General Alpines

Here you are, Mark!
I do not grow many ferns for sunny location but can contribute with what I have. In fact, I do not grow these ferns, they have chosen to grow with me.

Is anyone growing this species? I grew it from seed this year and am curious what the flowers, mature plant, etc. will look like. Despite being able to google various studies of its chemical components, and discovering that it's on someone's list of "desirable species", I can't find a picture of it! If you grow it (or are a more dogged internet searcher than I am), I'd love to see a photo of it!
Thanks in advance.

I know that many of you have jobs and lives and can't join us this next week in Salida (although I have been beckoning you and trying to subtly lure you into coming with my little subliminal subtitles...). I took a walk around Denver Botanic Gardens today, and I have to say I don't think I have EVER seen it so glorious: the reception Sunday night will be resplendent.

After a period outdoors and exposure to the elements (including a few frosts and a couple of snowfalls!), some of this year's grown-under-lights-in-the-basement alpines are now making significant changes in form, from the rather loose, long-petioled, somewhat rambling things that were planted out, to the tighter forms that are more what one envisions.
Here are a few of the plants on which this change is most pronounced:
1) Campanula seraglio - the size of the leaves is greatly reduced... not that it was any giant before.

Last week I was on a plant collection trip for our BG. We botanized the upper half of the Great Northern Pininsula. The rock here is limestone and has a wonderful array of native arctic-alpines. We had wind, rain and even snow on the trip! (we also had some sun!) They are much colder than St. John's and there were only a handful of plants in bloom. The willows were mostly passed and even the Saxifraga oppositifolia were finished. The first yellow lady's-slippers where just starting. Soon there will be thousands of them!

We have had the most amazing (for us) mild spring: it's seeming to still go on: the pictures of my garden are much more filled in than they should be: check them out and enjoy!

http://public.fotki.com/Panayoti/quince-june-2010/

My sister visited and we stayed the weekend in Banff National Park, sight-seeing and botanizing the various roadside sites...
Calypso bulbosa was starting into bloom in the Lake Louise area at montane elevations - unfortunately, we didn't see the thousands of Calypso flowers that I promised my sister (the bloom was incredible a couple of years ago!) but we saw enough, nonetheless, to feel quite privileged! :)

This (Antennaria dioica) is a common plant in the subalpine zone and in the lowland woods and higher up in the mountains too. You get it in different colors between red and white. The red ones are showiest.

And, with respect to this posting: http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=285.msg2544#new ... given the constant fascination that people seem to have with blue flowers, perhaps it would be appropriate to whet that interest by posting some?

I'll start with Gentiana verna:

As I grow older I grow more and more annuals. I know this distresses many of my rock gardening friends...but that's too bad. I think that many annuals proffer colors and qualities that aren't matched by perennials. Some self sow and maintain themselves as reliably as perennials.