Image of the day

I have several Pieris and they are early bloomers: ((as usually the nemo type!)

This is the first iris here every spring, 'Katharine Hodgkin'

My lawn, -  difficult to walk here.

Wonderful, Trond. 

Those must be either huge snowdrops or tiny crocus...

I'm so depressed seeing spring way up north in Norway just south in newfoundland it is only a distant dream.

My spring is in the greenhouse at work...Daphne 'Carol Mackie', rooted last fall, are blooming now.

Todd, be patient! The spring hasn't arrived in all Norway yet.

From this site:
http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nordland/1.7571983

Todd wrote:

My spring is in the greenhouse at work...Daphne 'Carol Mackie', rooted last fall, are blooming now.

Todd, isn't Daphne difficult to root?

Trond, the only way I'd go swimming like that is after a sauna!

Your seed went out in the mail today.

RickR wrote:

Trond, the only way I'd go swimming like that is after a sauna!

Your seed went out in the mail today.

Rick, I am not sure even a sauna had made me swim like that at all! Maybe - if I had been at that age.....

And thanks!

YEOW!  That looks cold!  We have a polar bear club here that does foolish things like that!

Some daphne are difficult to root, like D. mezereum, but D. X burkwoodii and D. retusa seem easy enough.

Finally, the 6" of snow forecast for this weekend is now changed to rain...albeit just 3 C but rain is rain...I don't have to shovel!

Cyclamen repandum...obviously from the greenhouse!

I'm chilled just looking at the picture, never mind actually swimming there!!

Well it may be my pathetic attempt at seeing spring in my area, but last week I dug out one of my flower beds and today, these toimmies are trying to bloom.  Meanwhile, still 3-4 feet of snow elsewhere insthe garden.  This time last year I had several species of crocus, scillas, eranthis and galanthus open.....they will be 3-4 weeks late this year.

Wow! Beautiful, Todd! 
If it's any comfort at all, we're in the midst of a snowstorm with about 6" of fresh snow on the ground.

Not bad, Todd!
Even without snow things develop slowly here. Today rainy and strong wind.

Blooming in the greenhouse at work...Leucocoryne ixioides...grown from seed sent to me from a lady in Santiago, Chile.

Exquisite flowers, Todd! I don't know much about these, apart from vaguely recognising the genus name...lol

We overwintered some potted Caltha palustris var. himalayensis in our coldhouse at work.  With sunny days, the temperature in there is 15-20 C despite only 0 C outside.  One of them is now starting to flower.

Nice flowers, Todd! I haven't tried that white Kingkup but assume it is hardy outside here! Could do fine with the yellow ones ;D

If you have sun you have something that I haven't. The weather here is more like fall - rain - rain - sun - rain - rain . . . .

Nice one, Todd--the standard yellow C palustris is super common here, but I'd like to get some white form.. not to mention the amazing purple Caltha shown at SRGC covering a mountain slope!...

Three meconopsis images from last summer ...

MECONOPSIS ONE, TWO & THREE

Beautiful blue Cliff! Just came from a rock garden meeting where one of our members showed slides from her trip to Yunnan.  She showed four meconopsis species...a yellow, purple, white and blue, but none were baileyi.

Trond, if you remind me mid-summer, I would be happy to send you seed of the white Caltha.  I just ordered Caltha scaposa...a mini yellow marsh marigold.  At tonights meeting we saw a field full of this small caltha...they look like Trollius acaulis!

Unfortunately, this is not a current photo...
An andrenid bee (Andrena milwaukeensis?) in Schivereckia podolica:

Skulski wrote:

Unfortunately, this is not a current photo...
An andrenid bee (Andrena milwaukeensis?) in Schivereckia podolica:

I agree with unfortunately not current - it was very summerlike and reminded me of summer holidays! Have still to wait some months........

Spring is officially in Newfoundland!  Despite a 3 foot drift in the back of my garden (unfortunately where the snowdrops are growing), the front of my rockery is melted out and Aethiomena oppositifolia is in bloom!  Cold wind today and an inch of snow forecast tomorrow but yesterday hit 13 C.

That is a little cutie, Todd :D
With 13C you'll soon catch up, here we haven't had higher than 8-9C this spring :(

Despite that you must still have deep snowdrifts in places, your yard is officially way ahead of mine, Todd!  
Other than the sad little snowdrops that started blooming before last week's snowstorms, there is nothing in bloom yet.   Bulbocodium vernale have finally started to emerge, and 2 tiny bunches so far have what look like white flowers, among the usual lavender:
 

So, there are signs of life again, but here's something a little more inspiring for "Image of the Day" - Egypt Lake in the distance, and one heck of an avalanche track on the left!

Wish I could grow Bulbocidium...perhaps I need to try again. 

Had snow again last night...just an inch.  Going to drop to -8 C tonight.....so much for spring!  On the plus side, next week is suppose to be mild so perhaps this will be the last cold snap.

Here for the first time in flower, one year after sowing.

Primula maximowiczii

Spring has also officially arrived in my neck of Vermont! I've got one snowdrop & a few early yellow crocus in bloom! YAY!
On my trek back north from Georgia last month I stopped into Longwood Gardens to wander through the maze of conservatories and the Meconopsis 'Lingholm' were just starting to go by, but still a glorious sight to behold! I also toured Wintertour, the Dupont Estate where the 'March Bank' was at its peak.

WimB wrote:

Here for the first time in flower, one year after sowing.

Primula maximowiczii

Wim....do you have any tips for keeping P. max. alive in the garden? I planted one 2 years ago into a mostly shaded woodland garden with good moisture, but it only lasted about a month before it rotted away. I'm also trying them from seed that I got from American Primrose society seedex. so any tips on seed germination would be appreciated too!! And thanks.

AmyO wrote:

Spring has also officially arrived in my neck of Vermont! I've got one snowdrop & a few early yellow crocus in bloom! YAY!
On my trek back north from Georgia last month I stopped into Longwood Gardens to wander through the maze of conservatories and the Meconopsis 'Lingholm' were just starting to go by, but still a glorious sight to behold! I also toured Wintertour, the Dupont Estate where the 'March Bank' was at its peak.

WimB wrote:

Here for the first time in flower, one year after sowing.

Primula maximowiczii

Wim....do you have any tips for keeping P. max. alive in the garden? I planted one 2 years ago into a mostly shaded woodland garden with good moisture, but it only lasted about a month before it rotted away. I'm also trying them from seed that I got from American Primrose society seedex. so any tips on seed germination would be appreciated too!! And thanks.

Amy,

I sowed them in pure leafmould last year in May. I just made sure the seedpots never went dry. They germinated very fast...I think it only took a week before I had the first plants. I planted them out in August in a trough filled with pure leafmould (there are two holes in the trough, to avoid standing water) whch was placed in the shade and out of the wind. I just make sure the soil never dries out and that's it. Now I've heard that it's possible that they die after flowering so I'll try to get the seeds of of them!

Wow, congratulations on your precocious flowering, Wim!  It looks so healthy.

Lori, not knowing diddly about mountains, that avalanche track is quite interesting.  And Egypt Lake's ice is out in the photo, before the snow is gone?

Amy, that's a great place to snuggle in hellebores.  The flowers sure are large!  Wish I could grow Corylopsis.  I have some seed  of C. veitchii (I think that's the species) to play around with, but my hopes are not high.  Similar to the Staphylea colchica crop I have from seed going now:

Gee Amy, I would have thought spring hit Vermont ages ago.  Maybe I'm not so far behind after all!  There are lots of snowdrops flowering throughout my city, along with Eranthis and Crocus but with my large drifts, mine are lagging behind.  I'm sure their will be instant flowers as soon as my snow melts.

WimB wrote:

Primula maximowiczii
Now I've heard that it's possible that they die after flowering...!

Wim, that would almost make me feel better (then I could say I didn't kill mine - it was monocarpic  :D).  Efloras of China (see link) claims it's a perennial but I wonder?
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200017319

RickR wrote:

And Egypt Lake's ice is out in the photo, before the snow is gone?

That photo was from early July - the trails only become snow-free up to alpine elevations around the beginning of July here (+/- a few days), but yes, it's quite normal to see snow hanging on all through the summer at high elevation in some areas - there are some examples in the my threads in the Plant Travel and Excursions folders.

Todd wrote:

Gee Amy, I would have thought spring hit Vermont ages ago.  Maybe I'm not so far behind after all!  There are lots of snowdrops flowering throughout my city, along with Eranthis and Crocus but with my large drifts, mine are lagging behind.  I'm sure their will be instant flowers as soon as my snow melts.

Todd we still have giant piles where the plows have pushed them up. The east side is now snow free but the west side of the house is still pretty much buried, althougha little patch of garden there is open and an Eranthus is just peeking through as well as a Frittilaria meleagris has sprung up through a thin layer of snow.
Wim thanks for the Primula tips...I'm going to try sowing more in leaf mold now!

RickR wrote:

Similar to the Staphylea colchica crop I have from seed going now:

I had to look it up, Rick - interesting shrub.  It's odd that the first 2 sites that come up in a Google search (one is Wikipedia) claim it has orange flowers, but most say it has white flowers, as seems to be shown in all the photos... ?!?

Rick, once I tried to get hold of Staphylea but then I never thought of sowing it and I never managed to find some plants for sale. You have rewaked that wish and I'll put Staphylea seed of my list for next seedex ;D

Lots to catch up on.

Lori, I like the white Bulbocodium sitting pretty in a "leaf vase", definitely a small bulb to try.

Wim, Amy's photos of beautiful visited gardens remind me of your question about trees/shrubs suitable to provide a canopy to allow underplanting; Cornus mas is another good candidate, and just look at that splendid Corylopsis!  Primula maximowiczii is a stunner; flowers are reminiscent of an Ourisia.

Rick, I'm not familiar with Staphylea colchica, although I do have S. trifolia (American bladdernut); I bought a small cutting-grown start one year from Garden Vision Epimediums... still in it's tiny pot sitting on the ground, the trunk nearly the same diameter as the pot :rolleyes:, I should have planted it out a few years ago; it is about 8' tall and does flower.

Skulski wrote:

Bulbocodium vernale have finally started to emerge, and 2 tiny bunches so far have what look like white flowers, among the usual lavender...

Nope, looks like they will all be lavender, as usual.
 

White or lavender - they are nice flowers! I think I have to try to reestablish that bulb!

An early morning 07.00AM, and very pleasant. Not warm but peaceful. No wind, no neighbors using chainsaws, no barking dogs, no fog, no clouds, no boats disturbing the perfectly calm sea, no cars or motorbikes but birds singing and the sun climbing in the eastern sky.

A short walk in the woodland where the Corydalis solida flowers underneath the rhododendrons.

One of the first rhodos to flower is this sutchuenense, grown from seed. Two days ago we had a gale from north and several flowers broke off.

So tranquil Trond....rhodies in bloom already!  It will be at least late May before my first open.  And this year our snow was like concrete...I have a 4 foot Pieris with only 2 feet of snow around it...yet no sign of the Pieris...NOT a good sign!  Our temps are great for rhodies but unless they are instantly above the snow line, it is difficult to get any size from them.

Todd wrote:

Had snow again last night...just an inch.  Going to drop to -8 C tonight.....so much for spring!  On the plus side, next week is suppose to be mild so perhaps this will be the last cold snap.

-8 is spring here ;D

Lori, is that a recent avalanche?
edit: nevermind-finished reading...lol

Trond--nice views!--what is all the purple/lavender on the slope? crocus?
The corys look great--my tiny planting of C solida is still under deep snow, along with a pot of C nobilis which was decimated by hail last year... hope to see them come back.. I do have one nice little seedling of C aurea showing in a sunken pot--they are always nice to see in spring, since they have overwintering rosettes..

cohan wrote:

Todd wrote:

Had snow again last night...just an inch.  Going to drop to -8 C tonight.....so much for spring!  On the plus side, next week is suppose to be mild so perhaps this will be the last cold snap.

-8 is spring here ;D

Lori, is that a recent avalanche?
edit: nevermind-finished reading...lol

Trond--nice views!--what is all the purple/lavender on the slope? crocus?
The corys look great--my tiny planting of C solida is still under deep snow, along with a pot of C nobilis which was decimated by hail last year... hope to see them come back.. I do have one nice little seedling of C aurea showing in a sunken pot--they are always nice to see in spring, since they have overwintering rosettes..

Yes, crocus as you can see here:

Hoy wrote:

Rick, once I tried to get hold of Staphylea but then I never thought of sowing it and I never managed to find some plants for sale. You have rewaked that wish and I'll put Staphylea seed of my list for next seedex ;D

I may be able to help you with that - I think I have an extra plant of Staphylea pinnata (remind me when you're next up here)! It grows well and sets seed here. 

Hoy wrote:

Yes, crocus as you can see here:

Very nice showing!
I've been thinking about where I should plant some things for the best/earliest spring display here--my earliest bare places are several around the south or west edges of stands of spruce--the snow is never as deep, and I guess they get some extra reflected sun... however, these areas probably tend to be quite dry, and don't necessarily get full day sun..but I may just have to try some things and see how they do! Idon't want to really try to make these spots into real garden beds--too much digging!-- I'd like to try just digging in some bulbs...

Cohan
Crocus tomasinianus at least seems to tolerate shade. It selfsow into dense shrubs and woodland and flower almost as good as in the open. The hybrids with C vernus is almost as shade tolerant as well.

I almost never make beds to my plants. Sometimes I add homemade compost or mix in sand or pebbles but most plants do I plant in the ground as it is. I do not feed much either.

Stephenb wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Rick, once I tried to get hold of Staphylea but then I never thought of sowing it and I never managed to find some plants for sale. You have rewaked that wish and I'll put Staphylea seed of my list for next seedex ;D

I may be able to help you with that - I think I have an extra plant of Staphylea pinnata (remind me when you're next up here)! It grows well and sets seed here.  

Many thanks, Stephen! We are to visit my wife's sister and her family at the farm May 6-8 ;D

Cohan, areas under deciduous trees where the undergrowth is low would be suitable... crocuses emerge and start blooming before the trees fully leaf out.

Skulski wrote:

Cohan, areas under deciduous trees where the undergrowth is low would be suitable... crocuses emerge and start blooming before the trees fully leaf out.

Lori, the spots I am thinking of are not so much underneath deciduous trees (where the snow tends to be as deep as anywhere) as in front of spruce, where snow is generally more shallow and melts first--here's a photo of one--this particular spot has afternoon sun, mostly, with a western exposure, some others are more south facing, though none have all day sun (almost nowhere on my property does)..

cohan wrote:

Skulski wrote:

Cohan, areas under deciduous trees where the undergrowth is low would be suitable... crocuses emerge and start blooming before the trees fully leaf out.

Lori, the spots I am thinking of are not so much underneath deciduous trees (where the snow tends to be as deep as anywhere) as in front of spruce, where snow is generally more shallow and melts first--here's a photo of one--this particular spot has afternoon sun, mostly, with a western exposure, some others are more south facing, though none have all day sun (almost nowhere on my property does)..

Cohan, I think you should try there. Probably some spring flowering bulbs (corms) could do in such a place. But maybe you have to feed a little extra as the roots of the spruces are very shallow and greedy.

cohan wrote:

Lori, the spots I am thinking of are not so much underneath deciduous trees (where the snow tends to be as deep as anywhere) as in front of spruce, where snow is generally more shallow and melts first-

Yup, great plan, go for it!  :)  Where I was going with the comment about deciduous treed areas was that it's nice to extend the spring bulb season by planting up not just the earliest areas but the later ones too, eventually, for a succession of bloom.  Crocuses (I only have common types) usually start blooming here in late March-early April and go through (in different areas of the yard) well into May.  And thinking about that, it looks like our crocus season will be over 3 weeks late this year!  When I was out cutting off perennials on Sunday, I saw that a few clumps had finally emerged. 

No problem with the extended blooming, Lori--that's easy for most of my property, where snow is slow to melt due to lots of trees--even some areas that are fairly sunny in mid-summer have lingering shadows till the sun gets higher.. the only spring bulb bed I planted so far, I realised last year, is in a late melting/warming spot--still a foot to a couple of snow on that now, and it will get icy melt water from farther into the shadows even after it is bare!

Here are a few pics from last year, the first year of blooms for that bed, with some cheap bulbs planted in fall 09:
Iris retic hybrid flowered by May 10

Scilla getting in the swing by mid-May, as was Pulsatilla vulgaris (18th, these shots)

btw, that was a 'hot' dry spell (the only one of the year  ;D ) that opened the Pulsatilla so wide, a few days later, it was cooler and it was open in a more civilised campanulate style  ;D

Muscari in the same bed was much later...

Hoy wrote:

Cohan, I think you should try there. Probably some spring flowering bulbs (corms) could do in such a place. But maybe you have to feed a little extra as the roots of the spruces are very shallow and greedy.

I would probably use a fair amount of leaf mulch depending on the type of bulbs--to keep grass and weeds slightly controlled...lol.. could use compost if needed, but I wouldn't likely use fertiliser outdoors.. getting me to water (apart from pots) is hard enough...lol..anyway, the soil is deep, if they think the spruce take the nutrients out of the surface, they can go deeper  ;D

Could somebody please confirm the identity of this beautiful clematis photographed in a public garden in Washington DC in May 2010?
Many thanks in anticipation.

Clematis integrifolia... could not guess if it is a particular cultivar or not.

Not sure what causes the coloring here as I don't recall seeing it before.  But I sure like it in on this 2 year seedling from seed collected in Alaska.  This seed source does tend to have good purple tints to plant parts other than the flower.

