What do you see on your garden walks? 2012

[Tim Ingram]

The pulsatilla is exquisite! None of ours are flowering yet but the buds showing promise. A lot of early woodlanders are flowering with us, including Hacquetia epipactis 'Thor', Helleborus odorus and Primula 'Gigha'.

[Palustris]

This is our Pulsatilla grandis.

[Palustris]

Thought you might like a quick tour of the greenhouse with a few of the plants on show.

From the door

Propagating Frame.

From the door

From the door.

Anemonella thalictroides

Corydalis solida George Baker

Dianthus arvernensis

Primula allionii Broadwell Milkmaid

Primula allionii GFS 1984

Primula allionii Hemswell Ember

Primula allionii Lindum Eros

Primula allionii Lindum Wedgewood

Primula allionii Malcom’s Mate

Primula allionii Pink Ice

Primula allionii Rachel Kinnon

Primula allionii seedling

Primula allionii Stradbrooke Dream

Primula allionii Tony(?)

Primula allionii unknown

Primula allionii unknown

Primula allionii Wharefedale Ling

Primula Boothman’s Variety

Primula Hall Barn Blue.
There are more plants, but not in flower yet and the Primula allionii are no where near as good as the ones on the show benches, but I am just pleased to have kept them alive for another season.

[Lockwood]

Thought you might like a quick tour of the greenhouse with a few of the plants on show.
There are more plants, but not in flower yet and the Primula allionii are no where near as good as the ones on the show benches, but I am just pleased to have kept them alive for another season.

Thank you for sharing Palustris.  Your greenhouse is nice and tidy.  The plants are all gorgeous!  I really like Primula allionii Malcom’s Mate just solid blooms.  

Stunning pulsatilla too!

[Tim Ingram]

Second that - I've never grown many allionii primulas, but 'Hall Barn Blue' is a great primrose-type for the garden.

[Spiegel]

The crazy northeastern weather continues.  Plants seem almost a month ahead.  The Everett, Wa NARGS Meeting was great but cold.  It was warmer at home!
The daffodil is usually 2nd week in April and the douglasia the 3rd or 4th week, yet  here they are.

[Lori S.]

Very nice flowers, Wim and Tim!  
You have so many wonderful things in your greenhouse, Palustris!  

Well, it looks like we will have flowers before the end of March after all... Bulbocodium vernum emerging:

 

Wow, the start of the alpine season there already, Anne!

[Hoy]

Palustris - you have some really nice primulas!

Yesterday and today we have had sun and the temperature reached 14C! We have not seen that since December!

Cardamine enneaphylla has been out in several weeks already but today they stretched their legs substantially! Also the daffodils (probably 'Tête à Tête') and Narcissus cyclamineus opened fully - notice the slug damage of some of the flowers

       


The lungworts also come forth in strides now! And for the first time in my garden - Pteridophyllum racemosum in flower! I managed to get hold of some plants last year

       

[Weiser]

A month ahead in Reno!

Viola beckwithii


Ranunculus glaberrimus var. glaberrimus


Fritillaria pudica

[Lori S.]

Wonderful sights, Trond and John!! 

[Tim Ingram]

It is wonderful how varied gardens are - we have had exceptionally sunny and dry weather this spring, but with hosepipe bans to come because of similarly very dry weather last year when ground water levels are normally replenished. So in fact the alpines come more into their own in the garden because they are more easily looked after where other plants might struggle.

I grow many alpines in a railway sleeper raised bed (ca. 16 x 8 ft) which was made probably around 12 years ago and has had several major replantings. This one is the latest after it had become rather overgrown and weedy and certain plants had become too vigorous. Slowly I am learning to grow smaller plants on it and regular tidying and topdressing each year keeps it looking good.

Will I be able to succeed with that wonderful Alkanna on the bed? Time will tell, but it is planted in a section that is virtually pure grit and other choice species like Campanula zoysii are growing next to it, so given winter protection I have high hopes it might do. It would be wonderful to try that Viola beckwithii of John's too...

[cohan]

So many delights

No snowdrops here, yet, still just snowflakes We had another 8-10cm of snow the other day, and around -16C last night.. we'll be back up to +11 by wednesday....
Here I am after shovelling, maintaining, as always, the highest standards of fashion, even when there is no one to see! and a chipper attitude in the face of back breaking (or knee/arm breaking- one fall on the abundant ice under the new snow!), then my (mostly under construction) main rock garden area, and my new Sempervivum bed from last fall, which is in front of the house..

[Lori S.]

Here I am after shovelling, maintaining, as always, the highest standards of fashion, even when there is no one to see!

Well, yes, that is the essence of style isn't it?  Maintaining decorum even when out of the glow of the paparazzi's flash bulbs.  I share your attention to fashion as I pot on seedlings indoors here - only the most elegant of sweatpants and t-shirts, artistically daubed with accents of cat hair and dirt.   

[Tim Ingram]

Cohan - do you have as many words for snow as the Inuit? The famous UK gardener Christopher Lloyd was renowned for his complete lack of style; he hardly needed it because he made a fabulous garden!

[Lori S.]

We didn't get as much as Cohan did.  Despite that minor setback (and there'll be a lot more snow before it's done  ), there are signs of spring all over the yard:

Buds developing on Thlaspi kurdicum; foliage on Primula algida; Jovibarba arenaria and Saxifraga cuneifolia; Primula cv.:
     

Buds developing on Saxifraga sancta var. macedonica, and some rosettes nipped off by jackrabbits; Pyrrocoma uniflora; Erigeron trifidus(?) (bought as Anacyclus marrocanus); Primula elatior; Townsendia parryi; Synthyris platycarpa: