was checking into Scutellaria nana var. sapphirina, and couldn't find it initially... what's going on I ask?  Seems that S. nana and S. sapphirina are now two separate species, but initially using the USDA pages

Well, the USDA thinks that Penstemon unilateralis is a valid name for Penstemon virgatus ssp. asa-grayi, which, as far as I know, no authority on the genus accepts, so .....
Scutellaria nana var. sapphirina wanders from its home, it doesn't spread. It leaves its original location for better pastures. S. brittonii and S. angustifolia, on the other hand, spread as fast as a rumor. These last two do have the decency to disappear for the summer, and, if you look at them from a cosmic perspective (like comparing them to the speed at which Veronica oltensis takes over everything in sight), they are fairly slow.

"Forgive the lateness of my reply."


Submitted by Mark McD on Wed, 07/28/2010 - 22:46

Nold wrote:

Well, the USDA thinks that Penstemon unilateralis is a valid name for Penstemon virgatus ssp. asa-grayi, which, as far as I know, no authority on the genus accepts, so .....
Scutellaria nana var. sapphirina wanders from its home, it doesn't spread. It leaves its original location for better pastures. S. brittonii and S. angustifolia, on the other hand, spread as fast as a rumor. These last two do have the decency to disappear for the summer, and, if you look at them from a cosmic perspective (like comparing them to the speed at which Veronica oltensis takes over everything in sight), they are fairly slow.

"Forgive the lateness of my reply."

Bob, the description of Scutellaria nana var. sapphirina as "wandering from its home" versus "spreading" is a useful-to-know nuance of it's growing habit... wish I still had it (Lori, are you listening, grow this plant on someplace, and keep it going, it's a dwarf cutie).

I'm also arriving at a point of assessing certain aggressive spreading tendencies, and with a small plant like Scutellaria angustifolia, and the fact it goes completely dormant and disappears shortly after flowering, one can make greater allowances for its spread when it is non-threatening to other more substantive plants.


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 07/30/2010 - 11:28

Impatiens glandulosa alba
Also in pic
Impatiens balfourii (at base of I. gland.)
Aralia occidentalis (rear left) I've been having to keep it trimmed back so it does take over.  At four years old from seed, it grows larger than Aralia cordata var. sacchalinensis.  It will be replanted in the yard next spring.
Fargesia rufa (partial pic, far right) proving to be a very worth bamboo for my cold climate.
Allium stellatum (bottom left)

Second photo: Basal stem, Impatiens glandulosa alba


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 07/30/2010 - 11:34

At six feet tall, it's a good thing Impatiens glandulosa alba has terminal flowers!

Gosh, I wonder how tall it would get if I didn't have dry soil?


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 07/30/2010 - 11:43

Allium stellatum from seed from a native stand about 50 miles west of me in Minnesota.  For a wild onion, the bulbs are surprisingly tasty!

Campanula americana.  Just ending bloom to the right is Digitalis ferruginea.


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 07/30/2010 - 11:56

RickR wrote:

At six feet tall, it's a good thing Impatiens glandulosa alba has terminal flowers!

Gosh, I wonder how tall it would get if I didn't have dry soil?

They can grow a little taller! I have different color forms of I. glandulosa and they sow themselves all over my place. Have to mow them. I let some grow and the tallest reach about 3m. When I come home in a week I can show you pics.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 07/31/2010 - 22:22

Nold wrote:

Scutellaria nana var. sapphirina wanders from its home, it doesn't spread. It leaves its original location for better pastures.

Well, that sounds better than, say, "rampantly invasive"... Okay, I'll leave it where it is for now, though it will be interesting to see how far it has to go to find better pastures in my little plant gulag.   ;D

RickR wrote:

At six feet tall, it's a good thing Impatiens glandulosa alba has terminal flowers!

Yeah, works for me but I wonder if short people would agree?  ???  :D  
Nice to see some of your garden, Rick.

A few in bloom from seed this year:
1) Asperula boissieri - seems to be a form with rather curly foliage.  From Pavelka: "2200m, Killini Mts., Greece; very dwarf compact silvery-grey cushions; stemless pale to dark rose flowers; limestone rocky slopes, 2006 seed."
2) Silene macrantha, or so it was said to be - it's supposed to have greenish-yellow flowers, however.  Big flowers on a tiny plant, anyway.  (Pavelka: "2000m, Komovi, Montenegro; small tufted plant, 5-15cm, pale green leaves; greenish-yellow flowers, stoney slopes; 2005 seed.")  
3) Arabis androsacea - wonderful furry rosettes, flowers nothing much to write home about yet.  (Seeds from Holubec: "ex. Turkey: Ala Dag, 2200m, limestone scree; small cushions, white hairy rosettes, white flowers on 4cm long stems; 2009 seed."

And:
4) Eryngium alpinum
5) DH's mislabelled rose, that could not have been further from what it was supposed to have been... but sort of appealing.
6) In DH's greenhouse ponds, Nymphaea 'Madame Ganna Walska'
7) Nymphaea 'Helvola'
8 ) Azorella trifurcata, or so it seems from the yellow umbels (vs. greenish-white, apparently, on Bolax gummifera?)
9) Another Inula rhizocephala
10 ) Just a garden shot


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 08/01/2010 - 00:54

[quote author=RickR link=topic=274.msg3515#msg3515 date=1280511815]
Allium stellatum from seed from a native stand about 50 miles west of me in Minnesota.  For a wild onion, the bulbs are surprisingly tasty!

Campanula americana.  Just ending bloom to the right is Digitalis ferruginea.
[/quote
I didn't notice this post while I commented the Impatiens pictures! Both the Allium and the Campanula are new to me. Are the C. americana perennial? Seems to be plants to try here.


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 08/01/2010 - 18:21

Trond, Campanula americana is a biennial, and in many (if not most) gardens a notorious self seeder.  I try not to allow to much seed production.  Most people don't think of it as garden worthy, I don't think. I have found that the plants can be susceptible to a wilt disease.  I know verticillium is present in my land, so I assume it is that. 

Allium stellatum is quite vigorous, and also a vigorous self seeder too, but it is easily prevented but cutting the stalks.  The bicolor umbels, with white buds opening to lavender remind me of fireworks.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 08/01/2010 - 19:56

Thank you for the compliments!  The great thing about photos and posting to remote sites like this, is that no one sees the really ratty parts of the garden.  ;D ;D

And, making another appeal... I'm posting all this stuff, not strictly for compliment-fishing (although I must say that that is very nice  ;D ;D), as in the hopes of encouraging other, so-far silent, members to feel free to share a running journal of their alpines, and gardens in general.  I'm sure we'd all love to see what grows in different areas, and conditions, at different times through the season... (Hey, I need some ideas, too, for my future plantings!)


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 08/05/2010 - 09:00

Arrived home after 5 weeks vaccation. Met by a real wilderness. Have to mow and cut my way through the woodland.
These are not the worst:
The creeping Acaena ovalifolia have grown 3-4ft and cover the path.
Alstroemeria aurea have gotten 3 ft tall and fall over and block the path.


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 08/05/2010 - 09:33

Interesting to see those plants flourishing!  The best I've ever done with Acaena was to have tiny bits survive the winter.  Are the seedpods as painful to step on as they look to be?
I imagine your Alstroemeria are perennial there too... another mind-bending concept for those in this zone!


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 08/05/2010 - 09:46

Skulski wrote:

Interesting to see those plants flourishing!  The best I've ever done with Acaena was to have tiny bits survive the winter.  Are the seedpods as painful to step on as they look to be?
I imagine your Alstroemeria are perennial there too... another mind-bending concept for those in this zone!

The burs are fortunately soft to trample on even with bare feet. And yes, the Alstroemeria aurea is a a hardy perennial here spreading slowly with underground rhizomes.


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 08/06/2010 - 18:07

Okay, persisting with this... won't you join us and post some photos of your gardens too?

1) Even protected under a good-sized Pinus sylvestris 'Watereri', it appears the hail managed to whack a few leaves of this silver-leaved Cyclamen purpurascens
2) A gorgeous and under-appreciated native, Dalea purpurea - it is perfectly well-behaved in the garden, and reaches glorious proportions, even in the poor, dry soil out along our fence... as compared to the very modest little plants (2-3 stems) I see in the wild, oddly enough.
3) Onosma stellulata
4) Telekia speciosa... it's giant leaves are, unfortunately, quite vulnerable to hail damage!
5) Perhaps not the neatest dianthus in form or flower, but the fragrance is intoxicating and most unusual, a sweet perfume rather than the usual clove-spice... Dianthus monspessulanus
6) Verbascum nigrum... this genus is worth all it weeding it causes me.  :)
7) Another Campanula thyrsoides, showing the very hairy flowers and the randomness of bloom along the stem -flowering sometimes starts in the middle, then ends up at the top and base or is all over the stalk at once, odd!
8 ) Not much happening in the troughs, but for Campanula hercegovina, starting to bloom...
9) And this little dianthus.


Submitted by Mark McD on Fri, 08/06/2010 - 18:24

Lori, a nice assortment!  Looking at your much larger plant of a silver-leaved Cyclamen purpurescens will inspire my as-of-yet single leaf young plant of an all-silver C. purpurescens that showed up recently.  And Dalea purpurea, WOW, that's now a *must have* plant on my list, that one really speaks to me.  I think you might have skipped over Verbascum nigrum, I don't see it... I'm anxious to see it.


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 08/06/2010 - 23:50

Holy moly, Lori!  And I was very happy with my Verbascum nigrum, until I see yours.

Here is my Verbascum nigrum wimp.  It's the second flush of flowers, even though I let all the first flush flowers go to seed.  (I'm not sure they produced seed, though.)  I cut the old stalks down just so I could take this pic.  On the left is Allium stellatum from Kandiyohi County, MN, and center is Ruellia humilis.


Submitted by IMYoung on Sat, 08/07/2010 - 06:29

My goodness, Lori.... your Campanula hercegovina is a real beauty  8)

I don't know Dalea purpurea and my search via the RHS plantfinder lists only a couple pf mailorder suppliers in the UK, one of whom hasn't actually got it listed!

Do you get a good seed set on yours ( she asked, plaintively and full of hope.......... ;)  )
M


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 08/07/2010 - 10:57

Maggi, Dalea purpurea is a favourite of bees, and produces seeds generously, and I have several of them - enough to supply every seedex that exists!!  :o  Just PM me with your address and I'll send you seeds later on when they are ready. 
Mark, it is certainly a drought-resistant plant, adapted to the dry plains, with a deep taproot - one that would likely take your current drought and watering ban in stride.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 08/07/2010 - 13:49

Actually, Rick, perhaps I shouldn't say this but the particular V. nigrum I showed is a bit undersized, in comparison to big, mature plants out back where the conditions are a bit kinder!  ;D  They are long-lived perennials here; there too?  In our short season, they have a long bloom, but I've never thought of coaxing two sets of flowers stems out of them... not sure they'd actually manage it here... ?  (Come to think of it, I think I have a test case... some young miscreant broke the flower stems off a young plant out front.  I'll keep an eye on it and see if it is inclined to replace those stems or not.  :) )
Is the Ruellia a native plant there?  I assume it's perennial there, as well?  Very intriguing...
I'm enjoying your photos a lot and hope to see more of your beautiful garden!  So glad you got the digital camera a while back!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 08/07/2010 - 21:28

1) A sweet little thing, though apparently an annual (dang!) - Omphalodes kuzinskyanae , from the SRGC seedex
2) Campanula dolomitica, purchased this spring.  It will likely get too big (and spreading) for the little tufa garden, but for now, it adds some interest.
3) Not one to stop traffic, exactly - Silene pusilla, from seed this year
4) Looking forward to seeing the flowers on this one  - Onobrychis argyrea - based on my admiration of the beautiful flowers of the foothills forage-crop plant/weed, sainfoin (Onobrychis vicifolia).  The seeds are from Pavelka: "1500m, Urgup, Turkey; tufted perennial, silver hairy leaves, erect-ascending scapes 15-25cm, 3-8 yellow flowers, dry sunny hills."
5) Campanula x carpatica, helping to soften... a little... a trough full of cacti and dasiphora.


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 08/12/2010 - 22:20

So, it's almost mid-August.  What's happening in your gardens?

1) Senecio polyodon, from seed this spring.  (I suspect it is ssp. polyodon, though the seeds from trade didn't specify that.)  I had this for many years some time ago (until it was swamped by other plants) and was never quite certain if it overwintered, or merely seeded... I always suspected it actually overwintered.  
2) Lilium martagon
3) Dracocephalum grandiflorum with Scutellaria alpina
4) Aconitum lycoctonum
5) Carlina acaulis looks most interesting to me at this stage, before the flowers open.
6) Campanula 'Elizabeth Oliver'
7) Lallemantia canescens - only wimpy little plants this year
8 ) Echinops tschimganicus - is this a valid name?  
9) Another Cyclamen purpurascens
10) And finally one from the rock garden, though hardly a spectacular thing... Didymophysa vesicaria - Correction: probably Braya linearis; seeds from Holubec (description: "China: Beima Shan, Yunnan, 4800m, limestone scree, small caespitose plant, 8cm high, white to pink flowers in terminal inflorescence, rounded inflated siliques, 15mm wide; 2008 seed.")

Which leads me to a question for all you enthusiasts out there...

What alpines would one grow for late summer/fall colour and bloom?

Edit:  Oops, here's that elusive cyclamen now!


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 08/14/2010 - 09:20

The Cyclamen has chosen to hide itself, Lori! But you have an immense number of plants flowering all the time. Here some plants grow to immense dimensions instead. They swamp the smaller ones.

Here are some examples:
1) Impatiens glandulifera grows to 3.5-4m. I remove hundreds every spring but they sprout from "millions" of seeds in the moist climate here. I started with 3 plants. I regret that very much!
2) In the Impatiens forest when I look to the sky.
Next postI. glandulifera is annual, this one (not sure of the name) is perennial. Not more than 2" but spreading steadily outwards and swamping smaller neighbours.
3) Aralia something makes 2m canes every year down in my bog.
4) Lysimachia nummularia looks modest but cover all neighbours in short time. It can also grow into smaller shrubs. I use it as groundcover under rhododendrons and other shrubs but it has also occupied parts of the lawn and many beds.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 08/15/2010 - 13:32

Hoy wrote:

But you have an immense number of plants flowering all the time.

The reality is that it is simply a very short, compressed season here - if plants are going to bloom, they only have a short time in which to do it!

Wow, your I. glandulifera "forest" is amazing!  :o

Hoy wrote:

3) I. glandulifera is annual, this one (not sure of the name) is perennial. Not more than 2" but spreading steadily outwards and swamping smaller neighbours.

Similar to my invisible cyclamen, I think this photo of yours chose not to show itself!  Would love to see it though.

Oh, by the way, after a little googling, it seems Echinops tschimganicus is a valid name, so it appears... so that leads me to the next question: Is what I have, it?


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 08/15/2010 - 13:58

I must have been asleep while working with those pictures (that means I am often sleeping, not the first time this).
Not the showiest of plants, but here you are: Impatiens unknown species.

PS. The Cyclamen is very nice, mine haven't started to grow yet. But I have mostly hederifolium and coum.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 08/15/2010 - 22:26

Hmm, interesting perennial impatiens... wonder what the species is? 

1) Verbascum eriophorum, a biennial here.  (I added "here" because some verbascums that act as biennials elsewhere seem to be perennial in colder zones... go figure.)
2) Campanula x tymsonii
3) Flowers now open on Onobrychis argyrea - solid yellow.  (I had rather hoped for some interesting striping or detail on the petals.)


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 08/15/2010 - 23:54

Lori, I also grow Lallemantia canescens.  It looks so terrible now, as many of my alpines.  This year has been a most trying year for them: a drought in early and mid spring, and rain rain rain all summer!  Yesterday six thunderstorms rolled through in just one day! (temps were lowered to 85F day-70F night)  And humidity hadn't dropped below 70% for a week plus.

Iris suaveolens seems relatively fine in the ground, but in pots the foliage is nearly gone, although I do find that the rhizomes are still in tact.  Same with I. reichenbachii. 

I have never had such an infestation of earwigs.  This is my first flower of Dianthus callizonus from seed sown late this spring. And Gentiana tibeticus.  Already the insect has found them.  The Vernonia sp. only grew 8ft this season.


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 08/16/2010 - 07:45

RickR wrote:

I have never had such an infestation of earwigs.  
The Vernonia sp. only grew 8ft this season.

Rick, earwigs love the hot, humid conditions that multiple thunderstorms create ;D  Your Vernonia only 8'?  How tall does it grow regularly?  Mine is just coming into bloom (Vernonia novaboracensis), looking like your plant, and it is at 8' right now, but has not grown taller in the past.

Lots of interesting plants shown in this thread, I'm behind in participating and commenting.


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 08/16/2010 - 18:25

Normally 9-10 feet.  I don't have a clue which species it is. 
Is there a way to differentiate Vernonia spp.? 
It came from the garden of a man in our rockgerden society.  He doesn't know its identity either,
and doesn't remember where he got it.


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 08/16/2010 - 21:09

Terrific Vernonias!  Whew, 10' tall... !?!  As you know, Rick, I have a soft spot for great, hulking plants (as well as for more alpine-ishly proportioned ones... and the ones in between  :D), so I must give those statuesque beauties a try!

Our season has been rainier and cooler than usual as well - seems like odd weather patterns all over this year.


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 08/16/2010 - 21:26

Lori, you posted the same link I was going to post, literally a few seconds before me :D  Might Rick's plant be V. gigantea?
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242417438

By the way, anyone interested in good "Ironweeds", Vernonia lettermanii is a much smaller fine-leaved plant, with beautiful narrow leaves like Amsonia hubrectii.  I don't currently have it, but it is on my watch list.


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 08/16/2010 - 21:30

McDonough wrote:

Lori, you posted the same link I was going to post, literally a few seconds before me :D 

Well, you know... great minds...  ;D


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 08/17/2010 - 13:28

I know I had tried to key the vernonia many, many years ago and gave up.  Maybe eflora was not up or that part finished, I dunno.  But why I hadn't thought about it recently, is a Homer moment (doh!)

So...

What the heck is up with eflora's glossary???  I look words up, there is a page for said word(s), but no definition...
It's not my FF browser, I tried IE and seamonkey(yeah okay it's about the same as FF).  I get this: http://www.efloras.org/glossary.aspx?term_id=12970

Anyway, after learning new and reviewing old definitions, like scaberellous, scaberulose, phyllary, pappi, pannose, urceolate, involucre, obconic, subulate, cypselae, etc., keying was surprisingly easy!

Definitely Vernonia gigantea.  Everything fits.  I looked at the descriptions of all the other species listed, and nothing comes even close in size.  The two largest (fasciculata and flaccidifolia) have other traits besides size that don't match.

I just thought now, what if it isn't North American?
Yow. An investigation for another time.


Submitted by Mark McD on Wed, 08/18/2010 - 08:16

Rick, just checked the eFlora glossary, man is that useless or what?  Instead I googled and used wikipedia to define "pappus":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pappus_%28flower_structure%29

Now that you learned all those botanical terms specific to Asteraceae, you'll be a pro for further taxonomic sleuthing in Asteraceae. I don't know a couple of those terms either, I had better do some research.

Glad you arrived at an ID on your Vernonia... someone sent me seed of V. gigantea a few years back... I wonder what I did with the seed?

That's funny what you say: "what if it isn't American?".  Good point, there are only 17 described for Flora of North America, but according to a wikipedia link: "Vernonia is a genus of about 1000 species of forbs and shrubs in the family Asteraceae", also found in South America, Asia, and Africa, not to mention the abundant hybrids... you have you're work cut out for you!  You can probably assume however, that your plant is N. American.  Also, some members of the genus in other countries might be ascribed to other genera at this point?  A search on Vernonia species at www.ipni.org comes up with 38 screens of species!!!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 08/21/2010 - 21:26

Very nice Vernonia flowers - I must try some.

Plenty in bloom here, though little that is alpine-ish or of any great note, but here are some anyway:
1, 2) First bloom on Cyananthus chungdianensis, from seed this year (Pavelka: "3600m, Haba Shan, Yunnan, China; dwarf cushions, small green lobed leaves, many blue flowers, ciliate inside; rocky slopes, meadows, very good.")
3) Omphalodes kuzinskyanae deserves an update... it is really a charming little plant.
4) Inula ensifolia
5) Inula helenium
6) A close-up of Dianthus knappii... which must surely be one of the least-interesting dianthus, notable only in that it is yellow!  But yet I grow it...  ::)
7) Cute little mushroom in woolly thyme
8 ) Penstemon pinifolius 'Mersea Yellow'
9, 10) And, on the "to-do" list for tomorrow, cherry picking... 'Evans', a Prunus cerasus sour cherry cultivar is hardy and a good producer here.  The apples also need to be picked... there will soon be a lot of pie on the menu.  (Mmmm, the breakfast of champions!  ;D )


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 08/21/2010 - 23:50

Forgot to say that I'll certainly save you seed, Lori.  I grow Inula ensifolia 'Compacta'.  I grew one of the large species of inula from seed, but they were aphid magnets.  Amazing how they tolerated the bug, though.


Submitted by Kelaidis on Tue, 08/24/2010 - 05:54

I can't say that late summer is a high point (nothing can match April, May and June in a rock garden!) but my garden continues to have lots of little gems blooming and the overall effect of the alpines is very soothing this time of year and verdant. Amazing how our gardens sustain us! I'm off to Kazakhstan for almost a month, leaving my garden with my wonderful girlfriend, Jan Fahs. It is comforting to hear rain early this morning and hope she gets periodic rains to help maintain this rather extensive collection while I'm gone (can you hear me being a tad nervous?)...

I bought a new camera for my trip, and these are some of the first shots I took yesterday AM: I will be thinking of you all during my travel, although I doubt I will have many chances at internet cafes, and when I do I'll have to spend the time checking in on work and family, so this really fun stuff will have to wait a month! Meanwhile, here's a few glimpses of my Quince Gardens on August 23: the images should be labeled!

1  Adiantum venustum
2  Allium togashii
3  Arum italicum 'Marmoratum'
4  Bulbinella ex Drakensberg
5  Daphne jasminea
6  Escobaria albicolumnaria
7  Hedeoma ciliolata
8  Inula verbascifolia
9  Pyrrhosia ex Mongolia
10 rock garden in AM


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 08/24/2010 - 13:06

Wonderful scenes, Panayoti!  Many exotic things there that I will have to look up.  Thanks for showing how great a well-planned alpine garden can look even, as you say, after most of the bloom has passed - just beautiful!

I'm sure we will all be looking forward to accounts of your trip with eagerness and downright envy!  :D Hope you have a great time!


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 08/24/2010 - 13:43

Very nice, Panayoti! You are lucky to have someone looking after your garden when away. When I come home my garden is completely overgrown. Remarkably how fast and big things grow when they get plenty of moisture.


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 08/25/2010 - 10:08

1) This little Oxytropis megalantha has a bit of rebloom.
2) I'm very pleased with Asyneuma limonifolium - this plant and others have been in bloom since the beginning of July.
3) Osteospermum barberiae var compactum never blooms extravagantly for me - I'm sure it would prefer a hotter, drier spot - but I'm impressed that it has been perennial for 8-9 years now here in zone 3!


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Wed, 08/25/2010 - 19:18

Not too much happening in the garden because of extreme drought this summer.  We had some rain last weekend (actually quite a bit of rain) and some things are already trying to green up.  One thing that's been constant is Zinnia grandiflora.  Have to love this plant - it's a late starter and then blooms without stop until hard frost.


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 08/26/2010 - 17:34

That does seem to be a feat with the Osteospermum, congratulations!

I've been impressed with the tenacity of Asyneuma limonifolium as well.  I had it for many years in a pot, until it blew off the patio during a storm, and all I could find was the empty pot!


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 08/28/2010 - 01:23

Spiegel wrote:

Not too much happening in the garden because of extreme drought this summer.  We had some rain last weekend (actually quite a bit of rain) and some things are already trying to green up.  One thing that's been constant is Zinnia grandiflora.  Have to love this plant - it's a late starter and then blooms without stop until hard frost.

Spiegel, I have never seen this Zinnia before. Is the creeping habit normal or due to drought? I would like to have a close-up of the flower too, if possible!


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sat, 08/28/2010 - 04:47

It's planted towards the bottom of a slope so gravity seems to have lent a hand.  Also, it is never watered except by nature.  Perhaps it would be more upright with water and better soil?  It's growing here in a very limey, lean scree.  It's found in Colorado and Kansas and southward.  It's been growing here at least seven years and it did take some time to establish.  Spring here is normally cold with lingering frosts so it isn't touched as far as trimming back before mid-May.  I'll try and post a close-up of the flower sometime this weekend.


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 08/28/2010 - 12:22

Thanks  Anne, I must try this one at my summerhouse!

Here are some other plants flowering now in my garden:

1&2) Fuchsia magellanica grows to a huge shrub during the summer and flower throughout the fall.

3&4) Phuopsis stylosa starts flowering in the summer  but produces a dense mat with new shoots flowering from August till the frost comes.

5&6) Tropaeolum ciliatum has not as flamboyant flowers as it sister T. speciosus but a modest habit climbing in the Rhododendrons.

7) Phygelia capensis is a faithful bloomer from July onwards.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Mon, 08/30/2010 - 08:19

Hoy wrote:

Spiegel wrote:

Not too much happening in the garden because of extreme drought this summer.  We had some rain last weekend (actually quite a bit of rain) and some things are already trying to green up.  One thing that's been constant is Zinnia grandiflora.  Have to love this plant - it's a late starter and then blooms without stop until hard frost.

Spiegel, I have never seen this Zinnia before. Is the creeping habit normal or due to drought? I would like to have a close-up of the flower too, if possible!

As promised, if a little late.  Close-up of Zinnia grandiflora flowers.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 07:49

The drought continues with temps back into the high 80sF but some cooler weather in sight for the end of the week.  No rain forcast for the week, though.  The garden is quiet but the one rain we did have inspired Phlox pungens to start reblooming and frshened up some other plants.  Just a few shots of plants in the crevice gardens.
1.    Coronilla minima
2.    Phlox pungens
3.    Astragalus utahensis
4-5. Eriogonum umbellatum humistratum
6.    Eriogonum ovalifolium


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 11:31

Wow, to live in a place where fuchsias and Phygelia are hardy outdoors!   :o 
I doggedly tried to grow Phuopsis stylosa for years and years, but it would never winter over for me.  However, there is a gentleman in town who always sells it at the plant sale, and it is hardy for him.  I'm baffled.

Love the Zinnia grandiflora, Anne!  I think it would likely be a good candidate for this area.  (I did grow a couple one year, but lost the seedlings in the welter of other foliage; must try again.)
Wonderful foliage in your garden - the Coronilla and Astragalus are terrific.  How nice to have phlox blooming again!  I've never seen that here.  (Is our season too short?  Or does it happen in other people's gardens, but not mine?)


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 14:21

Lori, I have found this to be true for a number of the western phlox such as Phlox kelseyi (I have had as many as 4 flushes of bloom during one prolonged season), Phlox pulvinata (not as often), Phlox pungens (often) and Phlox hendersonii (rarely).  It's almost like the plant takes a rest and a combination of timely rain and a lot of sun pushes it  to rebloom.  It doesn't seem to hurt the plants at all.  Phlox pungens and Phlox kelseyi do this every year, but this year P. pungens is just coming into rebloom for the first time.  Our summer has been tremendously hot and dry and that probably had a lot to do with it.  We have only had one rain of any note in three months and that was fairly recent. 


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 09/09/2010 - 05:04

Today (or actually yesterday) I found this one still blooming in the garden. Erodium manescavii flowers for months but only few flowers at the time. It also self sow moderately.


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 09/09/2010 - 23:12

Nothing alpine-ish in this lot...
1) Salvia glutinosa
2) Gypsophila oldhamiana
3) Eupatorium cannabinifolium 'Flore Pleno'


Submitted by Mark McD on Sat, 09/11/2010 - 14:55

Skulski wrote:

Serratula coronata

Cool Serratula!  Can you tell us about this one, I think most of us are only familiar with Serratula seoanei, the little pink fall-blooming rock garden staple.


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 09/12/2010 - 02:53

Here are what I saw this morning taking a stroll in the jungle:

1) The ivy, Hedera helix, makes flower buds in the fall and flower throughout the winter. Blue berries develop in the spring.
2) View of the lunch place. It is almost swamped by plants like the strong-growing Kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa). It is from seed and do not set many fruits.
3) The girl's doll's house and my greenhouse. Although I remove 1000s of balsamines, they are everywhere.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Thu, 09/16/2010 - 13:49

In bloom now and grown for years as Allium senescens v glaucum.  Mark, please correct if this is wrong.


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 09/17/2010 - 10:15

Recent pics:
1) Antirrhinum sempervirens - these old plants have been losing vigour over the last couple of years, and I have never been able to collect seed, so I guess I'd best figure out how to do cuttings.
2) A late Penstemon barbatus hybrid.
3) Eryngium planum
4) Gypsophila oldhamiana
5) Heterotheca jonesii - amazingly long bloom period
6) Orostachys spinosa(foreground; semp in background) - not getting quite enough light and too much water
7) Lupinus lepidus utahensis, from seed this year

And today:
8, 9) Granular snow from overnight, lingering on Telekia speciosa and Verbascum nigrum.  This cool, wet summer has continued into an unusually cool, dull September.


Submitted by Sellars on Fri, 09/17/2010 - 11:11

Great pictures Lori!

You have a lot going on in your garden right now.

I love the Lupinus lepidus.  I have seen various sub species in the mountains but have not tried to grow it.  Was it difficult from seed?  It has certainly put on a lot of growth this year.


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 09/17/2010 - 18:08

Thanks, David.  Lupinus lepidus had good germination in 13 days at room temp from SRGC seedex seed.  I think I probably scarified them, but didn't write it down in my notes.


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 09/18/2010 - 14:32

I think this species is self infertile.  I had one bloom this season with thousands of flowers and plenty of pollinators, yet only a few capsules seemed to develop and I couldn't detect any viable seed.  However, this was, in general, a terrible year for pollinating.  Beginning at the end of June, it's been very wet here. 

True to form, only a skeleton remains of that orostachys.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sun, 09/19/2010 - 11:14

Lori, your garden is looking wonderful.  The Lupinus is specially beautiful.  When does your garden (as a rule) start shutting down for the winter?  When do you usually have your first killing frost?


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 09/19/2010 - 19:47

Thanks, Anne.  Big swaths of the garden need renovation, and we are getting at it this year by taking out several big, not very interesting shrubs...  Needless to say, I need both a lot of new, interesting perennials and a lot more alpine beds!  :)
We usually have killing frost by mid-September.  The cloudy, rainy conditions have held it off in the city, but there were 2 consecutive nights of frost in outlying agricultural areas to the east that killed off the crops. 
Fall colour is progressing here... mostly yellow in these parts except for tracts of wild roses (red) in the grasslands and red or purple red-osier dogwood in wetter, brushy areas.  (I hope we don't get a repeat of last year, when sudden very cold weather (-15 deg C or so) and snow at the beginning of October killed the leaves on the trees and resulted in next-to-no fall colour at all, and a very early winter!)


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 09/19/2010 - 21:06

Trond, I had expected babies to be produced when the Orostachys spinosa flowered, but it didn't (!)  Come to think of it, years ago I had another unknown species of orostachys that flowered and didn't make offsets, too.  Hmmm. 

Anyway, I don't worry about it, because for some reason Orostachys spinosa tends to break up into many plants if I grow them in smaller pots.  I have lots.  In fact, this is the first times it has bloomed for me, and I've grown them since 2004!  The one that bloomed was from seed started in 2007 (not by me).


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 09/20/2010 - 01:08

Thanks both. I thought that Orostachys normally made offsets.
I can't understand way this plant is not for sale here - they sell the same 10 types of Sempervivums every year.


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 09/29/2010 - 13:07

Two plants still going strong are the American Polemonium pauciflorum and the Chinese Stylophorum lasiocarpum. Both are short-lived perennials but selfsow moderately. They flower all summer and continue through the fall.


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 10/11/2010 - 16:54

Very nice - Polemonium pauciflorum is one of my favourites.  Not familiar with Stylophorum lasiocarpum... though I seem to recall a Stylophorum out in the yard that, unfortunately, never does much of anything.  It's wonderful to have some plants that bloom all summer through!

A few things here, as the season rapidly winds down...
1) Very bizarre flowers of water hawthorn, Aponogeton distachyos, a South African water plant that goes dormant in mid-summer (even here in our short season), then develops leaves and flowers again in fall.
2) Native plant Gutierrezia diversifolia still in bloom, with Carlina acaulis in the back.
3) Lonicera x 'Dropmore Scarlet', against blue skies.
4) Rhododendron mucronulatum 'Crater's Edge'
5) Clematis tubulosa var. davidii, looking very washed out this year.  (It's usually distinctly blue.)
6) Aster ericoides ssp. pansus, another native plant.
7) Onosma stellulata - still blooming in this very cool, wet summer!
8 ) Sempervivum and fall leaves


Submitted by Howey on Sat, 10/16/2010 - 04:35

Right now, mid October, the loveliest plant in my garden is this Callicarpa - not sure of species - with it's eye-catching purple berries.  Not sure how to get seeds for the Seedex - have squashed a few berries but the seeds inside are very tiny and hard to capture.  Hope the attached pic gets through OK. Fran


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 10/16/2010 - 11:19

You can buy food strainers of various weave sizes.  I use a very fine weave that works well with my cactus seed that is suspended in a slimy gel.  The seed is smaller than edible poppy seeds.  Gently swirl and rub the seed against the strainer under running water.

I processed seed from Aralia elata once.  I took a good amount of time.  Later, when I saw what the seed is supposed to look like (larger and heftier), I realized the seeds I extracted were not viable and never really developed, even though the berries looked normal.  Hopefully, this is not the case with your Callicarpa.

Below is my maiden bloom of Aconitum incisifidum.  One slender, 4 ft. stalk that is amazingly sturdy, with still unblemished foliage of heavy substance.


Submitted by Mark McD on Sat, 10/16/2010 - 12:00

Fran, your Callicarpa looks like dichotoma, but I must admit, some Callicarpa species look fairly similar, so don't hold me to that identification.  I get seedlings under my main shrub from the berries dropping, so it might be possible to gather them up and sow them without cleaning... I do that with Arisaema seed all the time and still get good germination.

Rick, I've not heard of that Aconitum, but there are some grand fall blooming ones such as the one you show.  A neighbor gave me a clump that I've been admiring next to their mailbox, growing 5-6 feet, just coming into bloom now, but the plant from a friendly local garden-club lady, latin names are largely optional, so I don't know which one it is.


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 10/16/2010 - 15:40

Howey wrote:

Right now, mid October, the loveliest plant in my garden is this Callicarpa - not sure of species - with it's eye-catching purple berries.  Not sure how to get seeds for the Seedex - have squashed a few berries but the seeds inside are very tiny and hard to capture.  Hope the attached pic gets through OK. Fran

I once learnt from a gardener to let soft berries rot before you try to rinse the seeds. Then the (remains of the) pulp is easy to wash away. (He also said it improves germination by breaking down germination inhibiting chemicals.) If the seeds are very fine you have to use a special sieve, though!


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 10/19/2010 - 11:18

The birches have lost almost all their leaves but other plants in the garden still linger.
1) Remnants from the kitchen garden, a battered artichoke we forgot to eat.
2 and 3) Clematis orientalis (probably 'Bill McKenzie') never gives up till devastated by frost and storm. The plant produces more and more flowers in the fall.
4) The fuchsias are stayers too.
5) The Kiwi plant on the wall grows enormously every year and I have to cut it down so that it don't completely swamp the house. The longest shoots are 4-5 meters.


Submitted by Mark McD on Tue, 10/19/2010 - 12:15

Hoy wrote:

Howey wrote:

Right now, mid October, the loveliest plant in my garden is this Callicarpa - not sure of species - with it's eye-catching purple berries.  Not sure how to get seeds for the Seedex - have squashed a few berries but the seeds inside are very tiny and hard to capture.  Hope the attached pic gets through OK. Fran

I once learnt from a gardener to let soft berries rot before you try to rinse the seeds. Then the (remains of the) pulp is easy to wash away. (He also said it improves germination by breaking down germination inhibiting chemicals.) If the seeds are very fine you have to use a special sieve, though!

On some genera, such as with Magnolia, I do exactly that... put the fleshy red "berries" in a container of water and soak for up to a week, changing the grungy water every other day.  Then when they're totally soft and mushy (and a bit stinky/slimy) it is easy to squeeze out the fairly large black seed.  The seed is dried and stored in plastic bags with peat moss (only ever-so-slightly moistened), kept in the vegetable crisper in the refrigerator, and in spring when the weather warms up, sow the seed, and you get about 100% germination in a week or two.  But for some seed, I don't bother removing the pulp, and I still get good germination with Arisaema, and self-sown germination with Callicarpa.  

Now I'm wondering how to handle my Ophiopogon umbraticola, the beautiful blue berries are starting to fall off, so time to harvest them... maybe I'll experiment, 1/2 soaked and pulp removed, the other half sown as is.
Addenda:  just harvested two dozen Ophiopogon seeds, and will try my experiment.  Last year I only had 5 seeds produced, and I scratched them all in around the parent plant, but received no germination... that is, until just now when I harvested the seed, there was a single spiralling leaf seedling!  Took a full year to germinate, cool.


Submitted by Mark McD on Tue, 10/19/2010 - 12:17

Hoy wrote:

2 and 3) Clematis orientalis (probably 'Bill McKenzie') never gives up till devastated by frost and storm. The plant produce more and more flowers in the fall.

Awesome Clematis, just look at all those flowers, so late in the season. 


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 10/24/2010 - 22:23

A last few late-blooming alpines...
1) Marmoritis complanatum (was Phyllophyton complanatum), from Holubec seed this year.  (Description:  "China: Beima Shan, Yunnan, 4500m, limestone scree; beautiful hairy Lamium, 5-12 cm high, imbricate reddish green leaves, long blue axillar flowers, 2008 seeds").
For comparison:
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=88857&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=88858&flora_id=800
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=88860&flora_id=800

My plants look not too unlike the last photo above... though I'd prefer them to look like the furry little trolls in the first two photos!! I've come to realize the conditions in the new tufa bed are much too rich, and assuming these plants survive the winter, I'll have to starve them into character next year.  (I assure you that next spring's tufa bed addition will be lean and mean!   ;D)

Here's a plant description, and the source of the photo above, and others:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=210001232

2) Nepeta phyllochlamys has been hardy for a few years now correction: through 1 winter so far... the foliage is pleasantly furry.  Flowers are almost insignificant...  though mildly interesting in extreme close-up!

3) Tanacetum tibeticum from Pavelka seed this year (Description:  "5000m, Tanglang La Pass, Zanskar, India; dwarf suffruticose silvery-grey cushions 5-15cm; erect scapes with 2-5 yellow flowers; 2005 seed").


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 08:56

Lori, all three are really nice... I particularly like Marmoritis complanatum (Phyllophyton complanatum), never heard the name Marmoritis, but I'm vaguely familiar with Phyllophyton.  I'll have to check back on the efloras pages, they're timing out so must be busy.

In your threesome, I see an old friend.  Nepeta phyllochlamys I grew from the Turkish MacPhail & Watson expedition back in the latter 1970s, and it proved hardy outside for a number of years, making a most satisfactory fuzzy tumbling mound, great for a rock wall situation.  While the flowers are small, they were so numerous to create a haze of color, so was actually effective in flower.


Submitted by Howey on Tue, 11/02/2010 - 07:31

Not the most exciting time of year for walking in my garden.  However, the first frost came two nights ago leaving in its wake the usual deep green drooping leaves of the Dahlias and the tiny yellow and weedy Coyote tomatoes. The ground is now covered with leaves ready for raking.  Random bits of color - one mauve cluster on the lilac bush, only one pink flower on Erodium richardii, a single wee stalk of that beautiful blue Eritrichium canum, and those hard to kill California poppies running through it all.  The last red rosebud of summer is on the New Dawn Rose and Crysanthemums still in flower.  Those maculate leaves of Arum maculatum are up now and restarting their cycle.  Christmas Cactus and a Bottlebrush have only benefited from a shot of frost and are now indoors for the winter.  Just cut the top off a Juniper which was small but grew without my noticing.  The Smilax vine looks like it will be evergreen.  So now it is just a matter of having faith that the nice things will survive the oncoming cold and snow, the chicken wire around small trees and shrubs will hold out the rabbits and concentrating on feeding the birds.  Time to assess 2010's high and low lights and start to sow more seeds for 2011.
Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b 


Submitted by Mark McD on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 06:00

Frances, it is certainly time to "put the garden to bed"; been doing the same here.  I was curious about your comment on "weedy Coyote tomatoes", as I have not heard of them before, so I googled to learn more about them.  Are the "tomatoes" in the following link look like yours?  Do you cultivate these and enjoy their fruit, or are they a garden escape (ref: weedy)?  Interesting about the lycopene levels.
http://www.aravaipa.com/Coyote-Tomato-Co.htm
"Not a cherry tomato as some claim, but another nightshade species called Solanum pimpinellifolium, the Currant Tomato. Currant tomatoes contain about 40 times more lycopene than common tomatoes!"

We've had a couple nights down to the lower-mid 20s F (hard freeze), but a few things are still flowerings, among them the Asters or Symphyotrichum species.  One of my favorites is Aster laevis or Symphyotrichum laeve var. laeve, which is utterly unfazed by the frost and continues flowering; they have been in flower for 2 months... one of the very best native asters.


Submitted by Howey on Fri, 11/05/2010 - 05:11

Mark, very interesting what you wrote about the Currant Tomato, as that is what it appears to be.  I do not deliberately cultivate it - it just pops up everywhere and is still producing edible fruit in the Friends of the Gardens Courtyard at the University.  Was also interesting to note about the lycopene component which sounds pretty positive to me.  I'd be happy to send you seed if you like? Surprising what turns up at the Local Horticulture Group meetings...that's where we got it.  It is one of the few tomato volunteers that produces fruit before the killing frost comes here.  Nice pictures of the fall asters.  Among the mauve ones in my garden is one that is pink - plan to try to propagate it from seed over winter. A friend sent me pics of a deep pink one in her garden at Iron Bridge (North Shore of Lake Huron) which could be some type of cultivar - nice.  Fran
 


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 11/06/2010 - 01:48

Skulski wrote:

A last few late-blooming alpines...
My plants look not too unlike the last photo above... though I'd prefer them to look like the furry little trolls in the first two photos!! I've come to realize the conditions in the new tufa bed are much too rich, and assuming these plants survive the winter, I'll have to starve them into character next year.  (I assure you that next spring's tufa bed addition will be lean and mean!   ;D)

Lori, Your plants look much more like "furry little trolls" than mine ever shall ( I don't have these plants either). The moist climate and low angle of the sun here make many of the rock plants lax.

Frances, I never "put the garden to bed" if you mean covering plants or cutting down stems and leaves. I think the plants overwinter better if left to themselves. I also let the leaves lie except in the paths.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 11/06/2010 - 11:06

Very interesting indeed about the "coyote tomato" - one can't help but be intrigued by the description of "earthy, fruity, outrageous flavor"!   :D

We don't usually do much of any "putting the garden to bed" here either - nothing gets covered, or cut off, normally.  The exception this year was to appease my husband by cutting off the taller perennials right along the sidewalks, while things were still dry and the weather was good, in order to make snow shoveling easier later on.  Even that I find strangely depressing to do - I really prefer to leave things standing 'til spring!  :( We don't do any fussing around with leaves either... they just stay where they collect.  (Not having any lawn makes it easier to follow a laissez faire policy on leaves, too, of course!)

In this amazingly warm fall, there are still a few things in active bloom, and some nice colour here and there:
1) Senecio polyodon, one of those amazingly hardy South Africans
2) Geranium x magnificum
3) A sparse few blooms on Androsace septentrionalis, self-seeded from NARGS seed... a much different and looser form than what I see in the mountains here
4) Jovibarba fall colour
5) Hylotelephium 'Autumn Joy' (or similar)
6) Veronica spicata ssp. incana 'Silbersee'
7) Arabis procurrens 'Variegata'
8 ) The ever-reliable and long-blooming Campanula rotundifolia
9) Geranium sanguineum


Submitted by Mark McD on Sat, 11/06/2010 - 18:46

Lori, you're getting some great fall color there, and some nice late blooms... very colorful.

Hmmm, it seems that people don't like cutting back plants and perennials in the fall.  Every year it's the same story for me, in spring stuff starts growing so fast that I work feverishly to do spring cleanup, cut back old foliage, twigs and stems, before new plant growth gets in the way and makes the task much harder to do.  So, I now try and get as much pruning, cleanup, shearing, and debris removal done in late fall, so in spring I can concentrate on less mundane activities and enjoy the spring show.

So, today I went ahead and started shearing back Epimedium foliage.  With a pair of sharp shears, it took me about 15 minutes to trim back about 25 epimedium plants near my deck... if I wait until spring and have to do micro-surgery to clear out the unsightly twigs and battered winter persistent foliage, being careful not to cut off spring shoots and flower buds, it might take me a couple hours.  Yes, I'll miss some of the colorful foliar interest, but next spring I can just watch my "eppies" come to life without worry about cleanup.  I did leave the leaves on a couple evergreen species, and depending on their condition next spring will either leave them on or cut them back if beaten up.  Here are before, during, and after shots of this particular epimedium planting.

I need to do the same thing with Allium beds, tons more epimediums, and with other perennials; I hope the season holds out before the first big snow.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sun, 11/07/2010 - 14:27

Mark, I wait until I see bare ground sometime during the winter and cut all the epimediums at that time.  We always seem to have a snow-free period now.  It's too early then to have to worry about spring shoots or buds.  I used to wait until the snow melted but always lost a few small shoots no matter how careful I tried to be.  We just don't seem to get the kind of continuous snow cover we once did.  All of "my" snow seems to be dumped well south.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sun, 11/14/2010 - 08:02

Some pictures taken about 10 days ago in this long, extended fall.  Most of the garden has sensibly retired for the winter.  Here are the last holdouts.
1. One flower on Petrocallis pyrenaica
2. Heterotheca jonesii scattered blooms
3. The last Salvia
4. Snake in trough - still hasn't moved
There was a picture of epimediums in their fall color, but lost it when I was resizing pictures, oops.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sun, 11/14/2010 - 09:05

How clever of you to identify it.  You're exactly right.  Actually, I bought this at a roadside cafe in Utah years ago as a replacement for a wonderful snake that we lost to a pair of red-tailed hawks.  It was made from a willow branch and painted by the artist Jack Lambert.  He did too good a job.  We saw the hawks, who live here, dive down to the back patio.  When we investigated we found the snake in pieces where one had grabbed it with its talons and released it in disgust.  They've left the replacement strictly alone.


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 01/17/2011 - 04:14

Dave, that is a plant to grow! I have started collecting Arisaema but I plant all in my garden hoping the best!
I have none with such fine markings though.


Submitted by Toole on Tue, 01/25/2011 - 20:15

Hoy wrote:

Dave, that is a plant to grow! I have started collecting Arisaema but I plant all in my garden hoping the best!
I have none with such fine markings though.

Thanks Trond

I've just about finished the remodelling of another woodland plot so eventually all the potted Arisaemas will be planted out.....

Finally started seriously using my new SLR camera which i purchased 3 months ago.
Close up pic of a Geranium sps .

Cheers Dave


Submitted by Mark McD on Tue, 01/25/2011 - 20:40

oooh Dave, that photo is worth clicking on (quick everyone, click that photo to see the enlarged view), just look at the tracery of blue veins against the pink petals... wonderful detail.  Any idea about what Geranium species or hybrid it might be?  There have been some posts on SRGC lately with some really good links to Erodium and Geraniacaea that capture the imagination during these winter days (well, at least winter days for us northern hemisphere folks ;))


Submitted by Toole on Tue, 01/25/2011 - 21:22

Yes i do know the name Mark --it's just that i can't remember for the moment .... :-[ sigh!
As soon as it comes to me i'll post it's name .

I'll go out and obtain a picture of the clump once this welcome rain stops. .  i've had this plant for at least 20 years--a real 'go doer' in the garden here --easy to divide.
Not sure if it sets seed as i tend to cut the stems and sometimes the foliage later in the season when the growth gets a bit floppy.

Cheers Dave.


Submitted by Fermi on Wed, 01/26/2011 - 17:46

I'm glad that Dave has started off the new year on this thread - I can now post a few pics of our garden in "high summer" - the rains so far haven't let us feel it's really summer yet! At least it's a change from the usual heat and drought!
The first is a calochortus which has just opened the last flower for the season  Calochortus fimbriatus.

The next is a hybrid Lilium "Pappo's Beauty"

and then "Lady Alice"

cheers
fermi


Submitted by Mark McD on Wed, 01/26/2011 - 20:53

Fermi, from what I've seen on postings on SRGC by folks from Australia, it seems that the genus Calochortus do well in Australia.  I bet there are few here in the US that can boast growing C. fimbriatus, a fantastic species and VERY NEW to the taxonomic scene described just 10 years ago in 2001.  What is your source for this species?  How many Calochortus do you grow and what is your basic cultivation regimen?

PS.  You get a Gold Star, you wasted no time in reading my FAQ on how to use the syntax for "inline" image attachments on the forum, this was just added today!  Of course, you've been using that technique on SRGC already, so maybe I should just award a Silver Star ;D. The FAQ and others are found here: http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?board=1.0


Submitted by Booker on Thu, 01/27/2011 - 12:09

Many thanks to Mark for explaining how to inset images into a posting ... this is simply a test to see how easy or difficult this might be.

All the images were captured during a brief visit to Ness Gardens on the Wirral in north-west England.

None of the images will be titled.

This is purely a test.

Images for enjoyment only.

May post more later.

Few more to post.

Not as easy to negotiate as posting all at the end.

Only a few more ...

Simply a test ...

Finally reached the end!


Submitted by Booker on Thu, 01/27/2011 - 13:01

Well, the test certainly worked and could prove indispensable in the future.

All the images were captured in late August 2010.


Submitted by Mark McD on Thu, 01/27/2011 - 16:12

Booker wrote:

Well, the test certainly worked and could prove indispensable in the future.

All the images were captured in late August 2010.

Hi Cliff, glad the inline image attachments syntax is working out for you.  What's the blue-fruited beauty above?


Submitted by Booker on Thu, 01/27/2011 - 19:50

McDonough wrote:

Booker wrote:

Well, the test certainly worked and could prove indispensable in the future.

All the images were captured in late August 2010.

Hi Cliff, glad the inline image attachments syntax is working out for you.  What's the blue-fruited beauty above?

Hi Mark,
I didn't collect names along with the images, but I believe (from memory) that this was Dianella tasmanica.


Submitted by Sellars on Thu, 01/27/2011 - 21:31

The Northern Hemisphere is starting to wake up.

This is Lewisia brachycalyx emerging in the rock garden today.

I always find it exciting to see new growth on plants that estivate, given the uncertainty of whether they made it through the summer and fall.  Lewisia rediviva emerges in October in our garden but Lewisia brachycalyx and Lewisia nevadensis don't show up until January or February, eventually flowering in spring before disappearing again.

W.H.N. Preece writing in 1937 said this about Lewisia brachycalyx:

It is no easy matter to find suitable words, nor to coin adeqaute phrases to portray such ethereal beauty, ineffable purity and gleaming loveliness in blossoms at once transluscent, ice-white and crystalline".

Fine words indeed for a very lovely plant. I hope it grows faster than whatever is nibbling on the leaves.


Submitted by Fermi on Mon, 01/31/2011 - 23:57

McDonough wrote:

Fermi, from what I've seen on postings on SRGC by folks from Australia, it seems that the genus Calochortus do well in Australia.  I bet there are few here in the US that can boast growing C. fimbriatus, a fantastic species and VERY NEW to the taxonomic scene described just 10 years ago in 2001.  What is your source for this species?  How many Calochortus do you grow and what is your basic cultivation regimen?

PS.  You get a Gold Star, you wasted no time in reading my FAQ on how to use the syntax for "inline" image attachments on the forum, this was just added today!  Of course, you've been using that technique on SRGC already, so maybe I should just award a Silver Star ;D. The FAQ and others are found here: http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?board=1.0

Hi Mark,
We got this Calochortus under its synonym C. weeddii ssp vestus from a local bulb supplier, Marcus Harvey in Tasmania.
Other Calochortus which we grow include C. superbus (the first one I grew to flowering size from seed from the NARGS Seedex I think), C. splendens, C. albus, C. macrocarpus (only in a pot at present), C.argillosus, C. amabile, C. luteus, C. uniflorus, C. catalina and C. clavatus. Most were grown from seed but we have bought bulbs of the last 4 as well. C. superbus and C. splendens have produced the most impressive displays so far in terms of numbers.
Apart from those that never make it out of the seed-pot, I plant the bulbs out in late summer/early atutumn into raised beds which are basically our local "adobe" clay ameliorated with plenty of grit/sand and sometimes a bit of compost and gypsum.
We try not to water the bulb areas during the summer but this year that has been futile; it remains to be seen how many have survived the wet weather!
cheers
fermi
PS yes, I've had some practice on the SRGC Forum at posting pics ;D but I needed your FAQ to let me know we could do the same here now (it didn't work a while back when I tried!)


Submitted by Mark McD on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 21:30

Fermi wrote:

PS yes, I've had some practice on the SRGC Forum at posting pics ;D but I needed your FAQ to let me know we could do the same here now (it didn't work a while back when I tried!)

Fermi, that's quite a good representation of Calochortus species!  I hope the recent rains In Australia that were so prominent in the news recently have no ill effect on your Calochortus bulbs, or other plants for that matter.

Yes, the "inplace" loading of photos here previously showed a bug whereby images were repeated (doubled), but we got that fixed and the FAQ tells how to do it now.


Submitted by Kelaidis on Fri, 02/04/2011 - 18:42

Aaah Fermi, you know how to rub salt in wounds! We just had -20F in parts of this area a few days ago, and there is snow everywhere. America is in the thralls of winter, and you show us lilies and calochorti! You are a sadist, my man!


Submitted by Fermi on Mon, 02/07/2011 - 16:28

Kelaidis wrote:

Aaah Fermi, you know how to rub salt in wounds! We just had -20F in parts of this area a few days ago, and there is snow everywhere. America is in the thralls of winter, and you show us lilies and calochorti! You are a sadist, my man!

Panayoti! You should know that Indians don't waste salt onwounds - we use chilli powder! ;D Besides the pics of plants flowering here is only to remind you that spring and summer are not far away.
Of course this side of the world is suffering floods and fires while you are under snow - it's a crazy world! The alternation between heatwave and downpour is playing havoc with some plants in the Rock Garden; Genista pilosa which was a lovely cascading mat is now seriously burned off and 2 Daphne alpina shrubs look like they have succumbed. But I'm sure my losses will be nothing compare to what the extreme cold is doing to some of your gardens over there.
cheers
fermi


Submitted by Fermi on Thu, 02/24/2011 - 23:54

Some new flowers this week,
Rhodophiala bifida

Lycoris sprengeri

And some belladonna Lilies, Amaryllis belladonna hybrids

cheers
fermi


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 02/25/2011 - 21:52

Very nice, Fermi.

I didn't know there were any Lycoris with such wide petals.  And such a symmetrical flower, too!


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 02/26/2011 - 03:46

Beautiful "lilies"!
I am looking forward to see mine when they hopefully reach flowering size. I have sowed different monocots from Chilean seed, among them some Rhodophiala spp and have potfulls of seedlings. ;D


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 03/04/2011 - 09:15

Today I didn't walk in the garden but chopped a yew to firewood. A foggy but not cold day +7C now.
Rick, did you say you were fan of brown?
Here are some browny colors ;D


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 03/04/2011 - 11:42

Hoy wrote:

Today I didn't walk in the garden but chopped a yew to firewood. A foggy but not cold day +7C now.
Rick, did you say you were fan of brown?
Here are some browny colors ;D

Nice views! I don't like overcast days, usually, but I do like fog! What is the large broadleaf evergreen?


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 03/04/2011 - 13:17

cohan wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Today I didn't walk in the garden but chopped a yew to firewood. A foggy but not cold day +7C now.
Rick, did you say you were fan of brown?
Here are some browny colors ;D

Nice views! I don't like overcast days, usually, but I do like fog! What is the large broadleaf evergreen?

Thanks! Fog has it's charm but not if it is foggy too often >:(
The broadleaf evergreen is a Hedera, probably H hibernica, climbing in a common birch.


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 03/04/2011 - 19:00

Hoy wrote:

Rick, did you say you were fan of brown?

You got it!

Is that a Pinus parviflora in the first pic?
I sure wish I could grow true cedars, ANY true cedars.
And what is the broadleaf evergreen tree?


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 03/05/2011 - 00:06

RickR wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Rick, did you say you were fan of brown?

You got it!

Is that a Pinus parviflora in the first pic?
I sure wish I could grow true cedars, ANY true cedars.
And what is the broadleaf evergreen tree?

Right on spot! Pinus parviflora. The other pine there to the right is an American species, P contorta. Between them is a Thuja, maybe T plicata.
When you say true cedars, do you mean Cedrus? -I grow three species: C deodara, libanotica and atlantica. They are  nice trees. You can get a glimpse of C atlantica 'Glauca' in the top left corner of the 3rd picture, the other green stuff in the left is Sciadopitus verticillata.

The broadleaf evergreen tree is not a tree but Hedera hibernica climbing in a common birch.


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 03/05/2011 - 15:45

Hoy wrote:

Right on spot! Pinus parviflora. The other pine there to the right is an American species, P contorta. Between them is a Thuja, maybe T plicata.
When you say true cedars, do you mean Cedrus? -I grow three species: C deodara, libanotica and atlantica. They are  nice trees. You can get a glimpse of C atlantica 'Glauca' in the top left corner of the 3rd picture, the other green stuff in the left is Sciadopitus verticillata.

The broadleaf evergreen tree is not a tree but Hedera hibernica climbing in a common birch.

Yes, I was alluding to the Cedrus atlantica (which has had a name change, I believe).  I did guess the Pinus contorta, but I never would have thought that tree (below) was a Sciadopitys.  I would have thought it would have much longer pseudo-needles in your climate.  Unless, is it growing in clay based soil?

The Hedera hiberica is impressive, at least to me.  We are very lucky to even get Hedera helix (or closely related) to even survive on the ground, let alone climb.


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 03/06/2011 - 00:25

The Sciadopitys really has very large needles, the picture lies :-X When I come home next week I'll show you! No clay here - all soil is peat-based (naturally) except some sandy soil at the lowest-lying part.


Submitted by Fermi on Mon, 03/07/2011 - 00:17

The "sedums" are doing really well this year after all that summer rain we got! This is one of the Hylotelephiums, possibly "Autumn Joy"

Clematis "Golden Tiara" is also still looking good with new flowers adorning the silky seed heads,

A native "Bluebell", Wahlenbergia stricta is liking conditions in a sand-bed

A rather pale cutie is this Linum tenuifolium grown from Seedex 2010(?)

which I'm hoping will re-seed.

cheers
fermi


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 03/07/2011 - 21:22

Beautiful, Fermi - how nice to be reminded of summer turning to fall!  I've been intrigued for some time by Wahlenbergia (being kind of a campanula nut) but I suspect they'd only act as annuals here. 

I like the Linum tenuifolium too.  I have found growing Linum from seed surprisingly difficult (well, surprising especially given that one sees entire blue fields of flax in these parts!) 


Submitted by Boland on Tue, 03/08/2011 - 12:09

Trond, I live in the land of fog and it can get darn depressing day after day.  having said that, I could use some now as fog is great at melting snow...and we still have scads of that!  It has been sunny and 8 C this past 2 days so the snow is settling but there is just so much on the ground...still about 3-4 feet over most of my back yard.  I actually dug out my crevice garden as I am desperate to see some soil!


Submitted by cohan on Tue, 03/08/2011 - 12:53

Todd wrote:

Trond, I live in the land of fog and it can get darn depressing day after day.  having said that, I could use some now as fog is great at melting snow...and we still have scads of that!  It has been sunny and 8 C this past 2 days so the snow is settling but there is just so much on the ground...still about 3-4 feet over most of my back yard.  I actually dug out my crevice garden as I am desperate to see some soil!

Daytime fog is not at all common here, its usually a nighttime (or at least morning.evening) phenomenon, though at this elevation we are sometimes in the bottom of the clouds ;)

3-4 feet is a lot of snow--we have that much around paths and drives where its been piled up from shovelling, otherwise probably more like 13-18inches in most places, tending to less around spruce and in mixed woods (except north side of woods in the low areas where willows grow, which always has the most snow).. no doubt it will stay here much longer than in Newfoundland, though anything can happen this time of year--Wed +2C, Fri -8C with possible snow (they downgraded periods of snow to 60%chance of flurries, yay!)

A random image from warmer days, an Achillea millefolium growing just up the road--the first time I have seen pink in the wild populations! The close-up may or may not make it look pinker than in real life--it was pale but noticeable as I rode past on my bike....
And one of its basically white cousins with a pollinator...


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 03/08/2011 - 13:28

Todd wrote:

Trond, I live in the land of fog and it can get darn depressing day after day.  having said that, I could use some now as fog is great at melting snow...and we still have scads of that!  It has been sunny and 8 C this past 2 days so the snow is settling but there is just so much on the ground...still about 3-4 feet over most of my back yard.  I actually dug out my crevice garden as I am desperate to see some soil!

Todd, fog is not uncommon in spring when the air warms and the sea still is cold but fortunately we are spared the worst as it tends to be more foggy at the other side of the fjord and nearer the coast (the fjord runs south - north here and I live at the east side).

Cohan, is yarrow a native plant at your place? Here pink (light pink, not dark) yarrows are not uncommon, especially at our cabin in the mountain where I am now. Not much snow here - 3/4m I think. Haven't had time skiing though, the sewage is frozen further down the valley and all the neighbors "spent food" has found it's way up through our toilet -  the floors of the bathroom, toilet and entrance flooded with..... Have done the worst cleaning job ever!

And I can't comment on Fermi's pictures, I can't see them!
(Trond, Fermi's photos have been fixed - Mark McD.)


Submitted by Mark McD on Tue, 03/08/2011 - 16:59

I know the snowdrops I show here are very common, but they are the harbinger of spring in my garden, followed closely by Crocus vitellinus, and this year Colchicum kesselringii that a friend sent last fall, is blooming now too.  The yard and gardens are still covered with an 18" glacial layer of hard-pack ice, but in a couple spots, such as the warm sunny south side of the house, snow receded and a few bare bits of ground can be seen, and much to my surprise, there were snowdrops!  Nice :D


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 03/09/2011 - 00:55

Hoy wrote:

Todd wrote:

Trond, I live in the land of fog and it can get darn depressing day after day.  having said that, I could use some now as fog is great at melting snow...and we still have scads of that!  It has been sunny and 8 C this past 2 days so the snow is settling but there is just so much on the ground...still about 3-4 feet over most of my back yard.  I actually dug out my crevice garden as I am desperate to see some soil!

Todd, fog is not uncommon in spring when the air warms and the sea still is cold but fortunately we are spared the worst as it tends to be more foggy at the other side of the fjord and nearer the coast (the fjord runs south - north here and I live at the east side).

Cohan, is yarrow a native plant at your place? Here pink (light pink, not dark) yarrows are not uncommon, especially at our cabin in the mountain where I am now. Not much snow here - 3/4m I think. Haven't had time skiing though, the sewage is frozen further down the valley and all the neighbors "spent food" has found it's way up through our toilet -  the floors of the bathroom, toilet and entrance flooded with..... Have done the worst cleaning job ever!

And I can't comment on Fermi's pictures, I can't see them!
(Trond, Fermi's photos have been fixed - Mark McD.)

I have to apologise for my brain apparently not functioning this morning, I somehow thought I was posting to image of the day, earlier...lol Oh well, I suppose it was only somewhat off topic  :rolleyes:
Trond: yes yarrow- Achillea millefolium - is a very very common native here, but nearly all white--till now! I was also pleased to find A sibirica the last two summers--just an occasional plant--maybe only in one spot, and last year I got some seed, I really like the form/foliage of sibirica: taller, straighter and neater..
I'd be interested in seeing your pink yarrows; I may yet break down and get some seed of hybrids, I really do like some of the colours, and want some other species--rock garden and larger--I want one of the 'white' leafed yellow flowered tall ones..; I have seedlings from last year (hopefully alive under the snow) from Gardens North of ACHILLEA sibirica var. camtschatica--which has pink flowers, very different foliage from the regular form too, it seems, but haven't seen mature foliage yet..


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 03/09/2011 - 12:36

Cohan, I'll show you pictures of the yarrows - but you have to wait some months ;D I haven't pictured yarrows, they are ubiquitous!

Nice to see snowdrop, Mark. I'll take a look at mine when I've time and it is sun!


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 03/09/2011 - 12:52

Hoy wrote:

Cohan, I'll show you pictures of the yarrows - but you have to wait some months ;D I haven't pictured yarrows, they are ubiquitous!

Nice to see snowdrop, Mark. I'll take a look at mine when I've time and it is sun!

I know what you mean, Trond; I try to photograph every flowering species, especially when they first start.. after they are going for a long time, I tend to taper off..lol--stilll, the summer is so short, there are very few flowers I get tired of (apart from the cursed foreign buttercup, and slightly less, clover and dandelions!)


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 03/11/2011 - 10:18

A little walk in the garden between the showers - rain - hail - sleet! Got an inch of white stuff last night and early morning but it thawed during the day.

The snowdrops dropped a little by the weight of the white stuff and a Helleborus thibetanus takes it time to flower.

   

The Hellebores in the wood fared better and the snow receded quickly. Some Crocuses struggle, not with snow but with old leaves.

         


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 03/12/2011 - 01:01

Congratulations, Trond--spring finally arrived for you! It'll be a while yet here, so its good to see some photos from elsewhere ..


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 03/13/2011 - 00:43

cohan wrote:

Congratulations, Trond--spring finally arrived for you! It'll be a while yet here, so its good to see some photos from elsewhere ..

Thanks Cohan! But spring comes and goes here and is slow in progress. The spring does last to May :o We can still get snow and sleet :(


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 03/13/2011 - 11:11

Hoy wrote:

cohan wrote:

Congratulations, Trond--spring finally arrived for you! It'll be a while yet here, so its good to see some photos from elsewhere ..

Thanks Cohan! But spring comes and goes here and is slow in progress. The spring does last to May :o We can still get snow and sleet :(

Spring comes and goes here too, but we wont have any wildflowers until end of April or early  May, I don't yet have much planted for spring to make it earlier, my one spring bulb bed turned out to be  a cold spot, so its not early..lol
This week we will have days well above freezing, but there will be snow again, we aren't safe until late May/June....


Submitted by Fermi on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 00:58

And here it is starting to feel like autumn with the "late bulbs" like Lycoris coming into bloom,
Lycoris elsae

and the red one we grow as L. radiata but which I'm told isn't!

The colchicums are also doing their stuff: Colchicum cilicium (pale form) is slowly clumping up

cheers
fermi


Submitted by Kelaidis on Thu, 03/17/2011 - 18:18

We've just been through a toasty week and lots is coming into bloom: there are a bank of daffodils out on the parking lot of the gardens in full bloom, and the first Magnolia stellata opened by the Botanic Gardens house and the first corydalis are out (of course I forgot to photograph all these!)...but there are enough things to give a taste of the blustery steppe spring on the Colorado piedmont...I start with Bulbocodium vernum, which seems to do well in a variety of sites around Denver Botanic Gardens: I neglected to photograph the little dark pink forms of Colchicum szovitsii that have just opened at my house (much daintier). Two shots of my best Cyclamen coum--one with back lighting and the other not. These have finally found a shady site they like. Then there is the ever charming Eranthis hyemalis: can one ever have enough of this? The Fritillaria raddeana alarms me by its early bloom: I don't think we have as attractive a form as I've seen in pictures: it is rather greenish. Our F. imperialis are just breaking ground and this is in full bloom: makes me nervous since we are sure to have some more very cold weather. And Christmas roses have been blooming for months and they are now turning deep reds as they set seed....I've barely scratched the surface! I will have to do another post!


Submitted by Kelaidis on Thu, 03/17/2011 - 18:32

I have just posted ten pix, and they were not enough! Way too much is already blooming. I have over 30 different kinds of things in bloom at home, and the Gardens are exploding! The Galanthus are starting to go over in more exposed spots (although there are still a few patches of snow in the darker corners where they'll be coming up for some weeks to come!) The first picture is of a giant form of Galanthus elwesii I got from Don Hackenberry 30 years ago! The next is a more typical form that has naturalized at the gardens...and the nivalis 'Viridapice' which I find to be quite vigorous. I have a special spot in my heart for reticulate irises, and this seems to be a banner year for them. I have two shots of Iris danfordiae, which seems to perenniate if you can keep it dry in summer (we grow it in groundcovers or grass to achieve that). I have 'Katharine Hodgekin' all over my garden (I blogged about it recently as well: there's quite a story about it:http://prairiebreak.blogspot.com/2011/03/whats-in-name.html). And I include closeups of 'Harmony' and 'Pixie' two of my favorite dark blues. We have drifts of 'Harmony' on a steep slope with blue gramma grass where they are quite happy. I guess you will miss my pix of early Muscari, townsendias, hellebores galore, a bevy of early drabas, and so on and so forth: the new year is rushing headlong and dragging me with it. There's nothing like early spring! (Or is it late winter?)


Submitted by Mark McD on Thu, 03/17/2011 - 21:11

Fermi wrote:

And here it is starting to feel like autumn with the "late bulbs" like Lycoris coming into bloom,
Lycoris elsae
cheers
fermi

Fermi, great fall color, as we're just starting to emerge from under a mantle of snow and ice in the northern hemisphere.  I love the white Lycoris, a genus I have not succeeded with yet, in spite of getting some bulbs from Mr. Lycoris himself, James Waddick.  The name Lycoris elsae is probably referring to Lycoris elsiae Traub, Pl. Life xiv. 43 (1958).

It is a perplexing entity, this elsiae, and here are some links I found that help provide clues to the mystery:

[pbs] Lycoris straminea, houdyshellii, and L. elsiae:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/pbs/2010-September/038606.html

"Some authors describe that Lycoris albiflora Koidzumi is a natural hybrid of Lycoris radiata (L’Héritier) Herbert and Lycoris traubii Hayward"

Found a link for Lycoris albiflora, a species from Korea and China, with the synonym of Lycoris elsiae Traub
http://flowers.la.coocan.jp/Amaryllidaceae/Lycoris%20albiflora.htm
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200028053

All I could do here is raise questions, sorry, I don't have any answers, just not very experienced with the beautiful genus Lycoris.


Submitted by Mark McD on Thu, 03/17/2011 - 21:23

Panayoti, your spring season seems so much more advanced than New England, I'm so jealous.  Today it suddenly warmed up and reached 60 F (15.5 C), but it seemed semi-stupid as most of the yard and garden are still covered with a 12" thick (or thicker in places) mantle of snow, the ground still frozen beneath.

Of your floral spectacle, I really liked Galanthus nivalis 'Viridapice', such drooping elegance (and it actually looks different than many snowdrops). ;)

Now I've seen plenty of photos of Iris danfordiae, that elfin golden yellow reticulate Iris, but interplanted with glowing orange Sedum rupestre 'Angelina', sheer brilliance!

And the shot of blue pools of Iris reticulata 'Harmony' amidst the pale amber of dried grasses, who would have thought of such a combination, double brilliance!


Submitted by Mark McD on Thu, 03/17/2011 - 21:51

Today it was suddenly very warm, almost summer like, after such a long spell of cold and freezing weather.  The snow has receded from a few areas where spring bulbs are plants.  Yesterday, a patch of ground where Crocus biflorus ssp. isauricus was planted, the receding snow-pack revealed flattened buds of this crocus squashed and lying miserably under the weight of the snow, but today with the warmth, they all popped open.

Stepping away a little bit is a reminder that winter snow is still predominant; we'll need a number of such warm days to melt the snow-pack layer.


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 01:11

Panayoti--what a wealth of spring glory! I can only second some of Marks specifics, esp for the irises, Love the wild form of reticulata..

Mark, congrats on blooms! Everything here still looks like your last pic.... nothing here can bloom out of the snow, unless its a late spring snow after the pack has melted and ground thawed! The ground will still be solidly frozen in most places until some time after snowmelt...


Submitted by Howey on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 05:22

Yesterday, St. Patrick's Day, was the first day it was possible to see signs of life in the garden - Daphne mezereum, which was prostrate under the snow, has straightened up and the flower buds are swelling - lots of yellow Winter Aconite, Iris reticulata shoots and snowdrops.  Tulip and Hyacinths under the house eaves are up 3 inches now and Belladonna lilies which I transplanted into the University Courtyard (home of FOGS) last year, have survived and are coming up in good health.  Over in the tiny bog that one of our members created last year, the Lobelia cardinalis "placemats" look full of health.  In my own garden Lobelia cardinalis alba, Arum maculatum and that wonderful Polygala appear not to have been hurt at all by our really terrible winter.  Calycanthus floridus is just a mass of disjointed twigs - it did suffer.  However, some of those twigs, which I brought indoors and put into a vase with Cornus mas branches, have begun to leaf out, as has a small pot of Begonia sutherlandii.  No pictures yet but perhaps soon?  Fran

Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 06:01

Here it is back to square one - 10cm of wet snow this morning! But as the ground no longer is frozen I hope it will thaw during the day. This is quite normal for March weather though.

Fermi, wether it is Lycoris radiata or not don't matter to me! It is a nice plant anyway.

Kelaidis, you do not lack plants! I believe you have a lot of sun in daytime but that you experience freezing temps during nighttime?


Submitted by Kelaidis on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 20:00

Hoy,
    We get over 300 days of sun a year (more than Cairo and Athens! They have more clouds in winter than we do)...but we get frost until May. We often have Magnolias crisped...although the coming week is supposed to stay mild. I would be surprised if we don't get some very cold days still this winter.


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 20:34

Beautiful shows, Panayoti, Mark and Trond!  Wonderful fall flowers from the other side of the world too, Fermi!

The big melt is on here, and as this year's heavy snow rapidly disappears, it's encouraging to see signs of life...
Some native and exotic plants in juxtaposition -  bristlecone pine, Astragalus angustifolius and kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)

The following few are new from last year:
A teensy rosette of Dionysia involucrata, looking reasonably lifelike...

Papaver kluanense

Physaria alpina

Anacyclus marrocanus

Eriogonum saxatile

Elsewhere in the garden:
New growth on Caltha leptosepala

Evergreen foliage on Epimedium x versicolor 'Sulphureum' and a hellebore:


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 22:21

Lori, you are way ahead of me! I we get more weather like last week (+5C and higher) the snow will go fast, but we are back to barely above 0 days, or below; plus, much of my place is shaded, esp until the sun is higher, so we keep snow longer, except for a few spots..

hoping we will dodge the forecast 15-30cm of snow forecast for parts of the province the next couple of days; now looks like it may be farther south/west...


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 03/19/2011 - 21:35

Lori is way ahead of me too, here near Minneapolis, Minnesota.  No gardens' soil is showing yet, although there are spots of grass showing in the yard.  But the big melt is on here too, and the three bridges over the Minnesota River closest to me are expected to closed by mid to end of this coming week due to flooding!  Makes me feel very fortunate that I live on the same side of the river as where I work.  Many fellow employees will be driving an extra 20-25 miles each way to get to work.

Rivers' flooding is expected to be very bad here this spring.  The city of Grand Forks, MN on the Red River (flowing north) has stock piled 1.5 million filled sand bags.


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 03/19/2011 - 22:05

Oh, Rick, you are in one of those areas! I talk to lots of Manitoba folks in another forum, they are watching the rivers too....
Luckily, there is really nothing much around here that could flood--we get water standing in fields and roadsides, that's about it..even if the rivers in Rocky Mtn House or Red Deer did flood, it would be very local...


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 03:10

Ryvarden lighthouse. It has been a beacon here for more than 1000 years. You are not allowed to drive but have to walk a few miles along the road. It is popular by all kind of people particularly in the summer.

View north and east across the open sea "Sletta" and the "Bømlafjorden" fjord. Here the weather and the sea can be very bad. You can see the snow covered mountains in the east.

 

it is mostly heather and grass growing here. No early springflowers! The kinnikinnick is very common here Lori ;)


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 23:00

cohan wrote:

Oh, Rick, you are in one of those areas! I talk to lots of Manitoba folks in another forum, they are watching the rivers too....
Luckily, there is really nothing much around here that could flood--we get water standing in fields and roadsides, that's about it..even if the rivers in Rocky Mtn House or Red Deer did flood, it would be very local...

The Red River flowing from Minnesota and into Manitoba is especially prone to flooding because the drop in elevation per mile is so little.  It takes a long time for such flat areas to drain.  The Minnesota river is not as bad, but historically is a river with large natural fluctuations in volume.  It's really quite a spectacle to view the river at spring flooding from atop a river bluff, when you know what a "trickle" of water it becomes in late summer.

My little piece of land is at the top of the highest hill for  for miles around. (But you would never realize it just be looking at it.)


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 23:23

I'll bet you're glad for that hill, Rick!

Beautiful sights, Trond.  It's nice to see blue water and blue sky.  Yes, kinnikinick is very common here too, though maybe not so common in people's yards.

Hope you did not get all the forecasted snow, Cohan.  We've only gotten a couple of centimeters so far here.


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 03/21/2011 - 00:03

Skulski wrote:

I'll bet you're glad for that hill, Rick!

My higher elevation really doesn't matter as I am 15 miles from the river: the last half of the Minnesota River (maybe 100 miles?), the river bottom is pretty much flanked by low bluffs, and that general elevation is then maintained throughout my area.  Many towns are situated in the river bottoms, however.


Submitted by cohan on Mon, 03/21/2011 - 02:41

Good to know you are not right in the flood path, Rick, that would be awful....

Lori, we got something like 3-4 inches last night through early this afternoon (sat night/sunday) not bad considering they were talking about 15-30 cm for some areas, and we weren't clear if we'd be in that zone or not! Still merited an hour and half or more of 2 man intensive shovelling..

Happily, they have removed snow from Monday's forecast, though its still there for Tues and Wed--looks like another big system, this one should be farther south, mostly, looks like Calgary might be right in the middle of that one?
Looked at the mounds of snow beside the driveway today, chest high in places and a few metres wide....


Submitted by Kelaidis on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 11:36

Spring is springing a bit too quickly: our star magnolia is nearly in full bloom at the gardens (pix in my camera still)...but I have a enough pix from the last week to share: sunny and bright every day. The skies have forgotten how to rain! Oh well...at least we have lots of snowpack so we can water to our heart's content for a while...

Snowdrops and Helleborus niger going over, as are the earlier crocuses. Lots of daffodils are out as are the first tulips. I love this time of year! Fritillaria raddeana is a new one for me: what a beauty! Looks a lot like F. imperialis, only a month earlier, and a cool chartreuse. I am curious to see how it will fare with our inevitable cold snaps we shall get for the next few months eventually! I am not positive about Crocus versicolor: it may be C. veluchensis: can anyone weigh in? I've missed several of the spring colchicums already: they are a variable lot.  I finally found a spot Trillium nivale seems to like: now I need to get some more! Aaah Spring...from here on out it's a roller coaster.


Submitted by Mark McD on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 16:08

Panayoti...Aahhh Spring indeed!  An awesome start to the season.  I'm fixated on your Fritillaria raddeana in its ethereal chartreusiness and brooding black tree-trunk-like stems :o :o :o :o  Nice going with Iris nicolai outside too!  As I'm writing this, had to dash outside to see if there's any sign of Trillium nivale in my garden, but the snow only just receded from the east-facing slope it is planted on, and no signs of life yet, the ground still frozen.


Submitted by Mark McD on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 16:27

Aside from crocus and other early spring bulbs on the sunny and warm south side of my house, there isn't much else brewing significantly just yet... the ground needs to warm up a bit, a couple cold days with some snow causing some delay.  As the snow recedes, I inspect the extent of tunneling and mice/mole/vole/shrew damage to the yard and garden areas.  Activity is greatest in the fall, and I generously "fed" the tunnels last fall, but still see remnants of activity.  All has been tromped down and raked over; any new signs of activity will be dealt with.

Where snow has melted away from troughs, there are signs of growth, a couple Draba ready to pop blooms.  I am struck by the winter foliage color on Globularia repens 'nana', a plant I bought from Harvey Wrightman, with micro-tiny leaves that are about as black as any black-leaved plant that I know of.  It gives me an idea, a planting of this Globularia, with the blazing orange wide-spread goblets of Crocus gargaricus piercing the flat mats of Globularia goodness.  Is this the same as G. nana (a valid name), or is it truly a microform of G. repens?
http://www.wrightmanalpines.com/details.asp?PRODUCT_ID=G072
PS: the labels in my troughs are scheduled to disappear, after I document maps of each trough. :)

I spied a seedling of Sedum rupestre 'Angelina' that seeded into the pure gravel of my deck stair landing, looking mighty coral red. :o


Submitted by Kelaidis on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 20:34

Wow! That sedum is mighty red: wonder if you have an even redder form (if it came from seed): it might be worth growing alongside typical Angelina to see if it is a redder form...

Iam posting a link: I'm starting to do a short TV segment on a local TV program. You can at least see what I look like in it@

http://www.kwgn.com/lifestyle/green/

I must have taken over 100 pictures today at the Gardens and at my home. Tomorrow I visit Sandy Snyder and her fabulous grass garden.


Submitted by Booker on Wed, 03/23/2011 - 00:34

McDonough wrote:

Panayoti... I'm fixated on your Fritillaria raddeana in its ethereal chartreusiness and brooding black tree-trunk-like stems

Reginald Farrer is alive and well and living in Massachusetts!!!  ;D    Beautifully descriptive phrase, Mark ... I didn't even need to look at the image!   :D

Panayoti ... your multifarious talents are wasted on such basic material  ... please convince the television company to reach out to a more educated and appreciative audience (i.e. the alpine fraternity).  :D


Submitted by Mark McD on Wed, 03/23/2011 - 10:39

Kelaidis wrote:

Don't worry, Cliff: I will be slipping lots of alpines into the mix!

alpine peas... astragalus and such ;D


Submitted by Mark McD on Wed, 03/23/2011 - 13:44

Things are slowly but surely plumping up and showing hints of lively color.  In a trough, Penstemon breviculus leaves remain evergreen all winter, typically with a winter burnish of red, but the color seems more pronounced now.  Buds on a misnamed Draba (of the D. hispanica type) await a warmer day to pop their first blooms.  The Penstemon in flower can be seen here: http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=300.0

Townsendia rothrockii buds are swelling with promise:


I've shown Crocus gargaricus with blooms wide open, but I do find the unopened golden dumplings visually amusing, popping straight out of the ground without leaves, anchored to the ground by whitish cataphyllls (basal bracts); not sure why but they conjure up an image of woman's lipstick and make me smile.


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 03/24/2011 - 20:13

Nothing but snow all week here, but here's a snippet from before the snow... hope to see some of the rock garden again sometime soon.  :rolleyes:

Dracocephalum palmatum, Androsace carnea and Aethionema glaucescens, as the glacier recedes...


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 03/25/2011 - 12:03

I can't say that I miss the snow anymore!
The snowdrops have flowered for a while but when I came home today after finishing work the sun still shone and I could picture the flowers open!

         

In the woodland Rhododendron moupinense has opened it's flowers too.

       


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 03/25/2011 - 21:41

I had six inches of wet snow a few days ago, and the Iris suaveolens is again covered.  But the sun is more intense now, and things are melting even though it hasn't gone above freezing.

Fargesia rufa popped out of the snow two weeks ago, and I am surprised how good it still looks.   Usually, as soon as it is exposed to the elements in late winter/early spring the foliage begins to dry.  I believe it is because the ground is already at or near the thaw point.  Most winters, our soils freeze at least 2-3ft deeper.

             

Thuja koraiensis (Korean Arborvitae) with last season's cones, and showing the white lower surface of its green foliage.

             

Thujopsis dolabrata var. hondai, the most cold hardy form, seems to be doing well here in zone 4a.  It is interesting to note that this one's foliage turns darker in winter, while Thuja koraiensis foliage turns slightly lighter.

             

A little rabbit damage on Lespedeza bicolor.  This is an area where the wind whips through, and blows a good portion of the snow away.  In the photo is a yardstick for comparison.  This is the first time anything has eaten the Lespedeza.  Usually the rabbits go after the shrubby willows (untouched this year!) and the Leitneria.  It took several years before that Lespedeza bicolor decided it wasn't going to be a herbaceous plant any more.  Mama is a 9ft.  shrubby tree in Chicago.

             


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 03/25/2011 - 21:55

I have to say, Lori, that your Dracocephalum looks way better than mine ever does after the snow melts.  Bravo!  (and very cute)

Trond, Rhododendron moupinense is one of the few rhododendron species that can do well here.  My place is too dry for any rhododendrons, and I am a terrible waterer during the summer to boot.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 03/26/2011 - 10:59

It's lovely to see such greenery and bloom, Maggi!  Among all the glorious sights in your photos, the size of the Eranthis is especially incredible!  (The poor little wretches only manage to get to about an inch and a half for me here.)

Rick, I'd love to see that Lespedeza again later on when it's in bloom.  It's curious that it can even take on tree form!  The Fargesia looks terrific.  So it's not usually so pristine-looking, come spring?  Sounds like it is usually mostly evergreen, if not completely, for you?


Submitted by IMYoung on Sat, 03/26/2011 - 13:00

Lori, I guess the Eranthis are about six or so inches high now... they always get much taller as the flowers fade.....making a really nice green patch for a while... before the next batch of plants get going.


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 03/26/2011 - 14:11

Maggi, your garden looks terrific!
Here the Eranthis are eaten before it reaches even a centimeter!

Rick, I had a Lespedeza but the summers are too cold so it never hardened off and froze each winter.


Submitted by IMYoung on Sat, 03/26/2011 - 14:36

Thank you, Trond. We are fortunate not to have rabbits, voles or deer in the garden. Only some mice and a million slugs, snails and caterpillars . :-\


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 03/26/2011 - 19:35

Maggi, you're hurting my eyes!  I'm not ready to see so much color yet!  (I can imagine the wonderful smells, though. Even just the smell of spring in the air would be welcome here.)

So you made me think harder, Lori, and that is not Lespedeza thunbergii in my previous post (oops!), it is L. bicolor.  I guess 16 years can catch up with me, as that was how long ago I collected the seed. ;D  And the parent shrubby tree was 9ft. I had it mixed up with another leguminous tree in the same area.  

So Lespedeza bicolor did died back to the ground for 4-5 years before it decided to survive the winter above the surface for me in zone 4.  Prior to that, I had grown them from seed for 3 years (the poor things), in pots woefully confining.  Most of them were donated to our Chapter plant sale. (I wonder whatever happened to them...)  But I kept a couple, and now just one since they take up a lot of room.  This is the only pic I could find of it in bloom.  The flowers aren't that photographic unless you get up close, but the plant has a very nice flowing-weepy look that I like.  The wood is not very strong, and I usually get a major branch or stem or two that breaks over the winter.  But the plant rebounds very quickly.  I collect seed from it every year if anyone wants some.

             

I did grow Lespedeza thunbergii 'Pink Fountains' for several years, until it got so big that it was taking up far more space than I had allotted for it.  This photo was take with a film camera, and the camera had an intermittent light leak, so it is what it is.  This pic was taken three years before the one above, and you can see the L. bicolor to the left and behind, and there is a Siberian white pine ([Pinus sibirica) to the right, that the Pink Fountains is smothering, that is somewhat evident in the prior photo also.  In its early years, Pink Fountain barely put on a show before the frost took it down for the winter.  But with each successive year, it bloomed a bit earlier in the season, and the bloom time was very satisfactory.

             


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 03/26/2011 - 19:59

The Fargesia rufa is pristine as soon as the snow that covers it melts, but like many broadleaf evergreens that are fine to the east or south of me, the more intense spring sun, drier air, and colder frozen soil in my climate degrades their beauty.  While it wants to be evergreen, by the time new growth starts, it doesn't look good without some major, judicious pruning.


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 03/27/2011 - 01:41

Both Lespedeza species look good, Rick. I remember the growth habit from my shrub before it succumbed.

And Rick, I would like some seed of Lespedeza bicolor please when possible :)
Should be proven hardy seemingly and I can try a plant at my summerhouse with warmer summers.


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 03/27/2011 - 08:52

Today I am manning the NARGS table at a Plant Society Day at one of our better known commercial nurseries.  It's a great way to catch up with or meet other people with like minds in other plant societies, as well as spread the good word about rock gardening.  

Normally, even this early, I can dig out some overwintering  plants for display from my potted collection outside.  With the late winter conditions as they are, that's not going to happen this year.  All I have that’s accessible and alive is a few things I overwinter inside the house that include Delosperma bosserianum and Corydalis wilsonii.  So, along with a sample of an empty styrofoam trough and various books and literature, I have decided to attract some more attention to my table: with a pussywillow bouquet.  After all, many small willows are alpine, and the bouquet will be a great segue into the introduction of same for onlookers.

As as another excuse to show, Mark had asked about Salix chaenomeloides

The arrangement has five different exotic species of willow.  All freshly cut today, so their development progression is documented, although in this first photo Salix chaenomeloides is a particularly young blooming sprig.  These are my estimates for this cold “spring” season's peak bloom times:

--- Salix chaenomeloides – now, although I have been cutting for enjoyment since early January.
--- Salix koriyangi ‘Rubikins’ – another week.
--- Salix gracilistylis var. melanostachys – in two weeks.
--- Salix cinerea ‘Variegata’ – in 3-4 weeks. (grown more for foliage.  The catkins aren't even as nice as our native pussywillow.)
--- Salix shraderiana – another 5-6 weeks.
             

And the bouquet.  The black pussywillow has a hard time here, as this is its northern limit for survival, and I only have a dry yard, and the shrub is progressively getting more shade as trees mature.  I never seem to get nice long filled sprigs of catkins that are so easy with other species.
               


Submitted by Howey on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 05:31

Haven't looked under the snow yet for my very tiny pussywillow  but am sure it is time to cut a few sprigs to bring indoors.  What do I see on my garden walk?  Well, for about the fifth time this March, the snow is starting to recede and reveal a few things - mainly a lot of devastation by rabbits and the elements.  Daphnes, which were forced into a prostrate attitude by the heavy snow, are snapping back upright.  Calycanthus floridus is now mostly broken twigs and suckers and, over near the west side of my back yard, a fledgling Daphne has been severely nibbled.  However, I picked up a few sprigs of the Calycanthus and the small Daphne and am "forcing" them inside and, lo and behold, they seem to have developed flower buds.  Have also seen healthy Cyclamen hederafolia leaves, lots of Winter Aconite, and a few Snowdrops.  Exciting sitings after such a long and cold winter.  Fran

Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 07:15

Howey wrote:

I picked up a few sprigs of the Calycanthus and the small Daphne and am "forcing" them inside and, lo and behold, they seem to have developed flower buds.   Fran

Wow, I never dreamed Calycanthus could be forced with those big, late spring flowers.  I think I'll go and cut some too, and we can compare notes down the road.  I am sure we are all interested in the results with your Daphne, too!


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 21:13

Spring must be really here.  One Hellebore is in bloom.  The flowers look sadly damaged in the morning by cold but by the afternoon they are beautiful.  Two days in a row of sun and blue sky.


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 03/29/2011 - 14:54

Anne, beautiful Xmas roses! Mine are somewhat damaged this cold dry winter.

Rick, I like those twigs! I remember when I was a kid and learnt to make flutes of the Salix stems when they got mouse-ears!

RickR wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Right on spot! Pinus parviflora. The other pine there to the right is an American species, P contorta. Between them is a Thuja, maybe T plicata.
When you say true cedars, do you mean Cedrus? -I grow three species: C deodara, libanotica and atlantica. They are  nice trees. You can get a glimpse of C atlantica 'Glauca' in the top left corner of the 3rd picture, the other green stuff in the left is Sciadopitus verticillata.

The broadleaf evergreen tree is not a tree but Hedera hibernica climbing in a common birch.

Yes, I was alluding to the Cedrus atlantica (which has had a name change, I believe).  I did guess the Pinus contorta, but I never would have thought that tree (below) was a Sciadopitys.  I would have thought it would have much longer pseudo-needles in your climate.   Unless, is it growing in clay based soil?

The Hedera hiberica is impressive, at least to me.  We are very lucky to even get Hedera helix (or closely related) to even survive on the ground, let alone climb.

Rick, I almost forgot to show you the Sciadopitys needles as I promised ;)

   

Btw here's another interesting conifer, Cunninghamia lanceolata:

   


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 03/29/2011 - 16:26

Thanks, Trond.  Very healthy Sciadopitys!

And I would have thought your winters would be too cold and wet for Cunninghamia.  Bravo!


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 03/30/2011 - 11:08

RickR wrote:

Thanks, Trond.  Very healthy Sciadopitys!

And I would have thought your winters would be too cold and wet for Cunninghamia.  Bravo!

:D In fact do Cunninghamia tolerate stable cold winters better than shifting wet ones!


Submitted by Reed on Thu, 03/31/2011 - 19:00

Here are some of the plants blooming in my yard right now.

Good stuff James! Plant names for the images added so that they are searchable - MMcD.
Chionodoxa forbesii
Corydallis solida
Erythronium japonicum
Fritillaria uva-vulpis
Jeffersonia dubia
Podophyllum delavayi
Anemone nemerosa
Omphalodes cappadocica ‘Starry Eyes’
Trillium "Volcano"


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 03/31/2011 - 22:50

It's wonderful to see all those gorgeous spring flowers!  It gives me hope that this winter might end.  :rolleyes:
Well, part of the tufa garden melted out today, and what do I see among the weatherbeaten leaves on a Thlaspi kurdicum grown from seed last year... flower buds!!
 
Whoo-hoo!


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 08:47

Looking very good, Lori!
The snow is almost melted off my winter box of potted materials, and since the ground is relatively warm this spring, I will be uncovering it as soon as possible.  Can't wait to see if anything is happening under there.  Troughs are still under snow.

LOL, I was going to post the other day regarding silly plants that want to bloom when they are way too young.  I have an Anemone rivularis seedling inside with only two true leaves, and it was sending up what I thought were flower buds.  Come to find out that when the leaf is so tiny, each segment of the leaf is individually rolled up (and each looking like an individual bud)!  :-[

P.S. Our "Embarrassed" emoticon should be red in the face.


Submitted by Mark McD on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 11:08

Lori, let us see that Thlaspi when it is in full glorious flower.  

Two days ago it was sunny and mild, reaching 54 F (12 C), and the Crocus smiled.  A couple photos from left to right:
Crocus species, C. sieberi (two forms), C. malyi (first flowers popped open), C. angustifolius - lost of seedlings blooming

A couple rock plants, Alyssum oxycarpum (left) - neat leaf arrangement, Aethionema saxatile (right) - still in winter color.

Today, 6" of wet snow, compressed to about 3". :(


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 17:54

Now that I have evened up the contest by planting both out on the southwest-facing slope, it seems a couple of Galanthus elwesii have beaten out the favourite, Bulbocodium vernum, for first bloom of the year.  

No sign yet of Bulbocodium.
Needless to say, neither is likely to stop traffic... though at least the Bulbocodium contrasts with the snow!


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 20:03

Beautiful plants, James.  Glad to know it's spring somewhere.  Went out and photographed this draba starting to bloom, planted in the face of the cliff.  It will look miuch better but the forecast was for snow so I took the picture just in case.


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 00:28

James, you have a nice collection of plants in my taste! You are a couple weeks ahead of me though.

Lori, a good starter! You will soon catch up ;)

Anne, that Draba looks as it belongs there ;D As do this one from the wild in Turkey:

     

Mark, you as always have something flowering.


Submitted by Booker on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 00:29

Spiegel wrote:

Beautiful plants, James.  Glad to know it's spring somewhere.  Went out and photographed this draba starting to bloom, planted in the face of the cliff.  It will look miuch better but the forecast was for snow so I took the picture just in case.

There you are Anne ... all that prodding and delving, grubbing and probing, scraping and writhing, yanking and tearing has proved totally worthwhile when you can post beauties like that growing in your very own cliff!!!    :D


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 11:41

Yesterday, after spending a few hours cutting off perennials, it was fun to have a closer look at the rock gardens to see the early signs of life...
Purple stem buds on Marmoritis (Phyllophyton) complanatum; Spiky, triangular leaves on Arenaria pestalozzae
 
I noticed a few tiny flower buds on Bolanthus/Gypsophila cherlerioides.  

Campanula topaliana, seraglio
 
Genista delphinensis, Vitaliana primuliflora

Buds emerging on Paeonia anomala:

And then today...  :P
 


Submitted by Weiser on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 12:49

:o How disheartening!! ??? Will it never stop. :-\
Sorry Lori. We are scheduled to get more snow tomorrow but not nearly so much.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 20:05

Lori, that's what we were expecting when I went out and photographed the draba.  We got a couple of inches and then it turned to rain and washed it away.  So spring is still on the way.  Noticed some townsendia buds deep in the plant, very cheering.  Also Oxytropis multiceps has started to "silver up", a very welcome sight.  Nothing  stops this plant from blooming in April.  Also see the tips of the leaves of Iris 'Katherine Hodgkins' breaking through.  Joe has promised to photograph the garden every day while I'm in Nottingham.  Still am amazed to be leaving the garden at this time, a first.


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 20:12

Nice to see the flowers--still barely imaginable here--even Lori's beginnings are far beyond anything on my property--a few metres here and there of bare ground around spruce trees, but only native plants (not planted)  there, none of which are foolish enough to show any activity yet, no garden beds or pots at all exposed yet.. I think the first area to show may be a spot where I sunk a bunch of pots for winter in my infant veg patch in an old tiny corral--I got just a  bit of a glimpse of Taraxacum 'faroense' which was only planted (root piece) in late fall but seemed like it might be ok...
that's of course covered again now, and most planted areas still have a couple feet of snow on them before the new stuff fell--we got probably 10-15 cm (prob 10cm overnight, melting from late morning, but continued falling most of the day, maybe done now).. less than Lori, I heard Calgary had 20cm, and expecting another 25 overnight? hopefully not....


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 20:14

Anne, it  must be hard to drag yourself away from your garden when everything is starting up... though on the other hand, it will be a wonderful event to attend too.  Your draba does look like a snapshot from nature - just what all rock gardeners must aspire to!
Our snow here is a little hard to take but realistically, we'll have a lot more snows before it's over.   :P  You know what I'm saying, Cohan!
I love seeing those Townsendia buds - so early yet ready to go! 


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 21:20

Yes, Lori, this isn't at all late or unusually heavy for a spring snow here! What is a bit atypical is that usually we would have had some bare times in early december, and often starting in late feb, at least in march, but we still have solid snow cover almost everywhere, that has been in place since mid november! I'm looking forward to at least the sort of spring snow that you don't have to shovel as it will melt.. we shovelled today, and this stuff is heavy!  :P
I'm going to put a couple of pics in the weather thread...


Submitted by Weiser on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 00:34

Enough of this winter gloom.
Here are a few shots of spring to Cheer everone up. ;)

                        Ranunculus andersonii
                       

                        Ranunculus glaberrimus var. glaberrimus
                       

                        Ranunculus glaberrimus var. ellipticus
                       

                        Iris reticulata
                       

                        Hesperochiron californicus
                       

                        Fritillaria pudica
                       

                        Astragalus gilviflorus
                       

                        Astragalus purshii  var. lectulus
                       

                        Eriogonum douglasii var. meridionale (budding up)
                       

                        Physaria saximontana
                       


Submitted by Booker on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 00:44

Well, you have certainly cheered one old guy up on this side of the pond John with your images of much sought after buttercups in full flower!


Submitted by Weiser on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 00:58

Didn't realize I had this many in bloom here are the rest. :)

                         Allium parvum
                         

                         Arabis flaviflora (seedling first season bloom)
                         

                         Draba ? (lost the name to this one)
                         

                         Dutch hybrid crocus (No matter how common these are, they still thrill me)
               
                         

                         Viola beckwithii
                         


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 01:46

John, you certainly are cheering me up - but when I see your neat planting in gravel I am getting jealous too ;) Here such gravel beds are covered in moss and grass in no time due to the humid climate. Grass even germinate and grow on moss covered stones and it looks more like a lawn.

Cliff, how many different Ranunculi(?) do you have?


Submitted by Booker on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 02:01

Hoy wrote:

John, you certainly are cheering me up - but when I see your neat planting in gravel I am getting jealous too ;) Here such gravel beds are covered in moss and grass in no time due to the humid climate. Grass even germinate and grow on moss covered stones and it looks more like a lawn.

Cliff, how many different Ranunculi(?) do you have?

Hi Trond,
I don't have an extensive collection, I concentrate on high mountain buttercups and try to grow large flowering plants of the ones that seem more difficult in cultivation.  I am particularly interested in the New Zealand, North & South American and high European species having limited success with some and great frustration with others. 
My growing conditions sound very similar to yours with moss and liverworts encroaching into every pot, trough and raised bed.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 09:41

Thanks for the pictures, John.  It definitely must have lifted the gloom for those of us either waiting for spring or trying to fool the antlered rats into thinking garden plants are not edible (barbed wire, chicken wire, netting, etc.).  Loved the astragalus pictures, especially that beauty, Astragalus gilviflorus, very difficult for me to keep here in the northeast - seems to be extremely sensitive to winter wet.  The flowers are so large in proportion to the plant.


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 11:48

Booker wrote:

Hoy wrote:

John, you certainly are cheering me up - but when I see your neat planting in gravel I am getting jealous too ;) Here such gravel beds are covered in moss and grass in no time due to the humid climate. Grass even germinate and grow on moss covered stones and it looks more like a lawn.

Cliff, how many different Ranunculi(?) do you have?

Hi Trond,
I don't have an extensive collection, I concentrate on high mountain buttercups and try to grow large flowering plants of the ones that seem more difficult in cultivation.  I am particularly interested in the New Zealand, North & South American and high European species having limited success with some and great frustration with others. 
My growing conditions sound very similar to yours with moss and liverworts encroaching into every pot, trough and raised bed.

Cliff, your plant taste seems to be a real challenge!


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 11:54

Today I planted out a dozen of Fuchsia magellanica seedlings and some other woodlanders :)

I also found a lot of Corydalis starting blooming

           

- and Rhododendron sutchuense is soon ready:

   


Submitted by Mark McD on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 12:10

Weiser wrote:

Enough of this winter gloom.
Here are a few shots of spring to Cheer everone up.

Great stuff John!  Fun to see photos of the two forms of Ranunculus glaberrimus virtually side-by-side, I had not seed var. ellipticus before.  The bright bud color on the Eriogonum buds, and promising yellow buds on Physaria saximontana are cheerful indeed.

But it is Allium parvum that I am so happy to see here, one that I've had seed of a number of times but not yet raised to flowering size.  These near stemless Western American Allium can be as concise and desirable as many of the Central Asian species.  

Superb Viola trinervata!  I see buds on my Fritillaria pudica, and lots of 1-3 year seedlings from sowing in-place seed.


Submitted by Weiser on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 17:53

Thank you everyone I aim to please.

Quote:

Superb Viola trinervata! 

Mark you got the flower color right but on the wrong species.  ;) :D


Submitted by Mark McD on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 18:01

Weiser wrote:

Thank you everyone I aim to please.

Quote:

Superb Viola trinervata! 

Mark you got the flower color right but on the wrong species.  ;) :D

Dang, double dang, I'm being careless, it is V. beckwithii.  When I think of "sagebrush violets" both come to mind :P


Submitted by Booker on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 23:24

Hoy wrote:

Booker wrote:

Hoy wrote:

John, you certainly are cheering me up - but when I see your neat planting in gravel I am getting jealous too ;) Here such gravel beds are covered in moss and grass in no time due to the humid climate. Grass even germinate and grow on moss covered stones and it looks more like a lawn.

Cliff, how many different Ranunculi(?) do you have?

Hi Trond,
I don't have an extensive collection, I concentrate on high mountain buttercups and try to grow large flowering plants of the ones that seem more difficult in cultivation.  I am particularly interested in the New Zealand, North & South American and high European species having limited success with some and great frustration with others.  
My growing conditions sound very similar to yours with moss and liverworts encroaching into every pot, trough and raised bed.