Iris setosa from seed collected near Cordova, Alaska.

Many thanks Lori ... I had toyed with that identification but wasn't certain.  Along with C. scottii (which I was fortunate enough to see in Ed Glover's beautiful garden in Madison, Wisconsin) they both make impressive plants.

In the same manner, could anyone name this beautiful iris please?

Your Iris, Cliff, is Iris ensata, the form usually called spontanea. This is the wild ancestor (from Japan and neighboring countries too) of the famous Higo iris, the incredible Japanese iris that have been bred for centuries and are featured in many Japanese gardens. We once had a spectacular display of them at Denver Botanic Gardens, now long gone, alas. The Higo sorts have flowers the size of dinner plates when grown well, and come in many swirling color combinations, mostly amethysts, lavenders, pinks and white, reminding me of some kinds of ripple ice creams. I have seen pictures of fields of these in bloom in Japan that are breathtaking: the fields are usually flooded when the iris bloom, and there are raised pathways that people walk on to admire and be dazzled by the iris.

The wild form is more uniform, and very elegant and well worth growing on its own. It is quite vigorous in my experience and easily grown. And I agree with Lori's determination on your Clematis integrifolia--an amazingly variable taxon. We introduced a dwarf, sprawling form of this species from Mongolia in our Plant Select program that makes a wonderful addition to a larger rock garden (and comes in pink, lavender, blue, deep purple and white): http://plantselect.org/support/plant_image.php?plant_number=90&photo_nam... It is marketed as 'Mongolian Bells'

I saw a display of ensata at RHS Wakehurst Park garden in the UK a couple of years ago. What form is this?

Stephen: you photographed one of those giant hybrids (Higo types) I was speaking about. Hard to relate it to the much smaller and simpler wild species, isn't it?

People do amazing things with plants! My "picture of the day" I took last Tuesday when we had one of our typical spring snows (not too cold, but enough to give you a thrill): these are of Tulipa greigii at the Gardens at Kendrick Lake, a wonderful 3 acre water conservation garden for the City of Lakewood next to Denver.

The closeup is of another scarlet tulip (I believe Vvedenskyi) growing next to a silver cholla (probably Cylindropuntia whipplei 'Snow Leopard') at Kendrick Lake the same day.

Nothing says "Colorado" like tulips from Central Asia growing alongside cacti from Arizona.

Waiting for my flight back to Newfoundland.  The 8th International Meeting was a blast!  Great to finally put faces with all the famous European names.  Must say I felt very welcome.

Back to the topic at hand: Stephen, I have seen that ensata hybrid before.  I am sure I have a picture.  Will check my image library as soon as I get home.  Sorcerer's Apprentice comes to mind but as PK notes, there are sooo many of these, dare I say, garish ensata hybrids!

Here is the first plant to start flower at our cabin this year - at least a month earlier than usual: Mogop, Pulsatilla vernalis. I think the flowers open fully in a couple of days in this weather ;D

Very nice, Trond! I like the golden look of this one..

Stephen, the mystery Iris ensata hybrid is 'Sorcerer's Triumph'.

My snow is almost gone...just a single 6" patch in the shaded corner.  Lots of bulbs starting, but the best at the moment is my Saxifraga oppositifolia...a pale selection from our wild populations.

It is an excellent form, Todd ;D

Trond, your Pulsatilla vernalis is waaayyy ahead of mine!  (No surprise there...  :rolleyes:)  Mine are still covered in dust from the road and sidewalk but at least the golden buds are pushing out.
 

Here are mine today! It is 5 specimens flowering but I have a dozen more of seedlings ;D
Seems to be heavy stuff and a narrow band! have to load one pix at the time. . . .

Very very sweet! Think of me if you are around there at seed time  ;D
BTW--just mailed a packet to you yesterday!

cohan wrote:

Very very sweet! Think of me if you are around there at seed time  ;D
BTW--just mailed a packet to you yesterday!

Certainly and thanks, Cohan ;D ;D

Photograhed at the UK conference...Primula euprepes.  They had these for sale.....should have tried to smuggle it back home!

Todd wrote:

Photograhed at the UK conference...Primula euprepes.  They had these for sale.....should have tried to smuggle it back home!

Wonderful, Todd! I'm trying to grow these for the first time this year...so fingers crossed!

Todd wrote:

Photograhed at the UK conference...Primula euprepes.  They had these for sale.....should have tried to smuggle it back home!

Nice shot of an incredible flower! Going to google that to see the plant...

Todd wrote:

Photograhed at the UK conference...Primula euprepes.  They had these for sale.....should have tried to smuggle it back home!

Oh, you didn't try? I would ;) (What's the penalty if caught?)

My shed roof today. Seems that auricles do good.

Do you have to water that roof? Or can these primulas take some drought?

The auriculas look great!  How deep is the soil there?

Erythronium dens-canis opened today.

Trond those P. auricula are gorgeous! You have to save some seed for me!  ;D I've been trying to grow mine like that for years!

cohan wrote:

Do you have to water that roof? Or can these primulas take some drought?

Cohan, I have to water if the spring/early summer gets too dry, which sometimes happens. May and June can be very dry here. The rest of the year it is not necessary.

Todd wrote:

The auriculas look great!  How deep is the soil there?

Erythronium dens-canis opened today.

Todd, the soil is 5-15cm and with rocks and gravel incorporated.

Your dens-canis is great. Seems I have lost mine and have to get them again.

AmyO wrote:

Trond those P. auricula are gorgeous! You have to save some seed for me!  ;D I've been trying to grow mine like that for years!

Certainly Amy ;)

Todd wrote:

Photographed at the UK conference...Primula euprepes.  They had these for sale.....should have tried to smuggle it back home!

It was a great shame that the AGS had not organised phyto inspections at the conference to allow folks to buy plants on their trip to take back across the pond.... many North Americans had come complete with a plant -buying budget to the UK and were VERY  disappointed.  :'( :'(

The nurserymen who lost out on the business were sad too.  :-X

Trond.... love your shed roof... more adventurous than simple saxifragas and sempervivums!  ;D

Probably not the best place to have this conversation, but what was the reason AGS dropped the ball on the phyto issue? We may not do everything right here in the U.S., but making sure we have an on-site phyto presence is critical for our Canadian and European guests.

Don't know the reason why but the absence has been commented on in other places too.

IMYoung wrote:

Trond.... love your shed roof... more adventurous than simple saxifragas and sempervivums!  ;D

Thank you!
I have to use all possible sites, you know, and this is a place which receive some sun  8)

I asked Christine about a phyto inspector about a month before the conference as I was going to get an import permit at my end.  Unfortunately it was not to be...no one could explain why.  I had great plans to bring a bag of plants home.  As it was a couple of dormant roots followed me but I had to pass on some really choice material.

Back to the thread...my first Draba...not sure the species;  maybe D. athoa.

My crocus are over, but I don't have a one Draba blooming yet!
---------------------------------------------
I took a short walk in the woods of nearby Carver County Park.

The non-native Scilla siberica is becoming a nuisance.
       

Cardamine laciniata is having a particularly good year, being more floriferous than usual.  It's normally a very shy bloomer here.
       

For our native form, this is the most open the flowers ever get, even on a very sunny day.
       

The foliage is very nice.
       

Foliage arrangement on a flowering stem.
       

Rick, I like those Cardamines! Can I ask you for seed this year if you collect some?

Here it is the Spanish bluebell that spreads but it is no nuisance yet.

Peter wrote:

Probably not the best place to have this conversation, but what was the reason AGS dropped the ball on the phyto issue? We may not do everything right here in the U.S., but making sure we have an on-site phyto presence is critical for our Canadian and European guests.

Who knows, Peter?   We had it at the Edinburgh Conference but it seems the AGS prefers not to seek or heed advice :'(

Certainly it may not have been possible to have the checking free as it was in Edinburgh in 2001 but I reckon that folks who need such things would have been prepared to pay for the service.... better than not being able to buy anything at all.  

MY

This is one of the many untidy "wild" shrubberies in my garden. I have several of them ;D ;D

I try to use plants that need the same conditions in the same site and then I let the plants take control!

Very nice, Trond! What is the yellow flower under the frits?

Rick, I agree with Trond--excellent Cardamine...

Hoy wrote:

Rick, I like those Cardamines! Can I ask you for seed this year if you collect some?

I remember from last year, Trond.  I'll definitely be watching for seed earlier this time. 

It has been a while since i have been on here but i thought i would post up a few pictures taken over the last couple of days. it has been really unusually cold and wet here in Idaho this year and it just keeps going. For the first time ever i had Viola beckwithii freeze the flower buds(i did not know they could do that) here are some plants that are going now.
A. coccineus
http://photos.imageevent.com/teita/rgplants2011/websize/IMG_0075.JPG
Talinum okanoganense, just comming back to life
http://photos.imageevent.com/teita/rgplants2011/websize/IMG_0068.JPG
Trifolium owyheense
http://photos.imageevent.com/teita/rgplants2011/websize/IMG_0066.JPG
there are more but i think will do for now.

Jim Hatchett

Hello Jim!  Glad you stopped in and shared some interesting pics with us.  I especially like the Talinum,
and the "A" in A. coccineus stands for what genus?
(I'm not ashamed to say I'm kinda stupid here...) 
It's a cool and hot looking plant, all at the same time!

Also extra cool here this spring, and also wet-but due to still melting snow rather than much new precip (though we had a thunderstorm with --snowballs? soft hail? slush pellets? mixed with some rain this afternoon!--I was out shovelling old snow and ice away from part of the driveway which is shaded and might otherwise take till June to melt/dry! I think its my first time ever shovelling snow during a thunderstorm  :o)
No buds have frozen here, since nothing is budding yet ;)

Love those plants, Jim-- the Astragalus (Rick--I wouldn't know if I didn't remember it, and have looked at it on Alplains list also) is stunning as ever!
Is the Talinum smaller than it seems in the pic? I was thinking this species was just a little tufty thing?

Ahh so sorry for my laziness. The "A" stands for Astragalus. This plant comes from seed collected from some of my own plants that came originally from the White mountains of Nevada. It likes to be quite dry or it will will quickly rot--that means little or now water after it sets seed and goes dormant. I should add that it also does best in ground with very little organic matter or nutrients or it will be overgrown and soon bloom itself to death.
Jim Hatchett

Jim, the Trifolium owyheense is very handsome, but I have lusted for Astragalus coccineus for years, your plants are awesome.

Here's a photo of my Talinum 'Zoe' (okanoganese x spinescens, now Phemeranthus sediformis x P. spinescens), growing in a pot which sat outside exposed all winter, I've grown this for many years. I have some in troughs too.  Given good drainage as one typically gives western American plants here, I find P. sediformis and the hybrid 'Zoe' perfectly easy and not overly temperamental regarding watering or exposure to rain anytime or to snow/rain in the winter.

[MMcD:  message edited to indicate the photo is of the lovely pink hybrid T. 'Zoe']

Mark, this is one I have been wanting, but never realised it had those exposed stems--extra cute!

RickR wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Rick, I like those Cardamines! Can I ask you for seed this year if you collect some?

I remember from last year, Trond.  I'll definitely be watching for seed earlier this time. 

Thank you Rick. I'm smiling :D

cohan wrote:

Very nice, Trond! What is the yellow flower under the frits?

Rick, I agree with Trond--excellent Cardamine...

The yellow is lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria). It is a pretty weed here on moist soil.

Trond, lesser celandine is a pest here too...my garden is starting to get overrun...spreading into the lawn as well.

Blooming now...Besseya alpina.  I can never get more than one flower per year.

Well, that's one more flower than I've been getting, Todd.  Incidentally, Todd and Trond - in a dry garden such as mine, Ranunculus ficaria is an absolute joy, not a thug.

Todd wrote:

Trond, lesser celandine is a pest here too...my garden is starting to get overrun...spreading into the lawn as well.

Blooming now...Besseya alpina.  I can never get more than one flower per year.

Never more than one? Is it against the law?  ;D Can't you grow more plants?  :D

Anyway Besseya is a lovely plant.

LOL Trond!  If it were against the law, I'd never see the light of day again!

Scilla rosenii...hard to tell but very large flowers for a Scilla.

Spiegel wrote:

Well, that's one more flower than I've been getting, Todd.  Incidentally, Todd and Trond - in a dry garden such as mine, Ranunculus ficaria is an absolute joy, not a thug.

I wonder how (if) it would behave here... buttercups scare me, though, since my most hated invasive plant (not in my yard, but in pastures/wetlands) is R acris...

I planted a couple of cultivars of Ranunculus ficaria years ago and still have one* coming up every spring... definitely not invasive here!

*By which I mean one, puny, diminished little survivor.

Maybe something to try in a moist spot with surrounding dry areas...lol

Erythronium dens-canis:

Love Erythroniums :) great foliage on this!

Skulski wrote:

I planted a couple of cultivars of Ranunculus ficaria years ago and still have one* coming up every spring... definitely not invasive here!

*By which I mean one, puny, diminished little survivor.

Isn't it the forms/subspecies that have bulbils in their leaf axils which are the invasive ones?  I have the invasive subspecies bulbifer which does have bulbils and large-flowered ssp. chrysocephalus which doesn't and as a result is much better behaved.

I also have the invasive type with bulbils (R acris acris, bulbilifer is invalid). The seedproducing one (R acris fertilis)  is not common in Norway but grows on Karmøy, an hour drive from here.

Edit: I don't know what I did when I wrote this! I meant of course Ranunculus ficaria ssp ficaria and R ficaria ssp fertilis!

Although your spring is a little late, Lori and Todd, it seemingly comes in strides now!

Today's flower is Heloniopsis orientalis

Sorry, but I have lost the thread of the Ranunculus discussion... is it a subspecies of R. acris that has invasive bulbils or of R. ficaria?

In the last two posts are we talking about R acris or R ficaria or both? R acris is the tall invader here, haven't noticed bulbils (though I haven't looked for them), I'm sure it seeds very generously.. presumably the bulbils are on R ficaria? which I've never seen except on the fora...

I'm sure Trond meant Ranunculus ficaria, although nowadays it's Ficaria verna I believe...

Yes, you are quite right Stephen! I beg your pardon, but I don't know how I messed this up. I hadn't drunk too much red wine either.
According to Lid (The leading Norwegian flora) the name of the genus in which lesser celandine belong is still Ranunculus but that may have changed internationally of course. My edition is the last one but from 2007.

Btw R acris never has bulbils, at least have I never noticed any and they are pretty common here. However they produce lots of fertile seed.

To talk about something nicer, the Heloniopsis is very fine, Todd! My Heloniopsis and Ypsilandria have suffered badly in the last winter.

This house is not mine but I drive along this meadow every day on my way home. The cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis) is a hallmark in this region.

Fantastic, Trond - I pass a couple of garden lawns like that on my cycle to work, but not quite as good as that!! I was going to post a picture but you beat me to it!

Impressive display Trond!  :o  Ours are barely showing buds yet.

Calandrinia grandiflora...wish it was hardy here!  I grew it from seed years ago and have kept it going in the cool greenhouse at work.  They are just starting to bloom now and will do so all summer.

Hoy wrote:

This house is not mine but I drive along this meadow every day on my way home. The cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis) is a hallmark in this region.

Nice! Is this a little pink or lavender? Or is it white?

cohan wrote:

Hoy wrote:

This house is not mine but I drive along this meadow every day on my way home. The cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis) is a hallmark in this region.

Nice! Is this a little pink or lavender? Or is it white?

The coloured vary from light pink, to lavender to white and in between.
Here are three color forms from my garden (actually weeds in my lawn and flowerbeds ;D)

Some plants can be even darker but I didn't find any when I looked for it.

Stephenb wrote:

Fantastic, Trond - I pass a couple of garden lawns like that on my cycle to work, but not quite as good as that!! I was going to post a picture but you beat me to it!

For once I was quickest :o

Todd wrote:

Impressive display Trond!  :o  Ours are barely showing buds yet.

Calandrinia grandiflora...wish it was hardy here!  I grew it from seed years ago and have kept it going in the cool greenhouse at work.  They are just starting to bloom now and will do so all summer.

A pretty plant, Todd.
I have grown this Calandrina and tried to overwinter it outside - a foolish thing to do!

Nice colours :)

One of my Androsace...I think it is A. carnea 'Alba'

Innocent little beauty, Todd!

I have had A carnea but they usually are shortlived here.

Most Androsace are short-lived here too...S. primuloides and A. sempervivoides are exceptions.

Today Erythronium sibericum opened...first time blooming from seeds sown 6 years ago...the originally came from Finn Haugli.  I'm more patient than I thought!

Todd, every garden is so different.  I have no luck with Androsace sempervivoides, which behaves here more like an annual, but Androsace villosa seems to be quite permanent.

Beautiful villosa Anne!  IT behaves like an annual in my area!  If fuzzy, forget it in my neck of the woods!

Blooming currently...Bergenia ciliata

Todd, your Bergenia ciliata is way better than mine! The last two years have almost destroyed the flowerbuds and the emerging flowers are very disappointing. However the leaves are magnificent when they unfurls! They attain a diameter of 20-30cm!

Hoy wrote:

Todd, your Bergenia ciliata is way better than mine! The last two years have almost destroyed the flowerbuds and the emerging flowers are very disappointing. However the leaves are magnificent when they unfurls! They attain a diameter of 20-30cm!

Yes Trond, the foliage is quite spectacular for a Bergenia...puts the others to shame!

Todd, can you show us the foliage on Bergenia ciliata; the flowers do look nice.  I must admit a bias with Bergenia, when I lived in the Seattle area of Washington State, big cabbagy Bergenias were a prerequisite for most any yard and border planting.  It wasn't until Roy Davidson showed me some choice smaller species growing out of pockets in a vertical stone wall in his garden that I became aware and interested in the genus.

Hoy wrote:

Stephenb wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Rick, once I tried to get hold of Staphylea but then I never thought of sowing it and I never managed to find some plants for sale. You have rewaked that wish and I'll put Staphylea seed of my list for next seedex ;D

I may be able to help you with that - I think I have an extra plant of Staphylea pinnata (remind me when you're next up here)! It grows well and sets seed here.  

Many thanks, Stephen! We are to visit my wife's sister and her family at the farm May 6-8 ;D

Good to meet you at the weekend. We forgot the Staphylea!

A modest wee little thing, but I'm so pleased to see a few blooms on Leucocrinum montanum (sand lily, starlily or mountain lily).  Thanks Hugh!

Judging from the following link, the plant is variable across its broad range:
http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/ofp/leu_mon.htm

The USDA range map is visually misleading, as it looks more common than it really is.  Check the Flora of North America range map for a better picture:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LEMO4
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=8438&flora_id=1

Stephenb wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Stephenb wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Rick, once I tried to get hold of Staphylea but then I never thought of sowing it and I never managed to find some plants for sale. You have rewaked that wish and I'll put Staphylea seed of my list for next seedex ;D

I may be able to help you with that - I think I have an extra plant of Staphylea pinnata (remind me when you're next up here)! It grows well and sets seed here.  

Many thanks, Stephen! We are to visit my wife's sister and her family at the farm May 6-8 ;D

Good to meet you at the weekend. We forgot the Staphylea!

Thanks the same! Although we forgot one plant I wasn't emptyhanded when leaving! . . . and now I have an excuse to return ;D

:)

McDonough wrote:

Todd, can you show us the foliage on Bergenia ciliata; the flowers do look nice.  I must admit a bias with Bergenia, when I lived in the Seattle area of Washington State, big cabbagy Bergenias were a prerequisite for most any yard and border planting.  It wasn't until Roy Davidson showed me some choice smaller species growing out of pockets in a vertical stone wall in his garden that I became aware and interested in the genus.

Mark, bergenia ciliata is deciduous...it will be a few weeks before the leaves start to put on their show!

Lovely Leucocrinum!

Mark, is that Leucocrinum ephemeral or does it flower through the summer?

A shot from my garden.
Grusonia clavata, Lewisia rediviva var. minor, and Erigeron compositus.

Mark,  I think the Leucrocrinum is one I have looked at on Alplains' list..

John--nice Lewisia--my Erigeron compositus--from the mts west of here--seems to have died this winter after several years of steady increase :( luckily it left behind some seedlings...

Today, this plant catched my eye in my garden, I thought it was quite nice:

Echinocereus baileyi

This would catch your  eye from the next block  ;D
Do you need to give this moisture protection in winter?

cohan wrote:

This would catch your  eye from the next block  ;D
Do you need to give this moisture protection in winter?

Cohan, I have a couple of cacti which grow outside here without protection. I've planted them in troughs in pure sand. Never water them during the summer (except to give them some fertiliser now and again), never cover them during winter. Last week these two were flowering here too in the same growing conditions:

Echinocereus viridiflorus and Escobaria missouriensis var asperispina

These two are esp gorgeous, I love the colour range on these two species more than the fuchsia/magenta types of Echinocereus; these are both potentially hardy in my area, and I have some seedlings, will be trying more clones too...

WimB wrote:

Today, this plant catched my eye in my garden, I thought it was quite nice:

Echinocereus baileyi

Wim
Very nice clear pink.

Most of my Echinocereus are a week or two out yet for flowers to open. They are heavily budded so I am hoping I can compeat with your fine display!  

Report to moderator

Weiser wrote:

WimB wrote:

Today, this plant catched my eye in my garden, I thought it was quite nice:

Echinocereus baileyi

Wim
Very nice clear pink.

Most of my Echinocereus are a week or two out yet for flowers to open. They are heavily budded so I am hoping I can compeat with your fine display!  

Report to moderator

Thanks John,

I'm a cactus-newbie, I only grow a couple of species so I'm sure you will be more than able to compete with my display, I've seen the pictures of your wonderful garden and of the perfect cactus plants you grow in the other threads  ;)

McDonough wrote:

Todd, can you show us the foliage on Bergenia ciliata; the flowers do look nice.  I must admit a bias with Bergenia, when I lived in the Seattle area of Washington State, big cabbagy Bergenias were a prerequisite for most any yard and border planting.  It wasn't until Roy Davidson showed me some choice smaller species growing out of pockets in a vertical stone wall in his garden that I became aware and interested in the genus.

While waiting for Todd's:Here are the leaves of my B ciliata today.

The dominating flowering plants here now is rhododendron. Here are a few of the bigger ones:

Todd wrote:

Today Erythronium sibericum opened...first time blooming from seeds sown 6 years ago...the originally came from Finn Haugli.  I'm more patient than I thought!

Easier to be patient when the prize is so good though, eh? These erys are SO worth the wait!!

Trond, those rhodies are spectacular!  Those hybrids are too tender for my area.  Our first rhodies are just starting....only the dauricums are open at the moment, but the buds are quite fat now on R. oreodoxa.

Here is a strong contrast from the garden...Pulmonaria angustifolia and Anemone blanda 'White Splendor'

Anemone blanda 'White Splendor' grows at the Minnesota Arboretum, too.

A good dwarf Anchusa, undulata, which self-sows freely in warm dry spots. Seed came initially from Jim Archibald and it has been quite a favourite in the garden ever since. The colour varies just a little but is always close to this wonderful deep blue.

At some point (maybe a different thread) Stephenb posted a Petasites flower, and Panayoti mentioned that he hadn't thought of them as showy..
they are in full flower here now, and quite showy, with some variation..But to me they are prettiest when first out,or even before opening, having the best colour  and being compact.... here from early May..
more at :
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=591.msg8981#msg8981
and https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/May052011FirstWildFlowers#

In my youth I always went looking for the flowers of coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) in the early spring (found them from February to March in Oslo). Butterburs reminds me of that time!

Trond, these are also called coltsfoot here, not that anyone I have ever known talks about them, besides me...lol--so I should say called coltsfoot in books!
Mothers' Day and my mom's birthday are usually close together, and if I am here, I always try to pick mom a bouquet of Petasites and Caltha--sometimes the Caltha are barely starting, like they were this year (by mom's b'day, may 13).. I just found out in the last few years that my grandmother also used to pick Caltha for my mom and her twin on their birtday!

Tussilago farfara near Lake Como in early March this year.

They're still as charming as when I was a boy. However, I don't like the leaves. Strictly speaking the name "coltsfoot" must refere to the leaves, not the flowers!

Booker wrote:

Tussilago farfara near Lake Como in early March this year.

Cliff-Spring sunshine!
Trond--that's why I often don't bother with the common names--can be useless/confusing! Our other spring flower, which we call cowslip (Caltha palustris)--also has a common name with a totally different meaning in other places-- I'd never heard of Primula veris till I was an adult (or near to it) and only in books/pics.. still have never seen one in person!

Plants have different names even in different places in Norway - but they all have official names too! And Latin name is useful indeed ;)
Do you want seed of Primula veris?

Hoy wrote:

Plants have different names even in different places in Norway - but they all have official names too! And Latin name is useful indeed ;)
Do you want seed of Primula veris?

Yes, scientific names are the useful ones :) Sure, I'd love seed of P veris-- I had some a few years ago that did nothing, for some reason....

A number of native willow species here, which I have no names for.. by the roadside, I either have not photographed this beauty before, or not caught it at this stage...

more at:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=591.15
or:
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/May052011FirstWildFlowers#

cohan wrote:

Our other spring flower, which we call cowslip (Caltha palustris)--also has a common name with a totally different meaning in other places...

Even in places that are much less foreign than you may have in mind... as a kid in central Saskatchewan, "cowslips" (at least to my parents) was hoary puccoon, Lithospermum canescens:

(That's not my photo, but an excellent one that I was sent.)

I remember you mentioning that before, Lori-- a gorgeous plant! and one I have also never seen in person, but would love to...lol. Is it also spring blooming?

I guess 'cowslips' are one of those 'old-country' plants that people were homesick for, so they used the same name for anything that reminded them of the originals! Not that many people in my area came from english speaking countries, but I guess the name was imported from somewhere else in North America!

It blooms in June as I recall... doesn't occur in Alberta, unfortunately.  The Lithospermum that occur here are not as showy.

Lewisia rediviva var. minor & Grunsonia clavata from my garden.

Skulski wrote:

It blooms in June as I recall... doesn't occur in Alberta, unfortunately.  The Lithospermum that occur here are not as showy.

I'll ask on the ColdZone group whether anyone sees it around.... otherwise maybe someone like Prairie Moon would have it... not that its urgent...lol

Weiser wrote:

Lewisia rediviva var. minor & Grunsonia clavata from my garden.

All I can say is WOW!!  What a beautiful plant.

I would say both the Lewisia and the Lithospermum are beautiful plants! Wouldn't mind growing them! (But my capacity for new plants is filled for the time being!)

Hoy wrote:

I would say both the Lewisia and the Lithospermum are beautiful plants! Wouldn't mind growing them! (But my capacity for new plants is filled for the time being!)

I'm with Trond on the beauty of those two plants...and I too have no space, but that doesn't seem to stop me from squeezing in more and more!

I have plenty of room left, and I desire Lithospermum canescens badly!  Lori, can you ask your friend where that photo was taken, has to be the form form I've ever seen a photo of.

Hoary Puccoon - photo links, lots of different impressions of this wide-ranging species, some forms are highly desirable.
http://plants.usda.gov/gallery/large/lica12_005_lhp.jpg
http://www.stcroixscenicbyway.org/images/gallery/Sawmill%20District/Hoar...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52421717@N00/3634626076
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0610+1742
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PvD0nz3-XG8/Tag3P2lxOoI/AAAAAAAAIeU/d1euik5i2e...

Other links:
http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=LITCAN
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LICA12&photoID=lica12_005_ahp...

On the following Ohio Flora site, it reports for Hoary Puccoon: "This is a hemiparasitic species, meaning that it is a parasite on other plants, but also contains chlorophyll and can produce its own energy through photosynthesis"
http://ohioflora.blogspot.com/2011/04/hoary-puccoon-lithospermum-canesce...

Puccoon, what does it mean???
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puccoon

I asked on the ColdZone group about the Lithospermum and got two replies--one from someone in Manitoba who has seen it near a lake they sometimes visit for weekends, she's going to ask her father in the area if he can watch for seeds..
Another person ( forget if he is MB or SK) has a plant in his garden....

McDonough wrote:

I have plenty of room left, and I desire Lithospermum canescens badly!  Lori, can you ask your friend where that photo was taken, has to be the form form I've ever seen a photo of.

The photo was sent to me long ago by someone from SE Saskatchewan, who used to correspond on a gardening forum.  That plant is particularly well-grown, but the colour and overall form are similar to that in the area where I grew up in central Sask.. It's odd to see some in a light yellow in some of the sites you found... to me, it should be Warden's Worry orange (a reference that fly fishermen will get)!  If I visit home at the right time, I'll try to remember to collect seed... not too many natural areas left there though.

Not a very special shot, but gives an idea of our state of greening... shot taken a couple of days ago, and we had a significant rain since, so its probably somewhat greener by now..

The last shot was just outside my driveway; this is a 'from the moving vehicle' shot on the way to town..

McDonough wrote:

Puccoon, what does it mean???
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puccoon

I am only growing the red puccoon root! (and with success I think)

cohan wrote:

The last shot was just outside my driveway; this is a 'from the moving vehicle' shot on the way to town..

What do you do now in your spare time, Cohan, with no snow to remove ;D

How fast spring came to you cohan!  We still have no leaves to speak of.

Starting now is Viola corsica...it will bloom until fall frosts.

Beautiful viola, Todd.
My contribution today ... a lovely plant of Delphinium beesianum as exhibited by John Bunn at Southport AGS Show on 21st May.

DELPHINIUM BEESIANUM

Hoy wrote:

cohan wrote:

The last shot was just outside my driveway; this is a 'from the moving vehicle' shot on the way to town..

What do you do now in your spare time, Cohan, with no snow to remove ;D

Ha! I've been trying to find some time for gardening--weeding, digging new planting areas or re-digging old overgrown ones (my mother and aunt made many plantings, mostly overgrown with grass etc, some tough plants remain, and some shrubs)..also raking leaves and grass (there is a fire risk in places where too much grass and leaves build up), raking/shovelling bark and sawdust where we were cutting firewood all winter (woodcutting isn't done, but much much reduced--we actually had a couple of days where we didn't need a fire even overnight!) , weeding, watering seed pots (happy for a few days of rain, to fill rain buckets/barrels and not to need to water :).. and in the next few days when its dry enough, we will start mowing--usually a couple of hours worth each for two people--necessary to keep  the forest from taking over, and a build-up of dry grass... the only plus of our short growing season is that it means a short mowing season  ;D the grass usually stops growing in August sometime, but weeds like clover and the poplars, will grow faster and for a longer time...

Todd, we've had a couple days with rain, and its much greener now already! Interestingly, after a cold March/April, mostly, May has been warmish with no snow in weeks!  :o

Booker wrote:

Beautiful viola, Todd.
My contribution today ... a lovely plant of Delphinium beesianum as exhibited by John Bunn at Southport AGS Show on 21st May.

DELPHINIUM BEESIANUM

Two lovely violet flowers! Cliff, is this species as low as it seems in the photo?

cohan wrote:

Booker wrote:

Beautiful viola, Todd.
My contribution today ... a lovely plant of Delphinium beesianum as exhibited by John Bunn at Southport AGS Show on 21st May.

DELPHINIUM BEESIANUM

Two lovely violet flowers! Cliff, is this species as low as it seems in the photo?

About three inches max., Cohan.
It may interest some of you to know that I am posting this from a hotel room in the Picos de Europa National Park in Northern Spain where we have enjoyed our first two remarkable days of warm sunshine, excellent food and INCREDIBLE plants - both at the top of the Fuente De cable car and in the orchid meadows to the south of Potes.  This is the life!

Love those dwarf delphinium...wish they were not slug magnets!  I have two species I keep going in a trough but as soon as they go in the open garden, they disappear overnight.

Booker wrote:

It may interest some of you to know that I am posting this from a hotel room in the Picos de Europa National Park in Northern Spain where we have enjoyed our first two remarkable days of warm sunshine, excellent food and INCREDIBLE plants - both at the top of the Fuente De cable car and in the orchid meadows to the south of Potes.  This is the life!

Sounds great! Looking forward to pics!

After a cool, slow early spring, May has been quite warm (until the last couple of days) giving the sort of disconcerting feeling that things are flowering early--in fact I think many wild flowers are coming at a fairly typical time, just very soon after the earliest species!
Today, in the wet woods on the farm, not that far from my house... Calypso bulbosa

And a far more common species: Viola renifolia usually found in moist places,  flowering mainly at the edge of wet areas, just where mixed woods start... this year, they are flowering throughout mesic woods, no doubt thanks to the extra moisture of our late, heavy snow..

Very nice, Cohan!

I'm also looking forward to your postings, Cliff.

cohan wrote:

After a cool, slow early spring, May has been quite warm (until the last couple of days) giving the sort of disconcerting feeling that things are flowering early--in fact I think many wild flowers are coming at a fairly typical time, just very soon after the earliest species!
Today, in the wet woods on the farm, not that far from my house... Calypso bulbosa

[attachthumb=1]

And a far more common species: Viola renifolia usually found in moist places,  flowering mainly at the edge of wet areas, just where mixed woods start... this year, they are flowering throughout mesic woods, no doubt thanks to the extra moisture of our late, heavy snow..

[attachthumb=2]

Cohan, love the fairy slipper. I'll have to find a European breeder who sells this species.

Thanks, Wim, has to be our fanciest native flower! This single flower has not been setting any seed the last few years, and I have not been successful at finding any others around so far (I'm sure they exist, but the plants are only a few inches tall, and they do not grow in bare ground places, so very hard to see them...)..
I did see a guy on Ebay in the U.S. selling something--I forget whether it was seed, or seedlings guaranteed not to be wild collected...

Seeds are being sold for 20 US$ here: http://71.18.66.214/International%20Orders.htm. Maybe I'll give it a try.

I have never seen Calypso bulbosa in the wild although it grows in Norway. It is more common in Sweden though.
I like Viola reniflora  too ;)

I am looking forward to your next postings, Cliff!

WimB wrote:

Seeds are being sold for 20 US$ here: http://71.18.66.214/International%20Orders.htm. Maybe I'll give it a try.

I checked the Ebay site, seems like its the same guy...
if you get them, how would you sow? In ground or try the cardboard method?

I've always had a secret (or maybe not so secret) love of Calypso bulbosa.  They grew in abundance in Victoria where I grew up and we used to pick armfulls of them as kids.  Meanwhile, spring in all its lushness is all around now - a couple of pictures - lots of yellows, which I also love.  Fran

Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b

And another lovely yellow of the moment.  Fran
Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b

Beautiful, Frances!  I love the potentilla especially - it's one that occurs here in the alpine zone!

And, looking forward to hiking/"botanizing" season, here's another image for today:

Howey wrote:

I've always had a secret (or maybe not so secret) love of Calypso bulbosa.  They grew in abundance in Victoria where I grew up and we used to pick armfulls of them as kids.  Meanwhile, spring in all its lushness is all around now - a couple of pictures - lots of yellows, which I also love.  Fran

Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b

I wish we had them by the armfull  :o I think they have a hard time in my area, since they tend to be in open moist woods and that is a very unstable habitat--they either grow over or are cleared, they are often around birches which don't last long, etc..... They manage to stick around as a species, but each clump/patch may not survive..

cohan wrote:

WimB wrote:

Seeds are being sold for 20 US$ here: http://71.18.66.214/International%20Orders.htm. Maybe I'll give it a try.

I checked the Ebay site, seems like its the same guy...
if you get them, how would you sow? In ground or try the cardboard method?

I'd probably try them both ways...I'm not sure yet.

Frances, that potentilla is such a cutie!  So compact and tidy...

Lori, your last photo makes me want to be in the mountains!  About 4 weeks to wait.
In the crevice garden today, a very nice asperula.  The ones planted in tufa are already going over.  They were very tight and appealing but didn't last more than a week, too short after waiting through a long snowy winter.

Spectacular asperula Anne...I've tried several over the years but they are not a go in Newfoundland.

Himantoglossum hircinum

Himantoglossum hircinum - The Lizard Orchid captured today in the Picos De Europa National Park in Northern Spain.

Three images showing habitat, flower stem and close-up.

We encountered a total of thirteen plants in three different locations.

To see greatly enlarged images please visit AlpenPix at the following link:-
http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/temperate/?gal=alpenpix

Booker wrote:

Himantoglossum hircinum

Himantoglossum hircinum - The Lizard Orchid captured today in the Picos De Europa National Park in Northern Spain.

Three images showing habitat, flower stem and close-up.

We encountered a total of thirteen plants in three different locations.

To see greatly enlarged images please visit AlpenPix at the following link:-
http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/temperate/?gal=alpenpix

Very interesting flowers! Is this spot generally wet, or just current weather?

Booker wrote:

Himantoglossum hircinum - The Lizard Orchid captured today in the Picos De Europa National Park in Northern Spain.

Three images showing habitat, flower stem and close-up.
We encountered a total of thirteen plants in three different locations.
To see greatly enlarged images please visit AlpenPix at the following link:-
http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/temperate/?gal=alpenpix

Wow, Cliff that's an awesome orchid; sort of looks like an Eremerus but with long twisty whole-grain wheat noodles hanging out from each floret. ;D

What will mother nature think of next?

Way cool, Cliff!

I knew Potentilla hyarctica is native of Norway, but I have never seen it and didn't know it was a gardenworthy plant, Frances!

I like your Asperula, Anne! It is a nicelooking cushion!

What a exciting orchid, Cliff! Did you go looking for it or was it a random find?

Thanks folks, so glad you enjoyed our chance discovery.  This was the thirteenth species of orchid spotted on our trip so far and could be espied from the car window on a minor road - we stopped to photograph an orobanche species and almost stood on this in our haste. Other colonies were then discovered on similar backroads, always on damp or very damp banks near orobanches.  This, of course, is Antoni Gaudi country and the Lizard Orchid could easily have been one of his creations!   :D

Echoing the previous responses...
Fantastic asperula, Anne, and an utterly amazing orchid, Cliff!

I second that, wonderful Asperula.

Looking nice, on a warm steamy morning with the sun starting to break through, is Polygonatum odoratum 'Carlisle'.  This selection is predicted to become the new standard for variegated forms of P. odoratum.  This chance seedling is named by Leo Blanchette, who runs a plant nursery in Carlisle Massachusetts (town name pronounced  Car-lyle).  It is compact (about 16" tall) with extra wide variegated margins.

In fact I am usually no admirer of variegated plants but this one is one I could make exceptions for ;)

Stunning orchid Cliff and that Polygonatum is striking Mark!

warm and steamy....yesterday was 23 C here but today is just 4 C!  Wind change from SW to N means summer to winter in a few hours.  Our steamy is fleeting at say the least!  On the plus side, you could watch the trees leaf out yesterday...meanwhile today the leaves are shivering.

Here was my Glaucidium palmatum yesterday..the flower is sulking a little at the moment.

Seems to be a healthy plant, Todd, with no damage from insects or slugs ;)

Two climbers but very different ones today:

Clematis coreana with dark flowers - well rather buds ; the flowers are in the treetop! This plant is from seed I collected in the botanical garden in Oslo many, many years ago. It is huge now, covering a dead birch.

The other is a grape vine. I get some grape clusters every year.

Hoy wrote:

Seems to be a healthy plant, Todd, with no damage from insects or slugs ;)

Two climbers but very different ones today:

Clematis coreana with dark flowers - well rather buds ; the flowers are in the treetop! This plant is from seed I collected in the botanical garden in Oslo many, many years ago. It is huge now, covering a dead birch.

The other is a grape vine. I get some grape clusters every year.

I like vines, the native ones are all smallish though, I'd like to get a few that are a bit larger without threatening to take over everything--we have parthenocissus, and though I have not seen it ripen fruit, I think vegetative growth alone would easily cover our entire acreage given a chance.. its in an awkward place in front of the house, and I'd like to move it (assuming that's even possible...), but not sure where--would have to be mowable all around, and maybe climb only on a fence, wouldn't let it near trees...
Kiwis and grapes are on my wishlist, and some native NA Clematis... (we also have C tangutica---against my mom's house--nice there, wouldn't let it loose in the woodland either! We use a rake in spring to comb off mounds of seed, but I have not found any volunteers anywhere on the property...

Todd, if that glaucidium is what you call sulking, please let it come to my garden and sulk!!!

cohan wrote:

I like vines, the native ones are all smallish though, I'd like to get a few that are a bit larger without threatening to take over everything--we have parthenocissus, and though I have not seen it ripen fruit, I think vegetative growth alone would easily cover our entire acreage given a chance.. its in an awkward place in front of the house, and I'd like to move it (assuming that's even possible...), but not sure where--would have to be mowable all around, and maybe climb only on a fence, wouldn't let it near trees...
Kiwis and grapes are on my wishlist, and some native NA Clematis... (we also have C tangutica---against my mom's house--nice there, wouldn't let it loose in the woodland either! We use a rake in spring to comb off mounds of seed, but I have not found any volunteers anywhere on the property...

I do find several seedlings of the yellow flowered species I have. They are slightly different and maybe that's the reason why the seeds germinate easily. However seedlings are devoured by slugs so they disappear quickly.

Love the foliage of Clematis coreana, Trond.  Wouldn't mind seed for that one...

On the other end of the foliage spectrum, here are the leaves of a clematis given to me as C. ladakhiana:

------------------------------
Clematis tangutica Helios

While I was out checking for Cardamine laciniata seed, I came across this:
Some serious woodpecking going on...

From a Pileated woodpecker:

P.S. I had posted the wrong pick of Clematis ladakhiana.  Fixed now.

Serious excavation!! Must have been a lot of goodies in there....

RickR wrote:

While I was out checking for Cardamine laciniata seed, I came across this:
Some serious woodpecking going on...

From a Pileated woodpecker:

P.S. I had posted the wrong pick of Clematis ladakhiana.  Fixed now.

Those guys can do some heavy work! Lots of woodpeckers around here; despite our constant need for firewood, I try to leave some standing dead trees for them and other critters..

Incredible excavation!

Isn't it fun to see them working away?  The woodchips really fly!

Took a few photos of Trillium vaseyi yesterday morning before work, the glancing morning light kind of strong but good for showing the texture of the velvety flowers which I find incredible, probably my favorite trillium.  But more incredible than the texture, is how the flowers wrap themselves tightly, folding backwards around the calyx bracts to form a strongly defined triangle.  Also, while a nodding species, the very large flowers are are such long pedicels that they are easily seen and not hidden.

RickR wrote:

While I was out checking for Cardamine laciniata seed, I came across this:
Some serious woodpecking going on...

From a Pileated woodpecker:

What a job! Reminds me of what we experienced down here at the summerhouse some years ago. My uncle had the old house (2 storeys) and the giand black woodpecker Dryocopus martius had decided that the old boards of the wall were the place to forage (and maybe it was). In short time the bird had pecked the boards to chips and my uncle had to replace all the boards!

Nice leaves of the Clematis Rick!
Beautiful trilliums too, Mark!

Drove home today. Very nice weather!

But in the mountains the winter still linger. . .  We had a short brake to rest and stretch the legs. +18C!
       

However the snow had just disappeared and not much in flower except these Saxifraga oppositifolia on the verge.

Lovely to see these, Trond :) I hoped to see this Sax in the mts, but didn't...

Wow!  There are roads in some truly amazing places there!

What beautiful saxes, Trond. 

I heard the Sax. oppositifolia are blooming in northern newfoundland at the moment as well.

Re: Older previous comments
1. about "weedy" plants disappearing.  I bought a 6 pack of violas, within 2 years they nearly covered 12x 25
ft.  Now 2 years later, there are 6 plants in the lawn and none in the garden.  Something significant there?

2. Got some Orobanche hederae from the exchange and planted in an indoor Hedera helix.  After 6 or 8 years got bored with everything and tossed it.  The ivy had five 14- 20mm nodules on the roots.

My image of the day could have included Penstemon, Echinocereus coccineus, and Delosperma  "John Profit".
Will shoot the Calochortus when they hopefully flower in a week or so.

Charles Swanson NE Massachusetts USA

Wow, those are some stunning photos you added to the Photo Library at the main NARGS site, Charles!  Is that your garden?  Love to see and hear about more!

Hi Thanks for the note.
I enjoy photography and put in what I hope will be of some interest.
The only photo of one of my garden areas is the sand bed in front of the brick wall.  There are 6 flowering Calochortus this year so I'm pretty happy--even though the voles harvested half of my bulbs from that garden that year.

I gardened in the woods for the past 20 years, so I'm still working on getting used to an open windy flat site. The previous site was a huge north facing scree in dense shade 30 x 200 feet.  I stayed on the top in the clearing.

Charles Swanson  NE Massachusetts

(most recent rock garden photographed = Peter George)

I've started posting photos from last weeks trip to the mountains--editing the photos takes far more time than the trip itself!
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=591.15

Full albums on Picasa, still uploading those and getting captions done etc, first few are there...
https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/AlbertaRockyMountainsMay312011...

externmed wrote:

Re: Older previous comments
1. about "weedy" plants disappearing.  I bought a 6 pack of violas, within 2 years they nearly covered 12x 25
ft.  Now 2 years later, there are 6 plants in the lawn and none in the garden.  Something significant there?

Charles Swanson NE Massachusetts USA

When I was a kid, I had something similar happen.  I found a 3 inch white violet near Duluth (Northern Minnesota) and transplanted it to where I lived in St. Paul/Minneapolis, under some Norway pines.  It multiplied like tribbles in the needle duff where nothing else grew, easily 500 plants, but virtually stopped at the line of turf (Thank goodness!).  The "experiment" took a little longer, but in six years or so, there were none to be found anywhere.

A lily of the day!

I am not sure but think I once planted a Lilium macklinia (dark form) here. But that doesn't fit. What do you say?

This one I have no idea.  I couldn't even say if it might be a variant of L. mackliniae or not.  I have started the species from seed a couple times, but never got them to grow in my cold climate more than through one winter.  Very peculiar shoulders on the bud, though.  It might help in identification.

Beautiful lily, whatever it is!

                Dianthus pavonius

There has been a brief flurry of debate about HDR (High Dynamic Range) images on AlpenPix and Alpine_L recently ... I would like to post three or four images on this forum to elicit comment/criticism.

Firstly ... Silene acaulis in habitat in the Dolomites.

A HDR image of a fungi in the Dolomites.

Beautiful subject matter and composition and superb photographic skill!  
Since you've asked for comments on the format, on my monitor at least, it seems to make the photos look rather flat and somewhat artificial (individual objects through increasing distance standing out as clearly as those in the foreground; clouds look fake), more like a backdrop than what I'm used to see from a photograph... and a bit overworked, like a painting by a quite talented artist who hasn't quite mastered distance and shadow*... !  Is it just me?  ???

* Well, I suppose my comment is a bit harsh... it would certainly be an extremely talented artist, who is aiming for hyperrealism, and just missing the mark by only a very small fraction.  Anyway, the effect certainly blurs the difference between photography and painting...

My thoughts precisely, Lori.
I will post two images now that (in my opinion) show the technique off ... it works better with urban images and I will post the original of the Silene acaulis to allow comparison.

Very interesting, Cliff.  My preference (prejudice?) is for the original photo of the Silene... closer to what one sees, or at least how I expect the scene to be rendered in a photo.  (I realize my expectation is probably a big part of this!) 
The other two photos certainly take on a "painterly" effect, but my original comments would still apply.  (I'm not personally a big fan of hyperrealism in painting - though I certainly appreciate the skill.  HDR processing seems like a way to get there without the artist's effort!)

Hmm.. interestingly, I didn't notice the change in depth in the Silene photo, though I could sort of see it when I looked for it--but I don't have great depth perception, so that may be part of it...lol
I`m not familiar with this -technique? processing?- it sort of looks like high contrast applied --and I do like my images contrasty, so I can't say I dislike it straight out, though I think some images/intentions seem better suited for it... Naturally, if you intent is to show plants/habitats as they appear, its not the best--though  sometimes over-enhance close-up views of plants myself to show up features like hairs, markings, folds etc..
It might be good when you want to shift or concentrate the emphasis of the image-- away from -I was there- to -this is how it felt-. For example in the Silene image, the altered view may not show exactly the simple view of the place, but that fierce light and severe landscape can have a sort of surreal mood that is conveyed by the altered image...
A risk might be, in some images, an overemphasis of everything--such as the view of the cobblestone street, where the detail in the cobbles rather overwhelms the rest of the image, though maybe that was the intent!

Ditto everything that Lori said.  The HDR photos remind me of the paint by number kits when I was a kid.  These, when you had a board (cardboard) with a mosaic of pricise shapes that were each numbered.  The #1 spaces you apply the designated paint color #1, the #2 spaces you apply the designated pant color #2, etc.  I remember liking those that I "painted", but now it is sensory overload to me.  On the other hand, for people like me who are always looking at the details of the backgrounds, there is something to be said.  

In a way, HDR is an advancement of basic digital photography, just as digital is an extension from film photography: digital requiring so much less light, compared to film, to achieve the same crispness of detail and depth of focus, and the addition of simple cropping/enhancements.  I really feel cheated with all the time I spent getting the perfect shots with tripods, close up lenses and unadulterated framing used with film.  I now get better shots with my simple point and shoot hand held camera, and in a fraction of the time.

I understand your comment about how digital photography simplifies things such that it feels like cheating, Rick.  (I always reflect on the fact that, with a regular camera, I couldn't take a recognizable photo to save myself!!  And, I should add, with a digital, I can burn off a dozen shots until I get one that's halfway in focus...  ;D)

Thanks for all the comments, folks.  Basically you echo my own thoughts on the subject!  Much has been made of the technique on photography sites, so I purchased the least expensive and certainly most basic app. to give it a try. The hyper-realism shouts, 'painting by numbers' Rick and will only work occasionally in poster design or advertising.  With my eyesight still in a state of flux (one cataract removed and one still to be tackled) it helped to 'strengthen' the image for me at this time, but I realise that the original image was taken when my sight was far better and will look fine again when the surgeon can find the time to accompany me to the theatre!
Back to my usual images that now look a little under-defined to these clouded old eyes of mine!  :D

Skulski wrote:

And, I should add, with a digital, I can burn off a dozen shots until I get one that's halfway in focus...  ;D)

This is the biggest change for me with digital (besides onscreen editing! I was not processing my own print images after high school!) --the sheer number of images possible- I never could have afforded to take so many pictures, let alone develop them, on print film! I take more photos now on an afternoon walk in the bush then I would have taken on vacation in the 'old days'..
Cliff, that's another good point,  apart from vision differences, there are screen differences-- using a laptop now, where the image, to my viewing, changes completely if I sit up, slouch or move the angle of the screen, I often wonder what I am showing to other people?!?

I just posted in the travel section, pics of the alpines I found on my recent excursion to our southern limestone barrens.  I'll post a Silene acaulis I found there seeing as Cliff was showing it in Italy.

What do you call a cushion that big? It is the biggest I've ever seen of that kind!

My picture is showing something in the other end of the scale, and no cushion ;D

Cornus (Swida) alternifolia. Very floriferous this year and a nice fragrance too. This species lack the showy bracts of relatives like C. florida but is still a handsome species.

Hoy wrote:

What do you call a cushion that big? It is the biggest I've ever seen of that kind.

This beautiful cushion was near a cable car mid-station in the Dolomites and passengers didn't even give it a second glance as they strode by.

Silene acaulis

Booker wrote:

Hoy wrote:

What do you call a cushion that big? It is the biggest I've ever seen of that kind.

This beautiful cushion was near a cable car mid-station in the Dolomites and passengers didn't even give it a second glance as they strode by.

Silene acaulis

"What the pink thing? Just more of those petunias they set out for summer...."

Plants are rather ratty, but you have to admire the flowers.  Not the usual for NE USA.  Plants from commercial stock.  Planted fall 2010 in mostly sand.

Charles Swanson NE Massachusetts USA Z6a +/-  40+ inches rain

cohan wrote:

Booker wrote:

Hoy wrote:

What do you call a cushion that big? It is the biggest I've ever seen of that kind.

This beautiful cushion was near a cable car mid-station in the Dolomites and passengers didn't even give it a second glance as they strode by.

Silene acaulis

"What the pink thing? Just more of those petunias they set out for summer...."

