Alpines - June, 2012

[Krish]

more pictures

[Lori S.]

Sedum pilosum, forming weird shapes as the flower stems elongate:


First blooms on Campanula bessenginica, from last year:
 

Lesquerella arizonica:


Campanula saxifraga, starting to bloom:


Myosotis decumbens, with the flower stems at about max length:


First flowers on Salvia cryptantha, from last year; nothing to write home about at present, but assuming it lives long and prospers...
 

Dianthus sp. and Alyssum spinosum (and Penstemon x 'Pink Holly', not yet in bloom):


Hieracium villosum:

[RickR]

Looks like your Sedum pilosum is almost going to bloom itself out.  Going to be a very nice display.

The Hieracium villosum that I kept in pots look a lot more like yours, Lori.  The pics I've been showing is in a hot and dry garden.  

Myosotis decumbens from your seed is coming along...

[Lori S.]

Looks like your Sedum pilosum is almost going to bloom itself out.  

Yes, they're biennials, darn it.  The one rosette that will not bloom may be another seedling, not sure.

The Hieracium villosum that I kept in pots look a lot more like yours, Lori.  The pics I've been showing is in a hot and dry garden.  

My plants are all out in regular soil, full sun.  
Good news on the Myosotis decumbens seeds!


Silene bolanthoides - not as cute as last year (http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=274.msg9910#msg9910); it seems the flowers are smaller for some reason (the plant is larger as well).  I seem to be missing the fresh blooms - luckily, there are quite a few more to come.


Asperula boissieri, with some damage from what was a strangely-destructive winter in my garden:


Well, at least this survived last year's September planting frenzy - Anthyllis vulneraria coccinea:
 

The outsized bells of Campanula alpestris:
 

[Hoy]

I'm still just thinking of a new bed for rock plants but your posts Lori and Krish make me look forward to the necessary digging and stoneworking

[Tim Ingram]

You should definitely do so Trond! This is a picture of the first alpine bed I made, probably 25 years ago. It was great for 10 or 15 years and then got overgrown and weedy as the nursery took precedance. At last I am starting to renovate it, the idea being to use tufa and rocks around the edge and infill with gritty sand (as suggested by David Sellars). The narrow strip down the front, filled with sand, should hold more moisture, and I hope will be suitable for a slightly different range of plants. In the gravel at the back I aim to put small Mediterranean shrubs like phlomis (have some nice ones germinating from Euroseeds). The trouble is with the excitement of doing something new here, the rest of the garden begins to grow away alarmingly...

[Hoy]

You should definitely do so Trond! This is a picture of the first alpine bed I made, probably 25 years ago. It was great for 10 or 15 years and then got overgrown and weedy as the nursery took precedance. At last I am starting to renovate it, the idea being to use tufa and rocks around the edge and infill with gritty sand (as suggested by David Sellars). The narrow strip down the front, filled with sand, should hold more moisture, and I hope will be suitable for a slightly different range of plants. In the gravel at the back I aim to put small Mediterranean shrubs like phlomis (have some nice ones germinating from Euroseeds). The trouble is with the excitement of doing something new here, the rest of the garden begins to grow away alarmingly...

Tim, I don't need the excitement of doing something new to neglect the garden, lazy as I am

I have in fact made some plans and intend to start digging and building later in the summer. I have  a few other smaller projects to finish too.

Your renovating project looks exciting. Please continue documenting the progress!

[Todd Boland]

Lori, you have jumped ahead of me....13 days of single digit temps will do that!  Finally the wind changed yesterday and the temp reached 24 C.  Back to east winds today for the next 4 days so back to early spring temps   I have had the same tulips open for nearly a month!

[Hoy]

Heavy (welcome though) rain today. Managed to take some pics before the rain started.

An unknown primula (it had an label, obviously wrong) and Ranunculus parnassifolius on the shed roof. In the foreground in the second pic is Anemone trullifolia linearifolia.

   

[Lori S.]

Linum cariense:


Armeria juniperifolia, planted last year:


Gentiana siphonantha, soon to bloom; grown from seed in 2010; seed from Pavelka (4300m, Anyemaquen Shan, Quinghai, China; densely tufted, narrow leaves to 10cm, dark blue flowers in heads 10-15cm, stoney slopes, 2008 seed):
  

Silene pusilla, in front, with Dianthus glacialis:


Dracocphalum heterophyllum, in front, with Ajania tibetica:


Buds on Telesonix jamesii v. heucheriformis:


Finally, after 4 years, the start of bloom on Genista dephinensis:


Interesting red buds on Silene falcata:


Aethionema glaucescens, again:

[Lori S.]

More Sedum pilosum weirdness:
 

Bad pics of a promising little Aconitum from Beaver Creek , labelled as Aconitum sp. ex DaXue Shan:
 

Trough with Heuchera hallii:
 

Buds on Edraianthus dalmaticus:


Seeds forming on Rheum rhizostachyum:


Cancrinia tibetica seedling, tightening up in outdoor conditions:


Anthyllis vulneraria coccinea, again:

[Lori S.]

Some colour in the tufa bed:


Buds on Campanula orphanidea:


Aubrieta canescens:

[Booker]

Splendid pictures everyone ... (Note to myself) :- I must visit Calgary and Norway asap.

[Lori S.]

Well, Cliff, do let me know if you decide to visit!   

Updates - Silene bolanthoides:
 

Silene falcata:
 

[Tim Ingram]

Lori - I keep seeing pictures from your garden, either of plants I have small seedlings of, or that grow in mine but not quite so well! The two silenes are good examples, great plants (especially falcata). I think the other one I have labelled as Bolanthus thymoides from Euroseed (the foliage looks the same). I'm still looking forward to seeing how Lactuca intricata turns out. So nice to see all these plants; our tufa garden beckons!