Cliff, your plant taste seems to be a real challenge!

But worth it when the occasional success occurs!  LOL

Ranunculus seguieri - winner of my two Farrer Medals in 2001 and 2003.
Please note : This image was taken two or three days after one of the shows and the stems had elongated due to exposure to the heat and poor light in the show venue.  The plant looked a lot better on the day!  :D


Submitted by Weiser on Mon, 04/04/2011 - 01:37

Even when you say it is not in ideal shape , there is no need to apologize for such a lovely plant.
It is a beauty! :D


Submitted by Kelaidis on Tue, 04/12/2011 - 12:52

Wish WE could grow those high alpine, tiny white ranunculus....too hot in Denver! But we do grow some other goodies. Just as everywhere else in the Northern Hemisphere, things are coming hard and fast. I am appending a few things that are blooming right now I just photographed, mostly from the front of the alphabet...don'tcha love the Spring! You can probably deduce I'm in my Fritillaria phase...


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 04/12/2011 - 14:12

Kelaidis, I am not sure that I pity your lack of possibility to grow high alpine Ranunculus species! You grow numerous other enviable goodies ;D


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 04/12/2011 - 21:18

Terrific plants, Trond and Cliff and Panayoti!
The (pathetic) state of things here, by comparison... it's not spectacular (or even in focus  ;D) but it's in bloom!
Alyssum wulfenianum:


Submitted by cohan on Tue, 04/12/2011 - 23:45

And yet, Lori-- far ahead of me :) See-- there is a good reason for me to be on this forum-no matter how cold or inactive anyone's garden may be, it will always be colder and more desolate here (until we get some members from someplace with an even shorter season-ha!.....)


Submitted by Kelaidis on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 05:40

I don't feel sorry for those of you with shorter growing seasons: this summer when we are baking and our rock gardens are parboiled and dreary, your's will be brimming with color! We have to revel in our incredible springs and falls (which are often punctuated by disastrous hailstorms, severe frosts or snowstorms--this year is uncannily wonderful). In fact this is the FOURTH miraculously wonderful spring in a row. I am thinking I might want to move elsewhere: Colorado Front Range does not usually have these interminable, sunny, cool springs where things bloom forever and ever. There are still hellebores and even crocuses and snowdrops blooming in the cooler corners where the snow lingered, but the full panoply of spring glory is rampaging in sunnier spots and lasting forever: I am posting a smattering of other recent highlights below, but those of you who are suckers for punishment can slog through a gallery of almost 100 pictures I posted on Fotki:

                                                                      http://public.fotki.com/Panayoti/denver-march-2010/


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 06:39

cohan wrote:

no matter how cold or inactive anyone's garden may be, it will always be colder and more desolate here (until we get some members from someplace with an even shorter season-ha!.....)

Yeah, you said it!!  Between our gardens and the late bloom in the mountains, it must look like perpetual spring here!  ;D

Before I immerse myself in Panayoti's album (drool!), here are few things that were popping up yesterday:
Corydalis nobilis, Paeonia mlokosewitschii.... a couple of crocus and a few puschkinia showing buds...


Submitted by Weiser on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 07:14

Kelaidis wrote:

, but those of you who are suckers for punishment can slog through a gallery of almost 100 pictures I posted on Fotki:

PK
I didn't slog through that gallery of fine plants at all. I skipped through, lingering here, and there to admire. All the while longing for the day I can boast of growing such jewels.
Your garden, as always is impressive.


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 12:51

Very true, Panayotis--no midsummer lull here--mid-summer is the whole season  ;D My sempervivum, for example, have good colour all year--or rather the half of it they are not covered with snow ;) Our snowcover is about to reach the 5 month point--longer than usual without interruption, since it stayed from mid-Nov, usually it comes and goes into December...
Now I have to go out and gather some firewood--after some nice 'warm' days up to and above 10C/50F, we are back to just barely above freezing, with snow in 4 of the next 7 days forecast.. so far we are predicted less than either south or north, we'll see if that holds-- I think Lori's area already has snowfall warnings?

Some small parts of my future rock garden (pots sunk for winter in mounds of soil from digging) are out of the snow now... for now...


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 13:27

Lori, I like your little Alyssum wulfenianum but I assume it will grow bigger?

Here are two plants I pictured today when I did some tidying up!

Scilla rosenii. This year they are contemporary with S bifolia and siberica.

   

Saxifraga juniperifolia (I believe??)  I suddenly discovered thisone that I had completely forgotten growing on a concrete slab.


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 16:06

Hoy wrote:

Lori, I like your little Alyssum wulfenianum but I assume it will grow bigger?

Here are two plants I pictured today when I did some tidying up!

Scilla rosenii. This year they are contemporary with S bifolia and siberica.

Saxifraga juniperifolia (I believe??)  I suddenly discovered this one that I had completely forgotten growing on a concrete slab.

Nice patch of Scilla! the Sax planted itself on concret? or you put it there?


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 19:05

Hoy wrote:

Lori, I like your little Alyssum wulfenianum but I assume it will grow bigger?

Trond, those are flower rosettes forming on the ends of the stems of an adult plant - they are evergreen; it's a relatively short-lived, self-seeding perennial, and not particularly small (at least not in regular soil) - the plants get to about a foot across and about 6" high.  It is notable here for how early and late it blooms and for repeat bloom through the season.  
Here are some better photos of Alyssum wulfenianum:
   

Nice Scilla!


Submitted by Mark McD on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 19:35

Hoy wrote:

Here are two plants I pictured today when I did some tidying up!

Scilla rosenii. This year they are contemporary with S bifolia and siberica.

Very pretty, love the ice blue color, but I'm wondering if this really isn't Scilla rosenii; maybe a different Scilla species or Puschkinia scilloides (...or var. libanotica).

Scilla rosenii
http://www.augisbulbs.com/catalog.php?c=64  (scroll down)
http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2006/260406/log.html  (scroll down)
http://homepage3.nifty.com/alm/gallery_lili6.htm
http://www.sciencephoto.com/images/download_lo_res.html?id=670084620


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 19:41

Assuming this really is what the seed was claimed to be, Limonium perplexum is remarkable hardy for a coastal Mediterranean species.  (It is also apparently critically endangered in its very limited native range in Spain.)
Here it is after coming through the winter and a spring snowstorm... (it's nothing to write home about, particularly... just surprisingly hardy.  ;))   

It was ready to bloom in fall last year, in its first year from seed, but frost killed the flowers before they could open - a typical-looking Limonium flower spike.

http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://bdb.cma.gva.es...
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2072327730047134247GLrfmj


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 20:42

McDonough wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Here are two plants I pictured today when I did some tidying up!

Scilla rosenii. This year they are contemporary with S bifolia and siberica.

Very pretty, love the ice blue color, but I'm wondering if this really isn't Scilla rosenii; maybe a different Scilla species or Puschkinia scilloides (...or var. libanotica).

Very pretty, whatever they are!!  A close-up photo directly into a flower may help to firm up the ID... from what I can make out on the flower detail photo, I don't think I see the fused ring of stamens that (I think) distinguishes Puschkinia and Chionodoxa from Scilla... is that (still) a valid distinction?  I know the taxonomists have been messing around with these genera.

Puschkinia libanotica, below - note fused stamen ring:

That's a photo from a week ago last year... which was also a late spring, but this year is really late!


Submitted by AmyO on Thu, 04/14/2011 - 05:56

These were under snow just two days ago! The past couple of days the snow melted away very fast and now some roads are flooded.


Submitted by cohan on Thu, 04/14/2011 - 12:23

I love retic Irises in general , and that's a lovely colour,Amy; I'll need to watch for some :)
I'm jealous of the coum, since I don't think its possible here...


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 04/14/2011 - 14:09

Weiser wrote:

Hoy
Love the Scilla. What a lovely colony! :)

Thanks John. It has increased well the last two years but not by seeding.

cohan wrote:

Nice patch of Scilla! the Sax planted itself on concrete? or you put it there?

Cohan,
I planted the Sax nearby in a hollow concrete slab - it is a bigger plant a foot away but without flowers! It has somehow spread to the rim of the slab.

Skulski wrote:

McDonough wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Here are two plants I pictured today when I did some tidying up!

Scilla rosenii. This year they are contemporary with S bifolia and siberica.

Very pretty, love the ice blue color, but I'm wondering if this really isn't Scilla rosenii; maybe a different Scilla species or Puschkinia scilloides (...or var. libanotica).

Very pretty, whatever they are!!  A close-up photo directly into a flower may help to firm up the ID... from what I can make out on the flower detail photo, I don't think I see the fused ring of stamens that (I think) distinguishes Puschkinia and Chionodoxa from Scilla... is that (still) a valid distinction?  I know the taxonomists have been messing around with these genera.

I do believe I planted these as S rosenii but I won't swear. I have Puschkinia and Chionodoxa too and those are different as Lori's pictures show.
Here is a close-up:


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 04/14/2011 - 14:13

Skulski wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Lori, I like your little Alyssum wulfenianum but I assume it will grow bigger?

Trond, those are flower rosettes forming on the ends of the stems of an adult plant - they are evergreen; it's a relatively short-lived, self-seeding perennial, and not particularly small (at least not in regular soil) - the plants get to about a foot across and about 6" high.  It is notable here for how early and late it blooms and for repeat bloom through the season.  

Thanks, Lori. I didn't know this Alyssum species. Your first picture showed something I thought would be 5cm!


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 04/14/2011 - 18:56

Alyssum wulfenianum, is known as the easiest true alyssum to grow here. 

But that sure doesn't take away from its beauty!


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 04/14/2011 - 21:47

AmyO wrote:

These were under snow just two days ago!

Very pretty, Amy!  Ahhh, that's what we wait all winter for!!


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 00:35

A few shots from 3 days ago, before the fresh snow turned everything white again, showing the extent of our melt, so far..
The bare areas are either along paths which we shovelled all winter, or along spruce trees which keep the snow more shallow.. next to some of these bare spots, the snow was still knee deep, with another 15-20cm now on top....
The 'rock garden' views show the area where I have excavated my old overgrown rock garden from my teenage years which was untended most of the 25+ years I was away, soil was mounded and pots sunk for the winter, rocks piled around awaiting more work this year...


Submitted by WimB on Sun, 04/17/2011 - 12:11

Some plants which caught my eyes in the garden during the last week:

Haberlea rhodopensis 'Virginalis'
Taraxacum pseudoroseum
Viola cucullaria 'Red Giant'


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 04/17/2011 - 16:24

Hoy wrote:

Any plants surviving the 25 years you didn't tend them, Cohan?

not much--the whole thing became part of the natural environment here with native plants and shrubs...lol, plus some Irises and daylilies from a neighbouring bed spread over a large area...
One willow- a mid sized, about metre, metre and a half tall.. just a couple of stems; a Zigadenus elegans, which was not flowering over the years (that my mother noticed, anyway), but has since I have weeded around it; a couple of tiny plants of what I think are a Heuchera sp from B.C., and a couple of things from presumably dormant seed popped up in a cleared area-- a pale flowered Potentilla (also from B.C.--arguta?) and Androsace septentrionale... no traces of semps, opuntias etc...lol


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 04/17/2011 - 19:58

Wim, I didn't realize Taraxacum pseudoroseum was so "bicolored". A very nice feature.  I have Taraxacum pamiricum seed that I will be sowing shortly, but now I'd rather have pseudoroseum.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 04/17/2011 - 20:38

WimB wrote:

Some plants which caught my eyes in the garden during the last week:
Haberlea rhodopensis 'Virginalis'
Taraxacum pseudoroseum
Viola cucullaria 'Red Giant'

Beauties, Wim!  

RickR wrote:

Wim, I didn't realize Taraxacum pseudoroseum was so "bicolored". A very nice feature.  I have Taraxacum pamiricum seed that I will be sowing shortly, but now I'd rather have pseudoroseum.

Rick, I grew T. pseudoroseum from seed last year and the plants bloomed by the end of June, but I never got to see the darn things fully open!   :(  From my photos of half-closed flowers, it looks like they are bicolored... I hope they will be as showy as Wim's this year!  
T. pamiricum looks nice, and with that foliage, you won't have to defend it from any visiting gardeners who might forget themselves and start weeding:
http://www.google.ca/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=Taraxacum%20pamiricum...
(Hmmm, this sudden - at least on my part -reverence for dandelions is a bit odd and ironic!  ;))


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 04/17/2011 - 21:30

I also wanted to comment on your pretty weeds, Wim  ;D

Lori, I doubt anyone's appreciation of dandelions could be odder than mine-- every photo of yard and garden I edit has at least one dandelion leaf showing, and much of the time photos taken in the bush show them as well.... I wouldn't even consider eliminating T officinale as being possible!

I also sowed T pseudoroseum last year, from Wim's seed!, but later in the summer. Nice little plants by summer's end, hope they made it through the winter.. also sowed sowed albidum with no results :( think I have a few seeds left...
Rick, pamiricum is one I remember coming across pics of--white flowers and entire leaves, I believe? haven't looked at Lori's link yet--the entire leaves and non-yellow flowers are the best features for making them non-weedy looking!


Submitted by cohan on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 11:46

Love this one!
Speaking of T pamiricum, I think I remember it being from a warmer place? Will be interesting to see how it does for Rick...


Submitted by Barstow on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 12:44

WimB wrote:

While were busy talking weeds; here's a picture of Taraxacum albidum.

Nice, Wim! Hoping mine will flower for the first time this year!

I tell visitors to my garden to watch out for the roadside verges gradually changing colour from yellow to a mix of yellows, whites and pinks in 10 years from now  :) Nice with a bit of diversity...


Submitted by cohan on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 12:52

Stephenb wrote:

WimB wrote:

While were busy talking weeds; here's a picture of Taraxacum albidum.

Nice, Wim! Hoping mine will flower for the first time this year!

I tell visitors to my garden to watch out for the roadside verges gradually changing colour from yellow to a mix of yellows, whites and pinks in 10 years from now  :) Nice with a bit of diversity...

That's what I think would be nice, too! I wonder though, if the new weeds would just squeeze out more natives and not the existing weeds...lol


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 13:50

I had Taraxacum pseudoroseum for two years but it flowered itself to death last year - would never stop producing flowers and died :(


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 13:57

Btw, here is what I saw today on my "garden walk". We had a heavy job finding snow patches with rotten snow  to get a 12km skiing! Even the highest point in this area (1250m/4100ft) is almost bereft of snow.


Submitted by Kelaidis on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 22:29

Spring is galloping away in Colorado: lots in bloom!

Anemone blanda
Daphne
x hendersonii 'Aymon Correvon' etc.
Ebracteola wilmanniae
Iris attica
Iris humilis
Iris scariosa
Lesquerella
ex Penrose
Narcissus scaberulus
Pediocactus simpsonii
ex Irish Canyon


Submitted by Kelaidis on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 22:32

And MORE!

Phlox albomarginata
Quince
Ribes x gordonianum
Scilla hohenakeri
Thlaspi lilacina
Tulipa linifolia
Tulipa
sp. chrysantha dwf.
Veronica bombycina v. bolgardaghensis
Veronica pseudocinerea


Submitted by cohan on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 23:16

Hoy wrote:

Btw, here is what I saw today on my "garden walk". We had a heavy job finding snow patches with rotten snow  to get a 12km skiing! Even the highest point in this area (1250m/4100ft) is almost bereft of snow.

I am so sad that you are lacking snow.....lol--if I could send some I would!


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 11:09

I see color is everywhere there, Panayoti!  I especially like ... them all!

I wonder if what I have been growing as Iris humilis is indeed that.  I grew it from seed from the NARGS seed ex.  Listed as Iris humilis ex Siberia, the donor was a Stephen Bertrand, Ionia, IA.

Here it is:


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 04/20/2011 - 15:08

Can't help you with the iris, Rick! But it is worth growing!

Not much flowering here in the mountains yet except mogop (Pulsatilla vernalis) but here are some: (takes time to upload the pics)

Thlaspi alpestre

Salix lanata

Primula scandinavica - not yet in flower

And one for Lori - do you recognise it? -can I expect flower this summer?


Submitted by Kelaidis on Thu, 04/21/2011 - 11:19

John asked for them: here are the latest slug of pix, mostly from Denver Botanic Gardens, which is looking pretty spiffy right now if I don't say so! I think most are self explanatory (pix are labeled). Gentle rain last night, cool sunny days: I can barely stand it! The fruit trees have been blooming for weeks and weeks (even the cherries): the fourth perfect spring in a row. I shall have to move away for sure soon. The Phlox in the trough below is Phlox condensata, our high alpine with heavenly scented bloom that usually does not bloom until late June on the hills (two months later!): great to get a preview of the alpine spring...

I did a short essay on Iris bucharica you might enjoy on my blog: http://prairiebreak.blogspot.com/2011/04/iris-bucharica-treasure-from-bokhara.html

The plicata iris is Iris lactea form Mongolia with Phlox bifida 'Betty Blake'


Submitted by cohan on Thu, 04/21/2011 - 16:17

Hoy wrote:

Yes, Lori's seed!

Here's the flowers of Thlaspi alpestre. Not very showy but welcome in early spring.

I think its cute, especially with purple leaves, which I guess is just in spring while its cool? Growing Thlaspis has for me a similar feeling of naughtiness to growing Taraxacums--a common garden and field weed here is Thlaspi arvensis from Europe...


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 00:00

cohan wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Yes, Lori's seed!

Here's the flowers of Thlaspi alpestre. Not very showy but welcome in early spring.

I think its cute, especially with purple leaves, which I guess is just in spring while its cool? Growing Thlaspis has for me a similar feeling of naughtiness to growing Taraxacums--a common garden and field weed here is Thlaspi arvensis from Europe...

The purple leaves are due to the bright sunshine and leaves not accustomed to it after months covered in snow - and cold nights.

I know Thlaspi arvense! When my uncle and I had our vegetable plot (many years ago) this was one of the weeds ;)


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 00:51

Many plants here, esp in spring, have some red or purple in the new leaves; somewhere long ago I read something about these pigments helping to draw heat, but I don't remember any details... Of course many plants in other circumstances produce red pigments in response to all sorts of stress..


Submitted by Weiser on Fri, 04/22/2011 - 07:55

Kelaidis wrote:

John asked for them: here are the latest slug of pix, mostly from Denver Botanic Gardens, which is looking pretty spiffy right now if I don't say so!

Pk
I'll be sure and ask more often if the results of my quires are always so pleasant!
Thank you for such a prompt responce! ;)
[size=14pt]Very Nice


Submitted by Barstow on Sun, 04/24/2011 - 04:12

The first day with temperatures above 15C and spring is here:
1) Hepatica nobilis grows wild in my garden and is actually a weed in one of my beds!! However, it has declined in other parts of the garden (possibly due to a dramatic decrease in a species of ant)
2) Petasites palmatus (thanks to Cohan)
3) Tussilago - often taken for granted, but it has its beauty...
4) Crocus sieberi "Firefly"
5) Thlaspi alpestre - a weed that's not discouraged in one of my beds!


Submitted by Kelaidis on Sun, 04/24/2011 - 08:56

Stephen: I wish Hepatica were weeds for us! We grow quite a few (mostly pale lavender and pink or white): nothing gorgeous like yours! And I had no idea Petasites were so showy! We have P. japonicus at the Gardens which is not very showy, and P. frigidus in our mountains, which I believe is more green flowered. Love it!

Here are the latest--mostly from Denver Botanic Gardens which is having a banner year (very cool days and very light frost if any at night for many weeks, so plants are blooming forever! Just like Europe...) Usually we alternate arctic blasts with tropical heat and everything is seared and goes over right away. One could get spoiled.

I've been posting all these for John Weiser, who started this thread: I demand pix from him!

Clematis fremontii
Anemone ranunculoides
Caltha palustris
Erigeron pinnatisectus
Erodium absinthoides
Fritillaria pallidiflora
Phlox grayi
Primula auricula
Sanguinaria canadensis
'Multiplex'
Vitaliana primuliflora


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 04/24/2011 - 19:54

Stephenb wrote:

The first day with temperatures above 15C and spring is here:
1) Hepatica nobilis grows wild in my garden and is actually a weed in one of my beds!! However, it has declined in other parts of the garden (possibly due to a dramatic decrease in a species of ant)
2) Petasites palmatus (thanks to Cohan)
3) Tussilago - often taken for granted, but it has its beauty...
4) Crocus sieberi "Firefly"
5) Thlaspi alpestre - a weed that's not discouraged in one of my beds!

Great stuff, Stephen! That Hepatica colour is wonderful! Glad the Petasites is flowering for you, they should be coming along in a few weeks here!
I like the Thlaspi too, as when Trond showed it..


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 04/24/2011 - 19:55

AmyO wrote:

At long last color in the gardens here! It does my heart good.

Congrats on all the colour, Amy! Is that Hepatica form native in your area? love them :)


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 04/25/2011 - 00:47

Many desirable plants here!

PK, even if you wish for "weedy" Hepaticas, you seem to have more plants to care for than any ;)

Amy, I like the yellow Hellebore! Have tried to sow yellows and the first one flower now but the color doesn't match yours!


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 04/25/2011 - 11:11

Back home!
The birches, rowans and other trees, and a lot of shrubs have leafed out while we were on Easter Vaccation. Actually it was all green along the road when we came down from the mountains.

Here is one that immediately caught my eyes when we came  home yesterday evening, Glaucidium palmatum.


Submitted by AmyO on Mon, 04/25/2011 - 18:43

The Hepatica is native here! Just a short walk from here there is a huge swath of them all in various shades of blue & pink. I'll post some pics of them soon.
The yellow Hellebore is flowering for the first time this year.....it was an unnamed seedling..a lucky plant pick!


Submitted by Barstow on Tue, 04/26/2011 - 01:15

Trond: a magnificent Glaucidium - as good if not better than the plants I saw in the far north of Norway (Troms and Vesteraalen) a couple of years ago (including white flowered)!


Submitted by cohan on Tue, 04/26/2011 - 12:26

Skulski wrote:

After a long wait, there are finally some crocus in bloom here! 

Good show, Lori! Nice range of colours...
I was moving snow from my one ill-placed bed with spring bulbs, and there are some shoots ready to go! (and a lot of water on one side, and an acre of snow still to melt beside it...lol).. I'm gradually figuring out how things work on this piece of land-- I paid attention to sun exposure right off the bat, but didn't think about snow melt times (varying by many weeks!), drainage patterns, wet (low) and dry (high) ends of the property!


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 04/26/2011 - 13:35

Stephenb wrote:

Trond: a magnificent Glaucidium - as good if not better than the plants I saw in the far north of Norway (Troms and Vesteraalen) a couple of years ago (including white flowered)!

Thank you Stephen ;D I had to struggle with molluscs some years to the plant got big enough to tolerate some slug attack! I haven't been that lucky with the white I have tried. Slugs devour the young growth.

Lori, nice to see some flowers from you!

Cohan, do you have a dominant direction from where the wind blows? At our mountain cabin the wind often is north-westerly and make huge heaps of snow on the leeward side of the house where we have our table and chairs. I often have to remove huge amounts of snow there before we can enjoy the sun. Not this year though, the snow seemingly evaporated in no time :o


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 04/26/2011 - 16:35

Not a very established plant yet (and unnamed), but one I received from Betty Ann Addison, owner of Rice Creek Gardens here in Minnesota.  My other C. solida are rather blah pink/reds yet still nice, but I like this one especially.  It seems to have a distinctly flattish apron of foliage.  The variegated grass in the upper left is Arrhenatherum elatius ssp. bulbosum 'Variegatum'.   Quite a mouthful, and not invasive at all here, despite is "bulbous" habit.

Corydalis solida


Submitted by Barstow on Wed, 04/27/2011 - 06:52

RickR wrote:

The variegated grass in the upper left is Arrhenatherum elatius ssp. bulbosum 'Variegatum'.   Quite a mouthful, and not invasive at all here, despite is "bulbous" habit.

Re- Arrhenatherum elatius ssp. bulbosum  - a common find at prehistoric sites in Europe, the edible tubers were no doubt gathered for food, although very fiddly! I did have this but I think I've lost it...

...oh, and nice pictures all...


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 04/27/2011 - 17:43

Nice Cory, Rick! I was looking at the bed my only clone so far is in, and one end is starting to come out of the snow, the end with the C solida is still a foot or more under..  moved some snow from beside the bed to speed things along ...
Trond, my one real plus on this property (naturally directly related to the minuses ;) is that there is not a lot of wind in here, since we have trees on 4 sides, with the only real gap being the driveway (and there are trees and an old house which block some of that wind from the rest of the property..)-- which is southeast: the source of some nasty weather systems, but not the most common..  So, wind is a factor, but not the major one..or rather it probably is, but in some complicated interaction with trees I have not totally figured out..


Submitted by RickR on Wed, 04/27/2011 - 18:57

Stephenb wrote:

Re- Arrhenatherum elatius ssp. bulbosum  - a common find at prehistoric sites in Europe, the edible tubers were no doubt gathered for food, although very fiddly! I did have this but I think I've lost it...

I never knew the tubers are edible, thanks Stephen!  How are they prepared?  I love trying new thing like this, even if it might only be once.  (Also enjoyed your comment regarding Dentaria/Cardamine.)  I've never tried growing the grass from seed, but I do get seed heads, if you would like some seed.


Submitted by Barstow on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 02:26

Off-hand I don't know how they were prepared - a tradition that doesn't seem to have survived to modern times. I also haven't eaten them myself yet, so I can't tell you that I survived the experience (so, careful and don't overdo it the first time :) ).

Yes, I'd love to try some seed, thank you - as I noted mine seems to be quite dead...


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 07:34

Stephenb wrote:

I also haven't eaten them myself yet, so I can't tell you that I survived the experience (so, careful and don't overdo it the first time :) ).

Yes, I'd love to try some seed, thank you - as I noted mine seems to be quite dead...

I'm not the adventurous sort when it comes to wild edibles.  I want solid evidence, so I won't be the guinea pig.  I've grown Coryphantha vivipara for 15 years and known of its supposed edibility for at least that long, but I will be tasting the berries for the first time this year.

Regarding seed of Arrhenatherum elatius ssp. bulbosum, if memory serves, it was mid summer.  I'll email you then, too.


Submitted by cohan on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 12:00

How tall is this grass, Rick? google images didn't help much with scale.. interestingly, among the first few pics were some of charred remains from ancient sites! So based just on that quick glance, I'd say roasted!


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 13:01

Spring seems to have arrived here.  It's a good year for Magnolia soulangeana.  Frequently the buds or flowers get blasted by frost - nothing worse looking than a tree with blackened buds and black petals hanging down.  This year it's lovely.  The early plants in the crevice garden are starting too.  The Petrocallis pyrenaica is blooming in a natural crevice, the phlox in a man (woman)-made one.


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 15:19

Beautiful plants, Anne!

I have planted a Magnolia soulangeana at my summerhouse and my sister reported it was in full flower now - but I have no time to go and look :(


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 21:27

Gee Ann, I'm still waiting for my Cornus mas (Cornelian Cherry) to bloom here.  Seems you posted yours "ages" ago....

Wow, I have never seen a Magnolia soulangeana bloom like that!  When I first saw the thumbnail, being so floriferous I just assumed it was a crabapple!

Especially like the Petrocallis, too.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Fri, 04/29/2011 - 05:21

Rick, it was a really good year for the magnolia.  Some years there are no flowers because of heavy frosts.  It's worth it to have a year like this.  The petrocallis really seems to respond to crevice planting.


Submitted by Mark McD on Sat, 04/30/2011 - 22:25

RickR wrote:

Wow, I have never seen a Magnolia soulangeana bloom like that!  When I first saw the thumbnail, being so floriferous I just assumed it was a crabapple!

Rick, Magnolia soulangeana is almost a prerequisite tree here in Massachusetts, along with Rhododedron 'PJM' and Forsythia bushes.  I don't grow any Forsythia, I don't need to, they're *everywhere* here.  So, back to Magnolia soulangeana, they typically bloom here with unbelievable profusion similar to Anne's photo, and they are found in just about every other yard, some are old, huge, and spectacular.  They are however subject to the "surprise" late freeze that will blast the flowers in 1 out of every 3 years.  This year they are breathtaking... no surprise frost.

This spring Magnolias have been fantastic overall... I think the long slow season is their salvation.  Here are some shots taken recently, of Magnolia stellata - pink form (got this at a NARGS seedling sale for $1, hard to beat that price ;D), and M. denudata 'Forrest Pink', thought to actually be a hybrid with M. denudata rather than a selected form.  In 2008, my tree of 'Forrest Pink' was smashed to bits in the December 2008 ice storm.  I drastically cut it way back to stubby stumps for branches, and 3 years later it is looking super fine indeed.  Unlike M. soulangeana, this one almost never gets hit by late frosts.  Also, the flowers are more striking, huge floppy affairs, intense rose on the outside, palest pink-white inside, and exuding a heavenly sweet fragrance that perfumes the entire garden.  The pink-flowered M. stellata is also heavily perfumed, but spicy and intoxicating.  Below these tap-rooted trees, grow all sorts of spring ephemerals such as Trillium species.


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 05/01/2011 - 01:35

It is no doubt. Magnolias tolerate and maybe prefere cold winters but they do best where the summers are really hot! (At least hotter than here)

Mark, do you get seeds of your stellata pink form? Stellata is good here and I have one in my garden (very floriferous this spring btw) but it is white.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sun, 05/01/2011 - 06:17

Mark, I've had a different experience here with Magnolia stellata and have given up growing it.  It seemed far more susceptible here to spring frosts than M. soulangeana.  An added part of the equation here is wind and that may be what M. stellata doesn't like.  Rhododendron p.j.m. never liked the wind here and is not part of the garden.  Everyone I know, of course, grows it very well.  Everything in the crevice gardens starting to burst into bloom.  No time to photograph!


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 05/01/2011 - 22:13

Skulski wrote:

People in these parts experiment with Magnolia stellata... how satisfactory it is, especially here in the chinook zone, I don't know.

I'd have to look it up to be sure, but if I remember correctly from Toronto, that might be the one I don't care for...lol--I don't know the species, really, but remember there were some with very elegant more closed upright flowers, and others with narrower petals in floppy flowers that made me think of tissue paper flapping around on the trees...lol.. I'd have to look them up...

My yard is kinder to trees to than some spots-- a lot of wind shelter...


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 05/02/2011 - 07:22

Hoy wrote:

It is no doubt. Magnolias tolerate and maybe prefere cold winters but they do best where the summers are really hot! (At least hotter than here)
Mark, do you get seeds of your stellata pink form? Stellata is good here and I have one in my garden (very floriferous this spring btw) but it is white.

Yes, it makes lots of bright orange red seeds, I think I have a few potted seedlings in my "nursery area".  I can collect seed this fall.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Mon, 05/02/2011 - 12:11

Actually, Cohan, it might fit your description, but I always liked it because in this area it blooms before Magnolia soulangeana.  Which may have been the problem.  This is a cold garden with no protection from wind.  At any rate, it just didn't thrive in my garden.  (Translation - it died!)


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 05/02/2011 - 14:07

McDonough wrote:

Hoy wrote:

It is no doubt. Magnolias tolerate and maybe prefere cold winters but they do best where the summers are really hot! (At least hotter than here)
Mark, do you get seeds of your stellata pink form? Stellata is good here and I have one in my garden (very floriferous this spring btw) but it is white.

Yes, it makes lots of bright orange red seeds, I think I have a few potted seedlings in my "nursery area".  I can collect seed this fall.

Mark, if you do not set up a nursery, you can make a fortune selling seeds ;D


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 05/02/2011 - 21:05

Look Todd, I'm catching up! ;D  First flower on Besseya alpina, barely starting to bloom - from seed in 2009.

First bud on Paraquilegia microphylla, planted last year! (Well, it's a start!  ;))

I don't expect these will be any great shakes in the flower department (we'll see soon), but the foliage is nice and furry... Arabis androsacea, from seed last year:

Still waiting for Thlaspi kurdicum to let loose...

Saxifraga sancta v. macedonica... with a seedling, ex. Sax. 'Mrs. Winifred Bevington' growing in it!  (Sheesh, the only seedling I've found... why did it have to give me a dilemma of whether or not to pull it out of the other plant?!?)
 

Androsace carnea 'Alba'... which will change quite a bit in appearance as the flower stems elongate:


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Wed, 05/04/2011 - 01:44

A few pictures taken of our sand bed this spring - started in 2007 and the Yucca is really going places! From top to bottom: Yucca whipplei, Aquilegia grahamii, Lupinus albifrons, Ptilotrichium spinosum, Stachys citrina in foreground; overall view of sand bed, newer planting in front (still to be top-dressed with grit); Arenaria tetraquetra (lovely tight cushion - one of the great attributes of this type of culture); Poygala calcarea (a real winner, self-sowing gently) and Dianthus haematocalyx; Asplenium ceterach (the 'Rusty Back fern', a really useful indicator plant, showing drought by curling up its fronds. I will definitely try more small xerophytic ferns in the bed as time goes on - Asplenium trichomanes also grows well).

This is only a very small bed in our very large garden but gives an inordinate amount of pleasure. I am tempted now to try a more elaborate 'berm' as I have seen in American articles, for genera like Eriogonum, Penstemon, and a host of others. Unfortunately our climate may not be summer-hot enough to succeed with some, and Acantholimon for example grow well but do not flower.

There are a lot more plants to come later into the summer so I will post some of these later on.


Submitted by RickR on Wed, 05/04/2011 - 13:10

I can see why you're so proud.  There are so many interesting plants nestled in there!

Were the wooden stakes used for winter protection for the Yucca and Juniper?


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Wed, 05/04/2011 - 20:34

Despite cold nights, spring is here and every day there seems to be something new.
1. Phlox pungens - crevice garden
2. Phlox pulvinata - trough
3. Petrocallis pyrenaica - crevice


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Thu, 05/05/2011 - 01:44

Rick - yes the stakes were for a winter cover with dutch lights. We normally only have intermittant snow and plenty of rain over winter and after a year with no cover quite a few plants did less well. The bed is simply a deep hole (ca. 30-45cm) filled with, in my case, a sharp potting grit made from heat shattered flint (the larger grades are used for 'pebble' dashing on houses). At the time I wondered if this would be too sharp compared to the normal sharp sand or ballast that is recommended, but it works well given supplementary watering in dry spells like we are having at the moment. There is no organic matter except that which comes with the plants (I don't wash the roots when I plant). However, I haven't put in a membrane underneath and so worms are steadily bringing up soil and quite a few of the plants must have got their roots down into the soil anyway. So far I have used no fertiliser though i know some growers recommend this.

I was particularly stimulated by the photographs in Ken Druse's book, 'The Collector's Garden', of the Kelaidises garden in Denver, which is infinitely more interesting than a lawn! Unfortunately we don't have that extreme climate here but it would be great to create something similar with different plants.


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 05/05/2011 - 21:34

Spectacular plants, Tim and Anne!

Updates on Thlaspi kurdicum and my first Besseya alpina:
 

I'm pleased to see that Cheiranthus roseus did not bloom itself to death last year... whether these are non-blooming plants from the previous year, or if some might not be totally monocarpic, I'm not sure.  Happy to see some apparent seedlings too.
 


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Fri, 05/06/2011 - 04:40

Lori, love the Besseya alpina.  I'm growing that and get wonderful foliage and no flowers (both B.alpina and B.wyomingensis).  Must be doing something wrong.  I'm really fond of all the plants with those fancy exserted stamens (such a Valeriana supina).
Here are some of the things in bloom in the crevice garden and nearby.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Fri, 05/06/2011 - 11:56

If only we could grow Lewisia tweedyi and Eritrichium howardii outside! It would make the garden incredibly exciting. I've grown them both in pots and enjoyed them, but somehow it's not the same. One question for anyone keen on Astragalus and Oxytropis - I've always thought these would be ideal sand bed plants but I've never had much success. I'd also like to try the little lupins (and at least L. albifrons does well and I should try some of its smallest forms). Do these plants grow in American gardens?


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Fri, 05/06/2011 - 13:27

I grow as many Astragalus and Oxytropis and Trifoliums as possible.  They're my favorites, but a lot of planning has to be done.  Mine have great drainage, both in the mix and also they are placed where they get very positive air drainage and full sun.  Lupinus albifrons does well here but is not long-lasting.  Some astragali are easier than others.  An easy one to start with is Astragalus monspessulans.  Also Oxytropis multiceps.  Most of the Rocky Mountain peas seem to need to dry out at the crown in our moist climate and have moisture available way down.  Crevice planting has been very successful so far, more so than the sand bed.  And dry screes are also good.  They are not natural plants here in the northeast, but with some attention can do quite well,  at least well-enough to keep a pea-lover like me happy.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Fri, 05/06/2011 - 13:29

Today in the garden, an unkown but very beautiful astragalus.  Creamy yellow flowers, everything is very furry.  Label long lost to the antlered rats.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Fri, 05/06/2011 - 15:59

Thanks, Cliff.  It is indeed gorgeous, but WHAT IS IT?  Anyone have any ideas?  It is definitely an astragalus.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Fri, 05/06/2011 - 16:15

Thanks Anne - so perhaps I do need to make a crevice garden as an adjunct to the sand beds, or maybe grow some of these plants between crevices in troughs. The only species I have grown really well is Astragalus utahensis, which does remarkably well in a pot. But reading of these plants in Claude Barr's 'Jewels of the Plains' and elsewhere is very appealing. I haven't tried species of Trifolium.


Submitted by Toole on Fri, 05/06/2011 - 19:19

Spiegel wrote:

Today in the garden, an unkown but very beautiful astragalus.  Creamy yellow flowers, everything is very furry.  Label long lost to the antlered rats.

Yummy  :P :P
From another pea lover.

Cheers Dave


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 04:46

Spiegel wrote:

Today in the garden, an unkown but very beautiful astragalus.  Creamy yellow flowers, everything is very furry.  Label long lost to the antlered rats.

Better to loose the label than that plant!


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:50

I've got a few more pictures from our sand bed which is slowly being top-dressed with new grit - a slow old process but very satisfying. With all the talk of crevice gardens (especially in the UK), its a great surprise more comment is not made of sand beds - they are equally effective for many plants, but do perhaps need more care and cover over the winter. Perhaps they are just too easy!

From top: Edraianthus pumilio (in its superb silver-leaved form owerinianus)
              Stachys citrina
              Silene hookeri (what a plant!)
              Thymus 'Peter Davis'
              Overall view of bed with Yucca whipplei and Dasylirion species

There is also a beautiful annual gentian flowering, G. syringea, from the Himalayas (see under G. nivalis thread elsewhere)


Submitted by Peter George on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 07:22

Yesterday was beautiful, and my Daphnes are all in bloom. Here are a couple, Daphne x napolitana and Daphne cneorum 'Porteous.' The latter was purchased from Wrightman's 3 years ago, and was about the size of a bottle cap. It's been unbelievably floriferous, and is now about 18 inches in diameter, and still totally prostrate. Harvey told me that he found it in Barrie Porteous' garden, stuck away in one of his huge troughs, and took a few cuttings. What a find!


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 07:44

Re: sand beds.  They are indeed easy, especially if they are like mine and are just pure sand.  Yours looks very good.  High desert plants love them as do many penstemons, townsendias and eriogonums.  I've found that I can grow a wider range of plants here in crevice gardens.  The close spaces between rocks remain cooler and seem to retain more moisture deep down.  I think even a western plant growing in dry as a bone clay with big cracks from drought have some moisture available to them deep down.  Ranunculus seguieri, a snow-melt plant and not a drought-lover, can grow in the Dolomiotes in bare high meadow spots in soil that looks and acts much like western clay.  That may be partly due to their preferring their own company and putting themselves in places without much competition, but also because there is moisture available to them well below the surface. 


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 12:30

When I get time I have to construct a sand bed, that's for sure!

Here are some pics from one of my "wild beds"! This tulip (Tulipa sylvestris) is a very old (several 100 years) garden plant in Norway and it has escaped gardens since day one. It has also come as a ballast plant - as seeds or bulbs together with the sand and soil the tall ship used as ballast when returning from Europe after delivering its cargo - timber, ice etc. You'll find it many places at the coast. It spreads by seed and runners making a bulb at the apex.

               


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 17:58

Trond, mine has produced flowers once or twice over the past 7-8 years... lots of foliage, but rarely flowers.  The foliage is starting to run, so I may try digging it out in a couple spots where I have it, not sure what it needs that I'm not supplying, possibly my garden is too dry for it?  The problem might be that I have it planted in shade (it was suggested to me that it grows in shady woodland areas) but might actually need sunnier spots to flower.  I have a strong feeling of deja vu discussing this plant ;)


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Tue, 05/10/2011 - 00:32

Mark, I too have grown this plant for many years with hardly a flower. A visitor once told me they had a much more free-flowering form, and it is lovely to see the Norwegian colonies and to hear how they arrived. Mine started off in the shade of a willow until that was blown down and are now in full sun. Are there any other tulips that run in the same way? It's a little like a few of the crocus even though a very different bulb.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Tue, 05/10/2011 - 04:17

Seen in the garden which is enjoying a lovely spring now - days with sun and cloud and not too warm - cool nights but no killing frosts.  Just a couple of pictures of what's happening.  Because of the weather the Onosma albo-rosea is lasting a long time.  Aquilegia scopoulorum is quite variable in nature, from quite small to a bit too tall for a trough.  This one is a nice size for a trough, although not the smallest.


Submitted by Mark McD on Tue, 05/10/2011 - 04:54

Anne, the Onosma is GORGEOUS, love the low plant habit as well as the flower color.  Aquilegia scopulorum is half bad too ;)... looking mighty fine in your trough.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Tue, 05/10/2011 - 16:27

Mark, I've grown this onosma for many years and this is the first plant I've had where the flowers turned a deep coral instead of the usual purply pink.  I really think the color is marvelous.  And, I have two self-sown seedlings, also a first.  It's been blooming for several weeks now.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 05:01

The onosma is actually growing at the edge of the tufa crevice garden so it is also getting more lime than the others I have.  They have a tendency to get very woody and that's when a winter without much snow seems to carry it away.  They can last up to ten years or more, though.


Submitted by Kelaidis on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 11:49

It's great fun looking at all of your gardens. Ann Spiegel: you are beyond amazing! I can't believe how wonderful your astragalus and phlox look: much better than they do here. And all the classic Maritime Alpines to boot! That pink Magnolia stellata is to die for, Mark. And thrilled to see Tim Ingram's sand beds and gems.

A few things from my garden: it's raining buckets as I type this (first rain in weeks) so I am heaving big sighs of relief. I've planted hundreds of plants in the last week and was tired of running around and trying to keep them watered. Artificial watering can never replace natural rain. We had an enormous plant sale at Denver Botanic Gardens last weekend: over 15,000 people and nearly a quarter million dollars gross! Lots of great alpines sold (and everything else as well, for that matter). We had almost no plants by Saturday morning (the sale started Friday). If we'd restocked we could have easily done of $300,000 I believe.

A few pix from my garden: the first is an overview with Draba rigida in the foreground near the stream. The second shows Daphne juliae and Aubrieta gracilis (the tiniest Aubrieta--and the best!). The Iris bloudowii was a first for me (although I saw it in the Altai blooming two years ago). The purple iris came from Beaver Creek where they claim it was from the Altai: looks far more like Iris pumila to me, however (which is far more westerly in distribution: any ideas?)... There are a few pix from Denver Botanic Gardens I couldn't resist (the Erythronium albidum for one, and the troughs with Physaria bellii and Townsendia parryi spilling over the sides...)--I should do a whole series just from there..but most are from my garden which has never looked better!

All the best to you all at the height of North Tmperate Spring!


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 12:17

Great stuff! Trond, love that Tulip :) I have T sprengeri seedlings, which is also supposed to be a bit of a woodland sp..
Anne--great Onosma!


Submitted by Weiser on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 14:08

Well spring has finally settled in.
Cistanthe tweedyi ( syn. Lewisia tweedyi)

Fritillaria atropurpurea this is a small dry-land lily from western North America.

Delphinium andersonii

Camissonia tanacetifolia ssp. tanacetifolia

Eriogonum douglasii var. meridionale

Gilia tricolor

Grusonia clavata and Lewisia rediviva var. minor

General views


Submitted by Peter George on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 14:44

First blooming Lewisia of the season for me, L. brachycalyx. I've had it for 4 years, and each year it gets a bit larger and adds a few more blooms.


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 15:02

Very nice plants all of you have! Remarkable how many different plants that exists - and which I would like to grow :D

A few from my garden this evening.

An unknown woodland thing - started from seed a couple of years ago. Lamium orvala

This is the Potentilla with the biggest flowers I know of - and the the leaves are like strawberry leaves: Potentilla megalantha.

A seedling of some peony. Don't know the parents.


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 17:18

Panayoti--love the Physaria and Townsendia together!
Hoy, in this partial view,  your unknown woodlander reminds a lot of Galeopsis tetrahit and Stachys palustris- the former a not very bothersome introduced weed here, and the latter a potentially aggressive but pretty native ;)


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 17:25

Wow, spring is bustin' out all over in your areas!!  :o  Fabulous scenes and plants!
Trond, I think your unknown woodland plant is Lamium orvala.

I know it is a bit heretical, but I actually prefer the more modest, smaller flowered lewisia species such as L. brachycalyx to the big, blowsy-flowered cultivars.


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 05:03

I think you are right, Lori. I remember that name and the pictures I  found seem to confirm it. Thanks both of you, Cohan and Lori!
(I am getting lazy - it is easier to ask somebody here than to look it up yourself!)


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 09:26

While the other eight willow species I grow are long done blooming, the catkins of Salix schraderiana are still looking good...

             


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 10:00

Seeing John, Anne and Panayoti's gardens is extremely exciting for me because I have a yen for the mountain plants from dry habitats and the traditions in Britain have always been much more the plants of the Alps and Himalayas and China - the interest in summer dry habitats has centred more on bulbs. It would be great to see more AGS members making such gardens, if only to capitalise more on our dry climate in the south-east. The rest of our front lawn is due for the chop!


Submitted by Kelaidis on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 10:13

We need to get you out to the States, Tim! Any plans for 2012? Maybe we can organize a lecture tour?

John: your Lewisia tweedyi puts our's to shame! I so regret not seeing your garden in the growing season (although it was pretty stunning in March). You are amazing! Your garden and the Stiremans' in Utah are the finest dryland gardens I know (including dozens of pretty good ones in Colorado...).


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 16:40

I am so enjoying seeing all these wonderful gardens.  Our slow spring here is continuing.  Last year I went to a Connecticut Chapter meeting and the temperature hit 95!!!  When that happens the rock garden is finished in a matter of days, not many weks because evrything is forced and then over.
1. Corner of trough with Hymenoxys lapidicola and Lewisia brachycalyx with many seedlings of  same popping up.
2. Trifolium owyheense protected from deer this winter and it is repaying the effort.  From Alplains seed.


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 00:53

Anne, the clover is really cute.. I've been looking at some of the Trifolium species--pretty flowers, but some of the foliage would be traumatic for me, I think...lol.. clovers are some of my most difficult weeds (being surrounded by farmland where its encouraged as forage...lol)


Submitted by Booker on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 03:14

Wonderful images (and plants) everybody ... your strong sunlight accentuates the colour and enables some stunning photography.
We are more used to mists and mellow fruitfulness - even in early summer.  :D
I am amazed that I can even contemplate building a sand bed in this northern English climate!  No, perhaps I can't!  :D


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 05:04

Cohan, you don't have to worry about Trifolium owyheense ramping about.  It's definitely not a weed.  The foliage is nicely mottled (not really descriptive but don't know how else to say it) and the flowers are huge and gorgeous.  The last time I grew this I seem to remember the flowers being a lighter pink.  Cliff, yes you CAN try a sand bed, why ever not?  You might be really surprised at what you could grow there.


Submitted by Weiser on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 13:00

Kelaidis wrote:

You are amazing! Your garden and the Stiremans' in Utah are the finest dryland gardens I know (including dozens of pretty good ones in Colorado...).

Oh shucks! Your way to kind.  :-[
Your garden is nothing to sneeze at either by the way.  :D

Anne I like the combination of Hymenoxys lapidicola and your lovely Lewisia brachycalyx.
        Your Trifolium owyheense is a rare treasure indeed. Wish seed were available for it. I've talked to Idaho gardeners who have visited it's limited habitat. It grows on crusty ash and tuff substrates. It's nice to see it thriving in your garden. Here is a little article about it.

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cdc/cdc_pdf/u01man08.pdf


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 13:11

RickR wrote:

While the other eight willow species I grow are long done blooming, the catkins of Salix schraderiana are still looking good...

Rick, I really like this one!

Anne, that trefoil is stunning! I have sowed some Trifolium seed this spring and many are germinating now. However owyheense was unknown to me! Now it is on my list!


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 13:33

No garden walk today - or this weekend. We are heading north to Ålesund to pick up our youngest daughter. Have to stay the night here in Jølster. It is raining however and the view isn't the best.
This is not a fjord but a fjordlike lake 205m above sea level. The lake is 20km long, 233 m deep and usually don't freeze over in winter. Trout is a common fish here.

           


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 21:02

The seed for the Trifolium owyheense came from Alan Bradshaw of Aplains.  I always have good luck with Alan's seeds and I think he had it listed this year too.  I know it grows in a limited area with very different "soil".  Here it's growing in a limey scree (roughly  ph 8 ) that is sloped west-southwest and has very sharp drainage.  It's very open and has sun most of the day including the hot afternoon sun.  No water is added and there are a lot of astragalus and oxytropis growing on this slope.


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 05/13/2011 - 23:00

Spiegel wrote:

Cohan, you don't have to worry about Trifolium owyheense ramping about.  It's definitely not a weed.  The foliage is nicely mottled (not really descriptive but don't know how else to say it) and the flowers are huge and gorgeous.  The last time I grew this I seem to remember the flowers being a lighter pink.  Cliff, yes you CAN try a sand bed, why ever not?  You might be really surprised at what you could grow there.

Thanks, Anne-- I know some of these little ones are not dangerous, but if the leaves look like regular clover I might be a bit unsettled...lol.. this from someone trying fancy Taraxacums, when officinale germinates in every available centimetre of soil! But, clovers are just as common as dandelions, and they spread by creeping stems...lol.. pretty flowers though... sound like interesting colours on some..


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 14:35

Still no garden view but from the window of the hotel.
Today we picked up our daughter, tomorrow we are heading home - plan to use two days. The shortest way includes 5 fjord crossings with ferry.

The ferries on the last stretch:

Tomorrow we are driving along the fjord further inland.

   


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 17:08

Hoy wrote:

Still no garden view but from the window of the hotel.
Today we picked up our daughter, tomorrow we are heading home - plan to use two days. The shortest way includes 5 fjord crossings with ferry.
The ferries on the last stretch:
Tomorrow we are driving along the fjord further inland.

5 crossings! Wow, I can't imagine, I have been on ferries not many more times that that in my life--we used to visit relatives on Vancouver island, and of  course had to cross by ferry, those are very large ones, of course..oh, and Italy to Greece-- a long night ill dozing on the floor outside the bathroom...lol


Submitted by Boland on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 18:57

Beautiful scenery Trond!

Here are some flowers from my garden today....Corydalis solida, Ficara 'Flore-pleno' and Sanginaria canadensis 'Rosea'


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 21:00

All you guys' mountainous terrain puts me in awe.  I wouldn't say I live in real flat land, but interesting looking hills (and gullies) always make me want to explore them.  If I lived over there, Trond, I would want to climb every mountain!  (Kinda puts a new twist on the movie "The Sound of Music", doesn't it?)

Todd, looking only at the flower, that doesn't even look like a bloodroot!  And ten petals, too...


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 21:44

I have not had much time at home in the garden lately so I will try to catch up a bit now...
Adonis vernalis and A. xamurensis 'Fukujukai':
   

Arabis androsacea, now in bloom - I told you it wouldn't stop traffic!  ;)

Draba sp. and Jovibarba hirta; another Draba:
 

Hepatica nobilis 'Rosea Plena'

Paraquilegia microphylla - this year's one flower now open!

Primula marginata - the ratty-looking old plant from earlier, all filled in now!

Vitaliana primuliflora v. cinerea:


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 22:01

Trollius laxus starting to bloom:

Primula rusbyi - one old plant has decided to bloom a bit again this year, after taking a couple of years off; I still need to propagate them to rejuvenate them, I think.

Anemone blanda:
 

Paeonia tenuifolia 'Plena':

Pulmonaria altaica:

Caltha palustris:

Corydalis solida:
 

Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Papageno'... and that's the neighbor's lawn, not ours - we rid ourselves of that plant long ago!  ;D


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 23:05

Hacquetia epipactis:
 

Corydalis nobilis:

Lilium martagon... some others in later parts of the yard are just emerging.

Petrocallis pyrenaica:

Sanguinaria canadensis:


Submitted by Boland on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 04:46

Spectacular display Lori!  You have such choice plants.  I finally got a Paraquilegia microphyllus and I'm afraid to plant it out, yet yours seems OK in calgary.  I wonder if they can take winter wet.  You are inching ahead of me....we have had mostly rain, drizzle and fog this past 2 week and cold temps...only 4 C yesterday.  Plants are once more in suspended animation around here.  On the plus side, the spring bulbs will be open for weeks!


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 04:58

Wonderful plants, Lori, especially that Petrocallis pyrenaica.  Great shot of the Paeonia tenuifolia foliage. I just learned via the Scottish Forum that what I've been growing as P. tenuifolia is actually P. intermedia.  Quite a surprise!  You have such a wide range of beautiful plants in your garden.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 10:45

A few more plants growing in our front garden and looking good at the moment. Dianthus 'Eileen Lever' is a fantastically free-flowering selection from Aberconwy Nursery; on the sand bed I also have a really deep red 'pink' of which I have lost the name (but it must be a well known form); Lithodora x intermedia, one of my all time favourites from a favourite family; Teucrium aroanum, a little plant but with disproportionate sized flowers a lot more showy than many of its relatives; Penstemon ovatus. I had a spell trying to grow lots of different species but this one has persisted very well, self-sowing gently and such a glorious colour; Potentilla fruticosa 'Beesii', I think the finest form with a neat habit and silvery-silky leaves. Finally one of the oddest and rarest plants in the garden, the Turkish Pelargonium quercetorum. This hasn't really flowered well and must be benefiting from our long dry and warm spring. I tried P. endlicherianum on the sand bed thinking it would do well, and it hasn't!

It's astonishing how many plants you can grow in your garden after more than 30 years, and there is a lot of useful seed and cutting material!


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 14:32

Todd wrote:

Spectacular display Lori!  You have such choice plants.  I finally got a Paraquilegia microphyllus and I'm afraid to plant it out, yet yours seems OK in calgary.  I wonder if they can take winter wet.  You are inching ahead of me....we have had mostly rain, drizzle and fog this past 2 week and cold temps...only 4 C yesterday.  Plants are once more in suspended animation around here.  On the plus side, the spring bulbs will be open for weeks!

Todd, I planted Paraquilegia last spring and it survived the last winter here but no flowers yet.

You all have so many interesting plants! Interesting to see which plants all have and which only few have!

Today we have steered southward again but to avoid some ferries and to see new terrain we took one of the more inland road. That implies longer drive and more ups and downs!

Along the fjords it is all green - except huge fields with dandelions!

 

In the valleys you can still see the last remnants of the avalanches through the woods. The woods consist mostly of birch and alder but also aspen, rowan and in the lower parts of linden and elm. In the understory of the woods you can find a lot of plants but we had no time to look for that now!

   

Some of the valleys end abruptly and the road has to climb steeply up to the pass before descending again.

   

The higher grounds are still snowcovered.

 

Down to the next fjord -Geirangerfjorden.


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 15:20

Great views, Trond, really interesting landscapes.. but best of all for me is to see places that have snow longer than me  ;D


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 16:13

Thanks, all!

Trond, it looks like the snow plow has quite a job keeping that road open!  :o  The switchbacks are amazing too... I only see ones like that on hiking trails.  It seems odd to have avalanches running down into deciduous trees, whereas here, it is spruce and firs at those elevations.  Very interesting to see your part of the world, Trond.

Todd, Paraquilegia are grown to exquisite perfection here by Stephanie Ferguson... too bad that it was too late to see them in bloom when you were here in July.  I believe the plant I showed is a seedling she gave me.  :)  By the way, terrific plants and photos - your photography skills are incredible! 

Anne, I went and read the peony discussion at SRGC and found it very helpful.  I also have slightly broader-leaved plants I received as P. tenuifolia that I've always wondered about... I believe they are likely P. intermedia too!  Here's one below (from later in the season):

Fabulous garden shots, Tim!


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 20:40

Lori, your peony looks just like mine.  I always thought the foliage to be very dissected until I saw the pictures of the "real" Paeonia tenuifolia.  P. tenuifolia supposedly has pure red flowers but in the pictures you can see some pink like mine or perhaps that's just the camera.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 20:44

Well, I just spent the day out weeding and moving things around to prepare for an extension to the tufa bed, and what did I see on my garden walk but... HORRORS!!... two small patches of what I feel is almost certainly Campanula rapunculoides!  :o  Crazy winds two winters ago likely brought the seeds (as we live on a corner, and these patches are far from the neighboring yard... which, I came to realize last year (upon seeing a bouquet of stems in a jar  :-X :P ??? :o), does harbour this fiend - amazing I haven't been invaded sooner) and I was pulling out suspicious-looking campanula seedlings last summer from the one area... This year, the white carrot-like roots on the little plants I evidently missed are sending out ominous networks of lateral roots.  IMO, this is truly one of the worst garden weeds in North America!!  
Here I was, ruthlessly rooting out relatively-innocent seedlings of C. trachelium and C. kolenatiana while the REAL enemy caught me unawares!  Anyway, I can see that I have a new pastime...    :rolleyes:  But I will prevail!!!  >:(


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 20:50

Lori, which hedysarum is it that you grow.  Hedysarum cappadocica has flowers for the first time and it really caps the week in the garden.  Yes, it's a small plant but have never had any success at all with this genus.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 20:55

Wow!  :o That's positively electric, Anne!
The only one I grow is Hedysarum boreale var boreale and here are some older photos of it (I don't think it's even emerged yet - Correction:  It's up about 8").
 


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 22:28

Wow, what an explosion of great plants and photos !!!

Love the architectural effect of the Dianthus/Yucca (or Agave) photo, Tim.  I just bought a couple Yucca nana plants at a local Friends School sale here for $5 each. 


Submitted by cohan on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 00:19

Skulski wrote:

Well, I just spent the day out weeding and moving things around to prepare for an extension to the tufa bed, and what did I see on my garden walk but... HORRORS!!... two small patches of what I feel is almost certainly Campanula rapunculoides!  :o  Crazy winds two winters ago likely brought the seeds (as we live on a corner, and these patches are far from the neighboring yard... which, I came to realize last year (upon seeing a bouquet of stems in a jar  :-X :P ??? :o), does harbour this fiend - amazing I haven't been invaded sooner) and I was pulling out suspicious-looking campanula seedlings last summer from the one area... This year, the white carrot-like roots on the little plants I evidently missed are sending out ominous networks of lateral roots.  IMO, this is truly one of the worst garden weeds in North America!!  
Here I was, ruthlessly rooting out relatively-innocent seedlings of C. trachelium and C. kolenatiana while the REAL enemy caught me unawares!  Anyway, I can see that I have a new pastime...    :rolleyes:  But I will prevail!!!  >:(

Funny, I've read this is supposed to be invasive, but we have a patch planted by my aunt or mom years ago, and though there has been a bit of spread there, it hasn't cropped up elsewhere on the property.. much more aggressive, here,  it seems to me are Geranium himalayense (if only I liked the flower colour :( --though this is also mostly/entirely vegetative spread, there are several patches of several square metres) and some purple spikey thing--maybe a tall Veronica--this definitely seeds around.... don't know how hard any of them are to get rid of ( I have heard the Campanula is very hard--but the roots are edible!) as I haven't done much in the areas they are planted, but may make some efforts to plant some additional stuff near them this year....


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 10:29

Two very pretty Hedysarums, Anne and Lori! I haven't yet had any luck with that genus. But I hope to mend that soon.....


Submitted by AmyO on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 10:40

A few pretty things that have been in bloom for the past few days. Every day brings more beauty...the plants are loving this cool & rainy weather, but it is so frustrating to have to run out between downpours to try and get anything done!  :P


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 10:53

Cohan: Several places we visited the last days were still snowcovered!

Lori: Birch is the common tree line kind of trees here. Spruces are exotic and planted only the last hundred years. (In the eastern parts spruce is common.) You can find pinewoods high up but usually on drier land. Some places foreign firs and larches are planted too.

The last day on the road. We stayed the night at Mundal Hotell in the small place of Mundal. The former vice president of USA Walter Mondale has his name from this place ;D
The hotel is 120 years this year and has seen better days but is cozy and charming. View from my window early this morning.

 

No time to look at the flowers but some could be seen on the few stops we had.
Matteuccia struthiopteris is very common in the moist woods. Orchis mascula is also common at the road verges.
 

We escaped two fjord crossings but had several more mountain crossings on our way home. This is Vikafjell and typically you see the old road still snowcovered and the "new" road disappearing into a tunnel. In this part of Norway there are several hundreds of them. You also find the World's longest road tunnel here (24.5km/15.2miles).


Submitted by Boland on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 18:04

Amy, your growing season is also jumping ahead of mine....my Jeffersonia is barely showing buds yet my Primula denticulata and Asarum canadense is in full bloom.  Lori you are getting way ahead of me...paeonia tenuifolia is just starting to show its bud here.

More lovely scenery Trond!

Sunny today but still icy-cold...only 8 C.

Anemone blanda...a rock wall was built on top of it...doesn't seem to cause it any harm!  Also in flower troday: Anemone ranunculoides, Primula X seriana and Sanguinaria canadensis.


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 21:48

Wonderful things, Amy!  It's worth going out in the rain for that!  :)

Trond, thanks for those beautiful pictures, especially the alpine scenery.

Your area will soon catch up, Todd (if in fact it's behind - it seems like you're ahead for some things, not for others).  Wow, (as I said before) your photos are incredible!  :o

A few more things here...
Thlaspi kurdicum, covered in bloom... I guess I'll keep it.  ;)

Eritrichium pauciflorum ssp. sajanense, from seed last year:

Primula algida, from seed last year:

Primula marginata 'Sheila Denby':
 

A couple of choice selections (from the 2+ trays-full I bought at the CRAGS spring plant sale).... Lomatium columbianum and Trifolium owyheense:
 

I have a couple of seedlings (finally) in a pot of Lomatium columbianum but I couldn't turn up the chance to get a more established plant.


Submitted by cohan on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 22:54

Beuties, Todd, love the A blanda!
Lori--great Thlaspi indeed :) I was going to ask if the CRAGS sale had already happened this year...


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 00:21

Glad you liked the pictures from our roundtrip to Ålesund although the weather wasn't the best and pictures was mostly taken through the car window!
Lori, switchbacks are the rule on Norwegian roads - except on a few main ones ;D In fact the old roads were build where the horsetracks went in earlier times.

I am always a little jealous on those of you growing plants I don't have or can't! But it always inspire to try when I see pictures here ;D

How could you ever think of getting rid of that Thlaspi, Lori?

I think you manage well even in rain, Amy! Btw don't you have a raincoat? ;D

Todd, do you know the provenience of that Anemone ranunculuoides? The leaves look different from my clones.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 01:08

Trond, I've only been to Norway once but it was enchanting and your pictures bring it back. We travelled by various means from Bergen to Geirangerfjord and my most amazing memory was walking to one of the deserted farms perched up on the side of the fjord. No wonder the Vikings were such intrepid explorers! (We have just had an 'Icelandic' season on TV to prove this).


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 11:35

I knew you had been holding back on posting the SO MANY things you grow so well, Lori. 

I actually prefer the Thlapsi in mostly bud, just as I like the Viburnum x 'Juddii' and Viburnum carlesii currently wafting their scent through my house windows.


Submitted by cohan on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 19:18

Flowers at last on some of my few spring flowering plants.. pics from May 11 to 14
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/May11To142011SpringGardenFlowers#

Corydalis solida 'Munich Sunrise' (if I am remembering correctly, can't seem to find any written confirmation...) from an SRGC forumist in Europe, in 09, doing nicely.. colour is brighter than seems in most of the shots...last one is about right..

   

Pulsatilla vulgaris

   

The only retic Iris that has come up in this bed--either really slow or they didn't like something-- extra long, wet melt period? Scillas seem fine, as do Pulsatillas.... growing beside it is--?-probably a native Ribes...


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 23:07

Very nice, Cohan!

Thanks for the kind words, Rick...  I like to think I grow a fair variety of things but I think most not terribly well!  :-[

Gentiana verna getting ready to roll...

A tough little Daphne retusa, whose evergreen foliage is somewhat frost-burnt; that one little flower cluster (first I have actually witnessed in bloom  :rolleyes:) is amazingly fragrant!

Anemone ranunculoides:


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 23:47

Tim wrote:

Trond, I've only been to Norway once but it was enchanting and your pictures bring it back. We travelled by various means from Bergen to Geirangerfjord and my most amazing memory was walking to one of the deserted farms perched up on the side of the fjord. No wonder the Vikings were such intrepid explorers! (We have just had an 'Icelandic' season on TV to prove this).

You are welcome back any time, Tim!


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 05/18/2011 - 00:20

Cohan, seems the spring has arrived at your place ;D Nice plants too.

Lori, don't be too humble, in my opinion Rick is right ;)

I have few places to grow small plants. Everything grow to considerable sizes here - the weeds too.
Therefore I often use huge plants like these:

Podophyllum aurantiocaule

Diphylleia sinensis

 

Asphodelus albus with a twist this year!

. . and in one of the beds I manage to keep the weed away. Calceolaria biflora


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 05/18/2011 - 00:48

Thanks, Lori and Trond! BTW-- I think I finally see some more retic Irises coming up! last year they were not so late... Scillas on the other hand, came up early, but are taking forever to open flrs...
Lori, must agree with the others--you seem to be growing things very nicely indeed! issues of climate and learning where you can place the plants to best advantage (issues everyone has) that you have mentioned, notwithstanding!
Thinking about growing well, and what it means,  I'm not sure that a lot of fussing equals growing well (or at least, that's only one kind of growing well) I'd mostly rather aim for the type of growing well that involves understanding good plant choices, preparation and placement to avoid fussing  ;D

Trond, I know about weed issues--I sometimes think I am crazy trying to garden with so many vigorous things trying to grow in any inch of exposed soil, and you are right, small plants are even harder...lol.. your big plants are nice! This small bed I have with spring flowers, I try to weed every time I stop to look at it, and still I took the photos of the Pulsatilla and found a fat clover behind it...lol..sometimes the weeds aren't so bad--in the woodland bed with the C solida, is a self-sown native C aurea--huge and lush and soon to flower!


Submitted by WimB on Wed, 05/18/2011 - 02:41

Wonderful plants, everyone...nice to see spring again in your gardens....

Here are some plants which are flowering here now:
Heuchera x brizoides 'Pruhoniciana Alba' and Dicentra eximia
Papaver orientale 'Salmon Pink'
and Polygonatum cirrhifolium 'Red Form'


Submitted by Boland on Wed, 05/18/2011 - 17:57

Bizarre Polygonatum Wim!

Cohan, you are just a week or so behind me...quick to catch up with your sunny weather compared to my cloudy.

Never heard of that Podophyllum species Trond...very attractive.

Lori, you're killing me with G. verna....love it but can't grow it.

Some images from today...Omphalodes verna, Primula 'Dale's Red', Rhododendron racemosum, Sanguinaria canadensis 'Rosea' and Viola corsica.


Submitted by cohan on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 00:11

Stunning images Todd!
I still don't have much planted (besides seed pots!) so I wont be doing much catching up  ;D but the wildflowers are racing along! I found another 3 things flowering today that I wasn't expecting so hard on the heels of Petasites and Caltha, but maybe its just because I forget when they should be...lol Should be a good year for woodland flowers after all the snow...


Submitted by WimB on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 02:36

cohan wrote:

Interesting Polygonatum!

Thanks Cohan, it's a Chen Yi plant so I'm not 100% sure of the name...but it's a nice one.


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 17:03

I picked and dispatched 6 lily beetles this morning!  The fiends had already chewed up a clump of asiatics.  For never even having seen one before 2 years ago, this is horrendous!!  And what a shame - asiatic lilies used to be absolutely carefree plants here.


Submitted by Boland on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 17:41

Touch wood...lily beetles have not made it to newfoundland.  They are a major nuisance in Nova Scotia so too close for comfort!


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 19:54

I tried Polyganatum cirrhifolium.  They grew for two summers and survived one winter.  That's all they wrote...

Now if I could just get this one to bloom - Polyganatum verticillatum.  It seems to be happy in dappled shade and a clay-woodland soil.  This is its fourth season.  Any ideas?


Submitted by Peter George on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 20:05

It's rained here almost every day for a week, and I've had difficulty getting outside to weed, let alone take pictures. But today around noon the mist stopped and I got in the garden for a few minutes and took some not really good pictures of some of the things that are blooming. I apologize for the quality, but given the conditions, they'll have to do.
The first one is Eriogonum caespitosa, 3 years old from Alplains seed, and the second is Gentiana acaulis, which has been in the garden for 5 years. Next is Coronilla vaginalis, 4 years from seed, and finally, an Eriogonum I've had for 4 or 5 years, and whose label is long gone.


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 20:18

RickR wrote:

Now if I could just get this one to bloom - Polyganatum verticillatum.  It seems to be happy in dappled shade and a clay-woodland soil.  This is its fourth season.  Any ideas?

No idea, Rick.  It took forever for Polygonatum humile to bloom for me.

Great show, Peter!  Gentiana acaulis is always breathtaking, isn't it?

On a positive note (after the lily beetle report  >:(), I moved my Betula apoiensis on Sunday and it is still looking fine.  It was crowding the front of the big acid bed it's in and infringing on the path... moved it back a ways.  So far, so good!


Submitted by cohan on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 22:28

Sorry to hear about the beetles Lori :( There's been talk about them on the yahoo group... one person mentioned she found them in early spring in a bed that had leaf litter or mulch or dead stuff--I forget exactly, but it was some kind of organic material, deliberate or left-over (I think it was the latter).. 'clean' beds didn't seem to be as/hospitable for overwintering....


Submitted by cohan on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 23:05

This little gem is so dark its hard to see it in the pot! Planted in a gallon pot from a piece of root-thanks Stephenb!- late last fall.. so it has survived one winter, and looking great!
Taraxacum 'faroense' which is presumably T rubifolium

Its only maybe 3 inches across, most of these leaves are new this spring, and it seems to have a bud coming, we'll see..I'd rather it didn't have regular dandelion colour flowers--it does--but the foliage makes it worthwhile... I wonder if it will stay this dark all year? Hope so....
Anyone know what sort of moisture this sp likes? Faroes look pretty wet to me....


Submitted by Barstow on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 02:33

Good to see that it has made it! Even though it has standard coloured flowers, the contrast against the dark leaves is very nice!

Although the Plant List doesn't note a Taraxacum faroense or faeroense, the Botanical Society of the British Isles  does note a species with the latter name and it is fairly widespread in the UK: http://www.bsbimaps.org.uk/atlas/map_page.php?spid=3847.0&sppname=Taraxacum faeroense&commname=A dandelion

I've not been successful in finding a picture of faeroense in the wild, but one reference refers to it "as distinctive in its blanket bog habitat, leaf form and colour" (so if this is the what we have, it certainly doesn't mind damp conditions!). On the other hand rubifolium isn't noted from the UK, but I've seen pictures of a plant with this name taken in the wild in the Faroe Islands (it looks the same), but no other reference to where it is found in the wild. I would conclude that it is a synonym and that faeroense is accepted as correct in the UK.... Neither are mentioned in the Flora of North America.


Submitted by Mark McD on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 04:55

Just some quick links relative to Taraxacum, and Taraxacum faeroense Dahlst. 1926 in particular:

T. rubrifolium
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31788134@N04/4656690003/

The Flora of Derbyshire entry (no image)
http://www.derby.gov.uk/dccwebdev/museum/flora/flora.aspx?SpeciesID=1873

Listed in the Interactive Flora of NW Europe
http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/BIS/flora.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soo...
A Shetland endemic, habitat:
Native; damp or wet acidic grassy places, often in upland areas, also roadsides etc..

Map:
http://wbrc.org.uk/WORCRECD/Issue%2020/taraxacum_maps_3.htm

of interest:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faroe_Islands


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 07:14

The crevice garden continues to be a delight and plants do seem to like it very much.  Just a few pictures from what's in bloom now.  It's a constantly changing parade.


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 09:11

cohan wrote:

There's been talk about them on the yahoo group... one person mentioned she found them in early spring in a bed that had leaf litter or mulch or dead stuff--I forget exactly, but it was some kind of organic material, deliberate or left-over (I think it was the latter).. 'clean' beds didn't seem to be as/hospitable for overwintering....

A friend at work who is deeply interested in lilies and hybridizing compiled a fact sheet for the Alberta Regional Lily Society.  Apparently, the adults overwinter in soil or in organic debris.  He compiled reports last year - apparently, they have started to occur all over the city.


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 10:46

Fortunately I have no problem with the lily beetle at home. However at my summerhouse it is devastating :(

All I want for my birthday is some crevices to fill with plants ;D


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 11:04

RickR wrote:

I tried Polyganatum cirrhifolium.  They grew for two summers and survived one winter.  That's all they wrote...

Now if I could just get this one to bloom - Polyganatum verticillatum.  It seems to be happy in dappled shade and a clay-woodland soil.  This is its fourth season.  Any ideas?

I do grow verticillatum. I collected a piece of the rhizome of a winter cold inland site in E Norway. It flowers sparse but regularly. Seems the outmost plants in the clump produce more flowers. They naturally grow in rather moist (but not wet) soil and tolerate heavy shade.


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 11:18

Spiegel wrote:

...It's a constantly changing parade.

And an absolutely delightful one, Anne!

A clump of Tulipa urumiensis that has been given new life by the removal of a 14'W x 8' T sweetberry honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea)... funny, when this honeysuckle was introduced around here, it was said to get to 3'x3'!  This is where the tufa bed extension will go, so the tulips (and anything else worth saving) will get moved soon too.
 

Gentiana verna... my camera (claimed to be pretty good for its type, I gather, but IMO, lousy at focusing and colour capture) can't show the true colour, a much darker blue.  Nice how the petals unwind.

Taraxacum albopseudoroseum - not delicate; this one wintered over as an evergreen, and bloomed last year in its first year from seed.

Veronica bombycina ssp. bolkardaghensis:
 

Looks like I might, after many years, get a flower on Clematis hirsutissima!  (It never looks much better than this... just one feathery sprig sticking up.)

Primula 'Jay Jay'... I think I'd best propagate/rejuvenate all my old primroses - many are declining.
 

Fritillaria meleagris - the hole in the petal is probably from hail (quite a hailstorm a while ago and a bit last night in the rain)... not from lily beetles!


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 12:48

Skulski wrote:

cohan wrote:

There's been talk about them on the yahoo group... one person mentioned she found them in early spring in a bed that had leaf litter or mulch or dead stuff--I forget exactly, but it was some kind of organic material, deliberate or left-over (I think it was the latter).. 'clean' beds didn't seem to be as/hospitable for overwintering....

A friend at work who is deeply interested in lilies and hybridizing compiled a fact sheet for the Alberta Regional Lily Society.  Apparently, the adults overwinter in soil or in organic debris.  He compiled reports last year - apparently, they have started to occur all over the city.

Makes me think I should stick to buying seed and not live plants (not buying any lilies, but I presume they could be in the soil of other plants? could they be hidden in summer, or if you bought a plant would they have to be visible on above ground plant parts?).. I don't have any number of lilies at risk, but I worry about introducing them to native lily relatives.... At this point, I really do nothing with or about insects outdoors--for the most part, the natural fauna seems to be in balance...


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 12:54

Thanks for input Stephen and Mark; I've seen some of those images before.. Faroes look lovely.. sounds like I should keep it well watered. Stephen, is yours in ordinary garden conditions, or...?

Lori, did you mean T pseudoroseum? I had seedlings last fall, not yet sure if they are coming back --there are dandelion seedlings in that pot, but all very small, so I'm not yet sure if there are any overwinterers, new germination, or just 'wild' stuff seeded in.... Your success is encouraging, but still not sure of its survival...


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 13:13

Quote: Looks like I might, after many years, get a flower on Clematis hirsutissima!  (It never looks much better than this... just one feathery sprig sticking up.)

How many years? I have this in my sand bed and it grows really well but has never flowered. I put it down to not getting hot enough summers and maybe cold enough winters, but perhaps i just need to be more patient. Clematis tenuiloba in the same bed does flower but not brilliantly. I wish I could grow the Veronica. I've tried it from seed but it hasn't kept going too long. Some of those Turkish species are exquisite


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 13:14

cohan wrote:

Lori, did you mean T pseudoroseum?

Yes, thanks!  My iPhoto is currently disconnected from my huge photo gallery... grrr.  I usually go back and copy names over, but I just winged it on that one, and got it wrong.  


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 13:34

Tim, I've had that C. hirsutissima for about 5-6 years, and I bought it so it must have been at least 2-3 years old.  A couple of these choice low clematis do splendidly at Rundle Wood Garden here in Calgary; I think they get much more sun-baking where they are positioned there than this one of mine.

Ranunculus eschscholtzii, starting to bloom.  I like the very glossy foliage... although I much prefer to see them in the wild here.   :)

Androsace chamaejasme... ditto!

And one from the aquatic world, water hawthorn, Aponogeton distachyos - one of the most bizarre flowers I've ever seen.

Didymophysa vesicaria... I think there is a misspelling there.  Anyone know what it really is?  (Again, I think I figured it out last year... but can't get at my photo records!)  I figured it out.  Correction:  It's probably Braya linearis.


Submitted by Weiser on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 19:22

Yes it's Eriogonum caespitosum. This particular plant is an oddball since it's flowering stems are
4-6 inches long. Normal plants display their flowers just above the foliage. I found it growing in a normally proportioned population.  

Here are some close ups.


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 20:42

Thanks for the close-ups! It's gorgeous!  
There are so many plants, I don't know where to start asking for names.  Out of curiosity, what is the low grass-substitute (I assume) in the second photo?

Dianthus myrtinervius ssp. caespitosus looks like it will put on a good show this year; the winter of 2009-2010 was hard on it, and about 1/3 of died, but it seems to have recovered its vigour.


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 21:16

I have some seed of C hirsutissima, which I may have sown to late for full stratification--then again, if it needs warm cold warm, even later  ;D
Anyway, from all the comments here and on SRGC recently, (someone waited 9 years from seed for flowers).. I'm starting to wonder if its worth worrying about.. (may take so long, no point giving it any thought!) plus, if it needs baking, it prob wont be happy here! I got it from someone in Saskatchewan.. wonder how long his took to flower...


Submitted by Weiser on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 21:20

Skulski wrote:

Thanks for the close-ups! It's gorgeous!  
There are so many plants, I don't know where to start asking for names.  Out of curiosity, what is the low grass-substitute (I assume) in the second photo?

The Green grass substitutes are a mix of Thyme species. I think about six varieties . The gray creeper you see in the upper portion is Raoulia australis. The lawn forms a circle around a sand stone patio. On the north and west sides of the lawn are five species of  Antennaria  forming a silvery lawn.


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 22:10

Gee, this thread has certainly come alive lately!  And with a plethora of worthy plants and photographs!

My excuse for posting is that we need more "common" plants:

        Podophyllum hexandrum

             

         Primula polyneura

             

         Astrantia major 'Sunningdale Gold'

             


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 22:30

    Iris reichenbachii and Draba rigida var. bryoides

             

Not all species hybrids are keepers.  This one is a chance hybrid of
Veronica rupestris 'Heavenly Blue' and Veronica gentianoides.  It's about 4 inches tall.

             


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 05/21/2011 - 00:24

Fantastic stuff, John! Do you water much of your garden? I'm quite sure you've told me before, but I forget...
I love Antennarias, and grow some local natives and not quite locals as well--a couple in the rock garden, and some grow around the yard as well.. outside of a constantly weeded rock garden, I'd never be able to keep them totally free of taller plants, but they still form nice mats, the locals at least tolerating shade as well...

Rick--nice Iris, in particular :)


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 05/21/2011 - 00:59

Weiser wrote:

I took a stroll through my garden yesterday.

John, a stroll in your garden would take a very, very long time :o :D  :o :D


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 05/21/2011 - 01:09

RickR wrote:

Gee, this thread has certainly come alive lately!  And with a plethora of worthy plants and photographs!

My excuse for posting is that we need more "common" plants:

Rick, I support your first statement :o And your second statement too, however what is common one place isn't necessarily common another place! Furthermore a nice picture of a "common" plant is always worth its space.


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 05/21/2011 - 06:20

Overcast today and I am working on a wall but had time to a little stroll in the garden.

I have planted several anemones, here are two. The labels say demissa and palmata but that is wrong. In the background a red Meconopsis flowers from seed last year. It is very punicea like but not quite.

     

Another favorite genus is Maianthemum. These species are also unknown. I have several similar but not identical plants. The flowers are nothing to boast of but the leaves are great and they get nice red or orange berries in the autumn.

       

Some polygonatums are favored by the slugs but these are left almost unharmed. The first is Polygonatum verticillatum and the second is an unknown species that attain a height of several feet.

     


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 05/21/2011 - 06:30

I found I had two species of Diphylleia: sinensis and cymosa!

Diphylleia sinensis

 

Diphylleia cymosa

 


Submitted by Mark McD on Sat, 05/21/2011 - 07:10

Wow, away and traveling for work this past week, I feel like I'm missing out on the "garden walk" action, great stuff!

@John:  I love the Eriogonum caespitosum form with red-orange buds, stunning.  In your 6th photo showing a meandering garden path, that path looks dangerous... impalement from the right-hand side a likely possibility ;)  Your dryland garden looks amazing.

@Lori: you showed us Dianthus myrtinervius ssp. caespitosus before, which made an indelible impression here, great having a second look with the plant looking better than ever to remind us how unique and desirable this species is, worth growing for the foliage alone which looks more like a choice dwarf Hebe than a pink.

@Rick: I've been looking for more yellow-leaved or variegated plants as occasional accents, I like the Astrantia very much, I'm not familiar with that variegated form.

@Trond: good looking Polygonatums, I have to be careful, this is another area I could easily delve into and become utterly distracted with ;D  Glad to see Diphylleia sinensis, I have some fat seedlings pushing up on this one.

@Lori (2):  Going back a full page, great pics and plants, must try Tulipa urumiensis.... I'm a true Tulipa species fan, and they seem reasonably successful growing them from seed.  I keep seeing photos of Taraxacum pseudoroseum, which I lust after... sorry to report Stephen that seedling of this and T. pamiricum fried in last years drought and no sign of them this spring.  The Veronica bombycina ssp. bolkardaghensis gets my vote as one of the prettiest alpine plants ever!

@Anne:  Ooh, Eriogonum douglasii having a small flowering spectacle... I've never been able to flower this... looks great in that crevice.


Submitted by Mark McD on Sat, 05/21/2011 - 08:37

This spring has seen "explosive flowering", it's been hard to keep up, and I've missed some of it while traveling and working/commuting crazy hours.  Here is a smattering of plant views taken recently, excuse the dark lighting from a stretch of cloudy rainy days.

Left:   view of Cypripedium parviflorum v. pubescens and blue Pulmonaria clones and unnamed seedling forms.
Right:  Daphne 'Fritz Kummert', incredibly fragrant and scenting the garden.

Left:   Dianthus microlepis var. musulae, typically shy flowering, this year with more flowers than normal.
Right:  Fothergilla gardenii - closeup of bottlebrush bloom.

Left:   Two views of Halesia tetraptera 'Rosea', the best it has ever flowering, dripping with flowers from bare wood.  This is actually a couple potted plants, allowed to sit in my so-called "nursery area" way too long, the trunk probably now as large as the small plunged pot that it is in :rolleyes:, I've not been good about getting potted trees and shrubs planted out into the garden in a timely way.

Left:   Houstonia caerulea garden path vignette.  I plan on popping this most obliging native plant all along nooks and crannies and along garden paths; they flower for months and are utterly charming.  Driving to Maine way week, these grew by the millions along the highway; I was tempted to stop and take a closer look, but didn't.
Right:  Trillium grandiflorum 'Multiplex' coming into bloom, I really must divide this, it's about 25-30 growth points, but I'm afraid to do it!

Left:   Trillium grandiflorum in pristine bloom, with the large foliage of Trillium vaseyi on the left.
Right:  Trillium lancifolium - with unique declined narrow leaves, and upright narrow maroon red flowers.  Some of the plants in this photo are seedling plants.  In the upper right you can see a couple stemless T. decumbens.

The sun is finally out today, and it's a weekend day, YAHOO, off to the garden!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 05/21/2011 - 21:47

Hoy wrote:

Overcast today and I am working on a wall but had time to a little stroll in the garden.

Let me guess... a wall to be planted with alpines?   ;)  Sounds interesting, either way!

Hoy wrote:

I have planted several anemones, here are two. The labels say demissa and palmata but that is wrong.

The very crisp white one is especially nice, whatever it may be.
I suspect I have lost my Diphylleia... at least I don't see it yet (though, realistically, many things have yet to emerge)... it's pretty dry for it here in my yard (I realize that after seeing on this forum what they ought to look like!)

Wow, Mark - it's great when you get some time in the garden!! Terrific plants!  
Thank you for the correct spelling of Tulipa urumiensis... I thought it was "uremiensis" for some reason (probably the spelling used by the bulb vendor)... I have corrected the previous post.  It's odd that trilliums are just blooming there when they are just starting here too... I would have thought your area would be far ahead with them.


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 05/21/2011 - 23:36

Skulski wrote:

Is the very modest (to say the least) veronica you showed similar to V. serpyllifolia, or is it even less flashy?

Lori, I didn't know there was such a wild veronica here!  I have never seen it before, so I can't compare, but it might be that.  Curious though, that it has made its debut right along with the Vernoica 'Heavenly Blue', if it is indeed the wild weed.  I suppose if I find another plant of same, then V. serpylifolia is the most probable ID.  It could be hard to explain why there would be no variation in hybrid siblings.  I do grow a near albino Veronica gentianoides so white would not be out of the question in a cross. 


Submitted by Mark McD on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 09:23

Skulski wrote:

It's odd that trilliums are just blooming there when they are just starting here too... I would have thought your area would be far ahead with them.

We've had a long, cool spring, so the trilliums are lasting a very long time, I have many species in bloom, the T. lancifolium plants have been in bloom for about 3 weeks, and they still look fresh.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 09:36

Thanks, Mark.  What a fabulous display of trilliums!  I can understand your reluctance to try to divide the double! 

Looking back through the postings...
I just realized, Amy, that you have a triple-flowered Fritillaria meleagris in your photo:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=274.msg8914#msg8914
I seem to get twin ones fairly often but I don't think I've seen triplets... does it happen often?

Trond, what an amazIng clump of Calceolaria biflora!   
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=274.msg8966#msg8966
Those in cold zones may be intrigued and encouraged to know that I had this plant overwinter once... I must try it again.


Submitted by Mark McD on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 10:01

Skulski wrote:

Looking back through the postings...
I just realized, Amy, that you have a triple-flowered Fritillaria meleagris in your photo:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=274.msg8914#msg8914
I seem to get twin ones fairly often but I don't think I've seen triplets... does it happen often?

I too had missed that one, never has seen a triple flowered Fritillaria meleagris let alone a double.  By the way Amy: some really fine photos you've shown us, I particularly like the front-on flower view of the Asarum.  Lori: posting back-links such as you've done is a good way of catching up to messages several pages back... thanks!


Submitted by Boland on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 13:59

Spectacular flowers Mark!  You are weeks ahead of me...still no leaves on the trees here...yet my Trillium grandiflorum is open too.

My first ever 'homemade' Rhododendron hybrid has finally bloomed after 6 years from seed.  It is a cross between R. oreodoxa and R. 'Carmen' (this one is R. sanguineum X R. forrestii).  All three are currently open.  The parents are shwon first, then the hybrid.


Submitted by Mark McD on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 14:19

Wow, how satisfying to see the first bloom on your hybrid, a strikingly rich color... congratulations!  What's the foliage like on the hybrid, is the plant habit low as in 'Carmen'.  Nice to see the parents and then the child :)

Many years ago, when in my completely obsessed Rhododendron days, I was particularly smitten with the low or dwarf red hybrids, like 'Carmen' and 'Baden Baden', with those glossy near black-red waxy bells flowers, or some of the odd black-red, orange-red color forms of R. sanguineum.  In my old garden (at my parents house), the conditions were a bit more favorable for rhodies than here. I still love the rhodies, however anything but the so-called "iron-clad" rhodies here are subject to unfriendly climatic conditions in my garden: too hot, dry and sunny in summer; too open, exposed and windy in winter.


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 16:30

Todd, that's a whole lot of flowers for the maiden bloom season!  And what a fantastic result!  How many more siblings are there to come?


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 20:54

Nice, Todd!
A few from here...
Draba sp.(?) (white flowers) battling it out for domination of a trough with Androsace primuloides 'Chumbyi'; in another trough, Draba paysonii ventosa with yellow flowers:

Hmm, I had this labelled as something else, but it must be one of the Erigeron aureus seedlings from last year...

Pulsatilla campanella:

Anacyclus maroccanus Edit: Erigeron sp.:

Another pic of Shoshonea pulvinata, just to show that the flower stems do not elongate, as I thought they might - very compact, indeed.

Phlox kelseyi:
 

A small honeysuckle, Lonicera zaravschanica... not too exciting so far:

Potentilla nivea, purchased last year from the CRAGS plant sale... (I acquired a couple of native alpine potentillas so I could study them and try to figure out what I see in the wild here).


Submitted by Mark McD on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 21:54

Good stuff Lori, Potentilla nivea and Phlox kelseyi are both very choice items!  In the domination struggle, I'm rooting for Draba paysonii, a charismatic alpine draba to be sure :)  I only know Anacyclus depressus (not reliably hardy here), but the few thumbnail photos found of A. maroccanus I've found show a plant with only a few petals (ligules) and the usual highly dissected foliage... can't tell what the foliage looks like on your plant, but based on the numerous narrow ligules I think it is actually an Erigeron.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 22:34

McDonough wrote:

I only know Anacyclus depressus (not reliably hardy here), but the few thumbnail photos found of A. maroccanus I've found show a plant with only a few petals (ligules) and the usual highly dissected foliage... can't tell what the foliage looks like on your plant, but based on the numerous narrow ligules I think it is actually an Erigeron.

Doh!  I think you're right.  As I remain disconnected from my photo library (despite having got everything moved over onto this new hyper-space-drive computer I bought  >:(), I'll have to take a pic tomorrow to show you.  The foliage is slightly unusual but not highly dissected.  Prior to it blooming, I thought I had found a photo purporting to be A. maroccanus that the foliage seemed to resemble but I can't find it now.   Yeah, sure does looks like an erigeron...


Submitted by Mark McD on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 22:42


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Mon, 05/23/2011 - 05:49

Loving all the pictures.  Lori, the Shoshonea pulvinata is marvelous.  Is this the first time you've grown it?
A few pictures of what's going on in the garden.  First picture is of Oxytropis besseyi using a mat of Erigerone scopulinus as a seed bed.


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 05/23/2011 - 09:19

Rick, those are interesting seedpods on Draba borealis.  No, mine is definitely not that (unfortunately).

Anne, I just planted Shoshonea pulvinata last year, bought from Beaver Creek at the CRAGS plant sale; I have not grown it before.  Your pictures are wonderful! Great to see the sorts of plants that I hope to grow!  Hmmm, think I need to get rid of some old perennial plantings that no longer interest me greatly, and put in sand beds for Astragalus and Eriogonum...

Papaver kluanense, a seedling that was very kindly given to me last year; Draba ramosissima; rollers on Jovibarba hirta:
   


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 05/23/2011 - 13:02

Mark, here's the foliage and another close-up of the probable erigeron/Anacyclus maroccanus-imposter:
 

I think it's not hairy enough for E. compositus.  It's rather like Erigeron trifidus (which can be white or mauve, apparently):
http://www.wildgingerfarm.com/Erigeron.htm

I'm showing this one again because it's even cuter today now that it's fully opened.  ;D ;D   Didymophysa vesicariaprobably Braya linearis :

Perennials in the garden... Lathyrus vernus and Lathyrus vernus 'Gracilis'; Rheum palmatum var. tanguticum emerging through Omphalodes verna; Bergenia cordifolia (2) - an extremely tough and easy plant here:
       


Submitted by Boland on Mon, 05/23/2011 - 15:51

Stunning plants Anne and Lori.  Lori, you are jumping ahead of me...my Lathyrus vernus are just showing buds.  I have tried Phlox kelseyi several times but is always rots in winter.

Rick, in regards to my hybrid rhody, I have 6 other seedlings...another will bloom in the next day or two but the rest will have to wait for another year.  Mark, the hybrid is more upright like oreodoxa with oreodoxa leaves but blooming at 18 inches, it will be much smaller than the oreodoxa parent which was 5 feet before it started to bloom.

A few other plants in bloom.....Rhododendron keiskei, R. racemosum, Erythronium White beauty with Fritillaria meleagris, Ranunculus montanus, Pulmonaria Miss Moon and Pulmonaria Sissinghurst White


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 05/23/2011 - 22:50

Wow, Todd - the rhodos are amazing.  I must say it's pretty neat to hybridize your own!!  (We are down to one rhodo here... 'PJM' was the only other one, that lasted for about 12(?) years, gradually being swamped by perennials, and finally succumbing when it was moved last summer.  Oh well, it's much better yet that I can enjoy yours!!  :D)
Ranunculus montanus seems very much like R. eschscholtizii, at least on a cursory level... wonder how they differ?


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 05/24/2011 - 01:17

A lot of great plants here! I realize that if I want to grow more of that kind of plants I have to remove my woodland and expose the nice bedrock (I know it is nice with lots of cracks and shelves etc) underneath the 1/2' layer of soil! However, I am not sure I am ripe to do that :-\

I observed Anacyclus in Morocco some years ago when I walked in the Atlas mountains. Sorry, but only oldfashion slides :( However they don't look like your plant, Lori. Yours look more like this from Turkey:

Todd, nice rhodos and your cross seems to be very gardenworthy! I have never deliberately made such crosses with rhodos but I do grow many OP plants from seed. Some are very nice.

Anne, that Anthyllis is marvellous! I have never seen that colour before in Anthyllis.


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 05/24/2011 - 02:55

Lori, you asked about the wall somewhere, can't find it though. But anyway it is unfortunately no wall for plants except on top of it. I have built a new step and have to make a new wall too as a kind of demarcation!

No planting pockets (too much shade from the rhodos) but I think moss and ferns soon invade ;)

 


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 05/24/2011 - 13:58

I have to add a remark about the weather. Last night we had very bad weather with strong wind and rain and when I came home from work this evening I found a lot of damaged flowers. Leaves, buds, twigs and flowers are literally torn off the plants! The rain and wind had stoppet but the light  was very gloomy and the clouds had a unnatural colour. It was ash from the Grímsvötn volcano on Iceland :o


Submitted by Boland on Tue, 05/24/2011 - 17:14

Between ash in Norway, floods in the Mississippi and tornados in Missouri, I feel fortunate to live in my cool and rainy part of the world.


Submitted by cohan on Tue, 05/24/2011 - 17:40

Todd wrote:

Between ash in Norway, floods in the Mississippi and tornados in Missouri, I feel fortunate to live in my cool and rainy part of the world.

I say the same thing all the time, Todd! Even fires, droughts, and floods that have been in Alberta have not affected my immediate area... (knock on wood! but we aren't so prone to those things here) ..my line is that we have a lot of miserable, but not too much deadly!

Hoping all the best for those in the path of storms and ash!


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 05/24/2011 - 20:58

After the second day of rain in what is forecast to be a week of rain, here are a few soggy offerings.

Bug's-eye view of Dracocephalum palmatum:

From the seeds you sent me, Rick, Pulsatilla turczaninovii - still flowering very sparsely - I don't grow them as well as you do, but I still enjoy them very much!  Terrific plant!

Myosotis decumbens, starting to open:

Euphorbia capitulata, not a traffic-stopper, but I think I understood from the SRGC forum a while back that it was reluctant to bloom in cultivation, so for whatever it's worth, here it is.  ???
 

Pulsatilla campanella:

Bearberry, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi:
 

A very furry and wet Hieracium villosum:

And what will be the first to bloom of the many self-sown Penstemon nitidus in the front yard!


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 05/24/2011 - 21:14

Continued...
Actaea rubra; Arabis caucasica(?) - 2 photos; Schivereckia podolica - this plant can look quite spectacular when grown lean (so I wonder why don't I do that?  ???  )
     

Phlox multiflora, not exactly living up to its name...  ;D

Pulmonaria 'Apple Frost', 'Trevi Fountain' and 'Baby Blue' - the last one is amusing with one pink and one blue flower:
   

Bergenia 'Eroica':

Drawing to the end of Pulsatilla vulgaris season...


Submitted by cohan on Tue, 05/24/2011 - 21:24

I like that Euphorbia a lot! I think even my myrsinites may not have made it through the winter :( it was still in a sunk pot along with everything else though, so I will try again when I can get it right into the ground.... I think I got it locally, so I should be able to find it again..

Actaea rubra in flower! (nice patch, by the way!) I don't think they've even emerged here-- I wasn't looking for them when I was out today, but didn't notice them either, and there are a lot in the bush...


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 05/24/2011 - 21:30

cohan wrote:

I like that Euphorbia a lot! I think even my myrsinites may not have made it through the winter :( it was still in a sunk pot along with everything else though, so I will try again when I can get it right into the ground.... I think I got it locally, so I should be able to find it again..

I weed out many E. myrsinites every year (I like it but just don't need that many)... could save some seedlings/young plants for you if need be... or some seeds if I get out there with a catcher's mitt on a hot day!


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 05/25/2011 - 13:58

Todd wrote:

Between ash in Norway, floods in the Mississippi and tornadoes in Missouri, I feel fortunate to live in my cool and rainy part of the world.

I prefere ash to flooding and tornadoes! The ash clouds have disappeared now and only some flights were cancelled.


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 05/25/2011 - 15:13

Skulski wrote:

cohan wrote:

I like that Euphorbia a lot! I think even my myrsinites may not have made it through the winter :( it was still in a sunk pot along with everything else though, so I will try again when I can get it right into the ground.... I think I got it locally, so I should be able to find it again..

I weed out many E. myrsinites every year (I like it but just don't need that many)... could save some seedlings/young plants for you if need be... or some seeds if I get out there with a catcher's mitt on a hot day!

On the coldzone group, someone used little mesh drawstring bags (I'm guessing a few inches long) from the dollar store for seed catching, looked like a good one to try.. seedlings would be cool, but I have a feeling postage would cost as much as buying them, assuming I can find them offered again.. I don't know how Canadian mail order places manage shipping without costing more than the plants...
Its possible I still have some seed from a few years ago when I got some from Kristl-that was the year I broke my wrist and couldn't do any digging, basically lost the whole gardening season, along with a bunch of seedlings :( (should have been able to maintain them without getting them in the ground, but made some other errors!)

BTW, I did see an Actaea up--its one that is growing in an old overgrown bed with iris and daylilies--its prob 8 inches or more up, but nothing unfurled yet..


Submitted by Boland on Wed, 05/25/2011 - 18:24

Great show Lori!  I'd say you are 10 days ahead of me now.  Actaea is budded but a week or so from flowering, but my P. campanella is open too.


Submitted by RickR on Wed, 05/25/2011 - 18:46

Lori, your Pulsatilla turczaninovii is coming along nicely.  It is a slower grower for me too.  Although, considering your naturally green thumb, I kinda expected you'd do better than me!  ;D
Maturation will come.  You'll see.

Love the Bergenia 'Eroica'.  I'm not familiar with bergenias at all, but with the hanging bells, that must be a cross or at least not cordifolia.(?) Got any info on that?

I never realized Actaea rubra had such nice flowers...

Skulski wrote:

...Pulmonaria 'Baby Blue' - the last one is amusing with one pink and one blue flower:

The stark contrast seems to be the norm for the cultivar, but not in equal mix. I took these photos of Pulmonaria 'Baby Blue' a few weeks ago.  The plant is just finishing bloom now.

                       


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 05/25/2011 - 21:05

Rick, yes, I hope my P. turcz... will someday look like yours!!  (I think it will take about a hundred years!)
Very nice pulmonaria.
I will have to research your Bergenia question... I have assumed they were all B. cordifolia but i really don't know.

No new alpines in bloom today, oh well.

Erysimum nivalis 'Mountain Magic'; Aubrieta deltoides 'Blue Indigo' (a redundant name!); a mislabelled Erigeron - I like this one best in bud; Aubrieta canescens, from seed last year.
     

A cliff-hanging Erichtrichium pauciflorum ssp. sajanense, from seed last year; despite being from rather specialized habitat (serpentine screes/unstable schists - Northern Greece/Albania), Campanula hawkinsiana seems tolerant and hardy - all the seedlings I planted out last year in various places have wintered over; buds on Erigeron aureus from seed last year (they also bloomed last year in a few months from seed, which was very nice of them!)
   

And from the perennial garden, Doronicum orientale:


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 05/25/2011 - 23:27

Lots of colour, Lori! I like the pinks and blues--  we are fast approaching the season where yellow is a dubious colour here--the countryside will soon be swathed with it.. :rolleyes:

I like the Pulmonarias shown recently, too... how large are the plants?


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 00:13

Trond, the view from your terrace is tremendous - we don't have lakes, or mountains, or rain(!) in Kent, so it is great to imagine them in the minds eye. It is nice to see the two Pulsatillas in Lori's pictures (campanella and turczaninovii). I have only grown the latter but the whole genus are amongst my favourite plants. Does anyone grow georgii which has much paler flowers (almost silvery-blue like vernalis) but the same neat ferny leaf. This  I think I had originally from Josef Halda seed.


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 07:35

Lori, those fluff-bud Erigerons are wonderful.  I'm sure everyone who sees them can't resist a fondling touch!

Cohan, I have grown Pulmonaria 'Baby Blue' since 2004 in a fairly dry partial shade.  It has never grown more than 9 x 14 inches, but still looks a bit out of place with Epimedium diphylla 'Rosea' and Epimedium x youngianum 'Niveum' as neighbors.

Tim wrote:

Does anyone grow georgii which has much paler flowers (almost silvery-blue like vernalis) but the same neat ferny leaf. This  I think I had originally from Josef Halda seed.

I have some Pulsatilla georgica in still in pots.  Some have all white flowers, some more creamy with very pleasing blue-gray/silver petal backs.  Why I haven't got a photo of the nicer looking bicolor type beats me!

    Pulsatilla georgica from NARGS seeds ex.

             


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 09:52

Blloming now in the crevice garden from seed labeled Penstemon laricifolius - white form.  Guess it didn't seed true.


Submitted by cohan on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 12:09

Tks for the Pulmonaria info, Lori and Rick.. Rick, I don't know those Epimediums, what makes the Pulmonaria out of place with them, just too solid looking? Nice Pulsatilla, like Tim, I don't think I've seen a species I didn't like..

Anne--still a nice Pent, too bad about being the wrong colour :(


Submitted by Boland on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 18:37

No penstemon open here for some time yet.  Great plants Lori.

A few things from  my woodland garden...Jeffersonia dubia, Trillium grandiflorum, T. erectum, Erythronium pagoda and E. 'White beauty'


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 20:08

cohan wrote:

Rick, I don't know those Epimediums, what makes the Pulmonaria out of place with them, just too solid looking?

Epimedium diphyllum 'Roseum' and E. x youngianum 'Niveum' are both small epimediums.  Even though Pulmonaria 'Baby Blue' is a small lungwort,the foliage is five times larger than the leaflets on the epimediums, and have the silver spots that scream out: "Look at me!".  The eppies, not so much.  This all makes Baby Blue look like a giant among them, at least in my eyes.


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 20:19

Wow, Todd, exquisite photos!  Erythronium 'Pagoda' is  :o :o! 
Primula hirsuta looks like an ideal rock garden primrose - very short flower stems - nice!

Anne, I don't think I've seen a penstemon in any colour that didn't have merit!  :)

Your wall construction will add to an already beautiful place and setting, Trond.


