What do you see on your garden walks? 2012

[Bundraba!]

Seriously I wonder at the lack of proper partnership that occurs between professional bodies and highly absorbed 'amateurs' - there should be huge benefits that work both ways, not least in getting more and more people to learn more about plants and consider gardening in more adventurous ways.

Off topic but you might find this interesting; Mind that beekeeping has more advocates than rock gardening and involves a lot more money. I don't know this man and I'm not, at present and to my knowledge, in his situation. Successful amateurs are, too many times, shoved under the rug by pro "wannabees" who have to, at all cost, maintain their "standing". This letter is a warning: it goes on still.

http://kirkwebster.com/index.php/my-apology-to-eas-march-2012

[Bundraba!]

Cimicifuga ramosa is a spectacular encore to another great season in the garden.


Gentiana triflora -they seed around; I hope; more- from a colleague in Sweden (1999) and 'Clara Curtis' daisy.
 

Energy to spare in Dryas grandiflora and Sedum cauticolum in splendid isolation: It makes a nice ground cover too!
  [

An "olde stand-by" Chrysanthemum in The Plunk. This is a blatant admission of impending fall color, pushing it a bit maybe, it still feels like summer.


The season of garden interest is so not over yet!

[cohan]

The Cimicifuga  against the backdrop of the trees is really lovely!
Here, in spite of warm days, it very much feels like fall-- the shade is getting deeper and more extensive, and barely warming up anymore, as the  sun gets lower and the trees shade more and more of the yard...

This view is not a garden, but rather a more or less natural area  (nothing planted) a little way behind the house...

[Howey]

Michael:  Think I might also have "Clara Curtis" daisy.  Looks almost identical - mine is a sprawler, which is OK with me where it is, and a long-lasting cut flower as well - perfectly hardy here.  Nice.  Fran

Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b

[Bundraba!]

Colchicums on Cactus Park. Tidyness plus a dry summer means no slugs and a spectacular display of these beautiful flowers.


I was quite impressed enough by the strong splashes of yellow on a Wyoming (Laramie Mountains) roadside that I collected
this plant. I believe I have grown two others in this genus as well, but I don't know what they are. This is the only one that appears strongly stoloniferous. The other two are more tufted and grow to 30 cm or more "out of character". One from a New Mexico roadside (South of Magdalena Mountains but widespread) with a thready divided smooth skinned green leaf and scads of small yellow composite (Packera-like) flowers; the other from the mountains east of Cuba, New Mexico has a very silvery and fernlike leaf. These would appear of "short lived" habit unlike that pictured.

[Kelaidis]

Michael: I am really mystified by your composites from WY and NM: don't recall seeing anything quite like them. I hope you can get a pinch of seed (have lots to trade with): your garden really looks smashing. Our colchicums are at peak form right now too. Cooler nights, but days still pleasantly toasty. The Botanic gardens (where most of these pictures were taken) is really awesome: had to share!

The plants are labeled under the pix: just a few that struck me yesterday on a stroll around work. The grass in the rock garden (Muhlenbergia reverchonii) is the star of the lot!

[RickR]

Those really are awesome, Panayoti.  I can't even see any leaves on the eriogonum, just flowers!

The Calamagrostis brachytricha (Korean Feather Reed grass) is remarkably adaptable, growing shorter in your pic, a little taller in my garden, and 6ft. at a friend's house.  All depending on the environment it lives in, much the same as Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) that grows from 3 to 8ft.

[cohan]

Michael- I'm especially captivated by that little composite- with its almost marigold like flowers as opposed to daisies! What about Chaenactis species?

Another thought:  Raillardella argentea
http://www.alplains.com/images/RailArgent.jpg   Some interesting Pyrrocoma possibilities too- uniflora v gossypina has similar flrs, but not leaves; So many nice Compositae

Panayoti- great garden views as always, jealous of the huge rocks, and love the Scutellaria colour combination in particular The Zauschneria sp is interesting- any idea of hardiness? The name is promising...lol

[Bundraba!]

Panayoti; I thought you might know that one straight away! Cohan; thanks for the link. They really are quite showy but maybe considered a bit "dumpy" (a speculation). These seem like the kind of thing agriculturalists might frown upon as weeds; and they are just DYCs after all. However, when a plant asks to be grown; I find it hard to resist some times! As is the case with so many nice small plants from the west; I don't think viable seed is set here. Panayoti; Eriogonum seems a viable genus here; not always easy to grow; and tending to winter burn, but they are resistant to pests. If Eriogonum wrightii sets good seed in your gardens; please send me a pack. It looks like a gem.