;D ;D ;D ;D

externmed wrote:

Plants are rather ratty, but you have to admire the flowers.  Not the usual for NE USA.  Plants from commercial stock.  Planted fall 2010 in mostly sand.

Charles Swanson NE Massachusetts USA Z6a +/-  40+ inches rain

I think all Calochortus are lovely, good job, Charles :) I've tried one set of seed so far with no results, will be trying again, there are a few which sound like they should be hardy here..

Wonderful Calochortus, Charles. 

Cohan, I posted this from an older NARGS bulletin before you came on board at the forum. 
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=432.msg4349#msg4349
I found it very informative.  Some time, I am going to try the genus from seed, too.

Thanks, Rick... I think I may have just sown them too late to get full cold stratification, then the seeds did not last till the next winter to complete it as some other things did! (who knows, I could be wrong and they will pop up this fall or next spring!)

It remains to be seen how some of these dryland plants will do here--our precip can vary year to year, but summers are often not dry here--especially june and into early july--that can be when our main precip for the year is... and the last several years have tended to wet in general, this year sure is!

Glorious weather and plants here in the Dolomites.  Here is some of what we see every day.

Polygala chamaebuxus
Nigritella rubra
Myosotis alpina
Sax. oppositifolia + Soldanella minima
Oxytropis sp.
Primula farinosa
Thlaspi rotundifolium
Thlaspi Rotundifolium habitat

And some more.....

Silene acaulis
Saxifraga oppositifolia
Soldanella alpina
Draba sp.
Oxytropis sp.
Primula farinosa
Gentiana punctata - NOT Gentiana lutea
Androsace carnea

Wow Anne...what a spectacular place!

Wonderful, Anne!  I'm sure we all wish we could be seeing that in person!
Just a side note... the gentian appears to be Gentiana puncatata, rather than G. lutea... ?

Anne--always great to see--such a beautiful place and flora :)

Lori, you're absolutely right.  Don't know how to change it, do you?  Every day has been spectacular and the weather has been great except warmer than usual.
Tonight we're expecting thunderstorms and by tomorrow the temperatures will drop 10 degrees (C not F).  Will post more pictures in a few days.  Wish everyone could see this place.  We've been coming for twenty years, there must be a reason.

My eyes would be salivating, if they could do that, Anne.  Such a wonderful trip!

I listed your photo subjects in the text part of your message so they will be searchable by the forum search program.  The "Search" can't read photo file names. 

Regarding the misnamed gentiana: apart from you modifying your message, unchecking the gentiana photo file and re-uploading it with the correct name, I'm not sure if there is a way to change an already uploaded file name.

Although I am enjoying the seaside I am also longing for the mountainous flowerfields :)

Some scenes from the Dolomites to illustrate the type of location where Anne's lovely images were taken.  We will be in the same resort as Anne and Joe (Corvara) from next Thursday leading our annual wildflower walks for Collett's Mountain Holidays.

We were hiking up high yesterday and surprised a small herd of goats.  They disappeared up the rock, but as we came up the trail, their curiosity got the better of them, leading to this picture.

Booker wrote:

Some scenes from the Dolomites to illustrate the type of location where Anne's lovely images were taken.  We will be in the same resort as Anne and Joe (Corvara) from next Thursday leading our annual wildflower walks for Collett's Mountain Holidays.

So you are actually paid to experience these nice mountains? Lucky man ;)

They are occasionally on the look-out for English speaking wildflower walk leaders Trond.

Spiegel wrote:

We were hiking up high yesterday and surprised a small herd of goats.  They disappeared up the rock, but as we came up the trail, their curiosity got the better of them, leading to this picture.

Great shot :)

Booker wrote:

They are occasionally on the look-out for English speaking wildflower walk leaders Trond.

What an idea ;D But I am not qualified to that - my English isn't good enough and I am not familiar with the Alpine flora of South Europe :(
Better to join one of your groups to learn then, Cliff ;)

Hoy wrote:

Booker wrote:

They are occasionally on the look-out for English speaking wildflower walk leaders Trond.

What an idea ;D But I am not qualified to that - my English isn't good enough and I am not familiar with the Alpine flora of South Europe :(
Better to join one of your groups to learn then, Cliff ;)

It's OK Trond, Cliff's English leaves much to be desired too! ;D

deesen wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Booker wrote:

They are occasionally on the look-out for English speaking wildflower walk leaders Trond.

What an idea ;D But I am not qualified to that - my English isn't good enough and I am not familiar with the Alpine flora of South Europe :(
Better to join one of your groups to learn then, Cliff ;)

It's OK Trond, Cliff's English leaves much to be desired too! ;D

Wot!  Moi? 

;D ;D ;D

Booker wrote:

deesen wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Booker wrote:

They are occasionally on the look-out for English speaking wildflower walk leaders Trond.

What an idea ;D But I am not qualified to that - my English isn't good enough and I am not familiar with the Alpine flora of South Europe :(
Better to join one of your groups to learn then, Cliff ;)

It's OK Trond, Cliff's English leaves much to be desired too! ;D

Wot!  Moi? 

Then I need two teachers - one for the flora and one for the language! Any volunteers?  :o

I admire the swarms of Cyclamen hederifolium in British gardens, but here in NE USA it spends much of the gardening season as a nearly bare spot.  Cyclamen purpurascens; on the other hand on, July 2, just starting to flower.
Charles Swanson MA USA z 6+/-

externmed wrote:

I admire the swarms of Cyclamen hederifolium in British gardens, but here in NE USA it spends much of the gardening season as a nearly bare spot.  Cyclamen purpurascens; on the other hand on, July 2, just starting to flower.
Charles Swanson MA USA z 6+/-

Excellent leaf form, Charles :) I have some small seedlings, yet to be seen if any will have fancy leaves, but not yet!

Another great day in the mountains.  Couldn't settle on one image so here are several.
White Silene acaulis (never saw one before)
Anthyllis vulneraria

And these. 
Valeriana supina (one of my favorites - fragrant, gorgeous and growable)
Calamintha alpina growing in a mat of Potentilla nitida

Fabulous silene Anne ... we have never seen a white one either.

Is it Acinos alpinus or Calamintha alpina these days?

Cliff, I've really had it with name changes.  I can't keep up with them.  I learned Calamintha alpina first and it sounds more descriptive to me than the more recent acinos. Hymenoxys acaulis remains so in my mind and Tetraneuris sounds awful.  How many times do I really need to learn the name of what is still the same plant.
It seems important mostly to taxonomists, not gardeners.  Hope I didn't open a can of worms.
Glad you liked the white Silene acaulis.  It was really my find of the day and I took many pictures because I'll probably never find another one.  I once saw a white form of Linaria alpina and no matter how many years I went to the same place and searched for it, I never saw it again.

Spiegel wrote:

Cliff, I've really had it with name changes.  I can't keep up with them.  I learned Calamintha alpina first and it sounds more descriptive to me than the more recent acinos. Hymenoxys acaulis remains so in my mind and Tetraneuris sounds awful.  How many times do I really need to learn the name of what is still the same plant.
It seems important mostly to taxonomists, not gardeners.  Hope I didn't open a can of worms.

I'm with you all the way on those comments Anne--no can of worms being opened here  :)

Cheers Dave.

Toole wrote:

--no can of worms being opened here  :)

Cheers Dave.

Right!

But I do think that being aware of changes is important, because the reasons for them are what matters.  Whether we need to learn them or not is a personal choice.  :)

I gues my next question would be:  Does everyone who learns all the name changes also know the reasons for the changes?  My guess is "no".

Echinocereus reichenbachii v. baileyi.  Likely enjoying the Massachusetts hot season, from July into the second half of August.  Hardy here for several years.
Charles Swanson z6A 40+ inches rain.  Flowers only last a couple of days, but limited repeat bloom.

Wow, Charles!  That's a beaut, and reblooming yet too!  It's also a lovely picture with the little delosperma(?) echoing the colour and form of the cactus flower.

Beautiful! My cacti have produced exactly one bloom this year, and it was a one-day wonder which I missed. For some reason the heavy snow we had this year seems to have had an adverse effect on all of them, as far as flowering is concerned. I wonder why?

Pleiospilos Nelii

Hi Lori, Peter,
The Delosperma was bought as John Proffit.  This is the first year that it's had a long period of bloom.  Used a bit of Osmocote on the bed this year.  Have to keep pulling up handfulls, to keep it from swamping the cactus.  Does have a smattering of flowers into November.  Mostly disappears during our 6A wet winters.

Have 4 or 5 Echinocereus, three flowered this year, next to a free-standng brick wall.  This plant had 2 flowers earlier, at the same time as another species, with one flower.  I'd guess the cool damp cloudy spring, could have been an issue for flowering?

Plants came from Beaver Creek in BC Canada.

Charles

Symmetrically stunning (as most cacti flowers seem to be) Charles!

Michael, your Pleiospilos got a second take from me... It almost looked as if the flower emerged from the center of the leaf!

Echinocereus reichenbachii v. baileyi.    Flowers only last a couple of days, but limited repeat bloom.

[color=limegreen]Had 2 flowers to start then one and one.  This may be the finish.

Charles Swanson[color=limegreen]

Just got back from calgary and this Monday I'm off to the northern limestone barrens of Newfoundland.  In the meantime, I returned home to see my Cremanthodium in full bloom...took 4 years from seed.  I got the seed a C. delavayi but I am not convinced this is what I have.  Any suggestions would be most welcome.

See the separate topic on this same plant started by Todd Boland :)
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=731.0

I couldn't resist adding this image of Gladiolus flanaganii (ex. Jim Archibald) flowering for the first time on the sand bed. What a glorious small species!

Gladiolus flanaganii is really easy to germinate too.  I accidentally left the last batch outside last winter, and of course, they all died.  But no matter - another batch on the way...

Michael wrote:

Pleiospilos Nelii

Common name, "split rock" plant... how fitting!

The Cremanthodium is stunning, Todd.  I ordered one species and did not even get germination... though given that they would seem to like moist conditions(?), I doubt this would be a good area for them anyway.

Beautiful glad... the most arresting colour of all!  I bought a couple at the spring CRAGS sale... given that I have not yet wintered over the more common hardy species (though others here have), the poor things are likely doomed.

Just back from we saw wonderful the Dolomites and jet-lagged.  Our last day we saw some wonderful Saxifraga caesia growing in limestone cliff crevices.  Some of the crevices were so narrow you would never have noticed them except for the presence of the saxes.

Anne:

Those are great shots of Saxifraga caesia.  It is nice to see them in flower - all too often they are just an enticing lump on the cliffs.

David, I just can't figure out their bloom time.  Often we are there and see these fabulously tight cushions and budding has barely started.  It blooms often at the same time as Physoplexis comosa and many of the later meadow plants. This year, we were fairly early in the season and we found it frequently in bloom.  Certain plants seem to have minds of their own.

Wish I could take credit for these Androsace bulleyana...these were grown by that quintessential alpine grower Stephanie Ferguson in Calgary, Alberta.  I'm so envious!

Me too!  Here's another picture of same... one of the many scattered through the exquisite front crevice garden that Todd and I drooled over when we visited recently:

I didn't even know there were red androsace!  What a treat!

A friend came over to see my yard today and brought another friend who works as an intern at the Green Bay Botanical Gardens (Wisconsin).  It's really gratifying to see these young people (20 and 25 years my junior) so enthusiastic about plants.  We then went to the Minnesota Arboretum, and look what we found, blooming in mid summer and in 90 degree heat!

    Rhododendron chryseum

Probably the only thing that saved it from dehydration was the 70 degree dew point today.  Not that fun for us, though...

Lori wrote:

Me too!  Here's another picture of same... one of the many scattered through the exquisite front crevice garden that Todd and I drooled over when we visited recently:
[attachthumb=1]

Wow--fantastic colour!

Rick, that is not R. chryseum...that species has yellow-green flowers.  You have photographed an azalea....probably R. flammeum.  beautiful nonetheless!

RickR wrote:

I didn't even know there were red androsace!  What a treat!

A friend came over to see my yard today and brought another friend who works as an intern at the Green Bay Botanical Gardens (Wisconsin).  It's really gratifying to see these young people (20 and 25 years my junior) so enthusiastic about plants.  We then went to the Minnesota Arboretum, and look what we found, blooming in mid summer and in 90 degree heat!

    Rhododendron chryseum

    [attachthumb=1]          [attachthumb=2]

Probably the only thing that saved it from dehydration was the 70 degree dew point today.  Not that fun for us, though...

Todd wrote:

Rick, that is not R. chryseum...that species has yellow-green flowers.  You have photographed an azalea....probably R. flammeum.  beautiful nonetheless!

Hah!  Thanks Todd.  Is it normal for R. flammeum to bloom so late?  I am sorry to say that this is not the first time I've seen incorrect designations at the Minnesota Arboretum.  But in their defense (sort of), there are many specimens that had no identification tags at all when I was in my twenties that do have have identification tags now (25 years later).

from a short walk up the road a couple of days ago.. Castilleja.. very mixed looking populations around here (not in this shot, with Achillea)--variable miniata or hybrids?
more in the full album: https://picasaweb.google.com/cactuscactus/July102011Castilleja
and Alberta Wanderings thread
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=591.msg10286#new

Rick, some of the American species are quite late...my arborescens and viscosum are just blooming now.  Mind you, you are weeks ahead oif me so it is amazing that flammeum would be so late.  It is certainly an azalea whatever the species/hybrid.

Here is a new one...Campanula zangezuri...I have the sinking feeling it is monocarpic.

Campanula zangezura was formerly Symphyandra zangezura... and don't worry, they bloom like mad and seed like mad, so you'll probably have them around for a long time!  A nice plant though - I like it!

Campanula zangezura is somewhat similar to the C. armena that I grow.  What an odd and interesting flower bud!  I just went out and looked at my sad plants gasping in the 96F temp, their buds are similar too, but not as nice.  I never noticed them before, until your most excellent photo, Todd.

With all this heat, I have many species blooming near white when they had previously flowered blue/purple.  All eight of my Allium sikkimense from seed that Mark had preliminarily verified for me (http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=177.0;attach=7910;i...) have almost no color, a dozen Anemone rivularis from three sources are all white (front and back) and Petrohagia saxifraga that  normally has a purply tint is the purist white.  Campanula armena seems to teeter back and forth with color, and Phemeranthus calycinus, if anything is deeper colored.

P.S. Mark: does this still look like A. sikkimense?  i don't recall the stalks twisting so much before they straighten and flower...

                   28 June 11
             

Anemone rivularis (28 June 11) in a pot, and in the garden. :'(
       

RickR wrote:

With all this heat, I have many species blooming near white when they had previously flowered blue/purple.  All eight of my Allium sikkimense from seed that Mark had preliminarily verified for me (http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=177.0;attach=7910;i...) have almost no color, a dozen Anemone rivularis from three sources are all white (front and back) and Petrohagia saxifraga that  normally has a purply tint is the purist white.  Campanula armena seems to teeter back and forth with color, and Phemeranthus calycinus, if anything is deeper colored.

P.S. Mark: does this still look like A. sikkimense?  i don't recall the stalks twisting so much before they straighten and flower...

Rick, it could be A. sikkimense... the foliage doesn't look as flat as it should, but nodding buds that become erect eventually is typical, and yes, the high heat can "whiten" lots of plants and flowers; we're in the heat too, with the rest of this week predicted for same high heat that the midwest has been experiencing.  Show me this Allium in a week or two when the flowers open... mine are coming into bud now too, so the timing of your plant is right.

Todd, the form Symphyandra, now Campanula zangezuri is really lovely!

Campanula zangezura:
http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-366728

The campanula/symphyandra is lovely, whatever the name.  Certainly the other symphyandra keep themselves going by self-sowing, but never obnoxiously.
The weather here is dreadful, blistering hot and humid, yet there are a few things that are looking as is they are enjoying themselves: physarias, astragalus, eriogonums.  Also, all the daphnes are starting to rebloom.  Just a few pictures taken this morning.......

Spiegel wrote:

The campanula/symphyandra is lovely, whatever the name.  Certainly the other symphyandra keep themselves going by self-sowing, but never obnoxiously.
The weather here is dreadful, blistering hot and humid, yet there are a few things that are looking as is they are enjoying themselves: physarias, astragalus, eriogonums.  Also, all the daphnes are starting to rebloom.  Just a few pictures taken this morning.......

Looking great, Anne, love the Erio...
no heatwave here--we got as high as mid-high 20'sC (maybe 80F for a few hours) for just a few days, now back to 16C as highs (11C as a high, Friday!) with lows down to 3C..... 20 again by the weekend.... wildflowers seem happy with the non-stop rain this year, and I've only watered seed pots once or twice after late May!

Just back from the beautiful Dolomites ... just one of the zillion stunning views.

Lichen ridge in the same area.

Wow, Cliff!  That gigantic boulder with the trees perched on top is amazing!  And I'm sure the picturesque rock is securely "staked" down by all the tree roots finding there way from the top down into terra firma!

Beautiful scenes, Cliff!  Thanks for posting them.  The first photo, in particular, looks otherworldly! 

Booker wrote:

Just back from the beautiful Dolomites ... just one of the zillion stunning views.

beautiful, Cliff! Is this area grazed?

cohan wrote:

Booker wrote:

Just back from the beautiful Dolomites ... just one of the zillion stunning views.

beautiful, Cliff! Is this area grazed?

Hi Cohan,
No, this particular area is too boggy for grazing ... the marshes are full of orchids, Parnassia palustris, Allium schoenoprasum (by the thousands), Pyrola rotundifolia, etc, etc.  Looking left, right or behind gives equally beautiful, but completely different views.