Submitted by Boland on Fri, 05/27/2011 - 04:12

Skulski wrote:

Alyssoides utriculata looks intriguing, Todd.  If you ever collect seeds, I'd like to try it!

Twice I ordered seeds of Coluteocarpus (fell in love with Panayoti's when I saw it in his garden) and ended up with Alyssoides.  This latter can self seed but I have not found it invasive, at least not in my area.  Plants are essentially biennial for me.


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 05/27/2011 - 11:47

Todd wrote:

No penstemon open here for some time yet.  Great plants Lori.

A few things from  my woodland garden...Jeffersonia dubia, Trillium grandiflorum, T. erectum, Erythronium pagoda and E. 'White beauty'

Great stuff, Todd! Love to see the woodland beauties-- I love the plants of sunny exposed places, but my spaces for that are limited...


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 05/27/2011 - 13:41

Great plants, Todd!

Here it is rhodo-time. Maybe about 100 specimens in flower now. Here are some.
First two named ones, Rh 'Lem's Monarch' and Rh 'Midnight Mystique'.

               

I have many unnamed specimens from seed. I have not made the crosses myself but got seeds from friends or collected myself in gardens. Here are six of them.

                       


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 05/27/2011 - 20:59

Aquilegia ecalcarata. Buds with white tipped sepals.

           

Veronica 'Waterperry' skirting Aster sericea.

             

Native Thalictrum thalictroides among Syneilesis aconitifolia, epimedium, Hosta nigrescens.  In the pot rings are those seedling Jeffersonia diphylla from the seed you gave me, Mark.

             


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 05/27/2011 - 21:57

Terrific, Trond!

Really nice to see more of your plants, Rick!  
(NB.  I would swear the Anaphalis alpicola is an Antennaria... I think I grow the same one.)

After 5 days of rain, things should really take off tomorrow when the sun comes out!  Until then... just foliage - some of last year's babies, most from seed (unless otherwise indicated) and some long term residents.
Telesonix jamesii v. heucheriformis (from Beaver Creek); Hypericum aviculariifolium ssp. uniflorum; Acantholimon kotschyi ssp. laxispicatum:
   

Silene pusilla; Satureja montana illyrica; Gentiana siphonantha; Campanula topaliana ; Arenaria kansuensis:
   

Aethionema lepidioides:

Who would imagine this was a silene?  Silene falcata:


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 05/27/2011 - 22:07

This did not look like something that could winter over... and, by the way, it looked just as bad last year (but green; red seems to be the winter colour) - Delosperma alpinum.  Todd, I think you grew this too and remarked on it being kind of "stringy"?

Genista delphinensis:

And from the perennial garden:
Aconitum anthoroideum; Campanula thyrsoides; Helleborus torquatus; Ligularia macrophyllum; Geum triflorum.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 05/28/2011 - 00:20

cohan wrote:

Interesting Delosperma, Lori! Was that from seed, if so from where?

Yes, if by "interesting", you mean "ratty".  ;D  I got it from the NARGS seedex last year, but I think I've seen it in the SRGC seedex also.


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 05/28/2011 - 01:12

It is difficult to comment all your plants, folks! You have so many that i am getting speechless  :o

Skulski wrote:

Terrific, Trond!

After 5 days of rain, things should really take off tomorrow when the sun comes out!  Until then... just foliage - some of last year's babies, most from seed (unless otherwise indicated) and some long term residents.

Who would imagine this was a silene?  Silene falcata:

Thanks Lori. You have had only 5 days of rain? After a very nice April with high temps and little rain May has come with low temps and heavy rain :(

Silene isn't first choice of name! All your babies seem to do well, are they planted in the new rockery you built last year?


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 05/28/2011 - 16:53

Skulski wrote:

cohan wrote:

Interesting Delosperma, Lori! Was that from seed, if so from where?

Yes, if by "interesting", you mean "ratty".  ;D   I got it from the NARGS seedex last year, but I think I've seen it in the SRGC seedex also.

Well, as a succulent and 'weird' plant grower, I actually like seeing bare stem, as long as it seems more or less natural for the species and not as though I'm killing it...lol...  ;D (errm--those adjectives were meant to refer to the plants I like.. I wouldn't describe myself as succulent..  :-X )


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 05/28/2011 - 17:10

Hoy wrote:

It is difficult to comment all your plants, folks! You have so many that i am getting speechless  :o

Way ahead of you there, Trond!  I just soak it all in...

Regarding  my "Anaphalis alpicola", Lori, I had the same thoughts of antennaria long ago.  It was one of the first alpines I ever grew from seed, and I am not embarrassed to say I didn't know much then.  I did, and do, grow Antennaria neglecta var. gaspensis (bought from Arrowhead Alpines) and they seem different...

I swear I tried to research its identity back then and still came with anaphalis and laid the question to rest, but now, definitely not.  Well, we were all complete alpine newbies at some time.  That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.  I find it interesting how quickly the stoloning begins at the seedling stage.  The stolons are initiated long before there are even enough leaves to qualify as a rosette!

Here is one, and one with a seedling Cerastium alpinum.  Everyone should grow the Alpine Mouse Ears from seed... it is easy, and the cutist seedling ever!


Submitted by Boland on Sat, 05/28/2011 - 18:53

Maggie, according to the Flora of North America the Phyllodoce is glanduliflora NOT glandulifera...I have seen both names used.

Lori, you bring a special beauty to foliage...taken for granted, some of our plants do have exquisite leaves!

I forgot to mention it Rick...it seems you have a new camera (?)...your photos are quite crisp and clear these days.

Trond, Midnight Mystique is spectacular!...and those mystery hybrids are also quite beautiful!

Speaking of foliage, I did take this shot yesterday of Rodgersia podophylla...the spring foliage is great.


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 05/28/2011 - 20:39

Rick, I was also thinking of Antennaria, and not because I am yet not an alpine newbie, nor because I know much about Anaphalis, just because Antennarias are among our most common and widespread natives ( I have observed and or collected cuttings from them in the aspen parkland, southern drylands, foothills, mountains, and there are several types around here)..

That Cerastium is super cute! I think I have some old seed I should try.....

Great foliage, Todd-- I am a leaf fancier, especially in spring when I am desperately waiting for there to be anything else  ;D I have some local stuff to post soon...


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 05/28/2011 - 20:50

Hoy wrote:

Thanks Lori. You have had only 5 days of rain?

What, you wanted more?  That was enough for me - I'm starting to grow gills.   :P

Hoy wrote:

All your babies seem to do well, are they planted in the new rockery you built last year?

Thanks.  Yes, many are in last year's tufa garden extension (you can tell by the tan-coloured limestone); others are from the older crevice garden.

A few from today:
Gentiana verna - finally a photo that sort of captures the colour; a little bitty Aethionema saxatile; Veronica saturejoides; buds on Thymus neiceffii.
       

And... oh-so-smoothly changing the subject, Gymnosporangium nelsonii, juniper rust fungus... aren't fungi fascinating!

   


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 05/28/2011 - 20:59

Cohan, Cerastium alpinum does well here, especially in a rock garden or trough.
Cerastium alpinum ssp. lanatum is blooming here; would be better in lean conditions than the regular soil it's in:


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 05/28/2011 - 21:11

No new camera here.  Still just a better quality point and shoot,  but I do now always take with me a favorite board that I use for stabilization in lieu of a tripod.  When I switched from a film camera, I was so taken by how ridiculously simple it was to get good close up pics with a digital camera that I really didn't realize I could get even better ones with better camera stability.   That was why I had still been using my old Minolta SLR from the 1960's, because it had a lot more heft to it than the newer film cameras, thus, less jiggling.  

A rich metallic color to that Rogersia, Todd.  And the leaflets' shapes are exquisite!  Here is Peltoboykinia watanabei:

             

An unidentified Chinese Lilium species.  It's hard to see the curling of the leaves, but is is very attractive.

             


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 05/28/2011 - 21:29

This is a natural cross of Lilium tsingtauense and either L. distichum or L. medioloides.  Especially in the United States, it is what many erroneously think is L. tsingtauense.  Although the foliage can be similar, L. tsingtauense has completely upright flowers.  The other two species' flowers are outfacing or nodding somewhat.

All the same clone, three different sprouts:

             

       


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 05/28/2011 - 21:53

Skulski wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Thanks Lori. You have had only 5 days of rain?

What, you wanted more?  That was enough for me - I'm starting to grow gills.   :P

And... oh-so-smoothly changing the subject, Gymnosporangium nelsonii, juniper rust fungus... aren't fungi fascinating!

Trond, people in Alberta usually start to complain after more than one day of clouds or rain...lol.. we got a fair bit for several days as well, when many places were still soggy from late snow melt--I suspect farmers will not be getting on some low lying parts/fields this year... (though I feel some of those spots never should have been cultivated...).. some areas in southern Alberta, by the sounds of it, must have received 1/4 of their annual precipitation in a couple of days, maybe more....

Lori, its funny I'd look at Cerastium, with the prevalence of what I think is the european 'mouse-ear' chickweed as a weed here-- I thought at first it was the native species, but these have the less showy flowers of the invaders :( another agricultural tag-along, like all the weeds here...
but hey, I grow dandelions, so why not?..lol


Submitted by Boland on Sun, 05/29/2011 - 02:57

Peltoboykinia is fantastic!  Gotta find one of those.

Here is my new Beesia deltophylla...will it survive the winter????


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 05/29/2011 - 09:01

Agree about the Peltoboykinia - I'll be keeping an eye out for it!

As for pretty well every new introduction, Beesia deltophylla is being marketed as "zone 6-9", but who knows what its hardiness range really is or will turn out to be?  The various sites say it likes shade but don't seem to indicate that it needs wetter conditions, which is promising (for me, I mean  ;D).  Looks very nice.
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200007540

Cohan, at least the native Cerastium have introduced ones outnumbered by 3 to 1 here!  :)   I don't see Cerastium vulgatum in the yard (but have one small bed that Stellaria media (another "chickweed", common name) has shown up in, which annoys me to no end.)


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 05/29/2011 - 09:30

RickR wrote:

Love the Bergenia 'Eroica'.  I'm not familiar with bergenias at all, but with the hanging bells, that must be a cross or at least not cordifolia.(?) Got any info on that?

I have tried finding out about the heritage of Bergenia 'Eroica'.  Most sites refer to it as Bergenia cordifolia 'Eroica'; I found one site, a European one, that referred to it as a hybrid but offered no info on the cross.  On several sites where there was a spot for hybrid info to be provided, it was left blank for this one.  I can't find any patent info.  So, unless anyone else can suggest otherwise, I'll assume it's just a selection of B. cordifolia... ? The flowers are larger (and more richly-coloured, of course) than on my "regular' non-selected-cultivar B. cordifolia, but not really different otherwise.


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 05/29/2011 - 09:33

I had Beesia for several years but it ultimately succumbed to something. Could have been slugs/snails combined with too much competition from other vegetation (in moist shade). It was a nice plant as long as it lasted :'(

Lori, I have had gills for years ;) A few hours sun and the rain starts just now :'(

Strange, I have read about Peltoboykinia for years but never acquired any. Time to do something with it ;D Maybe it can compete with these:

This fern, Matteucia struthiopteris, is a weed in the moist soil in my wood. And Lysichiton americanus is spreading rapidly too! Anybody who wants seed?

       

On higher and drier ground Polygonatum multiflorum makes huge patches and as groundcover under rhododendron Rodgersia podophylla makes a good job - almost too good!

       


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 05/29/2011 - 09:41

So you see, small cute things like Cerastium, Aethionema, Veronica and Thymus wouldn't survive for long! (I would love to grow them!)
I have tried different Liliums, also the giant ones (Cardiocrinum) but they are all slug-stuff.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sun, 05/29/2011 - 12:17

Too hot and muggy to garden today.  Went out with a camera and photographed instead.  Still lots of color with dianthus and arenarias, penstemons just starting and convolvulus and acantholimon to come.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 05/29/2011 - 13:47

Wow, Anne!! You need to take a break more often...  ;D ;D (for our sakes, I mean!)  Absolutely gorgeous scenes!

Your photos help to lessen my anguish slightly... I just picked 11 lily beetles!  Aarrghhh!  I hate these things!  With the first warm, sunny day in what seems like forever, they seem to have come out of the ground.  How will I be able to get anything done while on constant lily beetle patrol?   :P  (I think I'd better stay home tomorrow from work and keep an eye on things...  ;D ;D)


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 05/29/2011 - 15:53

Skulski wrote:

Agree about the Peltoboykinia - I'll be keeping an eye out for it!

As for pretty well every new introduction, Beesia deltophylla is being marketed as "zone 6-9", but who knows what its hardiness range really is or will turn out to be?  The various sites say it likes shade but don't seem to indicate that it needs wetter conditions, which is promising (for me, I mean  ;D).  Looks very nice.
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200007540

Cohan, at least the native Cerastium have introduced ones outnumbered by 3 to 1 here!  :)   I don't see Cerastium vulgatum in the yard (but have one small bed that Stellaria media (another "chickweed", common name) has shown up in, which annoys me to no end.)

Apparently regular chickweed-which was a huge issue in our large veg gardens on the main farm, growing up, but only a couple patches on this property, in odd spots, is a 'delicacy' in salads, according to Richters' Herbs, who sell seeds, so I will start eating it! Ranked among the top 10 nutritional/medicinal herbs, besides! I haven't yet run across any native Cerastium here (based on sepals being as long as petals on the introduced sp) but then I don't check every flower up close!
Speaking of zones, I was at a local (Red Deer) nursery yesterday ( the big kind that prob brings in everything as small or market sized plants and sells them on, maybe annuals are an exception) and saw a couple I have spoken to at work, and who garden in the Rocky Mtn House area for many years; they were looking, among other things, for a couple of small plants for a space in their rock garden, and they checked all labels and rejected anything that didn't say at least Z3 on it--all the rock garden plants I looked at there said at least 4 (though I didn't look at that many, not that thrilling, I was mostly looking at shade plants), doubt that grower rates anything lower, but they have lost too many plants over the years, and will not consider anything not rated zone 3 or 2 at least, which would be fine if you thought the grower/vendor actually knew...

Trond, I'd like seed of Lysichton :)


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 05/29/2011 - 17:59

Ann, what marvelous garden views!  It's clear that the rocks were meticulously place; skill and design are very evident!  (Not to mention the great plants...)

I don't have any moist/wet areas to grow Lysichiton americanus, Trond, but I'd like seed to grow for experience and for our Chapter plant sale.  Our native Skunk Cabbage is Symplocarpus foetidus.  I checked on the Cardamine laciniata for seed 7 days ago and all foliage had no sign of withering.  Seed pods very thin and undeveloped.  Yesterday I looked again, and most of the foliage had completely disappeared without even a trace left!  Practically, the only parts left standing (and green) are the seeding stems.  And as I had suspected, pollination was very sparse.  As it turns out, very few are filled. I am watching much more closely now...

Regarding Peltoboykinia watanabei, how many thousand seeds would you all like?  the flowers are not anything to rave about, but the seed pods can be interesting in a dried bouquet.  I usually let the seed pods ripen so I can use them, but try to retain as much seed in the upright pods as possible when I cut them.  Still, many hundreds get dropped in the garden each fall, but I have never had a volunteer.  The seed starts easily in a pot, though.  And, in its first year it is very vigorous.  But as it matures it seems content to be well a behave stalwart.  Maybe because I have it growing in fairly dry shade.

From years past:

               


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 09:29

Rick, I've found that design kind of happens as you go along.  I never make a plan set in stone if you'll pardon the pun.  I have a good idea of the effect wanted and aim for that, with many deviations and improvements along the way.  When I'm setting a very large stone or step, I definitely know within an inch what I want it to do.  At one point the plan was to have a particular stone path curve to the right.  It ended up curving left and was much better for it.
Another sticky, miserable day.  My best Astragalus utahensis has turned to mush without setting seed.

Lori, how long does your Gentiana verna live usually?  It doesn't stay long here.  Yours is beautiful and looks like it has some longevity. 


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 09:33

The heat seems to be pushing the convolvulus.  Mid-June is usually prime time for them.
Convolvulus boisseri strating to bloom in upper crevice bed.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 12:41

The Convolvulus has to be one of the most beautiful plants! Allan Robinson, who was at Wisley years ago, used to grow and propagate it really well but it only looks its best under glass here, outside it rarely flowers. I don't know if Paul Cumbleton has better success; he seems to have the greenest of green fingers!


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 13:39

Convolvulus boisseri seems to be a very desirable plant But I doubt I can ever grow it - at least not at home in this humid climate. The Convolvuli growing here are quite different and completely unwanted ;)

I am very impressed by the stonework in your garden, Anne. I have long collected and brought into my garden all the stones my neighbours throw out to get a plane lawn ;D
The plants are impressive too.

I have never managed to grow Paraquelegia, Lori. Hope the Campanula orphanoidea (what a name??) someday will look like the pictures I googled.

Seedwishes noted, folks!

Today we had a glimpse of sun before the rain started. had time to a little stroll in the garden and found some non-rhodos in flower ;)

The native ramson (Allium ursinum) has started flowering in the shady woodland and the unknown Arisaema, late as usual, soon follows. Another very shade tolerant plant is Maianthemum dilatatum. Here the flowering stems always get three leaves and the nonflowering is 15-20cm long. It is much bigger than the native M bifolia. The leaves of Rodgersia aesculifolia also emerge now, among the latecomers.

       

Different Aquilegias pop up all over the place. They are all different colours - here is a red one. I use Geranium macrorhizzum as a groundcover. In a kind of bed I grow Viola banksii. I don't know the hardiness yet and have brought the plants indoors during the worst of winter but plan to try one specimen outdoors next winter.

     

I have some peatloving shrubs, here are two different colours of Enkianthus campanulatus: palibinii and a white form. Rhodotypos scandens is an interesting shrub too.

     


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 14:31

Trond - those Enkianthus are just beautiful; I imagine your garden must have pretty glorious autumn colour. We used to try and grow a few Rhodos and other Ericaceae here and a friend not far away but higher up and on retentive acid soil does well with them. He has a superb specimen of R. cinnabarinum with those beautiful waxy flowers and glaucous leaves. Why is it one covets those plants one can't grow?! Mind you I have succeeded with Cardiocrinum, we don't suffer too badly from slugs and snails. Have you been up to the amazing Botanic Garden at Tromso? There was a talk on it at the Edinburgh 2001 Alpine Conference and I found it remarkable the plants they were growing there.


Submitted by Peter George on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 14:57

First of all, it's been utterly amazing to visit here each day and see the incredible variety and beauty of the plants all of you are growing so successfully. In some respects it's intimidating, and I'll bet there are Forum visitors who are simply not going to post photographs of their plants and their gardens simply because it's impossible for most of us to get the rare, beautiful and challenging to grow so well and to have the wherewithall to take such incredible photographs as well! I'm no 'shrinking violet,' but even for me it's difficult some days to even consider posting my pictures. But I will nonetheless, and I hope all of our Forum members feel safe and secure enough to show us what THEY are growing.

It's been very sunny but humid these past few days, and I have been able to get into the garden quite a bit, but with all the weeds and the self sown seedlings I need to collect for our Chapter meeting, the camera simply hasn't been used too much. But here are a few things I've managed to capture the past two days.

First is my tree peony, P. suffruticosa 'Rockii,' which I have had for 4 years. It bloomed last year, but this year the blooms are more numerous and they've stayed a few days longer. I have two of them, and they are simply too beautiful to imagine, but oh so fragile.

Second is a small blue flowered surprise, Polygala calcaria. Blue is always rare and beautiful, and this mini-shrub is a keeper.

Next is the only Caliptridium umbellatum to make it through the winter. I have quite a few seedlings, but this one not only survived, but it flowered. Not a great show, but to me a nice result after last year's floristic explosion.

Fourth is a beautiful penstemon, P. rupicola 'Pink Holly,' which I bought from Wrightmans 4 years ago. Mark McDonough thinks it's an hybrid, but regardless it's beautiful, expecially contrasted to that nice tight Eriogonum in bloom to it's left (our right).

And finally a lovely evening primrose, Oenethera caespitosa. The flowers are porcelain white, open at dusk and fade to pink as they close during the late morning and early afternoon the next day.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 18:50

Peter, I certainly hope yours is a minority viewpoint.  Why would anyone hesitate to share what's happening in their garden?  That's how we all learn.  It's wonderful that you have all these people on the Forum to share how they grow certain plants so well.  For every plant that might be a star in your garden, there are at least a dozen more that you would like to grow but are unsuccessful.  I get ideas from all the postings, and am not hesitant to ask questions of anyone.  No one expects you to be a star photographer - just someone who loves plants and wants to participate and learn.  I hope all the lurkers will start posting.  Please.

Liked your photo of Penstemon 'Pink Holly'.  I tried it years ago and didn't do well with it at all.  I always thought that it, and P. 'Grape Tart', were introductions by Mark McDonough through Siskiyou Nursery.  That's where I got mine.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 18:55

Trond, the convolvulus that grow well here are C. compactus and C. Boisseri, which may even be a vaiety of compactus, not sure.  I think "The International Garden" had an article on convolvulus some time ago.  Now that it's temporarily too humid to do much in the garden, I'll have time to check that out.
C. phrygius also does well and flowers.  C. assyricus does not do as well.  It's only been tried in the lime bed so far.  Does anyone grow this one?  If so, where and how?


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 19:09

And Lysichiton americanus is spreading rapidly too! Anybody who wants seed?    
[/quote]
I'd love some seed if you still have some to spare.  I'm working on a water garden at the bottom of the property.  The only drawback is that it's so far from the house but it's moist all year.  So far I'm trying Primula florinda, japonica etc and irises and rodgersias and ligularias.  It's a real change of pace to grow big plants.  The pictures are from last year, have been too busy to photograph this season.  Oops - the pictures are from '09.  Guess I'll try and take some new pictures.


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 19:20

Spiegel wrote:

Peter, I certainly hope yours is a minority viewpoint.  Why would anyone hesitate to share what's happening in their garden?  That's how we all learn.  It's wonderful that you have all these people on the Forum to share how they grow certain plants so well.  For every plant that might be a star in your garden, there are at least a dozen more that you would like to grow but are unsuccessful.  I get ideas from all the postings, and am not hesitant to ask questions of anyone.  No one expects you to be a star photographer - just someone who loves plants and wants to participate and learn.  I hope all the lurkers will start posting.  Please.

Liked your photo of Penstemon 'Pink Holly'.  I tried it years ago and didn't do well with it at all.  I always thought that it, and P. 'Grape Tart', were introductions by Mark McDonough through Siskiyou Nursery.  That's where I got mine.

Anne, I agree with your sentiment wholeheartedly!  And you are correct, both Penstemon hybrids 'Grape Tart' and 'Pink Holly' are ones I named back in the mid 1980s, these I gave to Siskiyou Rare Plant Nursery to propagate and sell.  

Once again I'm facing a project deadline, so can't post much for a couple days... very frustrating, as I agree with Peter that its been amazing to see the fine array of plants shown on this pages, I've been viewing them and wanting to comment on these plant wonders, but I must stay focused on my deadline... grrrrrr!  Peter, I love the Oenothera caespitosa, one of the finest species and you're growing this xeric plant so well. More later.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 19:42

Thanks, Mark  That means my memory is still working!!!!!

The name is "The International Rock Gardener"  and the March 2010 issue has the article on convolvulus.  It appears C. boisseri is a separate species but there is C. boisseri v boisseri and C. boisseri v compactus, thus a little confusing.  The foliage of C. boisseri is quite elegant, with almost silky-looking hairs.


Submitted by cohan on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 21:31

Many beauties!
Anne --love those Convolvulus! Haven't tried any yet, but I will :)
Trond--beautiful Allium--good to see the woodland species, since as much as I love wide open sunny spots (and their plants), that does not describe my property in general...lol
Peter--that Peony is exquisite! I too hope folks will feel free to share what they are trying or succeeding to grow! My garden, for one, is primarily at the stage of fantasy...lol--thank goodness for wildflowers :)


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 22:50

Wow, there have been so many fantastic photos lately, I don't know where to start commenting!

Trond, what an exquisite viola, and what lushness in all your photos!  The tall ostrich ferns remind me of earlier days in Northern Saskatchewan.  I use Geranium macrorrhizum as a groundcover too - good plant, easy to control.
You and Anne are both showing wonderful Enkianthus!  Is that something that has a chance in colder zones?  Is that one you grow or have tried, Rick?

Rick, I'd love some seed of Peltoboykinia too (if it is true that that there is no shortage from your plants  ;))  Let me know what you'd like in return, please.  Very interesting lily photos!

Anne, I have not grown Gentiana verna long enough to say anything profound about it... I just have the one plant, planted in 2008 in the spring extension to our first in-ground rock/crevice garden (started in Oct./07)... I have not been at this long, you can see, but so far, so good, I guess.  That convolvulus is really choice... it's like it was dipped in silver.  

Peter, so nice to see your beautiful plantings!  I hope sincerely that more people will be encouraged to participate, by the variety of plants and different areas and growing conditions represented!


Submitted by Barstow on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 03:31

cohan wrote:

Apparently regular chickweed-which was a huge issue in our large veg gardens on the main farm, growing up, but only a couple patches on this property, in odd spots, is a 'delicacy' in salads, according to Richters' Herbs, who sell seeds, so I will start eating it! Ranked among the top 10 nutritional/medicinal herbs, besides! I haven't yet run across any native Cerastium here (based on sepals being as long as petals on the introduced sp) but then I don't check every flower up close!

I first came across the word Cryptocrop in an article describing how farmers actively encouraged Hosta growing as a weed in rice fields in Japan - it was harvested and sold on markets as a secondary or cryptocrop. Chickweed is my main crytocrop which grows quickly on my potato beds and is harvested early June and is made into a nutritious soup or added to mixed salad. In this way I get two crops from the same land without doing anything apart from letting some plants seed themselves (this actually saves me work). It's a lost cause trying to get rid of it anyway! Here's a picture of  harvest a couple of years ago!


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 14:12

Peter, I can't compete with Cliff or Todd in photoartistry but I am not afraid of posting my pictures! I hope nobody else is either. I am personally interested to see and read about what other people grow in their gardens even if the plants may seem "common".

Spiegel wrote:

Trond, the convolvulus that grow well here are C. compactus and C. Boisseri, which may even be a vaiety of compactus, not sure.  I think "The International Garden" had an article on convolvulus some time ago.  Now that it's temporarily too humid to do much in the garden, I'll have time to check that out.
C. phrygius also does well and flowers.  C. assyricus does not do as well.  It's only been tried in the lime bed so far.  Does anyone grow this one?  If so, where and how?

I am tempted to try some of these Convolvuli at my summerhouse. In my opinion they should do better there in drier climate.  To humid to do anything? Then I couldn't do much in the garden ;D

Spiegel wrote:

And Lysichiton americanus is spreading rapidly too! Anybody who wants seed?    

I'd love some seed if you still have some to spare.  I'm working on a water garden at the bottom of the property.  The only drawback is that it's so far from the house but it's moist all year.  So far I'm trying Primula florinda, japonica etc and irises and rodgersias and ligularias.  It's a real change of pace to grow big plants.  The pictures are from last year, have been too busy to photograph this season.  Oops - the pictures are from '09.  Guess I'll try and take some new pictures.
[/quote]

I'll put you on my list. Sorry, no more seed now but I'll harvest pounds later.

Skulski wrote:

Wow, there have been so many fantastic photos lately, I don't know where to start commenting!

Trond, what an exquisite viola, and what lushness in all your photos!  The tall ostrich ferns remind me of earlier days in Northern Saskatchewan.  I use Geranium macrorrhizum as a groundcover too - good plant, easy to control.
You and Anne are both showing wonderful Enkianthus!  Is that something that has a chance in colder zones?  Is that one you grow or have tried, Rick?

Rick, I'd love some seed of Peltoboykinia too (if it is true that that there is no shortage from your plants  ;))  Let me know what you'd like in return, please.  Very interesting lily photos!

Anne, I have not grown Gentiana verna long enough to say anything profound about it... I just have the one plant, planted in 2008 in the spring extension to our first in-ground rock/crevice garden (started in Oct./07)... I have not been at this long, you can see, but so far, so good, I guess.  That convolvulus is really choice... it's like it was dipped in silver.  

Peter, so nice to see your beautiful plantings!  I hope sincerely that more people will be encouraged to participate, by the variety of plants and different areas and growing conditions represented!

Peter, there you can see! That violet is even out of focus ;)

Lushness is describing, Lori. I have to buy a machete before my next stroll in the garden. When the kids were small they and their friends called the garden "the jungle".
Here where I live the Enkianthus has been completely hardy and come unscratched even through the last two very cold winters. It is regarded as medium hardy in Norway.

My garden is filled with cryptocrops - but I don't eat it!


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 14:40

Tim wrote:

Trond, the view from your terrace is tremendous - we don't have lakes, or mountains, or rain(!) in Kent, so it is great to imagine them in the minds eye. It is nice to see the two Pulsatillas in Lori's pictures (campanella and turczaninovii). I have only grown the latter but the whole genus are amongst my favourite plants. Does anyone grow georgii which has much paler flowers (almost silvery-blue like vernalis) but the same neat ferny leaf. This  I think I had originally from Josef Halda seed.

Thank you, Tim ;D  It is the third terrace I build near the house. We want to have the sight and the sun for as long as possible and leeward for the wind!

Tim wrote:

Trond - those Enkianthus are just beautiful; I imagine your garden must have pretty glorious autumn colour. We used to try and grow a few Rhodos and other Ericaceae here and a friend not far away but higher up and on retentive acid soil does well with them. He has a superb specimen of R. cinnabarinum with those beautiful waxy flowers and glaucous leaves. Why is it one covets those plants one can't grow?! Mind you I have succeeded with Cardiocrinum, we don't suffer too badly from slugs and snails. Have you been up to the amazing Botanic Garden at Tromso? There was a talk on it at the Edinburgh 2001 Alpine Conference and I found it remarkable the plants they were growing there.

Tim,
In fact, I have some very nice plants with exquisite autumn colours. Enkinthus is among them as is Parrotia persica.
I always want to grow plants I know I can't grow - and I have spent some money trying ;D I have tried Cardiocrinums too and once I managed to grow three plants safely for several years.

I am sorry that I have never visited the Botanic Garden at Tromsø but it is on my travel list! It is much easier for me to visit Kew than Tromsø :) When I visited Tromsø a long time ago the Botanic Garden didn't exist.


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 18:12

Lori, a few people do grow Enkianthus here, but only in protected spots and only the naturally low growing forms.  Consequently, they are quite the buzz here, but I've never seen one more than a couple feet high.  That was several years ago.  I wonder if it's gotten any higher...
I remember you wanted some Jeffersonia diphylla seed, so I'll send the Peltoboykinia seed when they are ready - which might only be another couple weeks or so...

Regarding posting photos, I don't mind people noticing the weeds, holes in leaves, sticks or whatever that really don't belong in a well designed photo.  I take most of my pics as records of the plants, rather than beautiful photos.  Some do both, and even I stumble upon producing some real favorites.  But it is very evident here that the botany is just as important as beauty, and that one man's weed can be another man's desire.  After all, what other group of gardening fanatics would be so interested in a pile of chickweed greens that they would actually "click to enlarge"?
By the way, those are some big chickweed leaves.  I guess I am glad I only have the little pests.


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 20:40

Thanks, Rick!

A few for today...
Dracocephalum poulsenii has finally bloomed and seems to have rather small flowers, not too disproportionate to its small leaves.

Androsace chamaejasme is still going strong:

Aconitum sp. ex DaXue Shan, from Beaver Creek; rather stretched out now, but supposed to be 12" tall; Iris suaveolens; this Phlox multiflora is trying a bit harder to live up to its name! - very pretty, pristine flowers; almost missed the bloom of Iris attica...
     

Asperula boissieri will soon be very floriferous!; a little Calyptridium umbellatum; Primula polyneura, rather rain-washed.
   

It was interesting (well, mildly  ;D) to see Ornithogalum nanum finally bloom this year; no doubt it will improve with time:


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 20:50

Some native plants in the garden (aside from Androsace chamaejasme)...

Penstemon nitidus
     

Viola canadensis
 

Viola adunca
 

A very early flower on Geranium viscosissimum
 


Submitted by cohan on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 21:25

Stephenb wrote:

cohan wrote:

Apparently regular chickweed-which was a huge issue in our large veg gardens on the main farm, growing up, but only a couple patches on this property, in odd spots, is a 'delicacy' in salads, according to Richters' Herbs, who sell seeds, so I will start eating it! Ranked among the top 10 nutritional/medicinal herbs, besides! I haven't yet run across any native Cerastium here (based on sepals being as long as petals on the introduced sp) but then I don't check every flower up close!

I first came across the word Cryptocrop in an article describing how farmers actively encouraged Hosta growing as a weed in rice fields in Japan - it was harvested and sold on markets as a secondary or cryptocrop. Chickweed is my main crytocrop which grows quickly on my potato beds and is harvested early June and is made into a nutritious soup or added to mixed salad. In this way I get two crops from the same land without doing anything apart from letting some plants seed themselves (this actually saves me work). It's a lost cause trying to get rid of it anyway! Here's a picture of  harvest a couple of years ago!

Lori, we made a dash into the mountains today--- lots of Androsace chamaejasme (at lower sites) :) Interestingly, Viola adunca at many sites, blooming here at the same time, though local plants could be a bit more advanced... I have not seen V canadensis yet, though I have not looked in more than a week..

Good word! I suspect (and have read just a little to suggest it) that many of the most common garden weeds (most of which seem to be edible and nutritious) were actively encouraged at some point in our less single crop obsessed history....


Submitted by Barstow on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 02:19

Tim wrote:

Have you been up to the amazing Botanic Garden at Tromso? There was a talk on it at the Edinburgh 2001 Alpine Conference and I found it remarkable the plants they were growing there.

Yes, it is a remarkable garden. My last visit was a couple of years ago. You might want to check out the pictures I posted over at SRGC, see  http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3874.msg102013#msg102013  (There are other threads about Tromsø if you use the search function).


Submitted by Barstow on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 02:27

RickR wrote:

Some do both, and even I stumble upon producing some real favorites.  But it is very evident here that the botany is just as important as beauty, and that one man's weed can be another man's desire.  After all, what other group of gardening fanatics would be so interested in a pile of chickweed greens that they would actually "click to enlarge"?
By the way, those are some big chickweed leaves.  I guess I am glad I only have the little pests.

I actually had a large leaved cultivar of common chickweed one year (from Seed Savers Exchage) in the US :o  However, only a few came up and I didn't manage to maintain the variety (the picture shows the common small leaved variety!)

I'm growing another interesting Stellaria this year, Stellaria yunnanensis. It's perennial  - more information here:  http://www.horizonherbs.com/product.asp?specific=1864


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 15:09

Stephenb wrote:

RickR wrote:

Some do both, and even I stumble upon producing some real favorites.  But it is very evident here that the botany is just as important as beauty, and that one man's weed can be another man's desire.  After all, what other group of gardening fanatics would be so interested in a pile of chickweed greens that they would actually "click to enlarge"?
By the way, those are some big chickweed leaves.  I guess I am glad I only have the little pests.

I actually had a large leaved cultivar of common chickweed one year (from Seed Savers Exchage) in the US :o  However, only a few came up and I didn't manage to maintain the variety (the picture shows the common small leaved variety!)

I'm growing another interesting Stellaria this year, Stellaria yunnanensis. It's perennial  - more information here:  http://www.horizonherbs.com/product.asp?specific=1864

Very interesting! looks like one to try, for sure!

Lori-- I missed the Ornithogalum initially--interesting to me, for sure, since I first knew Ornithogalum as tender South African plants (growing a couple of small ones from seed indoors, others on my list) so its just fun to see one outdoors :) (I know there are some weedy ones in some coldish places, never grown any)..


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 15:46

The trouble with missing this continuing perambulation in our gardens for a few days is how much goes on in between! It is very refreshing for me because there is not the tradition of posting pictures and details of our gardens on the AGS site. Instead there is a strong focus on Show plants and botanical and photographic excellence. This is great but I've always felt that gardens and propagating plants, and people coming to see your gardens (even if 'virtually'), is what it is really all about! The web certainly opens this up. (We have a scheme in the UK for opening gardens for charity, which is very enjoyable and also a good way to sell plants when you run a small nursery!).

A few more plants looking good at the moment.

Asperula daphneola (this looked terrible over winter, even with cover, but has perked up now)
Aquilegia amaliae (A favourite over the last couple of years - must collect seed)
Edraianthus owerianus (this has now finished flowering but as a nurseryman I have always been just as fascinated by the seed capsules and these are good fun when they ripen and open like tiny bird's nests)
Eucomis schijffii (very hardy, for us, Drakensberg species grown from seed from Jim and Jenny Archibald. I am pleased to see this coming up as it is always so late!)
Linum narbonnense (this must be the most beautiful of the genus for its almost metallic silvery-blue flowers . It is also a good perennial unlike perenne! But it is a devil to propagate - possibly root cuttings are the answer?? I always get very poor take from traditional cuttings)
Phlomis species (good plants for our relatively hot and dry garden. This came from a French nurseryman friend, Jean-Paul Jolivot - Le Jardin d'en Face near St. Malo - who has a passion for the plants from around the Mediterranean)


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 16:19

A quick correction - it should be Jean-Pierre Jolivot! His nursery is more than worth visiting if in the area. (Granted few are likely to be!!).


Submitted by cohan on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 17:51

Tim, I agree its great to be able to share and see gardens, excursions, etc without worrying about show standards--especially for those of us far from any shows/meetings, or even any similarly minded gardeners! etc

Some choice plants you are showingW Phlomis catches my eye, as does the Eucomis-- I guess this is just early foliage? At this point looks like a Sansevieria, and if it were, it would be a very pricey one with those colours!


Submitted by Peter George on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 18:01

Beautiful plants, Tim, albeit ones we can't grow here in the northeast US. Here are a few things I found around the garden today, after a day of rain, wind, thunderstorms and even a few tornadoes!! Luckily the really serious storms stayed away from my town, but some areas of central and western Massachusetts were really damaged.

I found three 2nd year plants of Viola douglasii, which I had somewhat overlooked until they started to bloom a week or so ago. I am VERY pleased that they came back for another season, as they went dormant very early last year and never bloomed.

The other two are my 4 year old self sown seedling of Ptilotrichium spinosum 'roseum' and a very nice white Ptilotrichium which I think is P. macrocarpum. They both are blooming quite well right now, and I'm going to be adding one or two more of each to my garden.


Submitted by Boland on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 18:52

Wonderful plants and flowers Lori!  It has been so cold and miserable here that I have not bothered to take any pictures...we just came through one of the coldest May's on record and June looks like it will not be any better.....looks like a short summer is in the making.  I'm off to Nova Scotia for the weekend..be back Monday.  perhaps they will have some flowers for me to share when I return.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 06:46

Peter - I don't know the little violet, but what a beauty! The Ptilotrichium (spinosum 'Roseum') grows well here and seems a pretty tolerant plant so long as the drainage is good, but I haven't come across the other species. Seeing all these choice dryland plants from Lori and Anne in particular is definitely going to encourage me to build some new places in the garden to grow them.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 10:24

Stephen - thank you so much for directing me to your posts on the SRGC site on Tromsø. There are some astonishing plants; Gentiana brachyphylla....!!!! and those beautiful leaves of Oxalis loricata. Sideritis syraica I have grown - nice thing but I had no idea you could make tea from it! I will search more to see what grows at the garden. It would be a nice place to take the children if I don't tell them we are going to look at plants!!


Submitted by Barstow on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 13:51

Glad you enjoyed the tour, Tim!

When I discovered through an ex-colleague who was Greek that Sideritis syriaca (and I've since learnt various other species in the genus) is one of the two most popular herb teas in Greece and yet was unknown in herb gardens I was astonished (most our herbs are from Southern Europe). I wondered perhaps if it was difficult to grow and I suspect it is sensitive to winter wet - it has done best with me in sunny dry locations. 


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 14:41

Marvellous plants Tim and Peter! Viola douglasii and Eucomis schijffii seem to be worth looking for!

At the moment I am at my summerhouse. Very nice weather and today we took the small boat out to the island of Jomfruland. All the island is like a park and garden now with millions of flowers. Just to show one: Saxifraga granulata make big patches in the meadow.


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 15:47

Such beauties, Tim!  The seedheads on the Edrianthus are very intriguing; love the Phlomis too!

Thanks for posting, Peter!  The viola is wonderful... I didn't even know there were other Ptilotrichum; I will have to keep an eye out!

Nice scene, and love the saxifrage, Trond!

Here are a few little jewels for today...
Lewisia longipetala; Dianthus microlepis; Aubrieta deltoides 'Blue Indigo' (again); Dianthus myrtinervius ssp. caespitosus, now in bloom (it's actually a deeper pink than shown):
       

One for the Lithospermum lovers... L. ruderale, starting to blooming in the front yard though not yet in the park:
 

And changing the subject entirely...
Nymphaea 'Marliac Albida'; N. 'Jana Walska' - the second is a newly-opened flower with a pool of nectar at its base; N. 'Colorado':
       


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 19:06

Iris taurica starting to bloom; Draba rigida, not so floriferous as usual... perhaps I should start propagating cuttings/divisions and give the old plant more room?;  Phlox hendersonii - I love the pristine look of phlox flowers!; my one bloom on Clematis hirsutissima:
     

Last blooms on Adonis vernalis; vanillaleaf, Achlys triphylla; buds on Saxifraga paniculata var. minutifolia 'Red-Backed Spider'(?):
     


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 22:04

Trond-- I'm amazed you can garden at all--you are never home ;)

Lori--all beauties, but I love that little Lewisia!


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 06/04/2011 - 05:00

cohan wrote:

Trond-- I'm amazed you can garden at all--you are never home ;)

Lori--all beauties, but I love that little Lewisia!

You are right, Cohan. I can't tend the plants and they have to look after themselves! I and use a long time finishing what I start ;)

More very nice plants, Lori! I would love to (try to) grow them here, I think they fit except the waterlilies! Haven't heard of waterlilies for seawater though ;D

A favorite genus here is Geranium. Have several species. Here is Geranium renardii.

Earlier you showed a tiny Ornithogalum, Lori. Here's my version, Ornithogalum umbellatum. It is wild here, probably a garden escape or ballast plant.

Potentilla rupestris has gone wild too. I planted a few seedlings some years ago and now it has expanded territory and is at it's best early June.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Sat, 06/04/2011 - 06:27

Trond - it is good to see the Potentilla rupestris. This is a native in Britain too and for a long time we grew in the main border here. A friend has promised me some seed. It looks very good with Tulipa sprengeri planted around it.

Lori - you have some really great plants. I've heard of Achlys but never seen it before. I think our garden is too dry for it. The alpines are beautifully grown - presumably you have long snow cover over winter? I agree with Cliff about the Aubrieta - a fine looking selection which puts a lot of rarities in their place!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 06/04/2011 - 10:08

Thanks for your interest, folks!  Cliff, it looks like I got the Adonis vernalis 8 years ago.  

Trond, I like Potentilla rupestris too, and have a miniature version ('pygmaea') that is nice.  Ornithogalum umbellatum is a pleasant surprise when it blooms in my garden, far from being the invasive plant that it is reported to be in warmer cilmates.  

Tim, Achyls is a west coast plant but if it can grow here, with little supplemental watering, I would be surprised if it couldn't grow there... ?  We have had snow cover these last 3 winters, but normally, it is patchy and fleeting.  So far as I can see, snow cover is essential for a good bloom on my little rhododendron, but I'm not convinced it's an improvement at all, otherwise!

Yes, Aubrieta is, generally-speaking, an easy genus, and I get the impression it may sometimes be categorically dismissed or even scorned due to that, but they can certainly be beautiful!  


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 06/04/2011 - 11:29

More rain...  :rolleyes:  Oh well, we've missed out so far on the week of snow that we usually get in late April/early June so I can't complain too much.

This is as good as it gets for rhododendrons in my yard, in fact, it's the only one now... R. mucronulatum 'Crater's Edge' in the very rustic-looking old  acid bed:
 

Trollius laxus has a very long bloom in the yard; raindrops on Pulsatilla vulgaris; Aquilegia laramiensis:
   


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 06/04/2011 - 11:44

Lori, I have some tiny seedlings of R mucronatum that after a couple of years are still no more than a half inch tall (that's if they still exist, haven't looked recently..)

Trond, I have seedlings of G renardii, too.. I love the leaves; Potentilla is another favourite genus--tiny ones and border plants..


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 06/05/2011 - 19:46

A few things today...
Oxytropis megalantha, from seed in '09:
 

Mitella nuda in the acid bed - not a showy native plant, but I am always intrigued by the intricacy of the flowers.
   

Tonestus (Haplopappus) lyallii - it will be some time before I see them in the mountains after last winter's very high snowfalls!

Euphorbia capitulata is looking much more interesting this year than I ever noticed before:
   

Erigeron aureus, from seed last year:


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 06/05/2011 - 19:57

Polemonium confertum - only one flowering stem this year, but it has spread itself around a bit.  (I should separate off and move some bits to other areas... I learn, though slowly.   ;D)
 

Potentilla porphyrantha - it has bloomed modestly for me, since being planted in '08.  As I build onto the crevice bed, I plan to move it into a sunnier position, which I think may improve it.
   

I guess it's Potentilla time... P. neumanniana, or whatever it's called now...


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sun, 06/05/2011 - 19:59

Wonderful plants, Lori.
Trond, I grew Geranium renardii years ago.  Loved the foliage especially.  I recall it as being quite different.
Taken early eveing in the rock garden and crevice garden.  Lots of good color.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 06/05/2011 - 20:08

Very nice, Anne!  Good colour, indeed!  Convolvulus compactus is especially beautiful - more dipped-in-silver foliage and lovely flowers!


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 06/05/2011 - 21:47

Lori--love that Euphorbia! Your Mitella is  a little ahead of the wild ones which are everywhere here--they are just budding now.. and of course they don't usually get so many flower stems so close together when they have to grow among other things...

Anne, the Moltkia is especially showy!


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 06/06/2011 - 01:16

What a display of lovely plants, Anne and Lori :) :)

You grow such gems that I dream of acquiring and some I didn't know of so I didn't dream of ;D

I learn too, Lori, but I forget as much as I learn!


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Mon, 06/06/2011 - 10:48

Don't we all, Trond!
In better bloom now, the pink form of Convolvlus compactus, and living up to its name more than previously.  Also, C. compactus is bursting out early thanks to the continuous sun.  Every day it says "scattered thunderstorms", but apparently they're scattering else where, and the garden is very dry.


Submitted by Boland on Mon, 06/06/2011 - 18:18

Lori are leaps and bounds ahead of me now.  We have had nothing but drizzle and fog for a week with no end in sights.  Temps struggling to reach 10 C...the daffs and tulips will last for weeks!

Great plants Anne....similar species here will not bloom until mid-July!


Submitted by Boland on Mon, 06/06/2011 - 18:27

Some plants from the last few days....Cortusa turkestanica, Primula halleri, Rhododendron Blue Baron and Rhododendron hippophaeoides


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 06/06/2011 - 21:34

Just beautiful, Todd!  I envy you all the primroses, especially!

Todd wrote:

...the daffs and tulips will last for weeks!

There is sometimes a benefit even to really crappy weather!


Submitted by Peter George on Tue, 06/07/2011 - 19:50

Two new things blooming this week. First is Penstemon debilis, which is blooming for the 1st time. It's from Alplains seed, and I planted the seed in 2009. I have 3 plants, still small, but they are surprisingly healthy and I'm optimistic about their future in the garden.

Second is Centaurea bagadensis, a very nice pink thistle. It's a bit taller than I'd like, but the flowers are quite beautiful, and it looks great in seed as well.

(Edit: Sp. of species name.)


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Wed, 06/08/2011 - 00:36

Peter - I like those two plants. The Penstemon has fine silvered foliage, quite unusual. I used to try a lot of species from seed but our climate is not well suited to many of them and I expect they would be better in a covered raised bed year round, or in the alpine house. The Centaurea is very attractive; I particularly like this genus which is not widely grown outside the stronger border perennials. I've grown a few tiny species from Turkey from Czech seed but only have slides. We have had some rain at last so I hope the garden will perk up and provide some good pictures before long.


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 06/08/2011 - 11:47

Anne-- I have to add my admiration for the Convolvulus! (es/i?)

Todd, do you have a woodland section in your garden, or with your cool climate do you grow some things in the open that would need shade in some other places?

Peter, I agree, great foliage on the Penstemon...


Submitted by Peter George on Wed, 06/08/2011 - 15:07

It's truly hot and humid here today, but I managed to get away from my (home) office for a few minutes, enough time to take a few pictures of some plants that are apparently flourishing in our early summer weather.

Here are several campanulas, C. nitida, C. 'Maie Blyth, C. chamissonis and what I believe is C. rotundifolia. All nice, and there are more to come over the next week or so.


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 06/08/2011 - 22:14

Very nice!  I especially like C. nitida... It seems very odd and amazing to me that this is a variety of C. persicifolia (C. persicifolia var. planiflora)!  The bicoloured flowers on C. chamissonis really stand out too. 

Is that a perennial snapdragon behind and to the left of C. nitida?


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 06/08/2011 - 22:35

There is a brief lull in the troughs and alpine beds, but a few new things in the perennial borders...
A white form of Cortusa matthioli popped up a few years ago; Mertensia primuloides; Mertensia ciliata; Myosotis sylvatica has reached weed proportions... but it's too pretty to pull out!   :'( (This is a familiar story.... by next year, I'll probably be on a rampage to get rid of it!!  ;D)
     

And I thought I'd better take a pic of this now, as there is a very high likelihood that these dinner-plate-size leaves will soon be shredded in a hailstorm!
Astilboides tabularis:


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 06/08/2011 - 23:13

Those big leaves do look like a hail risk, good luck! We've had a couple of close-calls with rain that was almost hail and hail that wasn't heavy enough to do damage... but no damage yet!

Myosotis (presumably sylvatica) has survived here in some overgrown plantings of my mother's and is showing its colours in some areas I have dug or weeded.. it certainly seems like it could overwhelm delicate areas, I was thinking I'd find some isolated spots to let it do its thing.. can it handle much dryness?


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 06/08/2011 - 23:44

The Myosotis sylvatica growing wild here prefere moist conditions. I have never found it in dry situations.

Nice big leaves Lori. Can't you hide under them in a hailstorm ;D?

My Mertensia primuloides pop up on unexpected sites every year but M ciliata is always killed by slugs.

Peter, you do grow some interesting plants, especially "bluebells" (The Campanula genus is bluebell (blåklokke) in Norwegian). The C. rotundifolia is native here but rarely makes such mounds.


Submitted by Barstow on Thu, 06/09/2011 - 00:46

Hoy wrote:

My Mertensia primuloides pop up on unexpected sites every year but M ciliata is always killed by slugs.

Really! Never seen a slug on my ciliata - maybe I need some of your slugs as it's getting a bit out of control! On second thoughts, you have Arion vulgaris (brunskogsnegl) don't you?

S.


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 06/09/2011 - 06:13

cohan wrote:

Myosotis (presumably sylvatica) has survived here in some overgrown plantings of my mother's and is showing its colours in some areas I have dug or weeded.. it certainly seems like it could overwhelm delicate areas, I was thinking I'd find some isolated spots to let it do its thing.. can it handle much dryness?

It will grow anywhere in the yard.


Submitted by Peter George on Thu, 06/09/2011 - 08:48

Yes, Lori, the plant in the background is Antirrhinum hispanicum, which I've had in that spot for 3 years. I originally bought it from Wrightman's, and it's filled out a bit more each year, and this season it's been blooming for 2 weeks, and shows no indication of slowing down. I've never seen any seedlings from it, but I'm going to make an effort to collect some seed and see if I can germinate it. It's not 'showy' but it always catches a visitor's eye if they are looking at that section of the garden.


Submitted by cohan on Thu, 06/09/2011 - 11:54

Thanks, Lori, I'll try it in a few spots..

Peter, its a gorgeous plant-- I always loved snapdragons, so the idea of small hardy relatives is very appealing.. I've looked at them in catalogues, but haven't grown any yet...


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 06/09/2011 - 20:02

Lori, you can always spread the wealth of those very nice Mertensia spp. at you chapter plant sales, and the seed to the rest of us!  ;D

Peter, another edition of very choice plants! Our wild Campanula rotundifolia never grows in such a large clump, either.  I am growing seed of C. r. Olympica, and it seems to want to be a larger mass.  But I have never grown our native phenotype in "captivity." Maybe it would respond similarly?


Submitted by cohan on Thu, 06/09/2011 - 21:18

RickR wrote:

Peter, another edition of very choice plants! Our wild Campanula rotundifolia never grows in such a large clump, either.  I am growing seed of C. r. Olympica, and it seems to want to be a larger mass.  But I have never grown our native phenotype in "captivity." Maybe it would respond similarly?

C rotundifolia is super super common here.. if I knew what seedlings looked like, I bet it would be one of the most common volunteers in pots and bed...lol generally it doesn't form visibly large clumps because its mixed with other  plants, but once in a while I see quite a clump (sometimes I can see some developing in mowed areas and work around them) .. however they are generally longer stemmed than Peter's lovely form.. I haven't tried putting them in a tended bed yet either to see what they'd do.. I suspect a sunny lean spot might bring out the best compact form.. however, I'm unlikely to use such a scarce spot for a native that grows quite nicely if taller in shady/semi shady places...lol


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 06/09/2011 - 22:57

Interesting... C. rotundifolia does form clumps in the garden here and flowers profusely.  The foothills plants are especially spectacular - dense cylinders that turn the roadsides blue!  I'll have to try to get pix this year... stopping on the side of the highway with cars blasting by (at 140 km/hr, as Cohan mentioned) has deterred me so far!  The plants in the alpine/subalpine are relatively sparse, as shown here:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=343.msg3995;topicseen#msg3995

RickR wrote:

Lori, you can always spread the wealth of those very nice Mertensia spp. at you chapter plant sales, and the seed to the rest of us!  ;D

I'll certainly try to collect seed if you are interested... if only I could just send you a dozen seedlings!  
It's unrelated but I find it amusing that I am actually having to weed out ligularia seedlings this year!  There are LOTS of offspring from 3 plants I grew a few years ago from a seed order that was very kindly shared with me.   (Remember Jan from the Far North forum?  Are you out there, Jan?  :))   If I recall correctly, they were supposed to be be L. japonica but aren't, instead appearing to be a species/hybrid similar to L. dentata and another with more kidney-shaped leaves - nice flowers on both types.

Peter, it's interesting that you have not seen seeding from your Antirrhinum hispanicum.  I've had what I thought was Antirrhinum sempervirens for 9 years now... but it suddenly occurred to me that perhaps it's actually A. glutinosum ("Gummy Snapdragon") which is synonymous with A. hispanicum!  The plants were labelled as Snapdragon 'Gummy' or 'Gummi'(?), which I took to be a cultivar name as they were being sold as bedding plants, oddly enough! Anyway, one plant died out a couple of years ago and the other one seems to be declining.  I've seen no seedlings either, unfortunately, and I have not been able to collect seed either.  Do you suppose this is something that could be propagated by cuttings?

EDIT:  On second thought, after a closer look at your photo, Peter... my plant has white flowers with a hint of yellow and a tiny bit of purple streaking, and the leaves seem to be smaller and rounder than on yours, so maybe it really is A. sempervirens, despite the way it was labelled.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Fri, 06/10/2011 - 06:59

Huge thunderstorm yesterday afternoon with hail and the works.  Fortunately, the hail didn't last too long and not much damage done.
The new crevices on the cliff held up quite well.  I was afraid I'd find plants in a puddle at the bottom but nothing got washed out.
The acantholimons are starting, and convolvulus and Moltkia petraea are continuing to bloom.  We really needed the rain.

Edited to add plant names from photos to allow "Search" capability.
Acantholimon ulicinum
Inula rhizocephala


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 06/10/2011 - 23:02

Spectacular, John!  Actually, the cacti and yuccas(?) are so gorgeously architectural, who would need flowers anyway??  But since they're there... Is the big purple plant on the right one of the desert-y salvias?  Also, what are the yellow-flowered ones?  I think I see tall penstemons in the front left area... ?


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 06/10/2011 - 23:43

Iris chamaeiris:
 

Iris timofejewii:

Thymus neiceffii:

Cohan, here is what seedlings of Campanula rotundifolia look like... the foliage soon becomes linear (second photo) and the rounded-to-variably shaped lower leaves die down later on:
 


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 06/11/2011 - 00:08

Thanks, Lori.. I suspect those seed leaves could be found in almost all of my outdoor pots, and all beds...lol.. it took me a while to recognise any sort of foliage on C rotundifolia at all, since they usually grow in mixed grass and forb situations here, and their foliage is next to invisible there.. Since I've started to notice clumps in mossy areas etc where they are more obvious...


Submitted by Weiser on Sat, 06/11/2011 - 01:27

Skulski wrote:

Spectacular, John!  Actually, the cacti and yuccas(?) are so gorgeously architectural, who would need flowers anyway??   But since they're there... Is the big purple plant on the right one of the desert-y salvias?  Also, what are the yellow-flowered ones?  I think I see tall penstemons in the front left area... ?

The purple one is Salvia dorrii, the yellows are Erigeron linearis, and Eriophyllum lanatum var. integrifolium. Yes you do see Penstemon speciosus in the foreground.


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 06/11/2011 - 08:51

Weiser wrote:

Thought I'd check in to let you all know, things are still blooming in the High Desert!

John, I wasn't anxious you should run out of blooming or other interesting plants ;) In fact, I assumed you were busy gardening ;D

Spiegel wrote:

Huge thunderstorm yesterday afternoon with hail and the works.  Fortunately, the hail didn't last too long and not much damage done.
The new crevices on the cliff held up quite well.  I was afraid I'd find plants in a puddle at the bottom but nothing got washed out.
The acantholimons are starting, and convolvulus and Moltkia petraea are continuing to bloom.  We really needed the rain.

Speaking of precipitation, we have had terrific rain the last days here. However the weather has been worst in the eastern parts. Lots of roads closed, railways closed, houses damaged etc.
We had to check our mountain cabin but had to a 2 1/2 hours longer drive due to a landslide damaging 300m of the main road. Arrived midnight (it is not dark but quite good driving light even in foggy, rainy weather).
This is one of the main roads:

No damages at our place but very wet :o


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 06/11/2011 - 09:03

Stephenb wrote:

Hoy wrote:

My Mertensia primuloides pop up on unexpected sites every year but M ciliata is always killed by slugs.

Really! Never seen a slug on my ciliata - maybe I need some of your slugs as it's getting a bit out of control! On second thoughts, you have Arion vulgaris (brunskogsnegl) don't you?

S.

Do you need another degree? It is possible by studying gastropods in my garden :-[ I have them all; with and without shells, black, brown, red, grey, yellow, two-coloured, soft, hard, small, big, round, flat etc. Quite a menagerie :(


Submitted by Barstow on Sat, 06/11/2011 - 14:22

I'm in Oslo for the long weekend. Travelled down past the site of Trond's picture on the night train just hours before the railway was closed, oblivious to the unfurling drama! :o


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 06/11/2011 - 15:16

Hoy wrote:

Weiser wrote:

Thought I'd check in to let you all know, things are still blooming in the High Desert!

John, I wasn't anxious you should run out of blooming or other interesting plants ;) In fact, I assumed you were busy gardening ;D

Spiegel wrote:

Huge thunderstorm yesterday afternoon with hail and the works.  Fortunately, the hail didn't last too long and not much damage done.
The new crevices on the cliff held up quite well.  I was afraid I'd find plants in a puddle at the bottom but nothing got washed out.
The acantholimons are starting, and convolvulus and Moltkia petraea are continuing to bloom.  We really needed the rain.

Speaking of precipitation, we have had terrific rain the last days here. However the weather has been worst in the eastern parts. Lots of roads closed, railways closed, houses damaged etc.
We had to check our mountain cabin but had to a 2 1/2 hours longer drive due to a landslide damaging 300m of the main road. Arrived midnight (it is not dark but quite good driving light even in foggy, rainy weather).
This is one of the main roads:

No damages at our place but very wet :o

I always wish I had a rocky property, but I'm glad not to have this kind of run-off!


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 06/11/2011 - 23:17

Stephenb wrote:

Trond: I did find  and disposed of the free slug you sent in your parcel  ;)

Oh, that one? It was meant as a free sample to increase your stock. No, I am very sorry. I did my best to avoid slugs but they are everywhere :(


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 06/12/2011 - 00:40

Hoy wrote:

Stephenb wrote:

Trond: I did find  and disposed of the free slug you sent in your parcel  ;)

Oh, that one? It was meant as a free sample to increase your stock. No, I am very sorry. I did my best to avoid slugs but they are everywhere :(

I was glad not to have your slug problems today-- I was doing some weeding in places that are not really cultivated, but there either are plants remaining from some old beds, or wild plants, and I am just reducing the numbers(size may be a better term, I'm not digging them out, just pulling off what I can) of dandelions, grasses and clovers, to give the other plants a competitive edge! Anyway, there has been quite a bit of rain the last few weeks, so everything was very lush and damp from rain today, and I was pulling up large handfuls of greenery, and very happy not to have one squished slug in my hands!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 06/12/2011 - 10:45

Speaking of squished slugs (or even not squished), that is some amazingly slippery substance they produce... surely there must be some use for it?  An industrial lubricant, a non-frictional fluid??  Trond, you could be rich if you just find a market for your slug population... or its excretions, anyway.  ;D

Draba kitadakensis; first bloom on Linum aff. cariense, from seed last year; I'm excited to see that at least one of last year's Sedum pilosum will bloom; Asperula boissieri, also from seed last year.

       


Submitted by Peter George on Sun, 06/12/2011 - 13:38

Lori, are you planting directly into the tufa, or into a crevice which includes tufa 'crumbles?' The last 3 look like you're right in the tufa, but they are also too lush (in my experience) for direct planting. But in any case, they are beautiful plants, which I have killed once, but am going to try, try again.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 06/12/2011 - 13:51

Peter, all of those plants are not in the tufa itself but in the soil between the tufa blocks, with tufa bits as a top dressing... the soil is too rich, I know.  (I was instructed/directed at the time to use up a bunch of potting soil, so I bit my tongue and made it as lean as I could with other amendments... This year, it has been noted that "those plants look too big", so as we soon add on to this tufa bed and use a much leaner mix, it should be a lot more successful... without having to go through a big argument!   A small sacrifice to have made...   ;D)  I have been planting saxifrages directly into crevices and small holes drilled in the tufa, and they seem to be doing very well so far...  even the ones grown in larger pots which then had their roots shaken bare and cruelly exposed prior to being shoved into the holes.  It didn't seem to faze them, oddly enough.

I was surprised just now to see a flower on the scruffy little Delosperma that I grew from seed last year (and was surprised to see alive this spring).... Delosperma alpinum - as you can see, it's not a large flower, or a large plant!
   

And another from my extensive collection of plants with virtually insignificant flowers...  :rolleyes:
Correction:  It's Arenaria kansuensis, a Chinese species:  Arenaria densiflora - a very attractive cushion (hmmm, wonder if that's supposed to be "densifolia"?) and very subtle flowers... at least the ants like them.
 


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 06/12/2011 - 15:23

Both really cute, Lori! Love the little Delo still :) looks like its slowly making a little patch of itself..
The Arenaria reminds me of something that grows on hummocks or anthills in the sloughs here--not nearly as compact as that, but similar colouring and flowers in little mounds..haven't yet tried moving any to the yard, but I will...


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 06/12/2011 - 17:35

cohan wrote:

Love the little Delo still :) looks like its slowly making a little patch of itself..

That's the way it looked last year, even when it was still in a pot indoors... just stringy and odd.  Perhaps the individual rosettes at the ends of the stems have to ability to root in, I don't know.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Mon, 06/13/2011 - 07:03

Weiser wrote:

Thought I'd check in to let you all know, things are still blooming in the High Desert!

Nice to see the Salvia dorrii, John.  I recall seeing that in the high desert.  It was either in Nevada or on the way to Nevada from Salt Lake.  I recall it being very aromatic.  Is it that way in the garden as well?


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 06/13/2011 - 13:24

We had to drive up to our mountain cabin to take a look to see if it still was there - and it was.
Friday and Saturday the rain poured down but Sunday and today was sunny and warm. Had a stroll in the meadow surrounding the cabin.

The common catsfoot (Antennaria dioica) grows everywhere and has  all colours from red (OK Lori, PINK) to white and all melanges thereof. Notice the difference between the male and female plants (this species is dioic).


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 06/13/2011 - 14:03

Although many plants are naturally occurring here in the meadow have I "helped" establish some. Most of them are from places nearby but some are from abroad ;)

Erigeron boreale (I am not quite sure the name is correct) grows in higher mountains not far away. The very tiny meadowrye, Thalictrum alpinum grows naturally in the meadow.

               

Ajuga pyramidalis is common from sealevel to the alpine zone but Anemone narcissiflora (from seed) is a foreigner. However, it doesn't look exactly like the plants I have observed in Switzerland though.

       

Lychnis alpina is common on higher ground and it does tolerate  and probably needs heavy metals in the soil. I brought two plants with me many years ago. Now they are hundreds!
Myosotis alpestris is everywhere and in moist and wet soil is Pinguicula vulgaris common although I have planted it in this spot where it slowly spreads by seed.

               


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 06/13/2011 - 18:55

Really great plants, Lori.  Those flowers don't seem so insignificant to insects!  I'll be seeing the insignificant flowers of Syneilesis intermedia this year, myself.
That Delosperma is so purple... then what is its winter color?

Trond, you mentioned Antennaria dioica being dioic (in America, we say dioecious).  It reminded me that a few days ago a branch broke of my male Kentucky Coffee tree (Gymnocaladus dioicus).  And I had a close up opportunity to examine the flowers...

             


Submitted by cohan on Mon, 06/13/2011 - 22:12

Nice selection, Trond, I think I like them all!
Cute Erigeron; the Thalictrum flowers are very similar to my local species (venulosum? without checking..) but it is maybe 40-60cm at a guess..
Antennarias all over here, too, though none as dark as your darkest..


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 06/13/2011 - 23:04

Very nice plants, Trond!  

Hoy wrote:

The common catsfoot (Antennaria dioica) grows everywhere and has  all colours from red (OK Lori, PINK) to white and all melanges thereof...

Okay, we are in colour alignment now... though I must say your last one is as close to red as pink every gets!  ;D ;D

Interesting.... I never realized that the name A. dioica reflected that it was dioecious...  
By coincidence, a friend grew Thalictrum alpinum this year and gave me a couple of plants, so it's especially nice to see photos of the mature plants.

The Kentucky coffee tree has very different flowers, Rick.  How big has it gotten so far?  

A few things in the rock garden...
Ajania (Tanacetum) tibeticum, a bit big for its spot, but it will be moved when more space is available;  Campanula chamissonis, from seed a couple of years ago, starting to bloom:
 

I take it back... Potentilla porphyrantha is actually blooming quite well this year, for whatever reason; Potentilla rupestris 'Pygmaea':
 

Veronica thymoides ssp. pseudocinerea; Alyssum lepidoto-stellatum, from seed last year:
   

Elsewhere in the yard...
Lamium orvala (x2); Silene xrobotii 'Rolly's Favorite':

   


Submitted by cohan on Tue, 06/14/2011 - 00:17

The Lamium is quite charming, just enough of an improvement over its weedy cousins (which i still sort of like, even though they sprout almost instantly here in almost any cleared soil...).. is it a woodlander?


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 06/14/2011 - 11:25

Not a bad selection you show either, Lori ;) The pygmy P rupestris is interesting and P porphyrantha looks very good!

Cohan, here Lamium orvala is very good in shady woodland.


Submitted by cohan on Tue, 06/14/2011 - 14:32

Thanks, Lori and Trond, I'll keep it in mind on my endless theoretical list  ;D
Maybe I should start a real list, but I  find when I get to catalogues and trade lists, the species available are usually not the same ones I have seen someplace, so I just look up the new ones!


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 06/14/2011 - 22:58

In the rock garden:
Centaurea epirota; Erigeron pinnatisectum; Lesquerella arizonica; Dianthus glacialis alpinus (a repeat), from seed last year:
     

The alpine campanulas are starting to bloom (I'll be boring you a lot with these in the next while!  ;D)...
Campanula alpestris; Campanula saxifraga - actually a darker richer royal purple:
 

And elsewhere in the yard...
Castilleja miniata, Penstemon confertus and Antennaria dioica are starting to bloom:

A little penstemon I bought... I'll have to try to key it out... can anyone ID it and save me the trouble?   ;D
 

And a mat-forming veronica, whose identity I failed to record!  Again, any ideas?:


Submitted by cohan on Tue, 06/14/2011 - 23:38

Always lots of treasures :) My fave in this bunch is the Centaurea! ( I guess you'd have to say, 'fave what? fave plant for coolness, fave plant for garden impact?' for  coolness!)


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 06/15/2011 - 01:32

When I planted these, from big box store bulbs, I was expecting spring bloom, along with the Scillas and retic Iris I planted at the same time... shows how much I knew ;) on the plus side, they have performed much better in this bed than either of the above (maybe these appreciate the soggy springs they've had more than the others?)--they went in fall 09, and this year they have increased dramatically, with 4-6 flower stems per bulb.. they actually look quite nice with the Pulsatilla vulgaris (also multiplying, from two plants--should be a couple more in bloom next year|) in the same bed (many seed heads, but a few late flowers still) though I haven't managed a photo that really captures the effect.. I guess you wouldn't plant either with anything too delicate, but I don't mind if these spread a bit, though the bed's not that large...

Muscari                                                                           Pulsatilla vulgaris
(I forgot the name..something common and cheap)

                                        


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 06/15/2011 - 01:59

When I first got this little Veronica a couple of years ago, I was disappointed when I realised the flowers weren't more like the ones Lori showed above! But you know, they kinda grew on me, especially those which are more liberally splashed with blue/violet..
I put one plant in a big pot I have Semps and Sedums in, and it croaked in the first winter, but seedlings came up later and are wending their way amongst the succulents (hopefully I wont regret that, but they don't seem vigorous enough here to be a problem), flowering again this year...
Veronica repens

   

Another pot was kept separate, I forget what happened to it, whether it had winter issues or dried out at some point, but I have some plants coming along in a couple of pots anyway.. showing a bit more blue here.... and one of the self sown clumps of Myosotis (sylvatica?) we were talking about, these at the weedy edge of an old bed, beside the rebuild-in-progress rock garden

 


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 06/15/2011 - 13:10

Cohan, muscari are still in bloom here, and Iris reticulata finished very recently (may still be the odd one in bloom if I look hard) - both are later blooming among the spring bulbs, for me at least.  If you want earlier spring bulbs, plant crocus and puschkinia.  Scillas are later here than those two, but earlier than the bulk of the muscari.  Of course, this has been a late spring too...


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 06/15/2011 - 18:37

Skulski wrote:

Cohan, muscari are still in bloom here, and Iris reticulata finished very recently (may still be the odd one in bloom if I look hard) - both are later blooming among the spring bulbs, for me at least.  If you want earlier spring bulbs, plant crocus and puschkinia.  Scillas are later here than those two, but earlier than the bulk of the muscari.  Of course, this has been a late spring too...

I only have a few retic Iris, and only one flowered this year, and only several more came up at all--maybe they don't like the spring wet in this bed-- I didn't realise this spot is prone to being very very wet for some time: after it belatedly comes out of the snow, water runs there from farther back in the shade...lol However, that one Iris, along with the Scillas in the same bed, flowered looong ago (okay, maybe it just feels long...lol).. The Iris and Pulsatilla started in the second week of May, Scilla was about a week later in the same bed,  and I'm sure they all could have been a few weeks sooner in a sunnier, warmer bed (mind you, warmish weather just started in May); Cory solida was the same time, though in an even later to thaw  bed.. I'll be planting some seedlings .. of those in various places..

Hopefully I'll get a bed ready in a warmer spot this year, and crocus will be among the first things to get... I was kind of disappointed with these Muscari being so late, at first, but now, they are putting on such a nice show that all is forgiven...lol

In Toronto, the Iris reticulata were the first things to flower, if I remember right.........


Submitted by RickR on Wed, 06/15/2011 - 19:49

Gosh Lori, you plants are never ending!  (As is our interest in them. :o)  
By the way, that supposed diminutive hybrid veronica I found (http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=274.msg9053#msg9053) has turned out to be the weed - V.serpyllifolia, as you suggested.  I found it in the neighbor's garden, too.

Mark, I seemed to have missed your post mentioning my variegated Astrantia, until now.  Astrantia 'Sunningdale Gold' (name correction) is only variegated in the spring.  The variegation is almost completely faded to green already.  In addition, it took three to four years from planting to really show well.  Flowers are just a green-white, and fairly sparse compare to most astrantia.  Not a real winner in my estimation, but good enough to keep around.

Regarding the Kentucky Coffee tree, male trees are rather spindly growing compared to females, in general. My trees are good examples.  There are good selections of male clones that are very desirable.  The University of Minnesota has a nice male cultivar: Stately Manor.

The best pic I could get of my male tree on the south side of my house.  Behind the  Smoke tree (Cotinus obovatus) and the Green ash (that will eventually succumb to the Emerald Ash borer when it gets here), it is a simple seed grown tree from a local nursery.  

             

This is a female on the west side of my house.    Planted in 1994 as a three foot seedling dug from a friend's backyard.  The male tree was planted in 1993 as a potted seven foot tree.  They are now both about equal height, but the female, as expected, has a much larger complement of foliage.  In my opinion (others' will differ), the bean pods are quite ornimental, and stay attached through the winter.

             

Note that Kentucky coffee trees leaf out very late in the spring and have huge doubly compound leaves.  Even now, in these photos the first leaves are only two-thirds their final size.  Like oaks, most of the growth is put out in one push in the spring/early summer.  These trees also are the first to color and drop leaves in the fall.  They are part of my "landscaping for energy efficiency" endeavor, allowing for maximum natural sun heating of the house through the spring and also in very early (and cool) fall and through the winter, while still providing shade in the hot months.  Because the leaves are so huge, twigs that remain through the winter are relatively sparse, and give the most minimal winter shade of any deciduous tree.

Of particular note at the base of the tree and to the right in the last pic, is a mature Atlantic Leatherwood (Dirca palustris).  It is notorious for resenting transplanting, yet it was just transplanted this spring from my garden.  I had been root pruning it for two seasons prior.  This is a very special plant for me, as it came from a fellow rock garden society member, who received it from May Wright, one of the original Minnesota native plant enthusiasts, who died many years ago.


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 06/17/2011 - 01:55

I think Kristl has offered seed of both of those species...
I'm really interested in small trees/shrubs for here--there are more tall trees than I would like (shade I do not need), but lots of spaces for things no more than 10-15 feet high.. have some seedlings of various things... and some empty pots...lol


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 06/17/2011 - 18:18

Skulski wrote:

Interesting, Rick.  I've never seen this tree (which is almost needless to say, I suppose).  I was just reading about it... leaves one to 3 feet long - wow!  How big do the leaves on yours get?

Most years they are are about 2.5 ft.  Less if they emerge during a dry spell.  I bet it would grow as a die back "herbaceous" plant in your Alberta climate.  Pawlonia does that here, and for those that grow it (just as a fun plant - no flowers), it gets 8-12 ft in one season.  I would think the Kentucky Coffee tree might grow 3-5 ft.  They are very easy from seed.  Just sand paper a corner off of the hard coating to imbibe water.  No pretreatment needed.


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 06/17/2011 - 23:36

Exciting time here today-- first open flower on Taraxacum faeroense! Much slower than its big weedy cousings, which have grown, flowered, seeded, repeat! all the while this little thing has been slowly developing its buds for weeks! For a long time one small bud was visible in the centre, then much later, another could be seen, finally a bit of stem appeared on the first one and there seemed to be about 4 buds..
Today, first opening--only halfway on a wet, cloudy morning..  (I wasn't home later when the sun came out) and no sun forecast for the next couple of days (cloudy and 40  chance of rain forecast for tomorrow, and 60-100% for all of the next 7 days except tuesday), but I'm hoping maybe to get a couple of flowers at once in days to come!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 06/18/2011 - 13:36

Hypericum aviculariifolium ssp. uniflorum, from seed last year,  is looking very interesting this year... the flower buds are red to pink.  I'm not sure the term "uniflorum" will apply, though.  The seeds were from Pavelka, collected from 2500m, Dedegol Dag, Turkey; "small plant 5cm, pubescent glaucous leaves, golden yellow flowers, very good."
 

Silene bolanthoides, from seed last year.  The seeds were also from Pavelka, collected from 1700m, Kaz Dag, Turkey; "dwarf dense cushions, short linear leaves, flowers solitary or 2-4, stemless or very short scape; white to pale pink petals deeply bilobed, flowers 1.5cm across; New, rare, one of the best silene kinds. Stoney places. 2008 seed."

Linum cariense:

In the perennial gardens: Helenium hoopesii; one of our two native geraniums, Geranium viscosissimum; Penstemon nitidus; Trollius chinensis cv.; Primula veris; Tiarella 'Sugar and Spice'.
         


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 06/18/2011 - 14:10

A trough of Dianthus sp., Penstemon 'Pink Holly', and Alyssum spinosum, served up with sprinkles (petals from 'Royalty' crabapple):

Phlox bifida:

Osteospermum barberiae var. compactum 'Purple Mountain', planted in 2001, looking very good this year with many buds.. some of these South African plants certainly are hardy!

Fat buds on Edraianthus serbicus, from seed last year (Pavelka:  1400m, Konavska hills, Bulgaria; dwarf cushions, linear hairy green leaves, 2-4 blue flowers, scapes short; Sunny stoney hills; 2008 seed):

Great promise for flowering shown also by Campanula topaliana:

Update on Ajania tibetica (formerly Tanacetum tibeticum)...


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 06/19/2011 - 00:06

Stephen, do you keep your Taraxacum faeroense wettish, or just regular garden moisture?

Lori, the little Linum is very showy! What is behind the Silene? is that a Phlomis, or..? Interesting look those have, like a little group of persons.....

Very interesting about the Osteospermum (I do recall you mentioning/showing it before, though I forget flower colour).. I've wondered what might go in a hardy African bed besides Delos....


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sun, 06/19/2011 - 09:51

Lori, love the Penstemon 'Pink Holly'.  That's a very special plant introduced by Mark McDonough many years ago.  Wonderful that you're growing it so beautifully.
I wish Mark would weigh in on this.  Is it a form of P. rupicola?  Or a cross of P.rupicola with something else?  With uncertain snow cover and lots of winter wind, P. rupicola was a failure here.  It survived the winter but seemed to use all its energy to replace wind-butned foliage and never flowered.  Finally gave up.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sun, 06/19/2011 - 10:26

In the garden today.
1. Heterotheca jonesii in crevice garden
2. Heterotheca jonesii - older planting in scree
3. Daphne arbuscula sp - starting to rebloom in crevice garden
Probably the next pictures will be from the Dolomites (my other garden!).  We leave Thursday.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 06/19/2011 - 12:11

cohan wrote:

Lori...What is behind the Silene? is that a Phlomis, or..? Interesting look those have, like a little group of persons.....

Cohan, it's Marmoritis (Phyllophyton) complanatum (below)... I would like these to be very compact, and I'll move then into the soon-to-be much leaner tufa bed addition to see if that helps.  Nice dandelion - the dark sepals (and dark everything!) give it a nice contrast, and it seems a richer gold colour than its weedy cousin.

Ajuga lupulina, same story as Marmoritis...

Anne - well, I'm thrilled to have one of Mark's introductions!  :)  Yes, Bob Nold in Penstemons says that P. 'Pink Holly' is from [[P. davidsonii x P. fruticosus] x P. rupicola] x P. rupicola 'Albus'.  Yes, I find that the woodier penstemons can suffer here too from winter kill, 'Pink Holly' among them.  
Wow, your groves of Heterotheca jonesii are spectacular!!  My little one is just showing buds now.


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 06/19/2011 - 13:45

Skulski wrote:

Cohan, it's Marmoritis (Phyllophyton) complanatum (below)... I would like these to be very compact, and I'll move then into the soon-to-be much leaner tufa bed addition to see if that helps.  Nice dandelion - the dark sepals (and dark everything!) give it a nice contrast, and it seems a richer gold colour than its weedy cousin.
Ajuga lupulina, same story as Marmoritis...
Anne  
Wow, your groves of Heterotheca jonesii are spectacular!!  My little one is just showing buds now.

These mints are nice already, will be interesting to see how they look in the leaner mix, should be very cool...
I should have moved faster today, there has been an hour or so without rain and I should have been out with the camera--I'm going to try now, but have a feeling it will be raining again before I get out....
Anne--ditto on the Heterotheca :) Have fun in your other garden!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 06/19/2011 - 22:47

Aethionema lepidioides:
 

Two different plants of Aethionema glaucescens, looking slightly different:
   

Silene zawadskii and Silene maritima:
 

Androsace primuloides 'Chumbyi':


Submitted by cohan on Mon, 06/20/2011 - 12:49

Nice foliage on the Aethionemas-second one almost looks succulent...
I like the Silenes too, especially maritima with the hint of pink;
growing these two here would have the same sort of perversity as growing dandelions--the weedy white species is not as common as dandelions, but the seedlings pop up instantly in any cultivated soil! I love the flowers, though--particularly the calyces..


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 06/20/2011 - 15:47

A plentitude of gardenworthy plants! Although I have heard of several of them I am familiar with only two: Primula veris and Silene maritima. Both are common natives at my summerhouse.


Submitted by Boland on Mon, 06/20/2011 - 15:55

My goodness Lori..I had to look several of these up as I have never heard of them.  Are these Halda or Holubec seed?  I have not seen many of them offered in the NARGS seedex.  BTW, I arrive in calgary this Saturday....any chance for a visit to your and/or Stephanie's garden on Sunday?

In the garden now...one of my alpine pots featuring Rhododendron campylogynum, Anemone fasciculata, Patrinia siberica, Papaver burseri and Oxalis Ione Hocker


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 06/20/2011 - 20:37

Superb trough/pot planting, Todd!  That rhodo is amazing... I'd never even guess it was a rhodo!  Your oxalis just kill me... my dinky little plants have dwindled or totally disappeared over the last 2-3 years.

A very small heuchera, Heuchera hallii (the camera doesn't handle white too well):
   

Silene kantzeensis, down to one measly flower this year... I think it's my wake-up call to divide this thing up and move it into different places before it gives up entirely!

Campanula saxifraga:

And some perennials...
Out in Palliser's Triangle (although perhaps the name no longer applies... the area grows perennials pretty well, though it was lousy for grass!), Lupinus nootkatensis:
   

Also, Dracocephalum nutans:
 

And, ending off, Cypripedium 'Aki'... I can't claim to have "grown" this - I just bought it this spring and stuck it in the ground.


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 06/20/2011 - 22:30

Gee Todd, I hope my Allium zebdanense seedlings look that good someday. 
Happy Birthday from me, too.

Lori, yet another array of wonderful plants!  Is Lupinus nootkatensis native in your area?  Someone sent me some wild collected seed from the Alaskan panhandle once.  I never grew them, but I passed them on to someone else here.

Our native lupine in Minnesota is Lupinus perennis.  A friend at work collected wild seed last fall and put them in the deep freeze, and then planted them in late winter under lights.  Many are starting to bloom now!  He started them in regular potting mix, and transplanted them outside at his cabin in northern Minnesota where the soil is fairly clayey, so he put them in a mix of class 5 crushed limestone and peat (!?)  All I can say is: it works!

My Magnolia sieboldii is nine feet tall now, and is very worthy.  I wish it had fall color, though.

             


Submitted by Booker on Tue, 06/21/2011 - 00:04

Skulski wrote:

Out in Palliser's Triangle (although perhaps the name no longer applies... the area grows perennials pretty well, though it was lousy for grass!)

Had to look this up, Lori ... for those also in the dark ...

The driest part of the Canadian prairies is often called the Palliser Triangle, after a 19th century explorer who first described a roughly triangular area that he felt to be poorly suited for farming.

In his final report to the British government Captain John Palliser suggested that a triangular portion of what is now the southern prairie provinces was a northern extension of the arid, central desert of the United States: “This central desert extends, however, but a short way into the British territory, forming a triangle, having for its base the 49th parallel from longitude 100° to 114° W, with its apex reaching to the 52nd parallel of latitude.” Palliser described this triangular area as “desert, or semi-desert in character, which can never be expected to become occupied by settlers.” To this day Palliser’s name is attached to the most arid region of the southern Canadian prairies.


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 06/21/2011 - 12:14

You have some really nice plants, Todd! How do they know you have birthday soon? (I have too, you see, next week ;))

Lori, do you never run out of space and plants to grow and show? I am really impressed by your assortment of plants!

Rick, pretty flowers of the Magnolia. Doesn't the leaves go yellow in fall?

Here are a few of the plants flowering in the garden now:

A blue allium            Codonopsis clematidea        Corydalis elata

       

This strange Polygonatum has leaves with twining tips to help it climb in other plants. It has reached 1.5m now. The flowers are dotted.

   


Rosa roxburghii
f normalis is in flower. I had to cut several branches last spring as it had outgrown its allowed space.


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 06/22/2011 - 11:13

Another from today: Filipendula camtschatica, 250cm tall, from seed a few years ago.
Something for you, Stephen?

           

Btw, do you have "jordnøtt", Conopodium majus? (It is a native plant with nutlike edible corms.)

 


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 06/22/2011 - 15:58

Both very interesting, Trond (the Poly, too); Filipendula is very dramatic, and edible corms are interesting--many of our edible northern plants have only greens...


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 06/22/2011 - 23:23

RickR wrote:

Is Lupinus nootkatensis native in your area? 
Our native lupine in Minnesota is Lupinus perennis.

Rick, L. nootkatensis is native to Alberta but it occurs in the northern subalpine area, from the Athabasca River headwaters north, according to Flora of Alberta... (which reminds me that I still haven't figured out the ID of the interesting lupin I saw in the park). L. perennis looks very nice... I'd love to get some seeds if you ever have the opportunity to collect a little bit.  The magnolia looks gorgeous!

Cliff, thank you for the explanation of "Palliser's Triangle".  :D  It was a fitting name for our roughly-triangular boulevard section, as it consisted of a boring area of compacted lawn grass that was impossible to water adequately (and why waste water on lawn anyway?)  In Palliser's terms, it was unsuitable for "agriculture"(=lawn)... True, but it is now an interesting and floriferous bed of perennials and shrubs that requires no watering! 

What a strange Polygonum, Trond.  Filipendula camtschatica is interesting (I have a weakness for big, burly plants)... I assume it is not rhizomatous?  A common name for Conopodium majus is "pignut", apparently:
http://www.naturessecretlarder.co.uk/bushcraft-tutorials/pignut-foraging...

Here's an update on Silene bolanthoides, which is looking rather adorable, with both pink and white flowers; the whole plant is about 2 inches across:

Ditto for Asperula boissieri:

Saxifraga paniculata v. minutifolia 'Red-backed Spider':

And I got home late tonight, and was out taking photos when it was really too dark to do so, but it made for sort of an interesting photo of the first flowers on Silene falcata:


Submitted by Barstow on Thu, 06/23/2011 - 02:17

Trond: Yes, please to the Filipendula - I had it for several years, but disappeared two winters ago, possibly too dry where I had it. I would also be interested in the Polygonatum (a genus with many wild foraged edibles :) ). Have you posted it on the Polygonatum thread at SRGC? Would be interesting to know what it is.

Lupinus nootkatensis has naturalised in Norway and there's quite a large population on a damp meadow near the fjord next to Trondheim airport at a place you'll be familiar with but probably haven't visited - Hell  :) Incidentally, I live on the road to Hell. There's an annual blues festival there and several artists have recorded their Blues Live in Hell album there...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell_Station


Submitted by Barstow on Thu, 06/23/2011 - 02:34

Yes, I have Pignut which has become a bit invasive in my garden - the tubers are difficult to dig out in garden soil as they sit quite deep, but aren't really a problem. They also grow quite big (picture 1 and 2) - I think that they are rarely this big in nature (probably about 5 years old); the single leaf arising from the tuber looks ridiculously small. I collected seed in the Pyrenees years ago and later also introduced from Scotland. I understand that there are different species in Southern Europe, so it could be a different species, but I've never seen a key to the genus...

I also have Bunium bulbocastanum (Great Pignut or Knollkarve in Norwegian; literally Tuberous Caraway) (picture 3 shows both pignuts)

Unfortunately, I'm one of those that get an unpleasant aftertaste if I eat raw pignuts of both species (not everyone does).
.


Submitted by cohan on Thu, 06/23/2011 - 12:50

Stephenb wrote:

Yes, I have Pignut which has become a bit invasive in my garden - the tubers are difficult to dig out in garden soil as they sit quite deep, but aren't really a problem. They also grow quite big (picture 1 and 2) - I think that they are rarely this big in nature (probably about 5 years old); the single leaf arising from the tuber looks ridiculously small. I collected seed in the Pyrenees years ago and later also introduced from Scotland. I understand that there are different species in Southern Europe, so it could be a different species, but I've never seen a key to the genus...

I also have Bunium bulbocastanum (Great Pignut or Knollkarve in Norwegian; literally Tuberous Caraway) (picture 3 shows both pignuts)

Unfortunately, I'm one of those that get an unpleasant aftertaste if I eat raw pignuts of both species (not everyone does).
.

Very interesting, I'd like to try these.. you can eat them cooked as well as raw? Are they closely related to Caraway? That is an invasive here, having been planted by many European settlers.. though I haven't seen it much outside farmsteads/yards (we have it here on the acreage and it can really spread.. )


Submitted by Barstow on Thu, 06/23/2011 - 14:27

Yes, you can also eat them cooked, but I was put off by the raw taste... Apart from being umbellifers, I don't think they are closely related - Trond will correct me if I'm wrong. I'll try to harvest seed later...


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 06/23/2011 - 17:02

Lori, that Silene bolanthoides is really adorable now.  I didn't think much about it when you showed it with just one flower.  (I'm a little embarrassed.)  Maggi has that wonderful quote:

Quote:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye. - Miss Piggy

You can slap me in the face now (no black eye, please)... ;D


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 06/23/2011 - 21:24

There's a howling wind out there tonight, so I ended up deleting a lot of blurry photos...
These made the cut (I'm not that particular, I guess  ;)):

Verbascum atroviolaceum, a medium-height mullein that gets to about 20" in regular soil for me:
 

Ptilotrichum (Alyssum) spinosum:


Submitted by IMYoung on Fri, 06/24/2011 - 09:22

Lori, Verbascum atroviolaceum... a new one to me.... is a super colour.

Rick.... good to see you can see the wisdom in Miss Piggy... it's not always easy to see past the BBQ ribs and the bacon!  :D


Submitted by cohan on Fri, 06/24/2011 - 11:52

Maggi, when faced with those ribs and bacon, good to remember another Miss Piggy quote:
"Never eat anything bigger than your head"

Lori, nice Verbascum--a world apart from the big weedy one!


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 06/24/2011 - 19:47

Maggi, finding a plant that's unfamiliar to you is an accomplishment indeed!  :o :)

A few from today:
Silene falcata; Silene nigrescens; first flower on Hypericum aviculariifolium ssp. uniflorum - it looks like it will be a very showy plant!
   

Yellow Delosperma... the oldest plant was decimated after last winter (who says snow cover is good??), the other slightly different plant is seemingly unaffected, however:
 


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 06/24/2011 - 22:23

Another cute plant Lori: Hypericum aviculariifolium ssp. uniflorum.

It doesn't look very "uniflorum"(?)  But that's a good thing. :)


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Sat, 06/25/2011 - 00:10

The Silene bolanthoides is wonderful, Lori.  How long have you been growing it and what do you know about it?


Submitted by IMYoung on Sat, 06/25/2011 - 04:53

Quote:

Maggi, when faced with those ribs and bacon, good to remember another Miss Piggy quote:
"Never eat anything bigger than your head"

Yup, another good reason to  follow the teaching of the Great Piggy.

Quote:

Maggi, finding a plant that's unfamiliar to you is an accomplishment indeed!

Heck no, Lori, you flatter me - it happens every day here or in the SRGC Forum. I keep seeing new plants and scurrying off to read all I can about them.. it's a real education... or it would be if I could remember more than half of what I read nowadays.
:-X


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 06/25/2011 - 08:48

Spiegel wrote:

The Silene bolanthoides is wonderful, Lori.  How long have you been growing it and what do you know about it?

Anne, I ordered it from Mojmir Pavelka and grew it in 2010, so it's come through one winter in the tufa garden and this is the first bloom; it's 2" across at present and a little under a 1/2" tall.  Here is the description from Mojmir's seed list: "1700m, Kaz Dag, Turkey; dwarf dense cushions, short linear leaves, flowers solitary or 2-4, stemless or very short scape; white to pale pink petals deeply bilobed, flowers 1.5cm across; New, rare, one of the best silene kinds. Stoney places. 2008 seed."


Submitted by IMYoung on Sat, 06/25/2011 - 11:07

Lori wrote:

Spiegel wrote:

The Silene bolanthoides is wonderful, Lori.  How long have you been growing it and what do you know about it?

Anne, I ordered it from Mojmir Pavelka and grew it in 2010, so it's come through one winter in the tufa garden and this is the first bloom; it's 2" across at present and a little under a 1/2" tall.  Here is the description from Mojmir's seed list: "1700m, Kaz Dag, Turkey; dwarf dense cushions, short linear leaves, flowers solitary or 2-4, stemless or very short scape; white to pale pink petals deeply bilobed, flowers 1.5cm across; New, rare, one of the best silene kinds. Stoney places. 2008 seed."

A case in point about my memory.... I first "met" this plant when it was featured in the International Rock Gardener of May 2010 .....
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2010May271274998232IRG_5_May.pdf    ......
and determined then to seek seed.... promptly forgot until I saw this plant doing so well for Lori... have now made a written note to self re seed!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 06/25/2011 - 14:20

I have been appreciating the beautiful foliage on this plant, especially the intricate new tips, and while I had thought of it as a woodlander, I've just discovered it's a plant of alpine meadows (though certainly one of the bigger ones) - Sanguisorba dodecandra:
http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/170361/0/full
 

Dracocephalum botryoides:
 

Thymus doerfleri:


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 06/25/2011 - 21:23

I have been a bit surprised to realize that some alpines are at their best when the sun has passed over...
Dianthus leucophaeus is a little unusual for a dianthus, having fragrant flowers (not overly showy, however) that remain closed during the day but open in the evening:
 

Leptodactylon pungens ssp. pulchrifolium also has flowers fully open, and sweetly fragrant, in the evening:
 

I know I've been pushing this one a lot lately but here it is again... (until some more stuff starts to bloom or someone else starts posting!   :P ;D)... Silene falcata's flowers look somewhat spent during the day, but revive and look fresh in the evening:
 

And a few others in bloom now:
Incarvillea himalayense zhongdianensis; Primula kisoana; something that I have noted as Silene pusilla but isn't, I don't think (as it lacks the incised petals that it should have??):
   


Submitted by cohan on Sat, 06/25/2011 - 23:51

I always wonder where you fit all these plants on a city lot, Lori!
Maybe not surprising that some of those plants you mention as looking their best in the evening are white/light and fragrant-- traits common among moth pollinated plants..


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 06/26/2011 - 10:26

Where do I fit all these plants?  Actually, I'd like to get a lot more different and interesting perennials and reduce the repetition of ones I have!  But, as I've mentioned before, it's just the absence of lawn that provides more than the usual amount of planting space (though it doesn't always feel that way), and having said that, our lot is a little bigger than average (it's just shy of 1/3 acre). 

Here's Osteospermum barberiae var. compactum 'Purple Mountain'... perhaps not so floriferous as the many bedding plant versions that people grow here, but certainly impressive for its hardiness (and I'm afraid to move it to a sunnier spot!):


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 06/26/2011 - 14:11

Lori wrote:

Where do I fit all these plants?  Actually, I'd like to get a lot more different and interesting perennials and reduce the repetition of ones I have!   But, as I've mentioned before, it's just the absence of lawn that provides more than the usual amount of planting space (though it doesn't always feel that way), and having said that, our lot is a little bigger than average (it's just shy of 1/3 acre).   

Here's Osteospermum barberiae var. compactum 'Purple Mountain'... perhaps not so floriferous as the many bedding plant versions that people grow here, but certainly impressive for its hardiness (and I'm afraid to move it to a sunnier spot!):
[attachthumb=1]

I understand not wanting to repeat plants to have more space, but then swathes of one species can be so nice! (space luxury, I understand)
The Osteo is cool--you could always try some seeds in a sunnier spot...


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 23:59

Busy time keeping pace with you Lori!

Have not had much time to take pictures either but here are one from a few days ago:
This unfortunate bumblebee met her end working hard for her siblings :(


Submitted by cohan on Tue, 06/28/2011 - 00:18

Wow-- I shot a similar spider with a fly-ey thing the other day, but didn't think they could hold something as big as a bumblebee!


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 06/28/2011 - 06:53

Spiders frequent my flowers, too.  So much so that, especially on certain ones, I carefully look for them before I touch the flower.

Nice pollen sacs on that bumble bee...


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 06/28/2011 - 21:45

Minuartia erythrosepala; Dracocephalum heterophyllum; Dianthus sp.; Anthemis marschalliana; Lychnis ajanencis(?):
       

Silene uniflora; Gypsophila repens (or something like it); buds of Hieracium villosum; Vaccinium vitis-idaea 'Wabasca'; Saxifraga longifolia hybrid
       


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 06/28/2011 - 22:21

It certainly is a nice Silene uniflora on the site you linked... very tight foliage!

cohan wrote:

The Osteo is cool--you could always try some seeds in a sunnier spot...

I've never been certain that seeds actually get a chance to ripen - maybe I just need to pay closer attention.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Wed, 06/29/2011 - 02:05

Here in my "other" garden, the Dolomites, every day brings new flowers.  Just a few from yesterday.


Submitted by Boland on Wed, 06/29/2011 - 09:02

I see that the Dolomites has to be added to my 'places to see' list!

Lori, FYI...Ptarmigan Cirque was a bust...still 4 feet of snow in the forest! Around the parking lot, only Pulsatilla occidentalis and snow buttercup were in bloom.  I head down to Waterton today...I think they are ahead of Kananaskis...we shall see!


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 06/29/2011 - 14:24

Lori wrote:
cohan wrote:

The Osteo is cool--you could always try some seeds in a sunnier spot...

I've never been certain that seeds actually get a chance to ripen - maybe I just need to pay closer attention.

Ahh, non-ripening is a possibility too... if so, you might try cutting a couple flowers to go indoors to ripen, if they are being fertilised in the first place.. I had a Hymenoxys cutting from Southern Alberta a year or two back, which didn't root, but it made seeds :)


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 06/29/2011 - 20:28

Splendid photos, Anne!  

Thanks for the info, Todd.  I think we'll head out to the Red Deer River valley this weekend... no snow there!

I'll give that a try if I remember, Cohan.

A few pretties for today...
Edraianthus serbicus (with foliage of Satureja montana ssp. illyrica on the right); Scilla verna, peeking up through Campanula topaliana; Asyneuma limonifolium starting to bloom; another shot of Saxifraga xlongifolia:
     

I grew this as Saponaria pumilio from the NARGS seedex... I'm hoping to find out if this is it or not, and if not, what is it?  And it has been confirmed as Saponaria pumilio at the SRGC forum!
   

And from no-man's-land out along the sidewalk.... Anemone canadensis, beautiful but invasive:

And perhaps it is time for an update on Hypericum avaricularifolium spp. uniflorum... nice plant!  These were started from seed in 2010 ordered from Mojmir Pavelka; the info provided was: "2500m, Dedegol Dag, Turkey; small plant 5cm, pubescent glaucous leaves, golden yellow flowers, very good."
 


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 06/30/2011 - 02:49

Your "other" garden is very nice and open for everybody I presume, Anne!
And Lori, I hope your garden is open for an interested visitor as well if he gets the chance!

Some plants from my "garden". It is mostly native plants in a natural setting but some are planted and some have found the way themselves!
Geranium pratense, Geranium sanguineum, Helianthemum nummularium, Leonurus cardiaca, Lotus corniculatus.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Thu, 06/30/2011 - 03:44

My "other" garden is open to all.  It's amazing to see people on trails walk right by beautiful plants without looking at them.  Perhaps that helps to preserve them.
Frequently we see cast aside flowers that have been picked and there must be a reason that the oldest, biggest and best Eritrichium nanum are accessible only by the most powerful zoom lens.  Waiting for the rain to clear so we can have at least a half day.  Can't complain - the weather has been superb.

Dryas octopetala
Doronicum
Valeriana sp.


Submitted by Booker on Thu, 06/30/2011 - 06:29

Superb images Anne ... can't wait to experience these gems in person in a few days time.  Have a wonderful time while it lasts.


Submitted by cohan on Thu, 06/30/2011 - 14:44

More beauties Anne - I guess that's a danger in an accessible place, but luckily, as you say, some of the plants are out of reach...

Trond, your garden is looking great--love the two colours of geranium ( so far, I only have many square metres of 'blue' himalayense, I don't like the colour...lol Orange Lotus is pretty.. the yellow is an occasional weed here-- though where it gets established it can be extensive...


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 07/01/2011 - 17:04

And more Hypericum aviculariifolium ssp. uniflorum (sorry!):
 

Sedum pilosum; Bolanthus cherlerioides; Arenaria grandiflora (x2):
     

Silene argaea:
 

Campanula hawkinsiana:
 

... all from seed last year or previously.


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 07/02/2011 - 00:50

You have nothing to say sorry for, Lori! Although you have showed the same plant before but it is worth looking at both twice ;)

Only one to show today - Galium verum the fragrance of which means summer to me!
My torpid internet access in summer takes too long time to load pictures.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Sat, 07/02/2011 - 03:20

There are some great plants over the last few days. It is so frustrating that Silene acaulis won't flower here as it does in the wild - it's a lovely image in the Dolomites. Both this and Loiseleuria I saw in Iceland very many years ago, but I've not seen them in their natural habitat since.

Hypericum avaricularifolium is really nice - reminds me a little of H. athoum with its rounded leaves. And I am very taken by Trond's Galium verum; this genus and its relatives have a certain charm about them.

Here the campanulas are starting to do their stuff and two on the sand bed look particularly good; C x wockei 'Puck' and C. hercegovina 'Nana'. (I could imagine putting a whole bed to campanulas after reading Graham Nicholl's book!).

A few other nice later flowering genera; Origanum 'Kent Beauty' (I think introduced by the superb Washfield Nursery run by Elizabeth Strangman, and famed for hellebores and woodland gems); and Teucrium ackermanii; Azorella trifurcata - a simple emerald mat in contrast to the colour around.

Finally, a combination of Yucca whipplei and Aloe aristata. The former has grown rather more vigorously than I imagined when I planted the Aloe next to it! However, the interesting point is how hardy the latter is having survived -10°C in the open garden. The last picture holds fond memories of visiting Joe Elliott's famous alpine nursery in the Cotswalds some 30 years ago; it is one of the few plants I have kept going since then!


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 07/03/2011 - 00:34

Hoy wrote:

You have nothing to say sorry for, Lori! Although you have showed the same plant before but it is worth looking at both twice ;)

Only one to show today - Galium verum the fragrance of which means summer to me!
My torpid internet access in summer takes too long time to load pictures.

I'm intrigued with your yellow Galium.. here the white G boreale is everywhere, masses of it in roadsides and all over my property!
Here it is (self sown wild plants) growing next to the site of my rock garden-to-be; there was a spruce tree here until a year or so back, stump is still there; the Allium was probably planted by my mother years back.. I was wavering whether to totally dig up this spot for planting, but the Allium/Gallium combination is so nice, I'm leaving it, just trying to limit grass and dandelions now.. Anemone cylindrica is on the other side and will build fast too.. the other day I added (behind these plants) some seedlings of Achillea sibiricum camschaticum (green, glabrous leaves, should flower pink), Anthriscus ex Ravenswing, and Diervilla lonicera.. this is one of the areas I am experimenting with not exactly cultivating, just removing some weeds and excess of any particular wild plants, keeping trees out and digging just enough to plant a few things...
Nearby, at another edge of the rock garden work(probably not an area where they can stay), Anemone cylindrica with Vicia americana. both very very common here


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 07/03/2011 - 00:55

Really nice things, Tim!
Beautiful Yucca-- I much prefer narrow leaf types;
The Tanacetum is wonderful too!
I have seedlings of Azorella from wild seed, sown last year, just came up a couple of weeks ago!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 07/03/2011 - 20:06

Just beautiful, Anne!  
Trond, I'm echoing the other comments on how nice Galium vernum looks... and the fragrance sounds wonderful.  Does it spread rapidly or is it fairly contained?
I'm enjoying the photos, Tim!  Do you know the species of the Tanacetum?  I have seen a similar one in a garden here (from which I hope to beg a piece!) - not sure it is the same though.  

Cohan, you may want to watch out for the Galium boreale around the beds you will be establishing... it's very spready, as you may already know.  (It's another of the things I knew better about but still planted, since someone bought it for me.... sigh.)  The onion seems to be chives... pretty as well as tasty!

A few things here...
Scutellaria nana var. sapphirina, which I left where it was after our discussion a while ago about whether it was likely to be a bother or not with its spreading habit... its OK so far...

Edraianthus dalmaticus:

Phedimus (Talinum) sediforme:  (spelling:  Phemeranthus sediformis)

And in the perennial beds... Salvia sp. (I think I figured out what this was once but what? Edit: Salvia pratensis); Helianthemum 'Ben Ledi'; Paradisea liliastrum;
   


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Mon, 07/04/2011 - 02:23

Lori, I should have said - the Tanacetum is densum amani. It has very soft textured foliage and never seems to flower! I have grown another species from seed, T. praeteritum, and this is almost identical in foliage except that the whole plant is more rigid; this however I have lost.


Submitted by cohan on Mon, 07/04/2011 - 12:55

Lori--love the Phedimus (Phemeranthus sediformis)! this is the one that was T okanoganense (sp?) ?
Great colour on Helianthemum! I've planted a couple of Geum/Potentilla cultivars that have some nice slightly uncommon orange/pink shades..

Galium boreale is definitely spready, though not hard to pull out, and since its native to pretty much every square foot of my property (maybe not wet shade in the natural woods), I'm not worrying about it...lol Like Mertensia paniculata and some others --leave a spot unmowed and it will be there! It is chives, presumably planted by my mother or aunt, though we have several square metres or more of it in other spots, so theoretically it could seed itself, though this is far from the other plantings...


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 07/04/2011 - 14:11

Mark and Cohan, thank you for the correction on Phemeranthus (Talinum) sediformis... I should have checked the name but winged it instead.  :)  Yes, it was previously T. okanoganense.


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 07/04/2011 - 16:09

Onosma euboica (x2); Carduncellus pinnatus; Salvia juriscii (I remembered the name, Stephanie!!  ;D); Alyssum tortuosum??
     

A not-very-noticeable little native plant, Sisyrinchium septentrionalis; Lilium pumilum; Astragalus angustifolius;
   

Interesting zig-zag flower stems on Acantholimon kotschyi ssp. laxispicatum (with Ajuga lupulina in the background):
 


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 07/04/2011 - 16:20

Tim, that campanula (C. x wockei) is stunning... mind you, I am a push-over for campanulas anyway!  I've never even heard of the hybrid - must keep an eye out for it!  Thanks for the name of the Tanacetum.

A few more...
Helianthemum oelandicum ssp. alpestre; Lilium philadephicum in the garden... also starting to bloom in the foothills roadsides here; Aster alpinus popping up in a not very alpine-looking setting out in Palliser's Triangle amongst the Saponaria ocymoides (my next weed to tackle due to its overly vigorous seeding).
     


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 07/04/2011 - 21:34

Oh my, Lori, that Salvia juriscii!  What is that "furry" appendage coming from each flower?  Is it a modified petal, or something like some penstemons have (I am thinking like P. palmeri http://nargs.org/nargswiki/show_image.php?id=1060) or ... what?

Neat acantholimon, and I will never tire of the cardancellus.  Nice peachy-orange color on the Lilium philadelphicum, too. 

             


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 07/04/2011 - 22:18

Rick, here are close-ups of the flowers of Salvia juriscii...  mug shots, so to speak (but please excuse the dirty nails - I've been digging like a terrier all day up until it got too dark.   :-[):
 

According to Betsy Clebsch (The New Book of Salvias, which I picked up in spring and haven't even sat down to read yet), the "flowers appear in whorls that are closely spaced and turned upside down"... ??  I've read that elsewhere also.  I'll have to go out and look closely to see how that comes about.  A twist in the pedicel, I suppose?  It doesn't appear to be the staminode, as in penstemons, but a very hairy petal instead.  I admit I really don't get it!

How are things on the lily front, Rick?  The martagons will be wonderful this year (a couple are chest-high!) - probably due the fact that we missed out on the week of snow that usually flattens them, plus the rainy spring.  The other side of the coin from the rainy spring is that some of my lilies show botrytis, something I have never, ever seen before!  I didn't even know what it was - Todd Boland identified it when he visited!


Submitted by cohan on Tue, 07/05/2011 - 00:11

Lori, the correction was not mine, I knew there was a name change but wasn't paying attention either...lol-- I had to watch for the same thing a few minutes ago posting about Rosularia/Prometheum!

I'm really liking Onosma more every time I see them... (and I liked them the first time I saw them!)
The Helianthemums are sparking my interest too.. I think I'd looked at them on some list or other, but hadn't seen much to suggest real hardiness..

Of course Carduncellus is sweet--so flat! Do they elongate the flower stem in seed as many others do? just thinking about it since I just barely caught my Taraxacum faeroense's first seed head! I'd been watching, and the spent flower was still prostrate and seeds unripe last I'd looked, must have skipped a day or two and -there it was, ready to blow away, and it had rained earlier, must not have been open yet!


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 07/05/2011 - 20:38

That salvia thing really has me baffled, Lori.  Thanks for the additional pics and info.  

The Lilies are keeping me very busy.  I am a meticulous note taker, and that takes up an enormous amount of time but is so valuable.  So far I have logged 54 hand pollinations, although many are wide crosses and probably won't take.  But the pollen and flowers are available, so why not try? You never know.  Each pollination requires two visits to the flower, as well as written documentation, labeling and pollen gathering, so it is time consuming.  There are little tin foil squares on stigmas everywhere!

Lilium martagon 'Amelita'. Awaiting pollination, and after hand pollinating:

             

Anyway, yes, I have loads of Lilium spp. pics I've been trying to keep up with sorting, not to mention numerous first time blooms of my previous crosses' progeny.  Martagons are nearly done flowering here, although those with L. tsingtauense blood in them are still going a bit longer.


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 07/05/2011 - 22:05

cohan wrote:

Carduncellus... Do they elongate the flower stem in seed as many others do?

No, C. pinnatus stays flat as a pancake.  I have been collecting and sending seeds to the seedexes from it, though there was a discussion over at the SRGC forum that suggested that the seed of this species or possibly of a closely-related one was not generally fertile for some reason.  On that note, I did try germinating fresh seed with no success.  I had in mind to cross pollinate the different plants, but as of this spring, the one out in the front yard is gone... so much for that then.  :(

Nice martagon, Rick.  What characteristics are you selecting for or trying to impart?


Submitted by cohan on Wed, 07/06/2011 - 00:43

Lori wrote:

cohan wrote:

Carduncellus... Do they elongate the flower stem in seed as many others do?

No, C. pinnatus stays flat as a pancake.  I have been collecting and sending seeds to the seedexes from it, though there was a discussion over at the SRGC forum that suggested that the seed of this species or possibly of a closely-related one was not generally fertile for some reason.  On that note, I did try germinating fresh seed with no success.  I had in mind to cross pollinate the different plants, but as of this spring, the one out in the front yard is gone... so much for that then.   :(

I think I remember that discussion about the fertility... odd...


Submitted by RickR on Wed, 07/06/2011 - 20:29

Naw, I just do it for fun, mostly.  But the one thing that I am really trying for is transferring the ruffly foliage of L. tsingtauense into the martagon genes.  And one would think anything crossed with L. majoense would be interesting.  Despite the copious pollen production, it hasn't been a very willing partner....

       


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 07/08/2011 - 15:53

A worthy goal - that foliage is very attractive. L. majoense is gorgeous too.

A few things today...
Telesonix jamesii var. heucherifolium; first bloom starting on Chaenactis alpina, bought this spring; Ajuga lupulina (seeds from Pavelka: "4500m, Shaluli Shan, Sichuan, China; mat-forming, purple-red bracts, 10-15cm, screes, stoney slopes; very showy; 2008 seed"); Spiraea decumbens:
     

Dianthus petraeus ssp. noeanus is a very nice tight bun; more Asyneuma limonifolium:
 

Elsewhere...
Eriogonum flavum (x2); Gillenia trifoliata:
 


Submitted by Peter George on Fri, 07/08/2011 - 18:38

Lori, by the end of this summer, you'll have shown up photographs of somewhere around 60% of all rock garden plants currently in the hobby. Astounding how well you're growing the HUGE variety of desirable plants.


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 07/08/2011 - 19:22

Lori, tht Chaenactis alpina looks scrumptious.  Just imagine what it will be like if it gets bigger!  I'll bet that Ajuga lupulina is long lasting in color, too.  And the Asyneuma limonifolium is particularly floriferous.  Are they always that way?


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 07/08/2011 - 20:19

Peter, the conditions here seem to be quite good for growing alpines... we humans (well, me, especially  ;D) may gripe about the wretched climate, etc.,  but alpines and perennials (those tolerant of drier conditions) do seem to like it!  
But if only the local experts would show us what they are growing, it would instantly be made clear that I am only dabbling in rock gardening!!! I am utterly astounded when I am so fortunate as to visit those gardens and see the incredible varieties of species and the superbly-grown plants.  Thank you so much for the kind words, nevertheless!   In the world of rock gardening, there are so many interesting species to grow, it seems the possibilities are almost endless.

Rick, yes, I expect the coloured bracts on Ajuga lupulina, which preceded the flowers, will remain showy long after the blooms are gone, too.  I really like Asyneuma limonifolium but I can't tell you much about it.  It bloomed marvellously last year too, in the year after it was grown from seed.  The species is said to like limestone substrates, and it does seems to like growing in the tufa garden particularly.  Some others that I planted in a much less calcareous crevice garden are much smaller and less floriferous.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 07/09/2011 - 19:42

Here are a couple more shots of Chaenactis alpina from today for those of us, like myself, to whom this plant is unfamiliar:
 

Scutellaria orientalis ssp. alpina (x2); Anthyllis vulneraria; promising buds on Inula acaulis ssp. caulescens (x2):

     


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 07/10/2011 - 22:06

Gypsophila silenoides (x2); Silene alpestris; update on the amazingly hardy Osteospermum barberiae var. compactum 'Purple Mountain':
     

Lindelofia anchusoides (left) and Lindelofia longiflora (right) (same arrangement in the close-ups).  And, yes, I thought they were the same too at first glance but they are actually different in some flower details...
     

Astrantia major; Stachys macrantha:
 


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 07/10/2011 - 22:16

It's summer!  :D
Heuchera 'Petite Ruby Frills'; Dracocephalum ruyschiana; Heuchera 'Canyon Duet'; Ligularia macrophylla:
     

Verbascum eriophorum (x2);  Verbascum x phoeniceum:
     

Fuzzy buds... now opening on Lilium martagon...
 


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 09:17

A few things...
Ajuga lupulina update; Stachys discolor, a Caucasus native (x2); Campanula barbata - these "biennials" are now 6 years old - probably safe to say it is a perennial strain!; Saponaria suendermanii:
     


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Sun, 07/17/2011 - 05:06

Apart from campanulas most of the alpines in our garden are coming to the end of their flowering. However, going out to look at the sand bed in struck me how good foliage is in many of these plants, and important in the garden for much longer than the flowers we love so much. So a few (quite a few!) examples:

Arenaria tetraquetra
Raoulia australis
Ewartia planchonii
Stachys citrina
Helichrysum milfordiae
Teucrium musimonum


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Sun, 07/17/2011 - 05:19

Alyssum strbryni
Callianthemum anemonoides
Dryas octopetala 'Minor'
Petrophyton hendersonii
Androsace muscoidea
Aciphylla aurea
Verbascum dumulosum

All these are on a relatively small bed in our front garden! (Apologies for showing so many but I just wanted to show the wonderful variety, even out of flower - something not often stressed to those gardeners outside the alpine world).


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 07/17/2011 - 06:32

Lori wrote:

Trond, I'm echoing the other comments on how nice Galium vernum looks... and the fragrance sounds wonderful.  Does it spread rapidly or is it fairly contained?

Lori, sorry I haven't answered yet but I am on holiday - when I write this I am in Los Rocques, Venezuela. Have visited the tepuy Roraima and will show pictures later. A lot of rock plants but not suited for gardens in cold climate!

The Galium verum spreads when given a free root run but can grow in cracks as well and behave more reasonable. Regarding the fragrance - it is not like lilies but for me - it is summer. I suppose the odor is more like cumarin.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 07/17/2011 - 09:43

Tim wrote:

Apologies for showing so many but I just wanted to show the wonderful variety, even out of flower - something not often stressed to those gardeners outside the alpine world).

Apologies, Tim??  No need!  :o  Thank you for posting and enlivening things!  Good heavens, I wish more people would jump in and show us what's happening in their gardens, in flower or not!  There is so much to appreciate all through the season! 
There are so many beautiful foliages in your garden...  The Teucrium is especially fine... and the Ewartia... and, well, I could pretty well list every one of them!  Are people amazed to find that you can grow Aciphylla there?  Does Petrophytum bloom for you?  I've had a gnarled little plant for some time that has yet to bloom.

Trond, no problem.  Thanks for the response on the galium.  We look forward to some pictures from your travels!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 07/17/2011 - 12:08

Nepeta phyllochlamys:
 

First flower on Delphinum beesianum, from seed last year - a huge flower for the tiny plant!
 

Cyananthus macrocalyx, also first flowering on last year's seed-grown plant:
 

Bolanthus cherlerioides, as above:
 

And a repeat of Campanula topaliana, just because I'm enjoying it so much!


Submitted by cohan on Sun, 07/17/2011 - 19:14

Hoy wrote:

Lori, sorry I haven't answered yet but I am on holiday - when I write this I am in Los Rocques, Venezuela. Have visited the tepuy Roraima and will show pictures later. A lot of rock plants but not suited for gardens in cold climate!

The Galium verum spreads when given a free root run but can grow in cracks as well and behave more reasonable. Regarding the fragrance - it is not like lilies but for me - it is summer. I suppose the odor is more like cumarin.

Roraima!!! wow, can't wait to see--I've seen some programs and articles, but not enough focus on the plants for me.....

Tim--lots of fantastic textures and colours in the foliage, for sure! I agree for me, I prefer plants that look as good out of flower...


Submitted by Mark McD on Sun, 07/17/2011 - 22:06

Hello folks,

I am so remiss in not joining in with the fun; I enjoy this topic perhaps more than any other; so many great plants posted, but I now have so little time to participate here... my only chance is over the weekend, sorry about the infrequency of my visits here.  Too many great plants have been posted here for me to comment all that I want, but I will add this hasty response:

@Lori:  glad you showed Gillenia trifoliata (now, Porteranthus).  It is a wonderful native plant, capable of building into a impressive cloud of bilateral white flowers in a "bush" 5' wide by 3-1/2' tall.  This year a woodchuck (groundhog) has decimated all the large clumps I have so that not a single flower was seen.  Everyone should grow this great wildflower (hopefully no groundhogs in your area), looks great even after the flowers go by, with the red calyces of the spent blooms also attractive, over elegant 3-part deep green foliage.  Also, regarding Chaenactis, it is a fascinating small genus, one of my favorites, should be grown more often.

@Tim:  loved the series on little silver plants; so glad to see Ewartia again, a genus almost never encountered, only three species.  I grew two species years ago when I lived in Seattle, Washington.  The Teucrium musimonum "speaks to me", I really like these dwarf Teucriums.  And with Lupinus albifrons, I often wonder why it is that we ignore so many great western American lupine species, there are so many worthwhile species!

Ok, it's past midnight, I'll regret staying up so late when I have to get up at 5:30 Am tomorrow morning.  Please know that I'm lurking, reading the messages, but rarely can I respond on weekdays due to me schedule and long commute.


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 12:12

Convolvulus lineatus var. angustifolius:

Calylophus serrulatus, a little plant from seed a couple of years ago:

Calyptridium umbellatum, now in seed:

I grew Senecio polyodon ssp. polyodon long ago for a few years (before it was crowded out) and always suspected it to be overwintering, rather than reseeding.  Now I finally have proof of overwintering.  I started seeds of Senecio polyodon last year.  (NB. The subspecies polyodon seemed to be larger flowered.)  Plants in the open crevice garden, and in the border surrounded by other plants, have wintered over.  A couple of plants in the border but not surrounded by other plants died out... so I'm not entirely sure of the rhyme or reason there - maybe it needs a little protection in heavy soil but not in better drainage?

Another amazingly hardy South African plant...

First bloom on Clematis mandshurica:


Submitted by Peter George on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 12:54

Lori, be wary of Calylophus serrulatus. I've been growing it for 8 years, and it's a beautiful plant, but it can be a thug. It seems as though every seed germinates, and in 2 or 3 years you'll be pulling them out by the dozens. You may want to deadhead it and leave it growing solo, or maybe with one or two companions.


Submitted by cohan on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 12:56

Lori, Love the pink Senecio.. is this the same one Jane in Colorado showed on Alpine -L? Anyway, a good one to watch for :)


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 13:04

I don't know, Cohan.  I couldn't bear the format of Alpine-L and disconnected myself from it some time ago, so I am not aware of what might be there now.

Peter, very interesting about Calylophus serrulatus.  I'll keep a watch out.  Thanks.


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 22:21

Gosh Lori, your collections never end!  (Mind you, none of us are complaining...)

The seed head structure of Calyptridium umbellatum is interesting.  Are those white things the seeds - so that they would pop out similar to magnolia sees in their heads?

                    Magnolia sieboldii


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 22:41

RickR wrote:

The seed head structure of Calyptridium umbellatum is interesting.  Are those white things the seeds - so that they would pop out similar to magnolia sees in their heads?

                    Magnolia sieboldii

I don't know - I'll have to take my hand lens out to look at C. umbellatum... not sure if those are seeds or not (and not something I have noticed before); offhand, I suspect the seed pods have not opened yet.

Wow, the magnolia seeds are very showy!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 07/23/2011 - 23:22

Not much new among the alpines of late... here are a few current or recent photos.
Monardella odoratissima v.odoratissima, purchased this spring from Beaver Creek:

I said something mildly disparaging earlier about the usual volume of bloom on Osteospermum barberiae var. compactum 'Purple Mountain', but actually, this perennial is performing very well this year. (Maybe I don't pay close enough attention?)
 

Out along the front sidewalk, edelweiss, Leontopodium alpinum:

Edraianthus graminifolius:
 

A very modest bloom this year on what is currently my only South American species, Junellia wilczekii:
 

Among the "regular" perennials...
Crambe cordifolia - wonderful plant.  The inflorescences are a meter across and the little 4-petaled flowers are honey-scented; the leaves are big and shiny and rugose.  If it looks a little the worse for wear, it is because I just disentangled (from the adjacent clematis) and staked up the big flower stalks, after the strong winds lately.
 


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 07/24/2011 - 00:49

Perfect siting for that South American, Lori.  Really nice plants, all of them.

Some "regular" plants from my garden:

    Japanese Morning Glory (Ipomea nil)
             

Frst generation hybrids of mine: Hemerocallis 'Siloam Ury Winnifred' x H. altissima
       

    Siloam Ury Winnifred
               

Night blooming Hemerocallis altissima
       

A very nice form of Arisaema consanguineum - I think
             

Digitalis ferruginea and Fibigia clypeata
       


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Sun, 07/24/2011 - 12:05

A few late flowering plants on the sand bed. Eucomis schijffii has now come into flower and is such a fine little plant! The latest flowering campanula I have is C. tommasinianus, and not knowing this genus so well it is very enjoyable to discover more of them. Another plant looking good just now is a small and tidy form of Gentiana septemfida (subsp. grossheimii), which has been a good doer on the bed ever since first planted. That blue is incomparable and it is nice that we can grow this when all the beautiful autumn flowering Asiatic species are next to impossible.

And just to bring back the idea of foliage - Cotula hispida and Daphne petraea make quite a good pairing, and on a broader scale our front garden has just had a good weed and tidying! (It doesn't always look like this!).


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 07/24/2011 - 13:18

Very nice, Tim!  Your garden is a source of unending wonder!

Saponaria caespitosa, one of many treasures bought this spring from Rundle Wood:
 

Rheum rhizostachyum, from seed last year:

Buds on Papaver sp., from the NARGS seedex (collected by Panayoti in Tajikistan)... I'm eagerly awaiting the bloom to see what it is!

A cute little red and black striped guy beetling his way across the tufa:

A late bloom on Cheiranthus roseus:

Heterotheca jonesii:


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 07/24/2011 - 13:47

Nice selection of plants, Rick!  Isn't H. altissima an incredibly tall one too?  I imagine it's also highly scented (even more so than other species daylilies), given that it's night-blooming?  That is an amazing Arisaema.

Not much happening in the troughs now, just this little Dianthus in bloom:

General garden shots...
A cv. of Lychnis chalcedonica, beleaguered lilies (first botrytis, then lily beetles!  >:() starting to bloom, Salvia nemorosa ssp. tesquicola:

Salvia nemorosa 'White Hill'- much loved by bees - and Persicaria polymorpha:
     

Delphinium brunonianum (with the cat pen in the background):

Some of Stuart's roses in the greenhouse... 'Amsterdam' (was supposed to be a fragrant double something-or-other but not so when received); 'Double Delight'; 'Rock'n'Roll':
   

Gaillardia grandiflora cv. out in Palliser's Triangle:


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 07/24/2011 - 22:05

Tim,
I like the Cotula hispida, especially.  Any tips (from anyone) on growing it?

Is that a Dierama sp. I see in the garden pic?

Lori,
Hemerocallis altissima grows about 5ft in my garden.  The foliage, though not particularly pretty, never gets ratty looking as with most daylilies.  It is fragrant, but I have learned not to rely heavily on my nose.  I inherited my smelling sense from my mom, and she couldn't smell a lot of things that others can, and vice versa.  The scent of my Carolina Alspice flowers (Calycanthus floridus) is heavenly, according to friends.  The flowers smell like Elmer's glue to me. ;D  I like the look and shape of the flowers best anyway.  I used to also grow Calycanthus fertilis, but the flower buds were very pointy compared to the round ones of C. floridus, and so not as desirable in my eyes.

                 Hemerocallis altissima
             

(That's Lilium szovitsianum to the right.)


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 07/24/2011 - 23:11

RickR wrote:

I like the Cotula hispida, especially.  Any tips (from anyone) on growing it?

I tried it a couple of times in the past without overwintering success... however, I did not have any rock gardens at my disposal then, so who knows?  If I run across it again, I'll give it a another try.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 00:57

Lori and Rick - thanks! The Cotula has been a bit of a mixed success in the past but is better on the sand bed. It tends to die back quite badly in the winter, even with cover, but then grows away again with the spring (although that's not especially unusual, quite a few plants do the same thing, probably because we don't have the benefit of prolonged snow cover). Yes, there are a couple of dieramas in the garden shot - they add a huge amount to the garden and we have had a long dry and warm spring and cooler wetter summer this year which must suit them well.

I've never come across Hemerocallis altissima - it must be really dramatic flowering at 5ft! And the flowers are very delicate and refined. Something to look out for. Amongst Lori's remarkable collection of plants I am very taken by Heterotheca. I have plans, if I can find a source, to develop a tufa garden and this would give the opportunity to grow a whole new range of plants. The only problem is the rest of the garden may get a bit neglected......


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 09:02

Harold, no, it's definitely not a lily beetle (which are not striped or the same shape as that guy) -  I have become very familiar with those!  


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 12:32

In the mountain pastures you can find red (or nearly red - what do you say Lori? Well, orange-red then.) coloured Hieracium species. You can also find similar plants as garden escapes along the road. The naming is confused but maybe this is Hieracium aurantiacum.


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 21:55

Ooooh, beautiful orange-red!  Isn't a common name for that plant "foxes and cubs"?  

Edit:  "Fox and cubs", maybe.  I know that it is considered sort of an invasive plant, but I think I'd gladly let it roam around!


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 07/28/2011 - 11:08

We have a few native species of Hieracium in Minnesota (mostly in the north), and two or three introduced species.  I never realized, until now, that there are so many species here.


Submitted by Fermi on Fri, 07/29/2011 - 01:23

Lori wrote:

Ooooh, beautiful orange-red!  Isn't a common name for that plant "foxes and cubs"?  

Edit:  "Fox and cubs", maybe.  I know that it is considered sort of an invasive plant, but I think I'd gladly let it roam around!

The whole tribe is "banned" in Victoria - a friend of mine was taken to court for selling it! (an overly zealous Plant policeperson reported her and threatened her unnecessarily - the judge threw out the case!) Unfortunately this weed has infiltrated the alpine regions and is present in our alps now :( .

Right now it's winter in Australia and it's been cold enough to freeze our buns! :o
Dianthus

Onosma nana

Teucrium sp (from the seedex as Salvia caespitosa!)

cheers
fermi


Submitted by Barstow on Fri, 07/29/2011 - 03:03

I have the two most important Day Lilies which are cultivated for food in China (Golden Needles which are the dried wilted flowers) growing next to each other in my garden (first picture at the bottom) - altissima is the much higher one in the background.

I found an interesting Chinese web site showing lots of pictures of fields of Hemerocallis citrina cultivated for food - what a site that must be!:

The last picture shows last summer's "haul" from my garden last summer - you can both enjoy the flowers and eat as you harvest when they have wilted!


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 07/29/2011 - 06:29

Those are some really nice, tight buns  ;D, Fermi...

Stephen, how does one eat dried day lily flowers?  Are they reconstituted first?


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 07/29/2011 - 22:45

RickR wrote:

Stephen, how does one eat dried day lily flowers?  Are they reconstituted first?

Ahh, used in hot and sour soup, apparently...  i thought I'd read that somewhere before.  Hmm, wonder if the soup I had the other day for lunch had any then?

Fermi wrote:

The whole tribe is "banned" in Victoria... Unfortunately this weed has infiltrated the alpine regions and is present in our alps now :( .

 
Well, that's a cautionary tale worth heeding.  (And, needless to say, I have enough invasive plants as is!)
Hey, we got frozen buns here too... but only figuratively - evenings are cool here plus there was a darn cold wind on top of it by the time I got home.  :P


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 07/30/2011 - 13:53

An old Yucca glauca in bloom in what is getting to be quite a shaded area, as the bur oak grows up:
   

Cyclamen purpurascens, a silver-leafed plant.  I dug this up from under the Scots pine where it had been very happy and put it at the front of the bed where it could be seen other than by crawling under the tree on hands and knees... it resented the move somewhat but is hanging on.

Mystery Dracocephalum sp.; any ideas?

Lilium 'Painted Pixie' with a native erigeron/aster(?) that I need to figure out... it's currently in beautiful bloom in the park too.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 07/30/2011 - 16:48

Eryngium alpinum:

I always find it very hard to photograph this one, Cephalaria gigantea... reaching for the sky:
 

Erigeron speciosus:

Linum flavum 'Compactum':
 

Gentiana gelida:
 

Telekia speciosa:
 


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 08/01/2011 - 15:29

How does Telekia speciosa behave at your place, Lori? It is weedy in my garden, selfsowing everywhere!
As i have said before - I have to find some of those perennial Linum species or cultivars!

Not exactly garden plants, but some flowering here at our mountain cabin now:
Parnassia palustris - very common where the soil is wet but not with stagnant water and not acidic either.

   

Trifolium medium - an interesting clover much nicer than the red clover (T. pratense).

   

Omalotheca norvegica. A shortlived perennial.

   


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 08/01/2011 - 20:05

Hoy wrote:

How does Telekia speciosa behave at your place, Lori? It is weedy in my garden, selfsowing everywhere!

It has not been a pest here yet... actually, I have yet to find a seedling!  (That's not to say I don't have many other plants that I spend a lot of time weeding out!)

Excellent photos of Parnassia palustris!  What amazingly intricate flowers... as is said in Flora of Alberta, "staminodia gland-tipped, small, united in 5 scale-like clusters, opposite the petals"... wonderful detail (no matter what the scientific words are to describe it)!

That's a very attractive clover.  My Trifolium rubens - which I really enjoy seeing - got munched down by jack rabbits this spring for the first time and so are not performing well this year.  

Are the flowers on Omalotheca norvegica fully open?  I've never even heard of the genus.

Not much happening in my rock gardens, so here is a few from the perennial beds...
Sanguisorba dodecandra, from subalpine meadows in the European alps, now in bloom:

Azorella trifurcata, forming a rolling landscape of odd, plastic-like (to the touch) foliage:

Calamintha grandiflora... I really like it but do weed out a lot of them, since they get quite large.
 

Aconitum anthoroideum, an 8-footer with attractive foliage (early on, at least - I haven't seen it in some time in that tangle of foliage!):
 
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=274.msg9228;topicseen#msg9228

An odd sedum with big, toothed leaves, fragrant flowers, and woody stems - Sedum populifolium:

Adenophora tashiroi:

Colourful seedpods on Streptopus roseus:

A couple of the many colours of self-sown Delphinium grandiflorum - the usual electric blue, and a variation:


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 01:21

Wow Trond, what an amazing parnassus!  Once again, Lori and I seem to be thinking along the same lines.  I too blew up you photographs to find great detail from your most excellently executed photos!  A VERY interesting flower from a taxonomic point of view, too.  If I may, I reposted your pics to ask:
What's this? And this? And this?  (nice insect, too!)

       

It would seem that the Omalotheca norvegica is open.  I think I see pistils...

             

Lori, your "field of Azorella" is quite the trick photo ;D.  And what an interesting Aconitum anthoroideum!


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 08:31

Lori, the Calamintha alpina (I think the name was changed) grows near snow line in the Dolomites.  It stays low in the garden but will seed itself where happy (sun, sun and more sun).  It's a no-care plant with nice, bright purple flowers.  Better to transplant self-sown seedlings when young.


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 09:14

I've had that one before, Anne, though it didn't stick around for long (in regular soil, that is).  I'll have to try it again some day.

RickR wrote:

Wow Trond, what an amazing parnassus!  If I may, I reposted your pics to ask:
What's this? And this? And this? 

Oooh, I know, I know!!  The middle arrow on the left photo and the left arrow on the right photo are the "staminodia gland-tipped, small, united in 5 scale-like clusters, opposite the petals".  Cool!


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 10:49

It's nice to see all these rather more vigorous perennials now the alpines are beginning to fade. I grow Cephalaria gigantea; it is quite a plant and self-sows very freely. Here it grows with the giant 'lettuce' Cicerbita (Lactuca) plumieri, and I always think that in combination with Inula magnifica (which also self-sows) you could develop an amazing 'Giant Meadow'.....Slightly off key from alpines but there you go!!


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 10:56

About the Parnassus staminodia, Lori: I thought so.  But did you notice they are not opposite the petals?  On the other side of the flower from each staminode, is not a petal, but the area between petals  ???.

Tim, there are historical accounts of American tall grass prairies where the vegetation was so tall that one had to be on horseback to see across them.  While I'm sure there are some remnants of same further east where the climate is more lush, I've never seen such a scenario in Minnesota.  Our lush prairielands have been tiled and drained for agriculture.  I do have a vivid memory of a tall grass prairie when I was about 10 years old, and it was way over my head.  I was quite proud of my self as I navigated through it with a compass to find the Kawishiwi River.


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 13:57

Thanks for comments ;D In fact I have tried to take pictures of the grass of Parnassus and other white (and yellow) flowers without luck many times. My automatic camera does not like white or yellow and try to focus on more coloured parts. This time however a nice cloud made the perfect light seemingly.

Here's a more detailed section of the picture:

The Saxifragaceae usually have 5 sepals, 5 petals and 5+5 stamens. Parnassus has 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5 staminodia with nectar glands and 5 stamens.

And another one - here the flowers are a bit older.

I do not know the insects, small flies maybe, the longer ones is probably a kind of Thrips. One of your arrows Rick, points to a stamen without the anther, the others point to a insect, the staminoid, nectar glands and the seedpod consisting of 4 carpels as Lori says!

The flowers of the Omalotheca (a member of the Asteraceae) are fully open Lori! Rick is right. You can see male and female parts in different flower heads. The plant is called setergråurt in Norwegian (gråurt= "grey wort").


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 14:33

I have never seen that Sedum before, Lori. Is it peraennial?

I would love to see a tallgrass prairie, Rick!

Tim, I have just transplanted a piece of the wild Cicerbita alpina to our moutain cabin ;D


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 20:27

Trond, those would be excellent entries in the NARGS photo contest.  One of the classes weighs heavily on technical aspect of the photo.  These would really wow the judges and members alike!

I don't think I have any good (or bad) photos of tall grass prairies.  The tend to look like a bunch of big weeds in a photo unless there is a lot of color.  I recall snapping some nice mid grass prairie shots in Blue Mounds state park years ago in western Minnesota.  I have to see if I can dig them up and scan a few.  I haven't looked at those pics in years, so it would be fun.


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 23:11

RickR wrote:

About the Parnassus staminodia, Lori: I thought so.  But did you notice they are not opposite the petals?  On the other side of the flower from each staminode, is not a petal, but the area between petals  ???.

Quite right!

Trond, yes, Sedum populifolium is perennial and very hardy.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 04:15

Lori wrote:

I've had that one before, Anne, though it didn't stick around for long (in regular soil, that is).  I'll have to try it again some day.

Lori, it's very long-lived in scree and blooms a long time.


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 07:22

RickR wrote:

Trond, those would be excellent entries in the NARGS photo contest.  One of the classes weighs heavily on technical aspect of the photo.  These would really wow the judges and members alike!

I don't think I have any good (or bad) photos of tall grass prairies.  The tend to look like a bunch of big weeds in a photo unless there is a lot of color.  I recall snapping some nice mid grass prairie shots in Blue Mounds state park years ago in western Minnesota.  I have to see if I can dig them up and scan a few.  I haven't looked at those pics in years, so it would be fun.

Photo contest? I hadn't thought of that :D

Mid grass prairie is approved ;)

Apropos to Lori's Aconitum, here's the native species Aconitum septentrionale. The colours of the flowers vary a lot, mostly they are dirty blue but some are better.

     


Submitted by Lori S. on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 09:46

Nice colour range... it's always interesting to see those natural variations.

A natural grassland likened to the appearance of "big weeds"?!?  Oh, please!   :o  (I'm sure the audience here is sophisticated enough to appreciate a grassland - no need to apologize in any way for its nature.  :)  )


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 21:55

Oops, did I scare everyone off?   :-[

In the rock garden...
The zig-zag flower stems of Acantholimon kotschyi ssp. laxispicatum are finally starting to open...

Convolvulus lineatus var. angustifolius continues to bloom:

As do Saponaria pumilio, Bolanthus cherlerioides, Campanula hawkinsiana, and, amazingly, Asperula boissieri (what a plant!):
     

And an interesting Papaver sp. from the NARGS seedex, collected in Tajikistan... I'm looking through Christopher Gray-Wilson's Poppies to see if I can figure out which it is:

And so what's happening in your yards?


Submitted by Peter George on Fri, 08/05/2011 - 14:36

Lori, I've had that poppy for 15 years, and although I've usually called it Papaver rubrifragum, I'm still not sure. It seeds around quite a bit, and I have a few plants with doubles, but like so many 'alpine' poppies, it's hard to identify with certainty. But IF i had to make a call, P. rubifragum is what it is.

I would caution you on the possibility that it will show up everywhere, so be careful with the seedheads!!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 08/06/2011 - 09:41

Beautiful crocus, Dave!  Nice bicolor effect.

Peter and Anne, yes, it does seem pretty well a ringer for Papaver ruprifragum (which I have out front)... leaves maybe very slightly different, but I'll have to study up.  As it was collected in Tajikistan, I guess either it was cultivated/escaped (as P. ruprifragum's natural range is limited to Spain) or some very similar species?!?

EDIT:  Although... Papaver ruprifragum is said to have glabrous (smooth, hairless) sepals, while this one has hairy sepals...  On that note, my poppy out front has hairy sepals too.


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 08/06/2011 - 10:27

Lori wrote:

Beautiful crocus, Dave!  Nice bicolor effect.

Exactly!

This turned up, webbing over my pots yesterday.  Any arachiphiles out there for an ID?

The spider is really much prettier.  There were magenta hues on its legs that don't show in the pic.


Submitted by Fermi on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 00:55

Lori wrote:

Oops, did I scare everyone off?   :-[

And so what's happening in your yards?

Lori,
I love your summer rock garden flowers! Here are some from our winter:
Narcissus hybrid, probabaly "Quince"

Iris "Dance On"

Bulbinella received as B. caudafelis but maybe B. eburnifolia

Narcissus cyclamenius hybrid

cheers
fermi


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 22:06

Thanks for the spider ID, Lori.  That little point and shoot Lumix camera has its shortfalls, but does impress me quite a bit.  And the photo was taken in a somewhat upfacing position, too!

It seems I've been waiting all season for the right time for a "best pic" of Silene uniflora 'Compacta'.  It's been blooming off and on all spring and summer, but always with not-so-perfect flowers.  I blame it on the excessive heat and/or my inattentive "nurturing".  After weeks of  daily high temps in the 85-95+ F range, this flower opened yesterday, on the first 75 degree day in a month.  It even has a lavender tint, which it never exhibited before, even on cooler spring days  ???.  Captured the morning of its first day open, Silene uniflora 'Compacta'.

             


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 08/14/2011 - 23:08

Nice to see spring again, Fermi!  Hmm, I wonder how hardy Bulbinella are??
Very nice, Rick - great to have reblooming plants!

A late-blooming stem on Penstemon secundiflorus:

Armeria juniperifolia, just recently planted:

Gentiana septemfida:

Trifolium rubens has managed a few blossoms, after being munched to the ground by jack rabbits this spring:

One of my favourite prairie natives, Dalea purpurea.... those out in the park are as big this summer as I have ever seen them, with the unusual amount of rain, but still are dwarfed by these in the front yard, where they flourish despite lousy soil:
   

Also out along the sidewalk, Sidalcea malviflora and Delphinium grandiflorum:

Orostachys iwarenge, from seed this spring and apparently putting up a flower stalk... not sure I'm terribly pleased by this!  ???

Catananche caerulea:


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 01:48

Fermi, I know you have winter down there but it is strange to see the flowers at this time of the year anyway ;)

Rick, Silene uniflora is a very common shore plant here but I have never seen that colour! (and the flowers are never that perfect either)

Lori, Dalea purpurea really is something :o Hope you don't loose the Orostachys.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 02:19

I am definitely with Trond! That Dalea is something else. I have always loved legumes and have had seed of Dalea species but never managed to grow them on. I will certainly try again! Do you get seed on it Lori?


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 02:24

Hoy wrote:

Rick, Silene uniflora is a very common shore plant here but I have never seen that colour! (and the flowers are never that perfect either)

I know!  It's been blooming off and on all season with very white petals and rather unpleasing form - unworthy of photographing, I thought, because I assumed they were abnormal.  Thanks for straitening out this dilemma of mine!  I wonder what will happen next year?

Lori, that's a bummer about the orostachys... but I wonder if that is really a flower stalk?  Could it just be that species normal production of winter leaves?  I question because internet photos of flowering O. iwarenge  show a gradation of leaf size as the stem progresses, and not such an abrupt change.

This is what a non-blooming Orostachys spinosa does in mid summer for me:

             

And this is how a blooming one begins.  The growth pattern is unmistakable, even at this stage, as it is clear that the stem has begun.  Compare the vegetative counterpart in the second photo.

       

I realize this is a whole different species, so my hypothesis may or may not be right.  I guess time will tell...


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 02:42

I grow the white species of Prairie clover - Dalea candida, from Minnesota native seed.  It produces copious seed.  I much prefer the purple one though, since the white flowers tend to look dirty as the overall color grays against the darker, nondescript stamens and pistils.


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 04:35

This summer I got hold of 3 different Orostachys species by swapping ;D

Out in the garden today and some of the showier things were these:

The Clintonia andrewsiana produces nice blue berries!

This Diascia is from seed of Silverhill, South Africa. The plant is quite hardy (has withstood all the shifting winters for several years) but not showy with very lax stems. However it flowers through the whole summer and the flowers are nice.

To continue the nonflowering part of animals without backbones:
The showiest though is this Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta. It is a common guest in spring, summer and autumn. They say it does not overwinter neither does it breed but i am not so sure as I often see newly hatched specimens.
 


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 10:06

Yes, Tim, the Dalea purpurea produces lots of seed... let me know if you would like some.  I managed to get Dalea candida seeds once but was not able to germinate them, oddly enough... would like to grow that one too, though.

Rick, thanks - I never thought of that possibility.  That's what my Orostachys spinosa do as well (particularly those in less sun).  I should look more closely at the other seedlings and see what they are doing.  As you say, time will tell is that is the case too with Orostachys iwarenge.  Surely it is not so unhappy with the conditions here as to be suicidal!  ;)

I find that pinkish tones in the flowers of Silene uniflora are not uncommon, for example:

(Definitely not the perfectly-formed flowers that you captured, Rick!)

Nice photos, Trond.  Beautiful Clintonia!  Well done on the Orostachys trades.  Which ones did you get?


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 22:16

I'll save seed of Dalea candida, Lori.

Lori wrote:

As you say, time will tell is that is the case too with Orostachys iwarenge.  Surely it is not so unhappy with the conditions here as to be suicidal!  ;)

Well I did have a suididal Orostachys spinosa once...


Submitted by Kelaidis on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 16:50

Hoy!
You have Delosperma cooperi there: if it is from the Oxbow Collection (at nearly 9000') at a ski area in Lesotho, I am sure you will do fine with it. The lower elevation forms (more commonly sold) are not as hardy...


Submitted by Kelaidis on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 17:18

I've had a very hectic summer with quite a few trips to the hills and more than a few house guests: I have been terribly remiss about the Forum, although I just had a wonderful half hour or so strolling around touching bases. You more faithful forumists seem to be having a good summer too. We had 8" of rain in July, and my gardens grew out of proportion and I have spent spare minutes cutting down the masses of herbage in the perennial and xeric beds, but it only took an hour or so to clean up my rock garden: definitely the best and most sensible form of gardening! I don't think I have posted any of the following pix--they are mostly from earlier this year when the garden was freshest...but I wanted to share them because this garden in particular, but really all rock gardens are enormously gratifying...

1 The first picture shows the path rising up through the garden: the white grass is Melica ciliata
2 The main slope of the garden in June with poppies and various crucifers (Aethionema, Iberis etc.)
3) The north (back) slope of the rock garden with my beloved yellow Pulsatilla and Aubrieta pinardii
5) There is no 4, but 5 is Iris pumla (supposedly from the Altai, probably a mistake) and a novel view
6) Campanula 'Dickson's Gold', one of my favorites in a shady corner with Adiantum venustum
7) Delosperma "deleuwiae" (which it is not) from Halda, and a distant orange patch of
Anagalis monellii from Morocco. I have been so inspired, I blogged about my rock garden on my blog if you are a sucker for punishment and want to have more pictures inflicted upon you!  Check out: http://www.prairiebreak.blogspot.com/

Time to go back and cut back more herbage in the acursed perennial gardens!


Submitted by AmyO on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 18:13

What you have there is an Argiope aurantia...the yellow garden spider. It's a very valuable addition to your garden! They weave beautiful webs and at this time of the year are producing large egg sacs that are brown and tear-drop shaped and you should find them hanging from plants stems near her web.


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 13:54

Kelaidis wrote:

Hoy!
You have Delosperma cooperi there: if it is from the Oxbow Collection (at nearly 9000') at a ski area in Lesotho, I am sure you will do fine with it. The lower elevation forms (more commonly sold) are not as hardy...

Thank you. Kelaidis! However I don't know what collection it is but I can try to find out ;D
I should wish my garden looked anything like yours (tidy and with lot of interesting rock garden plants!

I thought I had a name of this plant but I can't find it!


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 14:53

Trond, could that be a Sempervivella sp.? 

I am only familiar with Sempervivella alba, but your plant looks a lot like it to me...


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 08/22/2011 - 05:41

Hoy wrote:

I think you are right, Rick. It ha to be a Sempervivella but I can't tell the difference between alba and sedoides.

Both Sempervivella alba and sedoides are considered = Rosularia sedoides
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=242426835
http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/tro-8903077
http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/tro-8903074

So, it appears there is no longer a recognized genus of Sempervivella, all became Rosularia.


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 08/22/2011 - 06:01

McDonough wrote:

Hoy wrote:

I think you are right, Rick. It ha to be a Sempervivella but I can't tell the difference between alba and sedoides.

Both Sempervivella alba and sedoides are considered = Rosularia sedoides
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=242426835
http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/tro-8903077
http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/tro-8903074

So, it appears there is no longer a recognized genus of Sempervivella, all became Rosularia.

Mark, now I remember the name ;D Thank you Mark.


Submitted by Barstow on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 01:30

Hoy wrote:

Out in the garden today and some of the showier things were these:

The Clintonia andrewsiana produces nice blue berries!

To continue the nonflowering part of animals without backbones:
The showiest though is this Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta. It is a common guest in spring, summer and autumn. They say it does not overwinter neither does it breed but i am not so sure as I often see newly hatched specimens.

Nice to see the berries on your Clintonia! Never seen that before over here...

Red Admirals do breed here and the fresh looking butterflies appearing at the moment are the offspring of the migrants that arrived here in the spring.

Like the Monarch in North America it is also now known that some also migrate south again as documented in this Finnish article with an estimated 1/2 million butterflies migrating over a 100km front!http://www.eje.cz/pdfarticles/253/eje_100_4_625_Mikkola.pdf solving the evolutionary puzzle as to why they come here in the first place!

Here's a picure of one of the 4 specimens frequenting my garden at the weekend, posing on this Aster scaber from Korea, one of my favourite Edimentals...


Submitted by Barstow on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 13:47

Edimental - My invention/baby - not found on Google when I first used it (apart from as a Spanish name).... and next month a book will be published by a BBC gardening personality and this word is used.... :)  I got fed up with writing edible and ornamental....

It's the spring shoots which are used. Originally wild collected in Korea in country areas, people moved into towns and missed their traditional food. Now the demand is so high that the Koreans are cultivating it commercially....


Submitted by Mark McD on Sat, 08/27/2011 - 12:46

Stephenb wrote:

Edimental - My invention/baby - not found on Google when I first used it (apart from as a Spanish name).... and next month a book will be published by a BBC gardening personality and this word is used.... :)  I got fed up with writing edible and ornamental....

It's the spring shoots which are used. Originally wild collected in Korea in country areas, people moved into towns and missed their traditional food. Now the demand is so high that the Koreans are cultivating it commercially....

Stephen, if you start growing mushrooms as ornamental additions to your garden, you have my permission to call them Fungimentals ;D


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 09/01/2011 - 16:45

Satureja montana ssp. illyrica, from seed last year:
   

As you can see, it is much loved by the bees, rivalling even Thymus serpyllum in popularity!

Nymphaea 'Helvola' and 'Colorado':
 


Submitted by AmyO on Thu, 09/01/2011 - 19:30

Lori that Satureja is lovely! And such nice color for this time of year. Do you know if it's hardy to zone 4-5? And was it easy from seed?


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 09/01/2011 - 19:51

AmyO wrote:

Lori that Satureja is lovely! And such nice color for this time of year. Do you know if it's hardy to zone 4-5? And was it easy from seed?

Hi, Amy.  That plant has come through one winter so far here in zone 3 (and is nicely evergreen, by the way), and I recall now that I was speaking to someone at the local rock garden society plant sale this spring who considered it to be hardy, so that bodes well.    (EDIT:  Ooops, nix that thought... I have since remembered that it was actually Teucrium, not Satureja, that we were talking about.)
The seeds germinated for me in 13 days at room temperature.


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 09/01/2011 - 19:53

Lovely, indeed!

And super duper floriferous!
Is it a super duper seed producer as well?  (That's a hint  ;D.)
Makes me wonder if it is going to be a short lived perennial...


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 09/01/2011 - 20:03

RickR wrote:

And super duper floriferous!
Is it a super duper seed producer as well?  (That's a hint  ;D.)
Makes me wonder if it is going to be a short lived perennial...

I'll certainly collect seeds and send some, Rick, if it's inclined to produce any, i.e. doesn't get frozen off first!  
Re. longevity, I think certain Lamiaceae just tend to flower extravagantly, e.g. Thymus, and that it being considered a subshrub should bode well for longevity... at least that's what I'm hoping!  ;)


Submitted by Barstow on Fri, 09/02/2011 - 01:48

McDonough wrote:

Stephenb wrote:

Edimental - My invention/baby - not found on Google when I first used it (apart from as a Spanish name).... and next month a book will be published by a BBC gardening personality and this word is used.... :)  I got fed up with writing edible and ornamental....

It's the spring shoots which are used. Originally wild collected in Korea in country areas, people moved into towns and missed their traditional food. Now the demand is so high that the Koreans are cultivating it commercially....

Stephen, if you start growing mushrooms as ornamental additions to your garden, you have my permission to call them Fungimentals ;D

Thanks, Mark, that is very generous of you. Had to google "fungimental" and it seems to be a state induced at rave parties induced by excessive intake of psychotropic mushrooms... :)

I don't need to "grow" mushrooms, there are loads all over the garden at the moment including the one in the first picture which has infiltrated one of my edimental beds. It is incidentally edible at a young stage while still a white ball so it fits in well.... I do show it off to visitors in my garden as you can expect.... Unfortunately it stinks to high heaven so I start by apologising for the smell.... An erotimental perhaps? (another new word for Google).  Sorry for lowering the tone of the forum, I do now expect to be excluded... :)

1.Phallus impudicus (Common Stinkhorn)
2.Agaricus sylvicola (Wood Mushroom)


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 09/03/2011 - 22:36

Speaking of "edimentals"...
I picked the big, beautiful fruits of Prunus cerastus 'Evans' the other day - sour cherries - gorgeous on the tree, and excellent for pies and jam!
   


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 09/05/2011 - 15:30

I have no cherries in my garden any longer - the blackbirds and the seagulls ate the fruit before I could pick them!

But this one, rowan/mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia), is very common around here together with its relatives, a swarm of different Sorbus species. The berries are used in jam and jelly (by some).


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 09/05/2011 - 17:44

Lori wrote:

Oddly enough, none of the birds around here seem to eat the cherries.

Evans would be top selling if that were true in the U.S.  Now that I think about it, when I was in Slovenia we ate Bing cherries right of the tree...and birds didn't seem to go after them either.


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 09/05/2011 - 18:05

It is strange... The Amur cherry fruit seems to get eaten, and some of the chokecherries from our huge Schubert chokecherry get eaten by waxwings and migrant robins (but I seem to weed out most!), and the mountain ash berries are popular through the winter, but the cherries don't seem to be too attractive to the birds, including the earlier-ripening bird cherries (go figure!) and the 'Carmine Jewel'.

Here's one I've been enjoying, particularly since it was brought out of the greenhouse (where it escaped the hail damage) to add some interest to the corner of the house...
Rosa 'Amsterdam':
   

Not sure it will be kept, as it isn't what it was supposed to be (a fragrant floribunda) due to a mail order goof-up*.  It is a beauty though, and we noticed today that new flowers have a faint cinnamon scent...  It has managed to squeak through 2 seasons now on its merits, so we'll see.

*Hortico... need I say more?


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 09/05/2011 - 20:55

Wow, is this just a Midwest thing where the birds ravenously eat cherries?  It just seems so unbelievable!  you'll never get to taste a ripe cherry here unless you net the tree.


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 09/06/2011 - 05:55

Lori, I think 'Amsterdam' is a good-looking rose. Roses are difficult here due to the moist climate. They're often infested with all kind of diseases.

Rick, I've never seen ravens stealing fruit ;)


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Tue, 09/06/2011 - 07:08

Not much happening in the garden - some daphne rebloom etc, but now Cyclamen fatrense comes into its own.  A lovely plant that is reliably hardy here.


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 09/06/2011 - 11:00

Hoy wrote:

Rick, I've never seen ravens stealing fruit ;)

I've never heard of gulls stealing fruit either!  Here, we see them hawking for insects, and also scavenging, but they avoid coming into yards. 
I wonder what Sorbus jam/jelly tastes like?  I've never heard of anyone around here using the berries.  I'll have to go out and sample ours... bearing in mind, of course, that adding a ton of sugar will make almost anything palatable!  ;)

Anne, I'll have to look up Cyclamen fatrense, if it is considered very hardy.  So far, I've only found C. purpurascens to be hardy here (after expending the lives of many innocent C. coum and C. hederifolium in my sad experiments  :-\). 


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Tue, 09/06/2011 - 11:21

Lori, Dick Redfield (from whom my original plant came), told me that some people were insisting that C. fatrense was a variation of C. purpurascens, but he didn't believe this to be true.  In my limited experience (after killing numerous cyclamens under the guise of trying to grow them),  they are different.  It has lasted many years and now I have a number from the original plant.  They flower late August and into September.  Usually, the leaves have some marbling, but it seems less so this season for some unknown reason.


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 09/06/2011 - 12:34

Lori wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Rick, I've never seen ravens stealing fruit ;)

I've never heard of gulls stealing fruit either!  Here, we see them hawking for insects, and also scavenging, but they avoid coming into yards. 
I wonder what Sorbus jam/jelly tastes like?  I've never heard of anyone around here using the berries.  I'll have to go out and sample ours... bearing in mind, of course, that adding a ton of sugar will make almost anything palatable!  ;)

Lori, seagulls are eating everything here including fruit. They are especially fond of cherries and swarming ants.

If you want to make something of Sorbus fruits they taste best after a night of freezing - or you can put them in the fridge for some days.

Here is two recipes (jelly):

1 kg rensede rognebær    1 kg berries
2 dl vann                        2dl water
3/4 kg sukker pr. liter saft . 3/4 kg sugar to 1liter juice

or

2 1/2 kg rognebær
1,2 l vann
1 kg sukker

Bærene kokes i vannet til de sprekker i ca 20 minutter. Boil the berries to they crack(?), about 20 min.
Moses lett Mash lightly
Siles gjennom silklede Strain through a cloth
1 liter sukker til 1 liter saft. 1 liter sugar to 1 liter juice

Mint or lemon can be used as flavoring.

To make jam you can add apples and do as when you make applejam.

I am sure Stephen can say something about this ;D


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 09/06/2011 - 21:20

Our native Sorbus americana and S. decora berries have always looked more scrumptious than the European counterpart (S. aucuparia)...


Submitted by AmyO on Wed, 09/07/2011 - 05:56

I just checked the Cyclamen society website for info on C. fatrense and they have this specie as a form of C. purpurascens, which is very hardy for me here in Vermont as well as coum & hederifolium. I planted out 1 corm each of cilicium & pseudoibericum this year to check on the hardiness of those. I will be keeping my fingers crossed this winter  :-\.
Here's the link to the Cyclamen societies' page http://www.cyclamen.org/purp_set.html


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 09/07/2011 - 07:50

I have seen C fatrense mentioned both as a species and as a subspecies of purpurascens. The name means nothing, it is artificial anyway but may tell about its origin (and potential hardiness).

My experience is that my own seedlings almost always are hardier than bulbs/corms i buy especially if I grow them in a lean medium.


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Wed, 09/07/2011 - 13:02

Seems a repeat of what Dick Redfield told me about Cyclamen fatrense.  It is the only cyclamen that has been reliably hardy here.  I tried all the "hardy" ones and they never even made it through a winter.  That includes C. purpurascens which I tried more than once.  With apologies to the Cyclamen Society, if C. fatrense is only a "form" of C. purpurascens, it is one that has managed to be hardier.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Thu, 09/08/2011 - 12:18

Panayoti - of course you are right, the Salvia I have is canescens. I took the name from the label. The plant I have is very like daghestanica. Thanks for the correction.

Rick - The Vernonia is a tremendous plant! I wish we had the summer moisture to succeed better with these bold late perennials.


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 09/08/2011 - 13:15

RickR wrote:

Vernonia gigantea is 9.5ft this season...

Hi Rick, I had somehow missed your picture :o That Vernonia do not drown among its neighbours!


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 09/08/2011 - 16:15

Rick, the Vernonia is spectacular! 

When I stumbled on the similarity of names between Salvia cyanescens/canescens, I wondered if what I was growing was correct too.  Panayoti, from your description of cordate leaves, is this plant S. cyanescens then?

I assume then that this plant in the following link is not S. cyanescens... is it S. canescens?
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/111183/#b

Here are a few things from the rock garden...
Campanula hawkinsiana is still in bloom, along with C. topaliana - what fabulous plants!!  Even if they prove to be monocarpic, they have certainly shown their worth in the garden!  (I'll collect seeds and start more next year, to be on the safe side.)
   

A couple of late blooms on Oxytropis megalantha:

Colourful bracts (and a last couple of flowers) on Acantholimon kotschyi ssp. laxispicatum:

Serratula coronata:


Submitted by Mark McD on Thu, 09/08/2011 - 18:44

RickR wrote:

Vernonia gigantea is 9.5ft this season...

Rick, a most impressive Vernonia!  Makes my V. noveboracensis at a mere 8' look puny ;)

The remnants of Hurricane Irene that passed through 2 weeks ago made all the stems, which normally stand perfectly erect, bend over in weather submission and splay outwards, at least putting the flowers at closer view :D.  Here's a few photos before the storm.

At an impromptu garden nursery visit I came across one I've been looking for, the baby of Ironweeds, Vernonia lettermannii from Arkansas and Oklahoma.  I first saw it at Garden In The Woods in Framingham, Massachusetts, an excellent natives-only garden of the New England Wildflower Society.  I wondered where such a beauty has been all my life, and at just two feet tall!  The nursery had two forms, one a slight bit taller and lighter green in foliage than the other (and actually listed as form #2), I bought the smaller form with darker green foliage.  In the first photo, I'm holding the pot up to Amsonia hubrectii in the background, to show just how similar the foliage is, fairly unique for Vernonia to have such narrow willow-like leaves.  I'm still waiting for the buds to open.


Submitted by Mark McD on Thu, 09/08/2011 - 18:46

Lori, many tasty treats for the eye as usual, but I particularly like the white Serratula coronata!  How long have you grown it?  Reliably hardy?


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 09/08/2011 - 21:02

Vernonia lettermannii has been on my watch list since I first heard of it about a year ago, I think maybe from you, Mark, here on the Forum.

Very nice!

Everything looks so fresh this late in the year, Lori, and you still have so much blooming!  Since my oak leaf mulch source dried up a couple years ago, I've had to resort to what I can get - mostly maple and assorted wimpy leaved trees.  Really inferior stuff.  I use twice the amount of leaf mulch now, and it is still gone by this time of the season.  It's really hard on the perennials because I am a very reluctant waterer.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Fri, 09/09/2011 - 07:46

I've always had a soft spot for sedums and they give a long period of colour in our relatively dry garden. We have one small bed packed with spring bulbs and to give interest later on I have planted sedums and other small late growing perennials. Two of the best were raised by Graham Gough (Marchant's Plants), who used to work with Elizabeth Strangman at the famed Washfield Nursery near Hawkhurst in Kent; these are S. 'Purple Emperor' (a really superb plant) and the stronger coloured 'Red Cauli'. In the same bed are paler coloured selections which have crossed and self-sown to produce quite an enjoyable mix. The great plantsman and nurseryman Bob Brown has coined the name 'Stewed Rhubarb Mountain' for one of his raising, and it is one of those completely perfect names!


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Fri, 09/09/2011 - 08:00

Also flowering now and very different are a trio of rather special plants. Fascicularia bicolor has proved very hardy over many years, even through our last winter. For most of the year it is not particularly notable but now the inner rosette leaves have coloured red and the beautiful soft-blue flowers cluster deep within. This plant is now so big to be impossible to divide. I have heard of smaller species but don't know how they compare in hardiness or how available they might be.

Hedychium 'Tara' is a remarkably exotic 'ginger' that is fully hardy with us but generally doesn't get enough summer moisture to do well. This year it has been very striking. It was introduced by Tony Schilling along with a  robust form of densiflorum called 'Stephen'.

The third was a kind gift from a friend who has found it hardy in his garden, growing away strongly from the deep roots. This is Bomarea hirtella. I have tried several of these climbing 'alstroemerias' but they are usually very late to come into growth in the spring and therefore very late flowering - this one looks as though it may be more reliable. A very subtle and fascinating combination of colours!


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 09/09/2011 - 21:10

Wow, stunning plants, Tim!  The Fasicularia is so unusual!

RickR wrote:

Everything looks so fresh this late in the year, Lori, and you still have so much blooming! 

Well, just due to our very compressed season, I think. 

McDonough wrote:

I particularly like the white Serratula coronata!  How long have you grown it?  Reliably hardy?

It seems to be reliably hardy; my records claim I grew it from seed in 2008.  I think, from a search I did the other day, that perhaps it is a white form of Serratula coronata var. insularis... at least that variety seems, from a record I found, to be a dwarf form, as opposed to the very large, purple-flowered plants that seem to represent the species (according to a cursory Google search, at any rate).

I'm very impressed by Vernonia!  I did actually buy a couple this summer... I think the main thing might be whether our season is long enough for them to bloom.


Submitted by RickR on Wed, 09/21/2011 - 21:52

I transplanted Aralia cordata var. sachalinensis out of the garden three years ago because it was getting too large for the space.  It's new home is in the yard, at the northwest edge of the neighbor's Sugar maple canopy.  Not nearly as inviting as the former environment, the plant now deals with poor, dry soil and the competition of voracious maple roots.  Now in the third year, it is just over half its original height in the garden.

       

As you can see, the maple is dropping leaves prematurely this year, and the fallen leaf color is off.  That's because the tree is losing a battle with verticillium wilt, a soil born disease common in the region.  The disease is common in native Sugar maple woods here, but trees usually are able to compartmentalize the spread within the vascular system, as evidenced by the disfiguring of otherwise healthy wild trees.  However this neighbor's tree, with a trunk of 1.5ft in diameter, seems to have very little resistance.  Symptoms began only a month ago, and now almost the entire tree is wilted.


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 09/22/2011 - 09:37

It took a few tries to get Chasmanthium latifolia (Northern Sea Oats) to live in the garden for more than a season.  But now, volunteer seedlings seem to have good staying power.

     

Symphotrichum sericeum (Aster sericea) (Silky Aster) is a native prairie plant here.  It has very wiry dark stems and small silvery green leaves.  In the prairie, it tends to "hide" in the grasses until it flowers.  This poor specimen in the garden almost seems to have no leaves due to the sudden late summer drought.  With more than ample rainfall all season, plants have put on a lot of "extra" growth, and now find themselves paying dearly.  Even the trees in yards that don't water (like mine) show wilting.

       

As if often the case, flower color does change with maturity.

       


Submitted by Mark McD on Thu, 09/22/2011 - 18:30

Tim, I agree with Rick on Fascicularia , it is fabulously weird and wonderful.  I googled it, some really good photos on the web.  Looking at the blue flowers I thought to myself they look rather like Puya blooms; come to find out they're both in the family Bromeliaceae.

Rick, I got seed of Aster sericea from Panayoti several years back, and one plant managed to survive the rabbit attacks.  It's in full flower now, rather leafless too... it drops most of the lower leaves on the stem.  It's crowding out some other plants, it was my intention to move it to a new spot this year but that never happened.  The spring growth is eye-catching with fuzzy looking growth.


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 09/22/2011 - 20:00

In my garden, Silky aster always looses a significant number of its leaves by bloom time, but never as much as this season.  In the wild here in Minnesota, it doesn't seem to have this problem, but it's still almost as much of a see-through plant as my garden plant.  I never would have imagined it could crowd out anything!

Silky aster is a favorite of rabbits in the spring here, too.  I've learned that it is one of the plants I must protect with a wire cage for the first 3-4 weeks.

             


Submitted by Mark McD on Thu, 09/22/2011 - 20:10

Rick, glad you posted a photo of the emerging foliage, I spent 1/2 hr searching through my generic alphanumeric default-named images and couldn't find any, although I know I took some.  In addition to rabbits eating my Asters, the last two years I have had woodchucks living under my garden shed (reminder to myself: a project - dig all around the base of my shed and install wire mesh), and these much larger beasts adore Asters, even the tall ones, and pull them down and basically decimate them to mere stubs.  This year my A. sericea was miraculously spared from their munching.  I spread ground pepper as a deterrent although it gets expensive and can wash away and lose effectness with rain.


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 09/22/2011 - 21:25

Some more photos from today:

Ptilostemon afer, from a late seeding this year.  Acer miyabei (Miyabe maple) root sprouts.

       

Syneilesis intermedia,  in a pot and shutting down a bit early, presumably because of the frequent wilting I imposed on it through my neglectful watering.  In the background is Carex nigra (Black sedge).  This is only my second year for S. intermedia, but foliage seems to be more substantive than S. aconitifoliaEryngium amethystina has been blooming for quite a while, and still looks good.

       

Still a ways to go for Allium thunbergii 'Ozawas'.  Not to many Euonymus nanus var. turkestanicus flower buds escaped the bunnies last winter, so I don't have too many showy capsules this season.

       


Submitted by Barstow on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 01:17

The discussion of Asters and spring growth reminded me to post my favourite fall edimental, Aster scaber from Korea. At least, I assume that the identification is correct as the seed came from Berkutenko's seed list in 2007. Two pictures of the plant in flower and one of the spring leaves ready for the pot. This is one of the originally wild foraged species in Korea that there is such a demand for in the cities that it is now cultivated for market. Just imagine a field of this - a field of vegetables doesn't get better... Tasty too...


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 09:05

It looks as though you collected some of the young stems, too.  Are they tender to eat also?  And the aster is cooked?


Submitted by Barstow on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 09:48

I stir-fried those and they had a mild taste and the stems were also tender.

In Korea, I understand most wild vegetables are more or less treated the same. The vegetables are stir fried in sesame oil with various seasonings such as salt, vinegar and gochujang (red pepper paste) and are served over rice. Fried egg is also often added. The dried leaves are often just soaked in water and seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil (so that is essentially raw!).


Submitted by Mark McD on Sat, 09/24/2011 - 18:11

RickR wrote:

Some more photos from today:

Acer miyabei (Miyabe maple) root sprouts.

Not to many Euonymus nanus var. turkestanicus flower buds escaped the bunnies last winter, so I don't have too many showy capsules this season.

Rick, being a maple fan myself, your photo of Acer miyabei really caught my attention, beautiful leaf form.  You mention that these are the leaves of root sprouts, do the mature leaves look very different?

The Euonymus nanus v. turkestanicus is one I used to grow, it was grafted on top of a standard; rather silly looking as some of these artificial grafts can be, but it kept the flowers and fruits well above bunny level.  Checking my photos, the last pics were in 2006, so it succumbed that winter after about 3 years in the garden.  I know it is a low species, how tall does it grow for you.  I dug up a few pics from 2004 & 2005.  As Euonymus species go, I found the ultra-long-tubed red flowers to be much showier than the usual minute yellowish-green flowers of most species, and the fruits are certainly ornamental as in many Euonymus.  I have a photo or two of the fruit pods opening up, but can't lay my hands on them now.


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 09/24/2011 - 22:30

How tall does Euonymus nanus var. turkestanicus grow for me?  Honestly, I don't know.  It's been sprawling around for 10 years, but I've never had more than two season's growth with rabbit damage.  It's been up to four feet, though.  Yes, the flowers are more showy than most euonymus, but taking into consideration the "cute" factor, I still like E. verrucosus best.
A washed out pic of it:

             

I mentioned the Mayabi maple pic was root sprouts because you would never see such a combination of growth unless maybe if you were looking down from above the tree.  This one is the last of my Asian maples extant, because they are so susceptible to the verticillium that is natively in the ground here, coupled with the not so good clay soil.  The tree's canopy (about 15ft high) was half killed last season, and finished this season.  The stump (and sprouts) are slated for removal.  Leaves are usually almost twice that size, but still have the same crinkly quality. But the overall density in the canopy is less compact.  Of course there is always variation, and this had a nice corky bark feature similar to winged euonymus, except with six wings instead of four.

             


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 12:29

Tim, I tried Fascicularia and Bomarea in my garden but none could stand the last two cold winters  :'(  I'll try again ;)

Stephen, I do grow some Asters but I don't eat them ;D They are among the few plants slugs dislike!

Rik, do the Miyabe maple set seed? The leaves are very attractive!

Here are a nice clematis flowering now: Clematis x jouiniana 'Praecox',  trailing to 3m.

   

Weeds but not the most difficult: Impatiens glandulifera. Some are white flowered and others are dark purple(?) And another species, sturdier and with branches.

 


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 13:02

Not much still in bloom here.  We have been having some amazingly great weather though (30 deg C yesterday!), but much in my garden has dried up in the last while.

In the rock garden...
I'm trying Scutellaria Salvia resinosa again. It didn't winter over in regular soil so I'll see if drainage was the problem (vs. overall hardiness).

Monardella odoratissima v. odoratissima, planted this season:

Satureja montana ssp. illyrica is still blooming nicely:

Elsewhere:
Silene regia:
 

A late Verbascum nigrum:

Aster sedifolius:

Clematis stans:


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 19:25

Well, thanks -  I guess I just wish that summer would last, though I certainly can't complain with the weather.  There has not even been frost on the ground yet in our yard - only on the roofs a couple of mornings.  (We've often had the first snow before this calendar date.)

Oops, sorry.  I wrote "Salvia" when I should have written Scutellaria resinosa; I've corrected it in the photo post.  It looks like the consensus is that it should get to ~8-10 inches, and the flower is not large, only about 1cm but quite showy.  
Here's some info on it:
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/88540/
http://www.highplainsgardening.com/?q=plants/scutellaria-resinosa-syn-s-...


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 23:51

Lespedeza bicolor (the one that didn't get eaten by rabbits last winter) is super floriferous this year.  Also in the first pic: Thujopsis dolabrata var. hondai(hiding on the left), Picea omorika 'Treblitzch', needles of Pinus ponderosa.

       

Corydalis ochroleuca still pumps out the blooms, and a close relative will be ready to shoot up its vine next season.

       

Impatiens namchabarwensis is shy this year.  In fact only a few sprouted this season.  Sedum cauticola 'Lidakense' is a most vibrant color.

       

It's been almost two weeks since Colchicum agrppinum began blooming, and of course they are still glorious.  Five days ago, I plucked two flowers off for a better photo composition, and just set them on a nearby rock and forgot about them.  Here they are three and five days later!  They seem like such a dainty flower.  Who would have thought they would have such staying power without water?

       


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 11:47

Warm, sunny weather the last two days has brought out several kind of insects which I haven't seen for a while. Bees, flies and hoverflies seek nectar and pollen on the green but rich flowers of the Hedera helix.


Submitted by Mark McD on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 18:18

Trond, did you get a new camera?  The clarity of your photos is tremendous!  What plant is shown in these shots?


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 10/01/2011 - 01:55

McDonough wrote:

Trond, did you get a new camera?  The clarity of your photos is tremendous!  What plant is shown in these shots?

Thank you Mark.
No new camera but a sunny and warm day 8)
The plant is Hedera hibernica helix, Irish or Atlantic Common Ivy. It is a dangerous plant as it grows tremendously and swamp all small neighbours and climb every vantage point and tree it can find.
However, it blooms in fall and the flowers are much appreciated by both humans and insects and visited by many kind of the last category. It has a pleasent but faint smell too.

Here's a part of the flowering shrub. (The flower-bearing stems are very different from the trailing and climbing ones.)


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 21:58

Hedera helix is such an interesting plant to me because I knew it for so long as only a houseplant with juvenile foliage. I knew it had an adult stage and foliage, but I hadn't realized the flowering stems were different, too.  

At work yesterday, a man from central America (or was it South America?) was looking at the houseplants, and he mentioned that the common Heartleaf Philodendron (Philodendron scandens) was thought of as "evil" in his country.
This, because of how the vine often makes abrupt turns at the nodes, causing it to tangle and look unruly.

---------------------------------

And what do I see in my garden today?

    Uh Oh.......

             

A confused Podophyllum hexandrum.


Submitted by RickR on Thu, 10/06/2011 - 09:23

My other Podophyllums are still green, too (well actually turning autumn yellow now).  But this one is in a very dry part of the garden, and went dormant in July.  While I have had ample rain all summer, I received just over one tenth of an inch in all of September, when we normally get 3 inches of rain.  About a week before the pic was taken, I watered heavily for the first time.  I guess that was a mistake...


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 10/06/2011 - 09:45

RickR wrote:

My other Podophyllums are still green, too (well actually turning autumn yellow now).  But this one is in a very dry part of the garden, and went dormant in July.  While I have had ample rain all summer, I received just over one tenth of an inch in all of September, when we normally get 3 inches of rain.  About a week before the pic was taken, I watered heavily for the first time.  I guess that was a mistake...

I hope it will survive! Normally 3 inches of rain in September? It is about what I get every other day nowadays :o

I found another plant in flower today: Impatiens omeiana. It is always blooming very late.


Submitted by Fermi on Thu, 10/06/2011 - 17:48

Right now in these parts it's Iris Time - by which I mean the Pogons or Beardies! ;D
This is a MBI called "Arianna"

DBI "Buster

DBI "Kiwi Slices"

A dwarf species one which came form the SRGC Seedex as I. schachtii but it may be I. pumila ???

cheers
fermi


Submitted by Fermi on Thu, 10/06/2011 - 17:57

Other plants in flower include:
Sprekelia formosissima

A couple of our native paper daisies

And a coppery African Daisy

The next was outside where I work where the landscaper planted a New South Wales Waratah

cheers
fermi


Submitted by Lori S. on Thu, 10/06/2011 - 20:00

So much of interest still happening even in the most northerly areas! 
And it's spring in the southern hemisphere - how wonderful!  We're going to be counting on you to brighten our winter doldrums, Fermi!  :)


Submitted by Fermi on Thu, 10/06/2011 - 21:18

Well, Lori, there'll be plenty for awhile, but we hit our "doldrums" in summer when it's too hot for much to flower! ;D
Here are some Pacific Coast Iris - the first lot are seedlings raised from seed from Diane W. in Canada!

The next two show the variation in colour in some seedlings of PCI "Big Money"

cheers
fermi


Submitted by Lori S. on Fri, 10/07/2011 - 08:56

Clematis marmoraria is gorgeous!  :o  I'm glad your are brightening our days too with spring flowers, Jandals!  Drizzling rain here the last couple of days really brings a feeling of finality to the season.


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 10/07/2011 - 19:35

Those Pacific coast iris are sure beautiful and varied.  They say the Pacific coast native iris species are still speciating.  Would be nice if I could grow them here.
-----------------------------------
A nondescript pic of the garden today.  If you look hard you can see what is left of the Colchicum agrippinum that began bloom about 14 Sept.

             

I am moving bulbs around in the gardens, and I thought this was interesting.  Look at how (where) the roots emerge from the bulb!

Hyacinthoides sp.

             


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 10/08/2011 - 00:01

Seems the fall has arrived at your place too, Rick!
The Hyacinthoides bulb has to have a (short) stem inside where the roots grow from. Have you ever made a longitudinal cut through the bulb?


Submitted by Steve Newall on Sat, 10/08/2011 - 01:44

Thanks Lori . If I could steal your drizzle I would . Even in september I could walk anywhere on the property in my jandals and not get stuck . Spring was the same last year but as soon as everyone went on their summer holidays at Christmas it started raining .

Rick - The Clematis marmoraria do sucker around and they can be propagated from these . One of my plants has about 100 flowerbuds on it . If I can get a good picture when it flowers I will post it


Submitted by Booker on Sat, 10/08/2011 - 04:28

Jandals wrote:

The Clematis marmoraria do sucker around and they can be propagated from these . One of my plants has about 100 flowerbuds on it . If I can get a good picture when it flowers I will post it.

Now THAT is one-upmanship!!!!  I, for one, can't wait to see that Steve!


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 10/09/2011 - 06:26

No lovely irises, no pretty lewisias, no gorgeous clematis but snow. Saturday was sunny as the Sun's day should be. However we are struck by an untimely snowstorm here in the mountains. It is a bit early in the season even here in 1000m ASL.

A few plants try to keep up their and our spirit. A goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea) and a dandelion (Taraxacum sp), especially the last one is either very late or very early(!). Also a knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa) and a Jacob's ladder (Polemonium caeruleum) strive to show their flowers.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Sun, 10/09/2011 - 15:48

We are having quite an Indian summer in southern England with unseasonably warm days reaching nearly 30°C Good for extending the flowering of some plants. One of the loveliest autumn shrubs is Ceratostigma willmottianum, which is reliably hardy with us, though sometimes cut to the ground in winter. It really is a gentian-blue; quite exquisite. Crocus speciosus is making a good display for the first time in several years owing to the absence of any rabbits! And Cyclamen hederifolium, one of the finest and longest lived plants in the garden is flowering all over. I have grown this from many seed sources and have a great variety of leaf forms. These here are in a bed by the greenhouse that has recently been cleared and we are replanting with more choice woodland species such as Mukdenia rossii, Patrinia triloba, Cheloniopsis moschata and the yellow catmint Nepeta govaniana. Should be good to see what it looks like next year. This is one of the few places in the garden that stays quite moist due to run off from the greenhouse.


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 10/10/2011 - 10:30

Hoy wrote:

The Hyacinthoides bulb has to have a (short) stem inside where the roots grow from. Have you ever made a longitudinal cut through the bulb?

Your wish is my command...at least sometimes ;D

       

It seems roots emerge from a particular part of the stem within the bulb (and not the basal plate), regardless of where they emerge on the bulb surface.


Submitted by Steve Newall on Mon, 10/10/2011 - 12:41

Hoy wrote:

No lovely irises, no pretty lewisias, no gorgeous clematis but snow. Saturday was sunny as the Sun's day should be. However we are struck by an untimely snowstorm here in the mountains. It is a bit early in the season even here in 1000m ASL.

Sounds like you may have to put the flip-flops in storage , Trond . They tend to flick the snow up your back and could give you a back chill when out walking in the snow . Especially that soft powdery stuff .


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 10/10/2011 - 14:06

RickR wrote:

Hoy wrote:

The Hyacinthoides bulb has to have a (short) stem inside where the roots grow from. Have you ever made a longitudinal cut through the bulb?

Your wish is my command...at least sometimes ;D
It seems roots emerge from a particular part of the stem within the bulb (and not the basal plate), regardless of where they emerge on the bulb surface.

I wish my wife would say that more often ;D

I think the roots emerge from the new basal plate - the one to be next year. They grow through the bulb scales in slightly different directions. Interesting. - Hope you could spare that bulb, you can possibly plant it though - now you have two ;)


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 10/10/2011 - 14:07

Jandals wrote:

Hoy wrote:

No lovely irises, no pretty lewisias, no gorgeous clematis but snow. Saturday was sunny as the Sun's day should be. However we are struck by an untimely snowstorm here in the mountains. It is a bit early in the season even here in 1000m ASL.

Sounds like you may have to put the flip-flops in storage , Trond . They tend to flick the snow up your back and could give you a back chill when out walking in the snow . Especially that soft powdery stuff .

Oh yeah! I go barefoot ;) Then I don't get wet socks either. . . .


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 10/10/2011 - 14:13

Tim, I am jealous on your Indian summer - we had two whole days of it last week!
Ceratostigma is a genus I have thought to try outside at home but I'm afraid our summers isn't warm enough :(


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 10/10/2011 - 17:03

RickR wrote:

Hoy wrote:

The Hyacinthoides bulb has to have a (short) stem inside where the roots grow from. Have you ever made a longitudinal cut through the bulb?

Your wish is my command...at least sometimes ;D

It seems roots emerge from a particular part of the stem within the bulb (and not the basal plate), regardless of where they emerge on the bulb surface.

Fascinating stuff!  Just look at how the roots emerge from the internal stem right through the bulb mass.


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 10/10/2011 - 17:10

Tim wrote:

We are having quite an Indian summer in southern England with unseasonably warm days reaching nearly 30°C Good for extending the flowering of some plants. One of the loveliest autumn shrubs is Ceratostigma willmottianum, which is reliably hardy with us, though sometimes cut to the ground in winter. It really is a gentian-blue; quite exquisite.

Tim, when I was just a teenager, just a few years ago ;D, I grew Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, rated zone 5 here but I found it wasn't reliable hardy and only lasted a couple years. I understand however, when it is happy, it can spread rather aggressively but probably worth the effort for those blue autumn flowers and red bracts.  Ceratostigma willmottianum looks enticing, but I doubt it would be hardy here.

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides photo:
http://www.soonerplantfarm.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantdetail&p...


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 10/10/2011 - 17:14

Fermi wrote:

A couple of our native paper daisies
[attachthumb=2]

cheers
fermi

Fermi, I really like the native "paper daisies" you show.  Are these Helichrysum species?

And don't tease me with the Pacific Coast Iris, I've never been able to grow them successfully, but just look at the colors and forms you got from seed :o, love the rotund yellow one!  The dwarf bearded Iris named forms are luscious too.


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 10/10/2011 - 17:17

Hoy wrote:

I found another plant in flower today: Impatiens omeiana. It is always blooming very late.

Trond, the flowers look like they're made of plastic, so shiny and smooth.  I was at a used bookstore in central Massachusetts, saw a book on the genus Impatiens, and now I'm kicking myself for not buying it... I already selected more than enough books to buy.

Jandals wrote:

Hi . Pictures from my place today and yesterday

Clematis marmoraria

Jamdals, ditto the previous comments, I'm anxious to see your large Clematis marmoraria in full flower, what a gem.  Also your white Lewisia tweedyi isn't have bad either ;)


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 10/10/2011 - 18:08

Regarding the Hyacinthoides bulb root initiation:

Hoy wrote:

I think the roots emerge from the new basal plate - the one to be next year. They grow through the bulb scales in slightly different directions. Interesting. - Hope you could spare that bulb, you can possibly plant it though - now you have two ;)

After I posted, I thought about this more and I was coming to the same conclusion.  I was going to post here to see what you all thought about "my" theory, but I've already got my answer!  This is particularly interesting, as until now I hadn't known that true bulbs could have annual basal plates. 

McDonough wrote:

Fascinating stuff!  Just look at how the roots emerge from the internal stem right through the bulb mass.

At first I thought the same thing: how interesting.  But then I thought how we can grow new blood vessels through our own tissues, and how adventitious buds grow through, and I guess it is not so remarkable after all.


Submitted by Fermi on Thu, 10/13/2011 - 01:27

McDonough wrote:

Fermi, I really like the native "paper daisies" you show.  Are these Helichrysum species?

And don't tease me with the Pacific Coast Iris, I've never been able to grow them successfully, but just look at the colors and forms you got from seed :o, love the rotund yellow one!  The dwarf bearded Iris named forms are luscious too.

Hi Mark,
these were helichrysums but now are Leucochrysum albicans and forma tricolor.
As far as irises are concerned we seem to be in an ideal climate for a great number of sorts other than the ones that want lots of coolth!
Here's Siberian iris "Blue Bird"

And Iris (spuria ssp) halophila

cheers
fermi


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 10/14/2011 - 00:19

Yesterday was a rainy day!  I felt like Oliver, singing "Food, glorious food..." (except "rain, glorious rain...").  But it was a reason to take off and visit other gardeners, so I visited two chapter members across town.  

It's cyclamen time here and both members have nice specimens.  Yul is from Slovenia, and he grows Cyclamen purpurascens sourced from the area near Bled (in Slovenia). Bled is a famous tourist destination and the area is home of what could be the darkest color forms of the species.  Here is a couple of his plants in the garden (not particularly dark, though):

       

       

No doubt, many of you have seen a similar picture of Lake Bled.  This print hung in my Grandmother's house for as long as I can remember.

             

Yul showed me a book he recently received:
http://www.botanicni-vrt.si/content/view/130/1/lang,en/
Jože Bavcon also has written small books on crocus and another genus that I don't recall at the moment.

A dreary day, and great for taking photos in some respects, and in others, not so good.  The view from Yul's balcony is envious, and we had some lunch while it down poured.  But it let up now and then that opted for some nice pics.  

             

       


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 10/14/2011 - 00:35

Then on to Jean's house, and more Cyclamen purpurascens.

       

and Cyclamen hederifolia.  Not as hardy as purpurascens for us in Minnesota, but some get away with it.

             

And time for some tea and cardamom bread...and šlivovic  ;D

Tricyrtis usually doesn't make a splash this far north, but Jean grows Tricyrtis formosana 'Butterfly Cloud' and 'Miyazaki' very well.

       

             

Maybe I can stump someone here: can you guess what this is?

           


Submitted by Mark McD on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 12:45

Gorgeous leaf forms on Cyclamen purpurescens!  :o :o

I love Tricyrtis but I have miserable luck with them, they always die out.  The longest one I kept was the incredible T. macranthopsis with fat tubby bells of golden yellow heavily speckled inside... had it for about 4-5 years.

Is the seed pod a Cimicifuga?


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 10/16/2011 - 11:44

Well, you certainly had me stumped, Rick!  Your friend certainly does have a beautiful view and a beautiful garden.

Here are a few late-bloomers in the yard... Arabis androsacea; Osteospermum barberiae var. compactum 'Purple Mountain'; Hylotelephium 'Autumn Joy':
   

Some interesting foliage... and hopes of flowers to come:
Convolvulus suendermanii (x2) - bought from Beaver Creek this spring
 

Potentilla divina:

Sideritis phyrgia:

Androsace albana:

Saxifraga callosa:

A tiny thing, snuggled into a crevice in the tufa - Saxifraga umbellulata v. pectinata:


Submitted by Steve Newall on Mon, 10/17/2011 - 02:15

Nice yard Lori . I guess this post is technically from my yard too .  ...from my metre doesn't have the same ring to it .

Whilst posting these pictures I have realised that I grow a lot of variety alba's . I think that even though I am growing some exotic plants , I have a subconscious love of NZ flora where there is so much alba they had to drop the epithet because it became tedious.

Took these pictures today because we are supposed to get a lot of rain tonight and tomorrow  and I really hope that we get some .

Gentiana verna alba

Meconopsis pseudointegrifolia

and just to prove there is an exception to every rule , non-white flowers on Pittosporum tenuifolium . Also fragrant and popular with bees


Submitted by Toole on Mon, 10/17/2011 - 02:47

Jandals wrote:

Took these pictures today because we are supposed to get a lot of rain tonight and tomorrow  and I really hope that we get some .

It's on its way Steve --the wet stuff started here a few hours ago...

Lovely shot of the Gentiana ,(and the Clematis marmoraria on the other thread).

Cheers Dave.


Submitted by Kelaidis on Thu, 10/27/2011 - 21:56

The party may not be over, but with 8" of snow on the ground and lows in the lower teens...the season will not be the same. And just a few days earlier, the fall color was the best I'd seen in Denver. And these tresures shown below were just a smattering of the flowers you could find. I kinda got stuck on the colchicums and crocuses however. I think most of them will come through the cold just fine. I just hope the still green oaks and rowans will still color up after such chilly nights: next week is predicted to be glorious Indian Summer. Such are the challenges of gardening on the steppes of America!


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Sun, 10/30/2011 - 04:56

I've always tried to grow crocuses but generally fought a losing battle against the rabbits in recent years. They are the most exquisite of plants and I shall keep trying! Lori - I really like the 'silvers' in your garden, just my sort of plants. I am interested to see Arabis androsacea having just bought this from Ron McBeath. It looks a very tidy plant.

Most of the show in our garden is now the autumn colours which have arrived in just the last few days. The sand bed in the front garden is overlooked by Gleditsia triacanthos 'Sunburst', which is soft-yellow throughout they year but is more richly coloured now. One of the few flowering shrubs is Grevillea rosmarinifolia 'williamsi', virtually never out of flower and a really good form of the species selected in New Zealand (according to the 'Grevillea Book'). In the back garden the colours tend to go with a certain disarray; hostas exemplify this rather well. We have a wide range of apple varieties in the garden too which add to the autumn picture.


Submitted by Kelaidis on Sun, 10/30/2011 - 06:23

Your garden looks very intriguing, Tim! I am amazed how you grow Western Americans. I am on 80 feet of pure sand on my current garden, and struggle to grow many of our westerners (which prefer clay). I am mystified by your mentioning Arabis androsacea: I just cleaned the seed of it today to send to NARGS exchange: this is the first time it has set much seed, although I have grown it for years: it isn't as compact or woolly as A. bryoides, but its much easier to grow and similar (and permanent). We had our first hard frost last Wednesday (and 8" of wet snow) which knocked many of the gloriously colored leaves off trees--we'd been having a memorable and resplendant fall color season. The oaks and rowans are only just coloring, and they came through the frost pretty well, so there will be more to look at in the next month (including a few last crocuses, and other tardy flowers!). Gleditsia triacanthos 'Sunburst' is commonly grown in Denver, incidentally, where it can be spectacular in its pale yellow coloration for weeks on end in early summer. When it finally gets really hot mid-June or so it turns a typical dark green for us: you do have many blessings in more maritime climates, you see!


Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/30/2011 - 11:42

Tim,

    The rabbits have not bothered my crocuses.  I think it is because my crocuses are in the front of my house.  Rabbits tend to spend most of their time near cover.  My back yard is edged with evergreen shrubs and a chain link fence.  Rabbits love chain link fences because they can escape through them and predators cannot follow.  The rabbits usually stay near the shrubs in my back yard grazing on lawn grass and weeds. 
    The only exception was when I parked a car on the driveway near a garden in my front yard.  This car provided excellent over head cover for the rabbits.  It was also parked near the chain link fence that extends from my back yard around the side of my house.  My expensive coneflower cultivars were being nibbled to stubs.  A little chicken wire solved this problem.
    A neighbor recently has let their cat wander the neighborhood.  It is not surprising that the garden in my backyard has become a favorite hunting destination.  I do not want to debate the issue of outdoor cats.  However, this has caused the few surviving rabbits to rarely leave the cover of taller weeds in a neglected corner of the yard.  My wife and I miss seeing the rabbits lazily grazing on our lawn.
    In winter I did have a problem with rabbits eating small twigs and stripping bark on my smaller shrubs.  I found this was easily solved by removing snow that was covering lawn grass.  The rabbits would flock to the patch of exposed lawn grass leaving my shrubs alone.  This worked as long as I quickly removed the snow after each storm.  I was lazy after one storm and was not motivated to shovel my grass.  The rabbits soon started crewing up my shrubs which was all the motivation I required!
    I guess the moral of the story is ... if you do not plant near cover and the rabbits have a better food source then you probably won't have a problem with them.  If this is not feasible, then some chicken wire will solve the problem.

Sincerely,

James


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 10/30/2011 - 12:23

Kelaidis wrote:

Just found a picture of Arabis androsacea, Tim!

What I have been growing as Arabis androsacea is essentially stemless* (though the plant description, below, said 4cm stems), and quite furry.  The seeds were from Holubec and described as: "ex. Turkey: Ala Dag, 2200m, limestone scree; small cushions, white hairy rosettes, white flowers on 4cm long stems; 2009 seed".  I have photos of them in full bloom somewhere in my vast, unlabelled(grrr!!) photo collection but only this recent photo showing a late, repeat bloom is readily available:

*Edit:  Wait, the stems do elongate with time. Here's another photo:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=274.msg8868;topicseen#msg8868


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 10/30/2011 - 13:44

What rabbit species do you have coming to your garden, James?  Must be very small ones to get through chain link fences, unless maybe the styles of mesh are much bigger there than what is used here?  (N. B.  It would be really helpful if you could add your general location to your signature or to your profile, so that readers can see how closely their situations relate to yours in terms of geographics, climates, zones, etc..  :)) 
Here, the rabbits one sees most often in the city are whitetail jackrabbits - big, long-legged, long-eared critters of the open plains that are not much tied to cover.  (I suppose people who live on the edges of the ravines may have the smaller, cuter snowshoe hares coming into their yards, but I don't know if that is so.) 
I don't have any real complaints with their feeding... so many plants for them to choose from in the yard and elsewhere that their impact is small.  Well, okay, I admit I sometimes get mildly irritated at their nibbling my drabas in the troughs out front, though this seems to be a new thing related to the recent snowy winters we've had, where snow has covered things they'd probably otherwise be eating.  They also seem to have found my Trifolium rubens irresistible this spring, and munched it to the ground, but it recovered.  Oh well, overall, very minor damage and I don't begrudge them their choice of food.  :)


Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/30/2011 - 15:43

"What rabbit species do you have coming to your garden, James?"

Cottontail Rabbits - Sylvilagus floridanus

"Must be very small ones to get through chain link fences, unless maybe the styles of mesh are much bigger there than what is used here? ... Here, the rabbits one sees most often in the city are whitetail jackrabbits - big, long-legged, long-eared critters of the open plains that are not much tied to cover.  (I suppose people who live on the edges of the ravines may have the smaller, cuter snowshoe hares coming into their yards, but I don't know if that is so.)"

Actually, neither jackrabbits nor snowshoe hares are rabbits.

Sincerely,

James


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Sun, 10/30/2011 - 16:30

The plant of Arabis androsacea I have looks closer to Lori's than Panayoti's, though I have yet to see it in flower. I am not sure we are too successful with western American alpines here, and there is certainly not a strong tradition of growing such plants in the garden; most growers in the AGS concentrate more on exhibiting plants, and in a curious way I think that this can tend to restrict the range of plants grown. My dream would probably be the old alpine house at Wisley from the 1980's which was beautifully planted with dryland alpines by Ralph Haywood (who used to work with Joe Elliott at his famous Broadwell nursery). How much has alpine gardening taken off around Denver? There seems to be a much better link between Botanic Gardens and horticulture in the States than in the UK - ie: the sense of partnership in growing and learning about plants.


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 10/30/2011 - 18:13

Here, Gleditsia triacanthos 'Sunburst' (Sunburst honelocust) is only all yellow in the spring, and with fall color.  As leaves mature in summer, they turn green, while new leaves are still yellow. 

Tim, what is that pine with the long weeping needles in your second to last pic, (and also the pine behind it).  Is it a P. wallichiana?

I am also befuddled by James's chain link fence comment.  We have cottontails here, and they are kept out by what we call chain link.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 10/30/2011 - 20:07

The absolute cutest rabbits I've ever seen were the "Texas fightin' bunnies" (or so we referred to them) that we saw in spring in Rio Grande Village campground in Big Bend N.P. years ago; I suppose it was mating or play or territorial behavior, as a pair of tiny bunnies (relative to the jackrabbits I'm used to, anyway) would rear up and box each other for a bit... and then, just as suddenly, lose interest and start munching on something instead!  Hardly fights to the death (thank heavens)!  ;)  From range maps, it would seem they were either desert (Sylvilagus audubonii) or eastern cottontails.... danged charming to watch, whatever they were up to!

Fall colour on Arabis procurrens 'Variegata':

Autumn crocus, looks like I'm down to one this year:


Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 04:19

"I suppose it was mating or play or territorial behavior, as a pair of tiny bunnies (relative to the jackrabbits I'm used to, anyway) would rear up and box each other for a bit..."

I have seen such displays in Illinois.  It is a rare year that we get such a treat.  The rabbit population fluctuates wildly.  When the population of rabbits is high they often behave in this manner.  They will be sitting in a group.  One rabbit will will charge another rabbit.  The rabbit on the receiving end will often jump into the air so the charging rabbit ends up running underneath it.  It is fun to watch these bunny games.

The cottontail rabbits in my area are an edge species.  This is the reason they love backyards so much.  In large open grasslands cottontail rabbits are almost never seen.  If you do see a rabbit it is almost invariably near a brush pile or some other form of cover.  In wild areas they tend to stay near the woodland edge where thickets give them cover and a winter food source.

It is interesting to me that certain species are so selective about habitat type.  For example, grassland birds will not use an area unless it is 100's and sometimes 1000's of treeless acres.  The structure of vegetation is very important for certain species.  It is a rare prairie that is over 20 acres.  You can see how this posses a big problem for grassland birds.  Luckily, structure is more important to birds than quality vegetation.  They have been able to hang on in hayfields and rotationally grazed pastures.  Given the rarity of areas large enough to support grassland birds, much effort go toward creating the large treeless areas they require.

Sincerely,

James   


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 11:47

Rick - both pines were grown from seed. The first one is the Mexican Pinus patula (a poor specimen that I had left over from the nursery with a very twisted stem, but it has made a nice plant). The lower one is P. ponderosa which is growing at quite an alarming rate! I don't grow wallichiana but it is a beautiful specimen in a friend's garden - one of the best pines I think.


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 12:18

Yes, had I thought of it, patula would have been my first guess.  Also had wondered if the second one might be P. pondersosa.  Mine grows 1.5-2ft (46-60cm) per year.


Submitted by Fermi on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 01:34

Kelaidis wrote:

Just found a picture of Arabis androsacea, Tim!

Well, Panayoti and Lori, I'll be looking out for that one on the Seedex list when it arrives!
This spuria iris arrived as a volunteer seedling in a bed of summer dormant bulbs - how it got there I don't know, though it does grow in our neighbour's frontyard, about 200 yds away! It appears to be Iris orientalis

This white siberian iris has done well,

While a mauve-blue one is less floriferous this year, though the Sprekelia formosissima next to it has been brilliant!

In the "bog garden" a couple of Louisiana iris have opened,
possibly "John's Lucifer'

possibly "Koorawatha"

cheers
fermi


Submitted by Anne Spiegel on Wed, 11/02/2011 - 15:40

Thanks to some of the leaves still on the trees, the damage was extensive.  Magnolia soulangeana, not a relaible bloomer every yeare due to frequent late frosts, but very beautiful when it did bloom.


Submitted by Tim Ingram on Thu, 11/03/2011 - 02:43

Anne - really sad to see such damage to the magnolia. It is the most extraordinary tree in flower. I remember a large tree in Canterbury near us which was savagely pruned one year with no thought for its shape. Now though after some years it has grown out and made quite a shapely specimen again. (Not that such pruning is to be recommended!!). I hope we are not in for another severe (relatively) winter here, as I am still clearing up after the last one.


Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 11/04/2011 - 21:09

These will probably be my last views of 'Fall' in my garden. 

I love the color in my Fothergilla major 'blue shadow.'

The Spireas have nice color from Spring to Fall.  The ones that were abused at the home improvement store have the deepest color.  This is the opposite of what I would expect.

The 'Front Path Garden' has Coreopsis auriculata, Geranium sanguineum, and Armeria maritima.  The Geranium sanguineum is particularly beautiful because some of the leaves are red while others are green.  This gives the plant a Christmas look.

I included the Alberta Spruce surrounded by Snapdragons because I like the echo of shape between the pavers and the Spruce.  I cannot take credit for this design.  It was here when I purchased my home.  I only planted the Snapdragons.

The Red Maples are one of my favorite trees for Fall color.

The last picture is of Pineapple Sage.  I planted this for my hummingbirds.  It did not begin blooming until after all the hummingbirds had migrated South.  Since it did not accomplish its purpose, I will not be planting Pineapple Sage in the future.

James


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 11/05/2011 - 16:43

A sad sight of damaged trees and shrubs :(

The Magnolia soulangiana I grow at our summerhouse lost the top of its main stem and some limbs due to heavy late snow a couple of years ago but now it is completely regrown. I removed the broken limbs and doctored the wounds with a sharp knife but did nothing else.

Now snow or frost here, in fact it is extraordinary mild for the season. The last days have reached 15C in daytime and not less than 11C at night. However, two nights with 0-2C a couple of weeks ago transformed the colours of the leaves and heavy rain later defoliated almost all the deciduous trees and shrubs so not much fall colour to show. In stead some plants still flower and Viburnum farrerii is in full bloom with fragrant flowers.

   


Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 11/05/2011 - 18:31

Wow, unimaginable, Trond!
I am scraping the bottom of the barrel here... and winter usually comes much sooner than this.  
Here is a bit of fall colour on Townsendia parryi:

The sun is very low in the sky now but if it shines on these autumn crocus, they might manage to open again:

I always enjoy the pinky tones of little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium.  I've lost the name of this other grass, but it's looking nice now.
 

This Stachys inflata seedling looks like it's put on a wool sweater for the cold weather:

Helleborus caucasicus is still defiantly green and looking incongruous against all the yellows and browns:


Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 11/06/2011 - 18:36

The 'Front Path Garden' has Coreopsis auriculata, Geranium sanguineum, and Armeria maritima.  The Geranium sanguineum is particularly beautiful because some of the leaves are red while others are green.  This gives the plant a Christmas look.

- I just had to post a closer picture of Geranium sanguineum to show you what I was talking about above.


Submitted by AmyO on Sun, 11/06/2011 - 19:10

While cleaning up the gardens today I took a few pics of what was still or reblooming!

Cyclamen hederifolium
Primula auricula
Spiranthes odorata
Tricyrtis sp.
Primula auricula

(Edited to add species names to allow search capability.  :)  )


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 11/06/2011 - 19:17

Very nice, James.  Geranium sanguineum is probably my favourite geranium species for its very long bloom and terrific fall colour.

Amy, you have a lot going on there.  I wonder if anyone grows Spiranthes odorata here?  Seems like it should not be such a stretch.  It's very surprising to me to see an orchid still in bloom!


Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 11/06/2011 - 21:34

Amy,  What is the species shown in the upper right corner of the photo whose subject is Primula auricula?


Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 11/06/2011 - 22:33

Lori,  I think Spiranthes odorata is actually rather a stretch for Amy.  In her more interior Northern climate it does not appear to be very strong.  I think Goodyeara would be much better for Amy's garden.

In contrast, I think Spiranthes odorata would be a greenhouse plant in Alberta. 

You have two native Ladies'-tress Orchids.  They are Spiranthes lacera var. lacera and Spiranthes romanzoffiana. 

The range of Spiranthes lacera var. lacera just makes it into Northeastern Alberta.  It is found in or near Jack Pine Forests.  This means it likes nutrient poor sandy, gravelly, or rocky areas that experience periodic fire.  However, it may also occur in rock outcrops where enough fuel is never present to carry fire.

Spiranthes romanzoffiana lives in wetlands.

It likely be best to observe these plants in the wild, rather than attempting cultivation.  Spiranthes lacera var. lacera is listed as being rare in your province. 


Submitted by AmyO on Mon, 11/07/2011 - 05:41

James the other plant with the P. auricula is another unamed and unflowered auricula from seed. The Spiranthes are actually quite hardy here in the garden coming through pretty tough winters.


Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 11/07/2011 - 09:22

Amy,  That slightly out of focus unflowered Primula auricula had me imagining one of my Mexican Pinguliculas.  Of course, Mexican Pinguliculas are a house plant in my climate.

I am surprised you are finding Spiranthes odorata to be hardy in Vermont.  The USDA lists the range of Spiranthes odorata as only extending as far North as New Jersey.  Is it possible the plant you are growing is actually Spiranthes cernua?  Here is the key for these two species from the flora of North America.

26 (25) Plants to 50 cm; leaves comparatively slender, ascending to spreading (flaccidly so because of membranaceous blades with thickened midrib); petioles of basal leaves less than 6 mm wide; leaves wholly basal or lower sheaths with ascending-spreading blades; perianth usually 8–11 mm; lip membranaceous to fleshy, less than 7 mm wide.  14 Spiranthes cernua

+ Plants to 100 cm or more; leaves broad, ascending to spreading (rigidly so because of aerenchymatous thickening of blade); petioles of basal leaves 7 mm or more wide; blades spreading-recurved on proximal cauline sheaths, frequently also on distal, leaves then extending to inflorescence; perianth (4–)10–18 mm (shorter in young or depauperate plants); lip fleshy, (4–)7–9.5 mm.  13  Spiranthes odorata

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=131021


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 11/07/2011 - 18:20

James wrote:

I am surprised you are finding Spiranthes odorata to be hardy in Vermont.  The USDA lists the range of Spiranthes odorata as only extending as far North as New Jersey. 

Lots of flora found in southeastern USA is perfectly hardy in northern New England; haven't met a southeastern Trillium species that isn't hardy and happy here in Massachusetts, like deep south Trillium decumbens or Trillium lancifolium:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch?keywordquery=Trillium+decumbens&m...
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=TRLA15

Even less of a climatic stretch comparing mid-Atlantic States to places like Massachussets, Vermont, and New Hampshire.