[Bundraba!]

I don't mean to forget the white ones!


Orostachys iwarenge is one tough customer! I also have it in a small cast iron frying pan, with a drainage hole poked in the bottom, for over a decade now. It is never fed or watered!


both of these are from seed of a single plant of Escobaria sneedi var. 'leei'. It must have crossed with another Escobaria species. The second photo is a light colored form of Gentiana angustifolia. I used to get terribly envious when I saw pictures of Czech gardens where these grew in huge clumps along side the blue ones. Now after some tense moments (and a few patient years) it looks as though I might finally be growing it well! The plant normally flowers in spring.
   

[cohan]

Michael- I'm growing more and more fond of various composites, regardless of the priorities of some agriculturalists which I do not always agree with. eg--the native Delphinium glaucum is considered a weed here by some, due to toxicity to some livestock, a stance I reject completely, as with Antennaria and others that can be 'invasive' [again a word I reject for native plants] when pastures are overgrazed- clearly the problem is overgrazing, not Antennaria. Meanwhile, terrible invasives such as clovers and grasses used as forage are not considered a problem- even though they displace native plants.... For me, to be classed a weed, it must be an exotic, even if natives can grow in beds where not wanted and need removing..

That is some serious variation on those Escobaria!

[Spiegel]

Panayoti, the Eriogonum wrightii is beyond sensational!  Is there a variety of it called "subscaposum"?  I had this one for quite a few years, forgot to admire and
praise it one year and it left for the garden.

[Tim Ingram]

I've just seen a Scutellaria very like Panayoti's on Mojmir Pavelka's Euroseeds site, except I think it was a form of the very variable orientalis. Wish I could step over to Denver every couple of days, there seems to be so much to see. Instead I shall add this plant to the Vernonia lindheimeri leucophyllus and a great picture I found of Pulsatilla pratensis nigricans taken by Todd and keep a close eye out for seed.

These two pictures are a bit of a cheat as they were taken this time last year at Edrom nursery on the Scottish borders. Autumn gentians are a dream in the south (at least grown like this) but they are glorious. Here they are almost like a lawn!

[cohan]

Wow- those Gentians certainly do seem to be right at home there!

[Kelaidis]

What a sight for sore eyes those gentians are, Tim! I well remember my last visit to Aberconwy (I was headed towards Bodnant and noticed their sign--little suspecting what I was in for!). I am amazed that these grow well for us too--in special soil, of course, and divided regularly.

I think Scutellaria pectinata is often lumped under the other taxon as a subspecies: it is very distinct to my eyes (and only blooms in late summer). I have grown it for a long time at home, but Mike Kintgen has finally really got it going several places in the Rock Alpine Garden, so I suspect it is here to stay.

I notice I missed a few items at DBG, and haven't shown anything from my home either--there's still lots to see!

1) We finally found a spot where Begonia evansiana is really happy and it's in full bloom still (this is the white form--we must move our old but less vigorous pink ones nearby)...
2) The flower on "Devil's Shoestring'--which has been blooming for months--Nolina lindheimeri from the Texas Hill country--amazes me how hardy plants are from down there.
3) Geranium harveyi is usually much larger than this by now, and loaded with flowers--but this year my big plant died and a number of seedlings are showing up around the garden. I keep hoping we are selecting for hardier and hardier forms--one of my favorite silver plants.
4) This is a hybrid Hylotelephium bred at Bluebird Nursery by Harlan Hamernik: he gave us a flat with dozens of seedlings--which I planted at my girlfriend's house. This one has grown without supplemental water during a dry year!
5) Another Jovibarba heuffellii--can one have enough? These have been blooming for months.
6) My garish show of Chrysothamnus nauseosus (dwarf form) with Salvia greggii 'Furman's Red' on my xeriscape at home--I grow nearly a dozen Salvias in the greggii/microphylla group on this slope in every shade of red, pink, rose, purple and even yellow. They are superb garden plants in dry gardens here.
7) A Woodland salvia from the Himalayas that alwasy blooms late: Salvia nubicola.
  Zauschneria arizonica at Sandy Snyder's garden--a monster in the genus that can get 4' tall and even wider in a few years.
9} Zauschneria californica in a wonderful tall, willowy form at Mike Kintgen's magical private garden...