I have a lot of stuff to catch up with!
The Dolomites seems to be a wonderful place, Cliff!

Here are a taste of another wonderful place - and very different from anything I have experienced previously ;D
The tepuy Roraima on the border of Venezuela - Guyana - Brazil; fog and clouds often appeared quite suddenly!

Holy Moly, Trond!  Those rock formations are MASSIVE !!!

Those are really trees under that "umbrella rock"?

I'm glad you asked that, Rick.  I was confused by the scale in that photo, and couldn't decide if they were small plants or huge trees... are those trees??

I'll show more rocks and plants later when I get time and a better internet connection. The trees are small trees or large shrubs - here's a photo to show the scale: (This is one of the larger specimens)
- and we are about 2700m above sea level.

Well, speaking of otherworldly!  :o :o  What an amazing place, Trond!

Edit:  Oh, and as I mentioned this and showed the photos to Stuart, I was reminded that the area you are visiting was the site of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World... do let us know if you come upon any dinosaurs.   8) 8)  Stuart had a comic book, apparently, that featured American GIs fighting Allosaurus in this area... (I only had wimpy comic books... Richie Rich, Little Lottie, Casper, Archie... none of them ever fought dinosaurs... sigh.)

I studied that umbrella rock photo and concluded that those must be trees since the leaves were so tiny in the pic.  I guess I was sort of right, but not what I had envisioned.  Still, an awesome place, and with several sizings that seem out of place according to my norms.  Weird! (but cool)

Love the tepuis, Trond! I've seen a couple programs on tv, and did some searching after, but there is not much on the plants (they mention the vegetation of course, but not much detail on what's there), so I'm looking forward to your pics.. how did you get up there--hike/climb? helicopter?

cohan wrote:

Love the tepuis, Trond! I've seen a couple programs on tv, and did some searching after, but there is not much on the plants (they mention the vegetation of course, but not much detail on what's there), so I'm looking forward to your pics.. how did you get up there--hike/climb? helicopter?

I'll come back with a report when I get home and get access to  my broadband. Now I only have a phone as modem and it is hopeless to load pictures properly. Besides I have not resized the pics yet and neither named the plant species - hopefully I manage to name some of the plants.

It is several tepuis and most are inaccessible without real mountain climbing or helicopter. Roraima is one of the easier - you hike two days through a undulating savannah, cross a couple of rivers without bridges; the third day you climb 1000m up in a very steep scree mostly covered with a kind of rainforest and enter a plateau at about 2700m. Here you spend 2 nights and one day exploring the nature before climbing down and hike back to civilisation in two days. It is a limited number of people up there at the time but some come for a half day trip by helicopter.

It is a strange world up there and even the colours are different. I could easily have spent weeks there exploring the place (it is 31km²).

Hoy wrote:

cohan wrote:

Love the tepuis, Trond! I've seen a couple programs on tv, and did some searching after, but there is not much on the plants (they mention the vegetation of course, but not much detail on what's there), so I'm looking forward to your pics.. how did you get up there--hike/climb? helicopter?

I'll come back with a report when I get home and get access to  my broadband. Now I only have a phone as modem and it is hopeless to load pictures properly. Besides I have not resized the pics yet and neither named the plant species - hopefully I manage to name some of the plants.

It is several tepuis and most are inaccessible without real mountain climbing or helicopter. Roraima is one of the easier - you hike two days through a undulating savannah, cross a couple of rivers without bridges; the third day you climb 1000m up in a very steep scree mostly covered with a kind of rainforest and enter a plateau at about 2700m. Here you spend 2 nights and one day exploring the nature before climbing down and hike back to civilisation in two days. It is a limited number of people up there at the time but some come for a half day trip by helicopter.

It is a strange world up there and even the colours are different. I could easily have spent weeks there exploring the place (it is 31km²).

They showed the hike and climb in a show I saw, but the last part seemed pretty hairy-- I remember people hanging from ropes, but maybe they were doing some extra exploring of the cliffs, I can't remember now... I can imagine one full day would not be enough in such a place...

Trond - what a stunning and weird place! It puts the garden into context; there is so much more to see than you can ever imagine! I wish we could see more of the wild places of the world on TV. We get plenty of programmes on the wildlife but very few really good ones on plants. A massive opportunity for film-makers. And a learning experience for many of us.

Ranunculus glacialis growing in the crumbling conglomerate detritus at Portovescova, near Arabba in the Dolomites.

Very sweet, Cliff! Who cares for your garden while you are gallivanting in the mountains?

cohan wrote:

Very sweet, Cliff! Who cares for your garden while you are gallivanting in the mountains?

Hi Cohan,
My dear son-in-law pops in twice a week and literally drowns everything (whatever the weather), but I can't, daren't and won't complain as most plants survive the deluge and I couldn't be more grateful!  We do return the favour, of course, by drowning, feeding their cats every day when they go travelling.  ;D

Booker wrote:

Ranunculus glacialis growing in the crumbling conglomerate detritus at Portovescova, near Arabba in the Dolomites.

Happily I don't need to travel that far to find this species!

I will have to travel to Norway to see some more Trond!  ;D

The best display of R. glacialis I have ever seen were on the Hintertux .... utterly spellbinding to see my favourite plant in such floristic profusion.

Not sure if it is considered an alpine but here is a picture of Berkheya purpurea I started from seed last March.  It is native toi the Drakensburg at 3000m, so it is alpine in my opinion.  The plant is extremely spiny.  The flower stem is about 40 cm.  The challenge will be to overwinter it.

Booker wrote:

I will have to travel to Norway to see some more Trond!   ;D

The best display of R. glacialis I have ever seen were on the Hintertux .... utterly spellbinding to see my favourite plant in such floristic profusion.

You are welcome any time, Cliff ;)

Todd wrote:

Not sure if it is considered an alpine but here is a picture of Berkheya purpurea I started from seed last March.  It is native toi the Drakensburg at 3000m, so it is alpine in my opinion.  The plant is extremely spiny.  The flower stem is about 40 cm.  The challenge will be to overwinter it.

Where's the purpur?
Hope you manage to overwinter this gem!

Hey, I imagine 3000m would be pretty alpine in most areas!  Looks interesting - I'm looking forward to hearing about overwintering success.

It survives in Denver...but doesn't everything South African?  I'll collect seed and send them your way Lori...it does prefer dry winters!

As to the 'purpur'...well there is a hint of purple!

We grow three Berkheya species but on the whole I suppose our climate is pretty mild. Berkheya purpurea seeds around a little, but can also spread underground and is likely to come back from the roots unless the ground is deeply frozen. B.multijuga is probably the hardiest, a massive compact clump of pretty nasty leaves(!) and, sadly, bright yellow flowers that attract hundreds of small beetles - but never sets any seed! The other species came from a remarkable garden on the East Norfolk coast, The Old Vicarage, East Ruston, growing in their 'desert' garden - pretty stunning there in deep gravel but less dramatic in our richer soil. There are many other interesting species, including some that are shrubby, but almost all must be fairly tender. (see The Cape Floral Kingdom, by Colin Paterson Jones for a striking picture of B. francisci in the Swartberg).

Wow Tim, I didn't realzie there were others.  That yellow one is certainly nasty but really, I think the foliage is funky!  Morina has nasty foliage too and it's another I love.

I once grew a Berkheya species, seems I have to try more of the genus!

These can't compete but the first one (Rumex acetosa) is at least edible! I don't know about the second one and I can't understand how I managed to place my left foot in the frame either! Erigeron acre is a biennial.

That's an attractive Erigeron.  How tall does it get?

Panorama Meadows, Banff N.P., yesterday:

(See Plant Travels and Excursions for more photos of this area.)

Lori wrote:

That's an attractive Erigeron.  How tall does it get?

15 - 30cm. Want some seed?  ;)

Sure, if it's no trouble to collect.  Thanks!

This has certainly been the summer that never was in my area.  May was 2 degrees below normal...June was 6 degrees and only averaged one degree better than May.  July was 2 degrees below and the first week of August has not gotten better than 15 C.  We had 21 consecutive days of rain in June AND July.  So far, only a weeks worth of sun for both months...rot, rot, rot.  Drylanders..forget it.  I need alpines from foggy, misty mountains.  Testiment to the cold summer...Primula vialii is just starting to bloom, along with 5 other species.

Beautiful, Todd.  What kind of longevity does this have for you?
Opposite waether here - hot, humid, hot, humid, hot, hot hot.  Finally some rain and a few things are
already starting to perk up.  Others may have become permanently dormant.  It's been a difficult summer.

Todd wrote:

This has certainly been the summer that never was in my area.  May was 2 degrees below normal...June was 6 degrees and only averaged one degree better than May.  July was 2 degrees below and the first week of August has not gotten better than 15 C.  We had 21 consecutive days of rain in June AND July.  So far, only a weeks worth of sun for both months...rot, rot, rot.  Drylanders..forget it.  I need alpines from foggy, misty mountains.  Testiment to the cold summer...Primula vialii is just starting to bloom, along with 5 other species.

I know a place to look for those alpines, Todd ;) However they dislike freezing . . . Primula vialii seems to enjoy the weather  ;D

Much rain here too but I can't complain. The temperature has been above average and July mean was about 2 degrees C above normal where I garden (both at home and at our summerhouses).

P. vialii is short lived here Anne...might get 3 years from it.

Rain all day today...along with 65 km winds and only 10 C....feels like late October.  This is getting depressing.

Todd wrote:

P. vialii is short lived here Anne...might get 3 years from it.

About the same here Todd.
==========================
'Beeing' busy.  Edit Fly.

It's a messy job..... ;D

Cheers Dave.

Lovely images everyone.

Two images of Silene acaulis from the Dolomites ... I loved the beautiful boulder.

Great photos!

Here's Anemone parviflora with fossilized coral in the background, from yesterday:

I like your bee Dave (But actually it is a fly?)
Silene acaulis is always a pleasure and with such big boulders ;D
What's more interesting, the Anemone or the fossil? Difficult to decide.

Here's my contribution: Cacile maritima at the north shore of Andøya (69^oNorth latitude. Free sight to the North Pole! (Almost ;))

Hoy wrote:

I like your bee Dave (But actually it is a fly?)

Well Trond you learn something new each day  ;D .Well spotted.

I thought it was a honey bee --landing on a flower--pollen on it's body.....

However having a look on the web i see Bees have 4 wings , larger antenna and smaller eyes.

Cheers Dave.

Another cooling image for those of you experiencing heat waves!

Do you have an image of lava for the heat deprived?  I have officially given up on summer and am preparing for winter...had to have the heat on in the house this past week...still rain, drizzle and only 10 C.  Officially the worse summer since 1942 and if this continues, the worse summer in recorded history!  Since June 1 we have only had 10 days when it DIDN'T rain!  Essentially our summer has been a Vancouver winter...my Helleborus niger is actually blooming again!  Amazing that the weather can be so hot across the rest of North America and one little pimple called St. John's, can be so cold.  Mind you, central and western Newfoundland are having typical summer weather, so only the extreme east is a write-off.

Heading to our northern limestone barrens on Monday..hope to collect some native arctic-alpines for the NARGS seed exchange.

Err, no... but if it helps, try to imagine sweating on the climb up there.  ;D ;D

Sorry for your dreadful weather!  Summer is so short and precious that it's awful to be "short-changed" that way!

One might say that there are not many plants there, perhaps... but what's there is choice!!  ;D

Lori wrote:

One might say that there are not many plants there, perhaps... but what's there is choice!!  ;D

Great shots.  You already know my penchant for that Silene (or whatever we last concurred was the correct name), but what's the delightful Erigeron?  Is it E. humilis?

Thanks, Mark!  The plants are Crepis nana, Silene uralensis, and my first thought for the last was Erigeron humilis but I see some lobing on the leaves... need to check it out further.

Now that's a BIG rock garden! 

Thanks, Lori!

Yes, it is, with plants nicely spaced to draw one's attention from one to the next!  You're welcome!

Here is another photo of the third plant... from keying it out, the main factor being the leaves (Moss & Packer, Flora of Alberta: "leaves... oblanceolate to spatulate, up to 2.5 cm long, some of them 3-lobed at apex, with broad rounded lobes"; all else seems to fit too) , I believe it's Erigeron purpuratus ssp. pallens.  Someone, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Here's the eflora of BC entry:
http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Erigeron%20pallens

Lori, has the glacier recently receded?
That Erigeron is a very gardenworthy plant. Have you ever tried it?

I agree with Trond, such a wonderful garden-worthy little Erigeron!

The link to the eFlora of BC reminds me just how good the eFlora of BC site is; all floras should be as good as that one.

Hoy wrote:

Lori, has the glacier recently receded?

In the geologic sense, yes, but not in recorded history... but here are some nearby glaciers:
In the distance (center of photo) is Hector Glacier on Mount Hector:

And here is a rather closer view of Crowfoot Glacier (about 1 2-3 km?? away as the crow flies, and on the other side of the highway) from up there, and the more usual view of it from the hike up.
 

Yes, the little Erigeron is a beauty!  No, I have not grown it... it's the first and only one I've ever seen (or at least, identified!)  
The eFlora of BC site is very useful, I agree!  It's excellent that it includes the description and line drawing.  I see that there is no photo for Erigeron pallens though... I'm thinking I may offer the photos of this plant, and if they determine that the ID is correct, perhaps it could be added to the site.  

We have about 1600 glaciers and 1% of the country is permanently covered by ice. But the glaciers melt away - in 100 years almost all will be gone if this melting continue as fast as now.
Fun if you get your photo in the eFlora ;)

It rained here on Monday, and snowed in the mountains... the overnight low was 3 degrees C on our thermometer! 
There was still fresh snow on the flanks of Mount Bogart today...

Now snow here but heavy rain! This weekend we are at our summerhouse. Friday morning (before we arrived) heavy rain damaged the path from the pier to the house. Never seen such damage before. However we arrived in sunshine and the sunshine continues.

The sloe (Prunus spinosa) has no flower now, however the drupes are ripen but unpalatable.

Is that the fruit used to flavour "sloe gin"?  (... Something I have never tasted but am curious about!)

Well who would've thought...

A one minute video of Prunus spinosa:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw8bdvk2tJ4

Well, there it is... right from flowering, fruiting, a bit of chemistry, to the making of jam/jelly/sloe gin... ?  (I dunno... there is no narration.)  Amazing what one can find, Rick!

Lori wrote:

Is that the fruit used to flavour "sloe gin"?   (... Something I have never tasted but am curious about!)

Yes, you can use the berries to make a strong astringent liqueur. I have done it once but in my opinion other fruits are better suited to make drinks of! The colour however was superb.

For Lori:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/sloegin_7722

Beatiful scenery and plants Lori!

Just got back from my seed-collection trip...some nice stuff for the NARGS exchange this year!

Our weather has turned...perhaps too late but we have had 6 days of sun and no rain forecast for the next week at least!  Finally drying out but I did loose all my summer-dormant type lewisia..rediviva, glandulosa, stebbinsii, brachycalyx are no more  :(

Some campanula are still blooming and not rotting!  C. makaschvilii, C. raddeana and C. zangezura

Todd, nice "bluebells"! I particularly like raddeana . Do you have a picture of the whole plant?

Trond, I have a terrible habit of taking closeups , ignoring the whole plant. 

Well Todd, if you don't picture it you can use 1000 words to tell me about its size!

Trond, C. raddeana forms a mound about 20 cm in height but the wiry flower stems arise to about 30 cm.  Not recommended for a trough or crevice garden as it is too large for that, but fine for a standard rockery.

Thanks Todd! I like the flowers so I'll look for seeds orplants ;)

deesen wrote:

For Lori:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/sloegin_7722

Thanks, David.

Here's one from August 19th... fireweed and Dasiphora fruticosa and foothills:

No sun for several days - this summer has been the wettest ever they say :o

Still the fuchsias seem to like wet summers.

Fuchsia magellanica riccartoni and F. m. molinae are the toughest of the genus surviving all the bad weather both summer and winter.

And Rick, here you see my rosthornii lilies in flower. Some weeks later than yours!

I'm jealous Trond...I've tried F. magellanica but it can't survive MY winters!

Todd, they got through the last two very hard winters here! I know some gardeners here that have to weed Fuchsia seedlings!

Not a recent pic but I got the identity today ;D

Haplocarpha rueppelii. a pretty daisy that covered large patches on somewhat moist soil on the high slopes of Mt Kenya. 3500-4000m. They experienced subzero temps almost every night! Unfortunately I did not find any seed.

Beautiful plant, Trond.

I think I saw lots of sloe plums (a recent topic) on the recent trip to France... I didn't take any pictures of them though.

Todd: I believe your Symphyandra is armena and not zangezura...
It is a very lovely plant, don't get me wrong. But it is biennial. Symphyandra zangezura is the only perennial I know of in this genus (which has been sunk back into campanula I believe...we can ignore that).  S. zangezura has really distinctive wider than taller lyre like leaves.

I am posting what I believe is the correct S. zangezura first. Second is Symphyandra wanneri, one of my faves...

This is what I grew from seed as Campanula (Symphyandra) armena, too.  Four were biennial and one lived for three years (blooming the second and third year).

The wide "pagoda" shape of the Symphyandra zangezura flowers in PK's photo are scrumptious. Is that typical? I've never grown it...

Maggi

Gardens look a bit shabby, but some plants keep their own schedules.  One year in garden, colchicum in full sun.  Planted about 6  cultivars as are readily available, so far others appear disappointing.  Lithuanian Bulb garden listed some new ones this year, so something to think about in 2012.
Charles Swanson NE MA USA z6A +/-

Wonderful color and nice tessellation on that one, Charles. 

How many bulbs is that, and what cultivar is it?

Ok, sorry I'm terrible with keeping track-- someday I'll do better, I hope.  I'll go digging for the label, hopefully I can find.  Unfortunately there are other diggers in the garden.  Planted one bulb a year ago -- guessing 2 bulbs now. 

I've always grown Colchicums in sun, inspite of the directions for part shade.  Does anyone know how they grow in the wild?  Growing Corydalis solida in full sun too.  Though NE USA springs are hardly "full sun".

Charles

Think it's Colchicum  Disraeli

Well that one, or a cultivar like it, has leaped into my want list.  I only grow C. agrippinum (or x agrippinum), but have a dozen or so little bulbs that now flower each year.  None have emerged this late summer yet...

Kelaidis wrote:

Todd: I believe your Symphyandra is armena and not zangezura...
It is a very lovely plant, don't get me wrong. But it is biennial. Symphyandra zangezura is the only perennial I know of in this genus (which has been sunk back into campanula I believe...we can ignore that).  S. zangezura has really distinctive wider than taller lyre like leaves.

I am posting what I believe is the correct S. zangezura first. Second is Symphyandra wanneri, one of my faves...

This is Campanula (Symphyandra) zangezura.
The first 2 pictures are taken in the Botanical Garden, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
The last 2 pictures are taken in my garden.
This Campanula is biennial, but easily sowing out in the garden. You will never lose it.
It's origin is Armenia.

Wow, Gerrit, love your third picture, very nice!

Dank u Wim.

Campanula zangezura is a 'forgotten' species. A plant from 'the good old days', a 'grandmother's' plant. Mine grows for decades in my garden and I nearly had forgotten it. I thought it was as common just like weed, until I discovered, that nobody knew this plant.
Part of the problem, C.zangezura is biennial. Most people don't want that. They prefer the modern perennials with spectacular colors, big flowers and a short flowering period. Many of those new introductions disappear after a few years. The money in the pockets of the breeder.
I can recommend everybody this species. Put it on the edge of an embankment, in order to let the lovely bells hang over. After a rainy period the plant looks somewhat sad, but after some days with sunshine he recovers quickly. Blooming period: several months. Look out for seedlings, you will find them everywhere, store them in a pot and plant them in the fall, for a new generation.
I donated a lot of seed to the SRGC-seeddistribution so you can obtain this easily germinating seed there.

This is one of the most remarkable plants I have ever seen - Philesia magellanica at the Logan Botanic Garden in south-west Scotland. Logan is exceptionally mild, much like many of the Cornish and Irish gardens and has a wondrous collection of plants, especially species from the Southern Hemisphere. It has a very isolated position on the peninsula pointing down towards the Isle of Man and Ireland and has to be one of the best kept secrets in Scotland, a land renowned for its gardens. A few other highlights are the fine collection of Blechnum ferns, the Andean tree Polylepis australis and some restrained and attractive use of stone. More images on the AGS website.

Tim interesting you enjoyed seeing the philesia in that when we visited Logan about 30 years ago it is one of the plants we remember there. I have it in flower in the garden at the moment where it survived last winter when all my lapageria were killed outside.

I grew C. zangezura last year...I think they came from the AGS seed exchange.  Several flowered this year but others did not, instead they put on a second season of leaves...they should be very impressive next year.  I hope those that flowered this year self-seed.  I never heard of this one but I must say it puts on a great display for at least 2 months.

All my Colchium flowers are completely damaged by heavy rain! On the bright side: All reservoirs are filled to the brim and electricity costs are all time low - less than a cent per kWh :o

I remember Polylepis woods along rivers high up in the Andes in Ecuador. They seemed frost tolerant there but they experienced low temperatures during nightime and high temps during daytime. I wonder how they had fared here?

I have tried Philesia several times at home but they succumb in hard winters. Now I have several seedlings waiting for coming to age. They are slow growers.
Philesia seedling:

Seeing the wonderful Philesea pic Tim was a trigger for me consider repotting my plant--i only get a small number of flowers each season ,maybe it needs releasing ......
Cuttings taken from the runners that come up at the edge of the pot I find like your seeds Hoy ,to be very slow.

While weeding the garden this morning i came across a pleasant surprise---a seed pod of Lilium mackliniae which i had over looked during the autumn clean up.........

Cheers Dave

Great find! And they're already germinating! I'm sure you gave those seeds an assist :D

When Peter Korn was here in Minnesota giving a presentation, he told me that it was not unusual for him to find Lilium mackliniae seeds germinating while still in the (I assumed still upright) pod.  I am very envious, Dave.  I have germinated seed of more than 25 Lilium species,but twice I have tried germinating these seeds with no success.  Peter wondered if the seeds were viable to begin with.

McDonough wrote:

Great find! And they're already germinating! I'm sure you gave those seeds an assist :D

Damn ! I gave them away to a visitor this arvo before reading Rick's reply Mark. :(

RickR wrote:

When Peter Korn was here in Minnesota giving a presentation, he told me that it was not unusual for him to find Lilium mackliniae seeds germinating while still in the (I assumed still upright) pod.  I am very envious, Dave.  I have germinated seed of more than 25 Lilium species,but twice I have tried germinating these seeds with no success.  Peter wondered if the seeds were viable to begin with.

I've seen a similar thing here while out in the 'hills' very late in the season of Celmisia germinating in an upright seed head still attached to the plant .(i have a pic of that somewhere which i 'posted 'on the SRGC forum way back.....).

I generally have heaps of viable seed of the Lilium.PM me with your snail mail details if interested.

Cheers Dave.

Thanks so much, Dave.

Image for today, a Hieracium villosum:

RickR wrote:

Thanks so much, Dave.

Image for today, a Hieracium villosum:

Very nice, Rick. Looks warm and hairy  :P :rolleyes:

Here's one which had catched my eye yesterday:

Colchicum 'Lilac Bedder'

Rick, I do like the Hieracium villosum, so lovely and fuzzy. I tend to have a very soft spot, no pun intended! for many of the grey/blue hairy fuzzy leaved plants.  I love some of the verbascum and salvia with felty  foliage, they certainly aren't alpine, but then again, my gardens are quite the mix!

Slugs and rain damage the Colchiium and Crocus flowers in the moist weather we have now but Rhododendrons are happy!

Rh. fortunei (or a cross - it is a seedling) has produced several flower buds waiting for spring. Another twig has big fruits that ripen later this fall. The buds of Rh bureavii is almost hidden among the hairy petioles while an unknown seedling has put out a new shoot - the second this year, as it does every year.

Lovely pix, everyone.

Here are some fall larch scenes from Panorama Ridge in Banff N.P.:
        

Wow Lori!! :o :o :o :o Absolutely spectacular! I was out to Yellowstone 2 years ago for the first time and was just blown away by the surroundings! You are lucky to live near such an amazing place as Banff!

Sempervivum arachnoides 'Minus'

Lori, yellow larches are better than green rhododendrons!

Rick, are you sure you haven't helped with some Xmas decoration? ;)

Spectacular scenery Lori...I'll see it for myself this coming weekend!  I'll be in calgary for Thanksgiving.

The fall is inexorably upon us. We had 3 days with sun and warm weather with new warmth records for October several places yesterday. Today it is back to normal - rain, but still good temperatures. However the forecasts say snow in the mountains the next days.

At home some plants like the "mini-kiwi" (Actinidia arguta) get the fall colour and ripen fruits while its big cousin the kiwiplant (Actinidia deliciosa) still is green. The third cousin (Actinidia kolomikta) has completely coloured red. Hydrangea anomala petiolaris still bears spent flowers among the yellow leaves. A climbing Clematis (C. orientalis or some relative) still produces plenty of flower buds.

Hoy, do you have male and female of each of your kiwi species?  If not, do you have females without males that still produce fruit?  (Then cross pollination would be easy between species.)

Rick, the "minikiwi" is the strain 'Issai' which is self fertile. The kiwiplant (deliciosa) is from seed and is mostly a male plant but I have got some small fruits on it. (The plant suddenly appeared on the compost heap several years ago and is hardy, growing up to 4m each year.) Kolomicta is a male plant. Males have the best leaf colours. It is impossible to get female plants here!

The A. arguta at our BG finally produced some fruit this year.  We had a female for years but no male.  I bought us a male 4 years ago and it prodcued a single cluster of flowers this year.  I was the 'bee' and hand-pollinated the feamle, managing to get 12 bertries.  Unfortunately, our summer was so cold this year, the fruit will never ripen.  Maybe next year will be better.

Fall bulbs are blooming...Cyclamen, Crocus and Colchicum.

Tenaciously clinging to life.

Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana - Lodgepole Pine

I've always been fond of pines.  They tolerate almost everything!

Wow!  Struck by lightning, I presume.  So the heartwood of the living branch must still be part of the original (dead) trunk, or else it would have broken off long ago.  I suppose it is not so amazing that a new structural trunk has not formed to the ground.  It doesn't need structure with old mast there.  Still, it does look a weird.  Isn't nature grand!

Weiser wrote:

Tenaciously clinging to life.

Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana - Lodgepole Pine

Fantastic! Shows exactly what the Bonsai masters are trying to recreate with their "jin" technique  8)

Thought since you like that photo I'd post several of a natural Bonsai growing on a shear cliff face. The cliff is an ancient pyroclastic flow that is slowly crumbling on it's face. Most of these flows are quit acidic and nutrient poor.

Here is a Pinus jeffreyi, that is literally clinging life.

Some amazing photos of an amazing tree!

Thanks, John!

Pines are happy with less, it seems. Did you climb, John?

No Hoy. The surface face is almost vertical and crumbles easily.

All these gnarly trees have prompted me to catch up a tad on image of the day: since many days have elapsed since there was an image...and since I haven't posted in ages....I shall post a flurry of pix I took 2 weeks ago on Mt. Goliath, the Alpine Unit of Denver Botanic Gardens on the slopes of Mt. Evans, one of Colorado's highest peaks (over14,000' and 4000m high). I have had the pleasure and privilege of leading many great horticulturists down this trail including quite a few attending NARGS conferences in 1982 and 1986. Two Britons stand out: some fifteen years ago I took Roy Lancaster down this trail, and two weeks ago I took Adrian Bloom and his wife down that rocky trail: it was a warm, windless day and the aspen (Populus tremuloides) were in golden glory. Needless to say, I was thrilled and I think the Blooms were too. I know this is shameless namedropping, but what the heck! You only live once (at a time anyway)...

You all haven't heard much from me because of a number of trips around the country (California, North Carolina and most recently SW Colorado)... but I am back (with a vengeance) so WATCH OUT...

I know you West Coasters are going to point out that Pinus longaeva is much older and gnarlier than P. aristata...I do not deny this! They were (incidentally) considered identical until some 40 years ago when Dana Bailey, a neighbor of mine in Boulder, distinguished them...I am content to admire our merely 2000 year old behemoths!

Season winding down for many.  Photos from Oct 9
Charles Swanson NE MAssachusetts USA

Charles, that's an awesome patch of Allium thunbergii alba!

Lots of colour there, Charles.  What's the brilliant fuchsia flower?  (I thought of Callirhoe but not sure... ?)

Kelaidis wrote:

You all haven't heard much from me because of a number of trips around the country (California, North Carolina and most recently SW Colorado)... but I am back (with a vengeance) so WATCH OUT...

We're all very glad to hear that and can't wait to see some pix!  :) :)
Those are some very picturesque old bristlecones for sure.  

Continuing on that theme, here are some gnarly old limber pines (Pinus flexilis) from a trip to Waterton N.P. in early September... or at least I assume the skeletal ones are the same species as the living ones that were nearby(?)
       

Lots of colour there, Charles.  What's the brilliant fuchsia flower?  (I thought of Callirhoe but not sure... ?)

From a couple of posts up.  Yes Lori, bought as Calliroe involucrata. (one of the more cut-leaved forms)  Much loved by my rodents, but now doing well.
Charles Swanson
MA USA

Speaking of old trees: Some Swedes declare that this spruce: http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/04/19/533050.html is 9550 years old (or at least its roots! It is growing near the Norwegian border and germinated soon after the last glacial period ended.

Not so old but fancier: The Chinese lanterns, Physalis alkeengi, have gottentheir bright colours.

Just going through some initially rejected Dolomite images and found these two ...

I never tire of those Dolomites, rejects or not.

The crags in these pictures look like they have particularly sharp edges!

Boot rippers, Rick!
So pleased you like the images.
Two images of trees now.

A banana tree ?

I remember going to a tree nursery where another customer regularly visited looking for mis-shapen and badly grown specimens: he ran a nursery specialising in bonsai! There is hope for those of us who don't grow perfect plants yet.

Grown specifically for the manufacture of boomerangs?  :D

Booker wrote:

Grown specifically for the manufacture of boomerangs?   :D

Didn't know they used boomerangs in the Dolomites?  ;D
Here such trees were traditionally used in boats as frames or bows!

Hoy wrote:

Booker wrote:

Grown specifically for the manufacture of boomerangs?   :D

Didn't know they used boomerangs in the Dolomites?  ;D

The Italians have tried repeatedly to get rid of them, but they keep coming back!  ;)

- - Giggle - -

Booker wrote:

Hoy wrote:

Booker wrote:

Grown specifically for the manufacture of boomerangs?   :D

Didn't know they used boomerangs in the Dolomites?  ;D

The Italians have tried repeatedly to get rid of them, but they keep coming back!   ;)

Just like slugs.

;D

Here are some pictures of a beautifully-silvery Eriogonum sp. seen in Waterton N.P. in early September, and a pic of the environs with Douglas fir forests in the valleys:
   

Lovely images everyone ...

"Artistree"

Lori, I have never managed to time a trip to Alberta to see the E. ovalifolium in bloom...here's a pic taken in June.

Fantastic Image
I have grown more common lilac/purple form but this paler form is stunning.

Will

Welcome to the forum, Will!

I saw the "Scots Wha Hae" below your avatar, and being both a culture and language buff, I had to investigate.

If any Americans are interested, the first video I clicked on of the song was quite good, at least to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXh4b_jikqU
Although, it was difficult for me to understand (no doubt).

So I found the words, and perhaps a version closer to its original style:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMRRQvXXxik&feature=related

We can relate.
Thanks for that!

... it is the first link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXh4b_jikqU  that has a more authentic flavour,  it has more power sung quietly. There are not too many Scots words to confuse in the written lyrics, I hope?
The second link sounds as though sung by some pompous drunkard, trying not to sound drunk!!
Great that Will is getting you looking at such things though... nothing like a Scot to broaden one's horizons! ;)

Welcome to the forum, Will!  Rousing stuff from Robbie Burns there!

Todd (or anyone), would you say that the Eriogonum I showed is E. ovalifolium then?  That's what I assumed it was.

Here's a scene from the longer, warmer days when the sun was still high in the sky...

Once I saw the words, it was easy to understand. 
A strong and resolute message.  (What else would one expect from a Scotsman?) 
Thanks for the primer.

Lori wrote:

Todd (or anyone), would you say that the Eriogonum I showed is E. ovalifolium then?  That's what I assumed it was.

It looks like what we grow as E. ovalifolium, Lori..... but from thousands of miles away, that's not saying much!  :-\ 
I like the smaller leaved Eriogonum.... Ian likes them all. They don't flower very well here though..... not enough of those tall skies, I guess.

Lori wrote:

Here's a scene from the longer, warmer days when the sun was still high in the sky...

That's a beautiful picture Lori.  Just the kind of place I like to hike. It looks like the Kananaskis area but where exactly was the image taken?

Your picture of the Eriogonum, Lori, does look like E. ovalifolium. But the much commoner caespitose alpine eriogonum in Alberta is Eriogonum androsaceum, and they can look very similar. Check out this link:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/321390/

I have not seen either species on my trips to Banff and Jasper--but then I have not covered much territory in the Alpine zone there. Eriogonum androsaceum has been lumped with E. flavum var. piperi, which I have grown, but I believe they are quite distinct (botanists can be hasty and are often wrong). If indeed it is allied to the Eriogonum flavum/jamesii/arcuatum complex, it bodes very good for it: I find these to be the easiest, most adaptable, most long blooming and INDESTRUCTIBLE of buckwheats! Best of all, they bloom in July and August, when our gardens need a boost! So make sure you get a pinch of seed next time you get up there! I have never seen seed of E. androsaceum offered anyhwhere.

David, the photo is indeed from Kananaskis... it's Sparrowhawk Tarns in Peter Lougheed Park, one of our favourite places :
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=746.0

Re. the Eriogonum photo... Thanks, Maggi and Panayoti for your comments.
Panayoti, I have been trying to ID the alpine Eriogonum spp. that I see on our hikes.  The photo of E. androsaceum that you linked (http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/321390/) is one of mine that I posted after an effort to ID them from the flower characteristics and whether or not a stipe is present:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=738.msg10757#msg10757
I concluded that the linked Dave's Garden photo was E. androsaceum (vs. E. ovalifolium) from the "stipe-like base" - please correct me if I'm wrong (and I'll get that linked photo removed from the Dave's Garden site if necessary).  
If I'm right, E. androsaceum (in the Kananaskis area anyway) seems to have elongated leaves.  Here's some of the discussion around leaf shape:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=493.msg5230#msg5230
The plants I saw in Kananaskis that I concluded were E. ovalifolium (http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=738.msg10757#msg10757) had a similar leaf shape to the Waterton plants, but were not silvery.  We plan to visit Waterton through the bloom season next year, so I hope I can examine the flowers of the silver plants there and see if they have stipes or not (expecting "not" if they are E. ovalifolium).

Thanks for any help you can give me with this.

Boy, Lori! I should be embarrassed that I didn't follow the thread and see the picture was yours! Your picture is definitely NOT E. ovalifolium, based on my pretty extensive experience with that taxon. It looks uncannily like some forms of E. douglasii that I have grown, which of course does NOT occur in your area I am quite sure. I have never associated the flavum complex with the douglasii group, but this could be an intermediate! I wouldn't withdraw your picture at all: I have a hunch you are right on the ID...

Good heavens, no need for an apology.  I don't think anyone could follow the twisted threads all through, or be be expected to know that the Dave's Garden photo was mine!  :)
Thank you for the confirmation that the Dave's Garden one is not E. ovalifolium... that helps!

This mosaic of moss, Salix, Petasites, Castilleja, etc. growing in the outflow from melting snow gives a jolt of colour!

Just now settling in for the winter. This last week I finally finished cleaning seed and sent in my seed donations the exchanges. So now I'll take a look at what I've been missing.

Lori nice Eriogonum shots I'm always interested in seeing good photos of the species.

Here are a couple of shots of Ranunculus eschscholtzii var. oxynotus taken in late August.

Always nice to see Eriogonums! I sowed some this spring and have planted out a few plants at my summerhouse. Now I am looking forward to spring :D

Very nice Ranunculus, John. Is it a desert or a mountain species?

Hoy
I found it at 8,500' (2590m) on damp seeps.
These were growing at  Lake Winnemucca in the Sierra Nevada Range. Companion plants were Primula suffrutescens, Cassiope mertensiana, Kalmia polifolia ssp. microphylla, Salix arctica, Caltha leptosepala ssp. howellii, Dodecatheon alpinum, Saxifraga aprica, Rhodiola integrifolia, Mimulus primuloides, Lewisia nevadensis, Pedicularis attollens, Phyllodoce breweri and many other gems.

2 weeks after a  freak damaging snow storm, temps back in low 60s for a bit.  The last fresh flower in the garden until end of March +/-.
I assume the flower form is a quirk and may not be repeated.
Charles Swanson NE Mass USA

Nice one Charles!  Keep an eye out for that particular Crocus, to see if it continues to develop doubled flowers in future years.  I have a couple spring flowering crocus that make extra petals, and with one in particular, it has shown the same trait for the past two years, so mabe it is genetically fixed.  Often these extra-petal aberrations appear in some years and return to normal in subsequent years.

Still have tons of broken branches to cut up and dispose of from the freak "Halloween Snow Storm of 2011", and now this past week back to days in the high 60s and one day reaching 70 F... a crazy autumn in New England.

Weiser wrote:

Hoy
I found it at 8,500' (2590m) on damp seeps.
These were growing at  Lake Winnemucca in the Sierra Nevada Range. Companion plants were Primula suffrutescens, Cassiope mertensiana, Kalmia polifolia ssp. microphylla, Salix arctica, Caltha leptosepala ssp. howellii, Dodecatheon alpinum, Saxifraga aprica, Rhodiola integrifolia, Mimulus primuloides, Lewisia nevadensis, Pedicularis attollens, Phyllodoce breweri and many other gems.

Thanks, John, what a mix :o The buttercup had very nice company, couldn't make it better in the garden.

"Late" evening! The sun sets early now and it get dark at 6PM. However, with sun from a cloudless sky and no wind at all the life is good!
Pictures across the fjord today.

Beautiful scenery Trond!

I posted these gentians on the SRGC forum so i akm duplicating here.  Still blooming in the garden are Gentiana'Kingfisher' and G. ternifolia 'Dali'

Todd wrote:

Beautiful scenery Trond!

I posted these gentians on the SRGC forum so i akm duplicating here.  Still blooming in the garden are Gentiana'Kingfisher' and G. ternifolia 'Dali'

Wow, what a beautiful blast of blue, the striping on 'Kingfisher' is particularly smashing!

I posted these gentians on the SRGC forum so i akm duplicating here.  Still blooming in the garden are Gentiana'Kingfisher' and G. ternifolia 'Dali'
[/quote]

Wow! So beautiful!
I've got both of these too, but small and not blooming size yet.....it's so nice to see what I can look forward to next year...perhaps. :)

Trond such calm water, the reflections of the sky on the surface are outstanding.

Todd your gentians are wonderful.

Todd, I have never managed to grow any autumn-flowering Gentians like that! They live for a year or two and then dwindle - I don't know why but keep trying. . . .

Weiser wrote:

Trond such calm water, the reflections of the sky on the surface are outstanding.

It is not always like that!

Things are awfully quiet on the Forum front: I'm not quite ready to throw in the trowel...planted a dozen plants or so and have more on the docket tomorrow. We are having a delightful sunny respite after two weeks with 8" snowfalls that panicked us a bit (as they always do)...but back to Indian summer. I am amazed at how cheerfully the crocus, some colchicums and even cyclamen have taken the snows. Here are two shots of our current champions: Crocus medius is magnificent right now.

Panayoti, still enjoying your pics of Crocus medius here there and everywhere, surely a species that I must intropduce to my garden. The storter stemmed flowers look as if they might be more weatherproof than many autumn crocus.

Kelaidis wrote:

................... Crocus medius is magnificent right now.

........ and virused too by the look of it. Most of the ones originating from Dutch stock are virused.

I've given up on C. medius as all we get here are virused ones.  Still no sign of my C. speciosus..they are late but never this late!

Trond, we are dark by 5:00 pm!  What time does your sun rise?  Ours rises around 7 am.

The sun rose here at about 09:30 yesterday in the SSE and set at about 13:00 (the hills get in the way). The moon rose at 17:00:

Stunning images...but a short day!  And still getting shorter!

Mark, one for you.  I have this Allium thunbergii.  Its very dwarf compared to my Ozawa.  Could it be virgunculae?

Todd wrote:

I've given up on C. medius as all we get here are virused ones.  Still no sign of my C. speciosus..they are late but never this late!

Trond, we are dark by 5:00 pm!  What time does your sun rise?  Ours rises around 7 am.

It is pitch dark now as I write, the local time is 18:09. Today the sun rose 08:26 and set 16:17 but it gets dark about an hour later.
The moon rose 16.39 but I can't see it yet - it hasn't climbed  the hill in east yet and it is cloudy too.

It's amazing to see gentians still in magnificent bloom so late in the season, Todd! 
Stephen and Trond, when I am depressed about how short the days are here, I will have to remember that they are even shorter where you are.  :o :o

A flowery subalpine meadow in Banff:

Lori wrote:

It's amazing to see gentians still in magnificent bloom so late in the season, Todd! 
Stephen and Trond, when I am depressed about how short the days are here, I will have to remember that they are even shorter where you are.  :o :o

A flowery subalpine meadow in Banff:

And I am looking forward to the spring and even more to the long days of summer :D 8)

The Banff flowering meadow isn't now, Lori?? I wonder if I ever live long enough to visit all places I want :-\

Hoy wrote:

The Banff flowering meadow isn't now, Lori??

No, that area is a bit whiter now than it was then...  ;)
http://www.skilouise.com/conditions/mountain-cam.php

A new gentian purchased this year...G. veitchiorum.  A single flower managed to get open.  The black cardboard helps against the rather busy natural background.

Gorgeous photographs, stunning gentian!

Gorgeous indeed on the gentian: all our gentians are long past seed! And most of our Crocus speciosus are done--shows how variable the seasons are.

I noticed the virus on the C. medius as soon as I posted it: oh well! That was the Botanic Gardens patch. Mine at home look better! Our intense sun does seem to suppress viruses somewhat: I've noticed some speckling ont the leaves of Iris bucharica decades ago which I eventually realized had to be a mosaic virus. They seem to have "cleaned up" in time. Diseases act differently in different regions.

Crocus goulimyi....growing in the alpine house at work.

Wonderful, Todd. I love that species.

Not a floral knockout at the moment but a first-time bloomer..better late than never.  Dracocephalum wallichii grown from seed this past winter.  Hope this late bloom does not mean the plant will kick the bucket!

Seems to be a blue time, Todd ;)
I have tried several Dragon's Heads but not D. wallichii. I like it!

I didn't realize it Trond but you are right...I seem to have a lot of blue flowers open at the time.  Well here's anotheer...the last of my Crocus nudiflorus.

After a couple of -20 deg C nights, any lingering vestige of the summer is long past here.   (And so you don't have to ask, no, the following photo is not current, Trond.  :rolleyes:  :D)
 
Just a pleasant vista in Banff, featuring Pedicularis contorta:

Yeow!  We rarely hit -20 C even in the dead of winter.  The coldest I've been yet is -1 C.

The lads were out walking in the hills near Mt.Cook this weekend and we had a good time even though it isn't a good flowering year . There are postings in the travel section of the SRGC forum . We had keas for company and they are very cheeky parrots

Jandals wrote:

The lads were out walking in the hills near Mt.Cook this weekend and we had a good time even though it isn't a good flowering year . There are postings in the travel section of the SRGC forum . We had keas for company and they are very cheeky parrots

To see some of the remarkable native New Zealand alpine flora, here's the link to the discussion on SRGC Forum:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8116.0

Thanks Mark . That was what I meant to say . Will post next trip on NARGS

Lori wrote:

After a couple of -20 deg C nights, any lingering vestige of the summer is long past here.   (And so you don't have to ask, no, the following photo is not current, Trond.  :rolleyes:  :D)
 
Just a pleasant vista in Banff, featuring Pedicularis contorta:

Not current you say? I can't believe that! You are south of me and even in the mountains we still have no snow (except at the peaks). I am crossing the mountains tomorrow on my way to Oslo. However the weather forecast predicts a gale tomorrow and a foot of snow on sunday when I return. If you don't hear from me you know the reason ;D
BTW Pedicularis is one of my favorite genera!

Remember my holiday wish Jandals ;)

There don't seem to be too many postings of late. I'm about to go to California for a few weeks, and probably won't be contributing much then, but since I have been sorting and labeling images from this past year, I thought a short retrospective (more like "images of the year") to give you all a glimpse of the terrific year we have had in the garden (as well as the mountains)...the mountain shots shall have to wait. So here goes a short revisit of my past year...

1) Corydalis malkensis dancing with Draba hispanica in the Rock Alpine Garden
2) Corydalis shanganii ssp. ainii (finally got it thanks to Odyssey Bulbs! Great operation that)
3) I believe this is C. s. ssp. shanganii: must more graceful than mine (growing at DBG)
4) Dactylorhiza majalis, loving my bog
5) I think I got this stunning erigeron as E. algidus: doesn't quite match the description. Whatever it is, it is the most beautiful of its genus and seemingly easy to grow.
6) Narcissus 'Sun Disk': one of the few hybrid dwarf daffodils that likes me
7) A trough full of fleabanes: Erigeron compositus 'Red Desert' (tiny white) and "Erigeron nanus" in purple. (Not sure of the latter's ID)
8) Penstemon fruticosus in my home garden

Enough for now!

Congratulations Panayoti, your post marks the 100th page in this "Image of the day" topic.  You show some fine plants here, more than making up for the irregularity of posted images of the day.  The topic "Image of the day" is the top viewed topic on NARGS Forum with 34729 views as of this date, I too check out this topic regularly with enthusiasm. Whatever your Erigeron "algidus" is, it's a wonderful plant.

Panayoti,  Your photos are very nice.  I must admit some plant envy.  After seeing your photo of Dactylorhiza majalis I unsuccessfully searched online for a nursery that carries this plant.

I had purchased Penstemon fructicosa a number of years ago from a local nursery.  Unfortunately, I was not able to maintain it very long in the garden.  To successfully grow this species I would have to put it in a pot where I can move it to a cooler position in summer.

James

Thanks, James, for your kind comments....and Mark too! Didn't realize I was centernarian! Already.

The Dactylorhiza came from England: Several British nurseries used to sell them to us. Forgot the name (will let you know when I remember).

Penstemon fruticosus has many forms, and I have seen quite a few in eastern and midwestern rock gardens over the years: it is more of a mesic plant. I would plant it with saxifrages and dianthus...which I suspect you grow already well?

Thanks again! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving...

Those corydalis are truly awesome!

Stunning images PK!  BTW, do you mind if I repost them in the NARGS image galleries?

Dear Todd!
    What is mine is your's: I am VERY grateful for all you do for NARGS. You NEVER need to even ask (for one thing, I will never remember what I said you could do anyway!)...
    Fondly,

Panayoti

You're the best PK!  Thanks from NARGS for being one of our best supporters!

I like Monarda, been wondering about the new compact varieties. The only one I'm currently growing is Monarda punctata (spotted bee-balm, dotted horsemint).  It has a wide range and is quite variable; I like those that have yellow flowers.  This one hasn't shown any signs of mildew in the past 4-5 years that I've grown it.  Can be shortlived, but mild self sowing has kept it around.  In the second image, there's a mud dauber milling about.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=MOPU
http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_mopu.pdf

I love those annual monardas as well (suprised to hear that puncatata can be perennial). I just realized I never photographed my big clumps of M. pectinata I finally got going around my garden. I hope THEY self sow!

Kelaidis wrote:

I love those annual monardas as well (suprised to hear that puncatata can be perennial). I just realized I never photographed my big clumps of M. pectinata I finally got going around my garden. I hope THEY self sow!

I don't know M. pectinata so I googled, looks quite attractive in some forms, I like the linear foliage:
http://www.opsu.edu/Academics/SciMathNurs/NaturalScience/PlantsInsectsOf...

The M. punctata plant shown in the two photos above were from 2010.  Here's a photo of the same plant taken mid July 2011.  Whether it sticks around for a third year is anyone's guess.

Another from the Dolomites ...

'Orchid meadow'

Beautiful, Cliff!  Are those Pulsatilla seedheads I see amongst the orchids?  It must have been an amazing sight earlier too when they were in bloom.

I like this photo - the scale comes across reasonably well:

Cliff, a wonderful meadow!
Lori, I do understand why you like that photo - I would like to walk there ;)

From places I have walked:

Really awesome photos! I would so love to hike there! Where were these photos taken Lori & Trond?
Here are few taken a couple years back on vacation to Wyoming & Utah. What a blast!!  ;D I can't recommend Capitol Reef enough, there were so many side canyons to explore around every bend in the access road. Loads of Castilleja and other natives that I didn't know.

Beautiful landscapes folks ...

A Dolomite trip-tych from me.  :D

AmyO wrote:

Really awesome photos! I would so love to hike there! Where were these photos taken Lori & Trond?
Here are few taken a couple years back on vacation to Wyoming & Utah. What a blast!!  ;D I can't recommend Capitol Reef enough, there were so many side canyons to explore around every bend in the access road. Loads of Castilleja and other natives that I didn't know.

Sorry, I forgot to mention where it is!

The first picture is from Ryfylke, southwest Norway, and the other is view from Tepuy Roraima, Venezuela.
I have visited USA twice but only Florida. I realize - and have done for a long time - that I have much to see still!

Incredible sceneries.....our most alpine areas are the serpentine Tablelands.

Lovely hiking country, Todd.

Falzarego in the Dolomites featuring Papaver rhaeticum.  One of our favourite spots.

Todd, it looks desolate but if I am correct you have shown some nice plants growing there!

Cliff,  I have never seen Paper in the wild except in Turkey although they are common some places in Norway. (I do not mean the meadow papavers though!)

Trond, here is an example of a plant from the serpentine Tablelands...you would not think of Sarracenia growing on rocks!  It truly is a rock garden plant here!

Terrific photos, Amy!  I do love that kind of scenery! 
All the places shown look like fascinating spots to explore.

To answer your question, Amy, my recent photo was from Kananaskis Country, which is an area comprised of a few adjoining provincial parks in the eastern slope Rockies west of here.  (From Stuart's backcountry ski trip on Sunday) here's a hint of what that neck of the woods (not exactly the same spot) looks like now!
   

Snowy!

Here, its been unseasonably warm; reached 60 F today, didn't even need a coat...hard to believe it is December.

Isn't it truly amazing how beautiful snow can be...!

Lori wrote:

Beautiful, Cliff!  Are those Pulsatilla seedheads I see amongst the orchids?  It must have been an amazing sight earlier too when they were in bloom.

I like this photo - the scale comes across reasonably well:

Lori, have you explored the screes in your photo?  Looks like my kind of place.

Yes, Anne, every time we hike there!  That particular slope in the photo is pretty high up and often not in bloom until mid to late August.

Thanks lori!  someday I'll try to get there.....or at least someplace close.
what a spectacular spot for hiking or skiing! Lucky you!

Todd wrote:

Trond, here is an example of a plant from the serpentine Tablelands...you would not think of Sarracenia growing on rocks!  It truly is a rock garden plant here!

Todd, I guess it is wetter in spring?  Or is it a special ecotype tolerating the special soil there?
I have not tried Sarracenia in my garden assuming it needed a bog.

RickR wrote:

Isn't it truly amazing how beautiful snow can be...!

Yes - on a picture ;)
Last night we had our first real freezing - 2C. The slush from yesterday is frozen solid, however no problem driving. I like snow when I'm in the mountains skiing but not here - or to be precise - not the kind of snow we get here.

Trond, the water table is just below the surface where the Sarracenia grow so the picture is deceiving!

Todd wrote:

Trond, the water table is just below the surface where the Sarracenia grow so the picture is deceiving!

Then I have to construct a place with high water table ;)