Alpines July 2012

[deesen]

Eclectic selection Lori. As far as the Rhodohypoxis is concerned your slim-chance experimentation will be exactly that I fear!

[Lori S.]

Lori- was Potentilla divina the Russian species?

Yes, seems to be:
http://www.mobot.org/mobot/research/russia/caucasus.shtml
I only hope, as the article above mentions, that the seeds came from this large-flowered anomaly, rather than the rather narrow-petaled forms I've googled!
The flowers on Jurinea cadmea are pale pink; the plant is still in bloom (you can see a flower in the picture), with more buds coming, while the old flowers are forming seed.
Yes, I imagine you're right about the Cotula... commonly grown elsewhere, no doubt, but not here much.  I recall trying Leptinella squalida (which apparently has been lumped into Cotula at times) in past years - only tiny bits wintered over.

Yes, certainly "eclectic", David!  I plan to concentrate on some more conventional (read: "showy") selections going forward! 

[cohan]

Good luck with the Potentilla!
I had to go back and look again at the Jurinea to see the flower, missed it first time around..

'Eclectic' is good-- showy is nice, and you do want some of that around for effect, I guess, but its the 'cool' plants that get me most excited...lol

[Hoy]

And what's a 'cool' plant Cohan? I think most plants are cool - except the aggressive weeds like Circaea lutetiana which is currently suppressing all my other plants.

Lori, you do seem to experiment a lot, it is perfectly understandable Is P scotica in flower now? It's twin, P. scandinavica is finished a long time ago.
I lost my Rhodohypoxis last winter after 2 years

[Tim Ingram]

Lori - such marvellous plants. I've just planted out Lactuca intricata and a whole lot of other seed raised things on a raised bed, including Astragalus utahensis which I grew years ago in a pot and made a magnificent plant - fingers crossed!

Cohan - Potentilla nitida is grown a lot here and has lovely foliage but for some reason is very shy flowering. The pink flowers when they come are glorious. I don't grow it very successfully but must try again. This is a picture of a tufa planting in our sand bed and bottom right is Potentilla ovina with the typical yellow flowers but very nice dissected silver foliage. I don't know its origins but wonder if the name has got muddled with divina?

[Hoy]

Tim, a very neat and beautiful piece of rock garden!

[cohan]

Tim, I'll let you know next year if my P nitida is also shy to flower- they are tiny this year, so I wasn't expecting anything yet, though I know some things flower that small..
As to ovina/divina, it doesn't look similar at a glance, but no time to look them up now- out to do a few minutes of mowing before work.. at least the grass has slowed down- takes it 45 minutes to grow out instead of 20..lol

[Lori S.]

Potentilla nitida is grown a lot here and has lovely foliage but for some reason is very shy flowering.... and bottom right is Potentilla ovina with the typical yellow flowers but very nice dissected silver foliage. I don't know its origins but wonder if the name has got muddled with divina?

Potentilla ovina is a yellow-flowered (as you said), North American species... one of the confusing (to me anyway!) alpine species that occurs here.  You'd think the geographical differences and flower colour difference (with P. divina in pink) would have reduced the likelihood of mixing "ovina" and "divina".  Anyway, if you google P. divina, there are lots of hits.  Interestingly, according to The Plant List, all three species names (P. ovina, P. nitida, P. divina) are "unresolved". 

P. divina:
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/view/item/29949.html
http://eol.org/pages/11164060/entries/34464326/overview

Nice tufa and plantings, Tim!  That particular piece looks a lot more nodular than what I have.  Lactuca intricata has one flower open today... will wait a bit before posting a photo.
Yes, the Primula scotica plants in the acid beds are currently in bloom.  One plant on the north-ish side of the tufa bed bloomed much earlier.  I'm rather surprised at how well they seem to be doing in the relatively dry conditions there.

[Booker]

Hi folks,
Replying from Chamonix Mont Blanc, but with two images from the Dolomites ...

Potentilla nitida alba
Potentilla nitida rubra in habitat

[Lori S.]

Stunning plants and scenery, Cliff!  The almost fluorescent pistils(?) are especially brilliant against the white petals.

[Hoy]

Cliff, you haven't lost your artistic qualities!

[cohan]

Hi folks,
Replying from Chamonix Mont Blanc, but with two images from the Dolomites ...

Potentilla nitida alba
Potentilla nitida rubra in habitat

The white form is stunning indeed
Boy would I love to have that rock!

[Hoy]

The one in the background I suppose?