What do you see on your garden walks? 2012

[Hoy]

These were a few shots taken in the garden today.

Well, Todd, I once wrote that I didn't dare planting Petasites in my garden but they certainly have some charm, at least frigidus. Maybe I have to change my attitude!

[cohan]

That's a cool Petasites, Todd! I'll have to look it up..

[Lori S.]

Petasites frigidus is very invasive... I tried it twice and yanked it out twice (gave it a second chance in case my invasiveness tolerance had changed, I guess).  Some of the cultivated ones are just as bad, from observation.  (I've never grown them, having enough invasive things to deal with.)

[Todd Boland]

That Petasites is indeed invasive...along with Podophyllum peltatum, I am constantly hacking them back.

Sunny but cool today (7 C).  Here's how things are progressing.

[cohan]

I wouldn't put them next to anything delicate or rare, but both P frigidus palmatus and sagitattus (if, as I've said, its really accurate to distinguish the species- there are so many intermediate forms, I wouldn't be surprised if my whole region contains hybrids, or if its really one big messy species) are native here and even on my acreage, so I have no fear of them- though likely they behave differently in a cushy cultivated bed than in a more natural context which always includes many other plants... that said, I still plan a planting in the yard so I can enjoy them up close in spring! I can put them somewhere they can spread for a few metres, mixed with other native wetland plants- sagitattus, that is, palmatus is a woodland species here, and often doesn't flower, but has really lovely leaves... it grows even more spread out amongst other plants than sagitattus, but I'd like to try a mass of it, like a whole berm or something- I like the emerging leaves and fall leaves as well..

Todd, did you grow your albus from seed? I still haven't looked it up yet...lol

[cohan]

Thank goodness for alpines- only thing showing signs of life in the garden besides weeds and that with nightly frost, at least as low as -11C recently, and snow frequently, including snow/rain almost non-stop since Thurs afternoon... still, just noticed today a few subtle suggestions of growth to come! These are still small seedlings, second winter outside, but first in the ground in this new bed with semps, so I'm excited to see signs of life;
Saussurea here:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=676.msg16672#msg16672
 Plus Waldheimia tomentosa just emerged, no more than an inch tall, my one and only seedling..



I was starting to wonder about the leaves which I have not seen any white on so far, but I found an image on Holubec's site that looks right- I guess its just a greener form...
http://holubec.wbs.cz/1Kunlun-Shan-Xinjiang.html?framebreaker
Potentilla nitida  I have several of these in different spots as well.. just waking up...(the other bed is snow covered again)

[Todd Boland]

Well at leats you can get P. nitida to survive....that is more than I can say!  However, my P. dickensii is just starting to unfurl a leaf so several of my plants are at the same stage as yours...just the bulbs are further advanced.

I goofed on the Petasites...the one I showed is P. japonicus, NOT P. albus.

[Hoy]

One thing is for sure, the landscape and climate that Holubec shows is very different from my place! Don't think I ever can grow anything from that place here!

I goofed on the Petasites...the one I showed is P. japonicus, NOT P. albus.

Todd, I am not the only one, seemingly

[cohan]

Todd-- good thing I didn't look it up yet, then 
As for P nitida, we'll see longer term now that its in the ground- sure would love to see it flower There's a funny story there- I was sowing this and Paederota bonarota at the same time, and unknowingly sowed them both in one pot and left the other empty!! I realised eventually there were two kinds of seedlings and just left them like that...lol I have the Paederota planted out as well, no sign of that yet...

Trond, the Holubec collections are from a number of places, some dry but some not- there is a bit of description on the site, I haven't go them all sorted out in my mind... for sure the Sakhalin collections seem to be from a wet place, better for you... I still don't know how any dryland plants will do here, I think I need to site and plant carefully- my rainfall is not so high, but low temperatures mean less evaporation, and spring and fall can be wet.
Interesting about the Waldheimia, the site of Holubec's wild photo has a very similar mix of rock types to the natural glacial deposits in my area- field stones have a similar mix here (though more quartzite here) as does the road gravel- so that photo could have been in a rock garden here 

[Todd Boland]

Anything from Sakhalin should do fine for both Trond and I.  It is a coolish, wet, windy area.  Hokkaido plants do wonderfully well in St. John's...sakhalin should be even better!  I didn't realize Holubec collected there.

[Lori S.]

Finally, we have a bit of sunshine today, though it's cold with the odd little patch of snow still around from yesterday.
Various seedling primroses, planted last year, are emerging, and P. algida (from 2 years ago) shows buds:

Sunny enough for crocus to open:
             

[cohan]

Anything from Sakhalin should do fine for both Trond and I.  It is a coolish, wet, windy area.  Hokkaido plants do wonderfully well in St. John's...sakhalin should be even better!  I didn't realize Holubec collected there.

That's exactly what I was thinking :)And I think I might be able to grow some of those things too- a lot of my local woodland plants are species of 'moist woods'; Sakhalin was mentioned on Holubec's site this year, with one photo gallery from there; I don't remember if he did the collecting himself or that was one of the people that collect for him...

[cohan]

Todd, I forgot to mention- the Pulmonaria montana is a very nice colour..

Lori- you're doing better than us- we didn't get any sun till late afternoon- if we broke freezing, just barely! Still lots of snow around from the other day (besides what was here before that!)

[Tim Ingram]

This sand bed was started about three or four years ago, and recently extended at the front. It has been a great success  and is leading me to redesign and change some of the plantings in our front garden. These are just a couple of photos and the superb dianthus 'Conwy Star', bred at Aberconwy Nursery.

[Weiser]

Out standing!! Would make any gardener proud and as neat as a pin.