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May 24, 2013, 10:53:44 PM *
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 41 
 on: Yesterday at 03:00:42 PM 
Started by Paul - Last post by Howey
Don't think this a penstemon although the flower is similar.  The species if pyrenaicum but can't remember the genus??  The two other pics, if they come through OK, are a Hesperochiron pumilus and a tiny trough Hypericum - just because they are so pretty.  Fran

 42 
 on: Yesterday at 01:19:20 PM 
Started by McDonough - Last post by gerrit
Today a duet. Two Epimediums are intertwined in a ballet of elfs.

Epimedium acuminatum the purple one and
Epimedium ilicifolium. the yellow.

 43 
 on: Yesterday at 01:19:18 PM 
Started by Longma - Last post by deesen
Penstemon virens from the garden today (and a very difficult plant for the camera {photographer!} )

 44 
 on: Yesterday at 12:53:57 PM 
Started by McDonough - Last post by gerrit


Maggi, it's an important point you make. Many people here are sold on the idea these are "shade plants" for woodland gardens, when in fact, they revel in bright open light, a half day of sun is best for most compact and vigorous growth, best flowering potential, and more intense leaf coloring.  They can be grown in full sun too, as long as they don't get totally parched.



Mark, I think you underrate the influence of the sun. You are too much focused on your own situation in New England. And Maggi, sorry, but the Scotch are not familiar with the product 'sun'.
Let me explain a common situation in Western Europe, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Northern France, zone 7b, maritime climate. We are in the middle of June. After a Long period of cool weather, the wind is in from Africa, last night I couldn't sleep, Joni Mitchell sings. Temperatures raise suddenly to 30-33 degrees C. The sun shines from 4 am until 10 pm. The inclination is almost vertical. The purple coloured Acer palmatum dissectum burns within a few hours. The other herbaceous plants bow their heads, but will survive. Not the Epimediums. So a spot in the shade is an obligation.

 45 
 on: Yesterday at 07:40:40 AM 
Started by McDonough - Last post by McDonough
I was comparing a couple new recent additions to my garden, the first was Iris cristata 'Powder Blue Giant', added last year (2012).  I'm not overly crazy about it, the stems are so long and flopping that the flowers hang down into the dirt.  In this photo, I had propped up the front flower so that it could be seen.

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Three views below of a newly acquired Iris cristata 'Eco Orchid Giant', introduced by Don Jacobs in 1992. It looks similar to 'Powder Blue Giant'. The flowers on Eco Orchid Giant are beautiful indeed, and scented like roses (myself and a friend agree). It seems that these large-flowered types have a hard time holding up their flowers, although this one seems sturdier than Powder Blue Giant.

By the way, I bought this delightful Iris from NARGS forumist Amy Olmstead (thanks Amy!), I happened to run into her at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston MA, with a table of fine plants for sale, a few weeks back during the American Primrose Society show.  Great running into you Amy.

Iris cristata 'Eco Orchid Giant':

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 46 
 on: Yesterday at 07:13:47 AM 
Started by McDonough - Last post by McDonough
Sometimes one will see an aberrant 5-part Epimedium flower.  This year, I have noticed many species and cultivars (dozens) with one or more 5-part flowers, I only caught photos on two of them.

E. rhizomatosum is just coming into flower, one of the creeping species, and a long-season bloomer/repeat bloomer.  Here's a single anomalous 5-part flower.

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Earlier, the giant Epimedium grandiflorum 'Red Queen' had several 5-part flowers, here's one such inflorescence, a single 5-part flower then the rest are normal 4-part flowers.

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 47 
 on: Yesterday at 07:07:17 AM 
Started by McDonough - Last post by McDonough
Trond, your plant is E. x versicolor 'Sulphureum', an old standby that has proven its garden value for a nearly a century.  I have this in a couple places, but my biggest patch is down at the lower wooded edge of my property, far out of reach of a hose, growing under dry dry dry Sugar Maples, and after 25 years neglected there, they still persist and grow and flower well.

Maggi, it's an important point you make. Many people here are sold on the idea these are "shade plants" for woodland gardens, when in fact, they revel in bright open light, a half day of sun is best for most compact and vigorous growth, best flowering potential, and more intense leaf coloring.  They can be grown in full sun too, as long as they don't get totally parched.

I should show photos side-by-side of Epimedium "Mark's Star" (thanks for the name Wim Cheesy ), where I grew several plants that got 1/2 day sun, and my original plants growing about 40' away in the north-facing constant shade of my house. The plants in shade all day, flowered 3 weeks later than those getting sun, those in sun were compact and amazingly floriferous, whereas those in full shadow grew more open and flowered well enough but modestly by comparison, a real eye-opener.

 48 
 on: Yesterday at 06:35:34 AM 
Started by McDonough - Last post by IMYoung
I'm another who has trouble remembering Epi names  Embarrassed  .....but that does not prevent my appreciation of these interesting plants.
Here in North East Scotland I think they prefer to be more in the open - we do not get high enough temperatures to bother them and they do best in brighter positions.

 49 
 on: Yesterday at 05:17:43 AM 
Started by Longma - Last post by Tony Willis
Fritillaria camschatcensis from a friend in Japan

 50 
 on: Yesterday at 04:55:48 AM 
Started by McDonough - Last post by Hoy
Well Trond, I like to collect seeds and send it to you. But you know, no guarantee they will be true to the kind.
Thanks Gerrit! It's fine with me - I'm not good at remembering names anyway!

This (a very common one I suppose) is the only one flowering here now! And I have forgotten the name Undecided
But Mark's yellows looksmuch better!

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