What do you see on your garden walks? 2012

[McDonough]

Been so busy, and traveling for work, that its hard to keep up, but wanted to chime in here after seeing so many beautiful plants and garden scenes.

Rick:  I really like the Sedum obtusifolium you show us, one I'm not familiar with.  Too bad about the Agastache aurantiaca not returning, even after NOT cutting it back for the winter, I too share similar experience.  This year I have just 2 flowering plants of hybrid A. aurantiaca x rupestris.

Michael, love the photo of Cimicifuga, mine look much the same, not only are the giant floral plumes spectacular, the cotton-candy scented flowers perfume the entire garden.  Naming on these things is a mess, and is one that I completely disagree with; I go by Flora of North America that keep "Cimicifuga" intact, plants that have dry follicles in seed, as opposed to lumping them into Actaea , a genus whose seeds are borne in berries.  In general, C. ramosa is considered a synonym of simplex, but then again, The Plant List lists 15 synonyms for "Actaea simplex"!  I will stick with calling it Cimicifuga simplex. Michael, do you get wasps on your Cimicifuga plumes?  Here, not only do they attract bumble bees in profusion, but also wasps of many sorts.  Here's my take on Actaea/Cimicifuga:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=1049.msg17758#msg17758

Michael, Sedum cauticolum is an awesome species, great in foliage, growth, and late flowering.  Your photo demonstrates well that is isn't just another sedum!

PK, love the Ajania, these are but lovely Tanacetums from another land ;-)
Muhlenbergia reverchonii is awesome, as is Scutellaria pectinata, holy moly!  I've grown Eriogonum wrightii v. wrightii years ago, easy to grow, mine flowered but didn't even begin to approach 1/20the the size of your luxurious plants, I'm totally jealous. Your inclusion of Hosta tarda demonstrates just how useful and attractive some of the late flowering (and compact) Hosta can be in the rock garden, hazzah.  The image you post of Geranium harveyi re-instills plant lust for this S. African species.  I tried growing it a couple times, each time lasting only a couple years; if only it would persist and produce that gorgeous foliage, who cares what the flowers are like.  I have also failed magnificently a couple times with the other hardy S. African Geranium; G. magnificum.  I'm interested in the late season Salvia; currently growing the light yellow-flowered and sticky-glandular S. koyumae, so I've taken note of Salvia nubicola that you show; always good to learn of another late season bloomer.

[Hoy]

Some plants are still in flower - or they have a second blooming

Lonicera henryi - a large evergreen climber but the flowers are not the showiest! Primula capitata(?) is still in flower. Some rhodos rebloom in the fall. The Agapanthus is still flowering forthe third month! I have not dared to plant it out in the garden although I know some forms are quite hardy. Unfertilized seeds show a very red colour to attract birds. (Do anybody want seed - it is a white-flowered species - last picture.)

[Bundraba!]

I have an Ajania still, from the one and only time I visited Geoff Charlesworth's Sandesfield garden. It has been persistent but never encouraging much attention other than "wow; it's still here!". Mark, You are right about the Sedum cauticolum. I imagine it could be used in large drifts in order to color up entire hillsides at this time of year given the proper care. The Cimicifuga is indeed a good bug plant. It is a very busy plant. I notice wasps, hornets, bumbles and honeybees. It seems favored by things that sting! I'm not surprised these critters like it as it does smell delicious. Just a few spare plumes now. Everything is gradually setting up for the cold weather. I like busy plants!

[Bundraba!]

As for taxonomy: Just really cool stuff. indeed I've taken to calling Zauschnerias Epilobiums (only on occasion) and Senecios Packeras. I also know there's been alot of other changes quite recently. Agree or disagree OUR species has come along. It probably sees things it didn't just a few years ago. We even have gene sequencing now! That's like the "new taxonomy"; a nice tool like a stone ax was way back then. It is OK to politely bury the past. It's been going on for quite some time now.....

[Tim Ingram]

I can't imagine hundreds of plumes of Cimicifuga in our dry climate - must be a stunning sight. The idea of spreading seed into wilder parts of the garden is very appealing and fascinating to see what might develop.

Michael's picture of Sedum cauticola reminded me of visiting Cally Gardens in the South-west of Scotland last September - this species did really stand out, (shows how much natural species are often neglected at the expense of newly bred varieties).

Taxonomy seems like learning several different languages at once; OK if you can manage to talk to the people you want to, about what you want to talk about! I've always found the relationships between plants fascinating but really complex to get to grips with, and continuous changing of names doesn't necessarily help!

[cohan]

Trond- lots of great colour there are you having nice weather? looks a bit sunny..

Tim-that Sedum is splendid! I'm more interested in natural species in general- there's so much great variety in nature I just don't feel a need for hybrids; Cultivars selected from natural seedlings are a different issue, though my idea for many plants would be  a variable seed grown batch from wild seed; I'm no purist though, I do have various garden hybrids etc, just because of availability!

Re: taxonomy, I agree, Michael, I have no problem using 'new' names, if and when I remember them; my only complaint is that as a lay person, it's not always easy or possible to even know what criteria the changes are based on, in order to have any useful opinion on the subject- and I do not assume that just because someone wrote a paper or a book that theirs is the right or only view...

[Hoy]

Trond- lots of great colour there are you having nice weather? looks a bit sunny..

Sunny - yes, for 3 1/2 day! The weather was marvellous last weekend + Monday. Now we are back to the autumn normal - rain - a glimpse of blue sky - more rain, maybe thunder; windy - calm etc 

[Toole]

Shortia galacifolia -- currently 4 blooms this year .
Please excuse the cracked pot --i really need to get this plant into the garden proper somewhere.

Cheers Dave.

[Tim Ingram]

Exquisite little plant! Even with our dry Kent climate I am toying with the idea of making a high humus bed for plants like this and small Ericaceae. But we would probably need  a misting mechanism through hot spells in the summer. They are just such delightfully 'different' plants.

[Hoy]

Shortia galacifolia -- currently 4 blooms this year .
Please excuse the cracked pot --i really need to get this plant into the garden proper somewhere.

Cheers Dave.

It is a cute little thing! From seed?
I had several seedlings some years ago but they died in a very dry spell the first summer I planted them outside

[cohan]

Shortia galacifolia -- currently 4 blooms this year .
Please excuse the cracked pot --i really need to get this plant into the garden proper somewhere.

Cheers Dave.

Cute thing! How large is the pot? This is a genus I only know from the forums...

[Toole]

Cohan and Hoy

The Shortia would currently fit into the palm of your hand but has in the past filled the pot --i keep on trying ,not all that sucessfully to grow on the severed runners ---It's a plant i've had for many many years ,purchased- i think.

Tim
Maybe this might have a liking for your conditions .
Anchusa cespitosa --pic taken yesterday.

Cheers Dave.

    

[cohan]

Love the Anchusa- really unusual form!

[Lori S.]

Nothing near so interesting here!

Seeds of Paeonia officinalis; Euonymus nanus 'Turkestanica'; rose hips; bur oak; Silene schafta; Hylotelephium 'Diamond Edge':
       

[Bundraba!]

Shortia: I have tried this in the garden:Not the easiests thing to grow.. even among the Diapensias: I think. This is a decent case for open science; I think.... but never mind me.