Alpines October 2012

[cohan]

Some of these are probably more subalpines, but what the heck  

Tried to post once, unsuccessfully, hopefully wont end up with a double..

Rick asked about the plant behind a Sempervivum in another thread,
1,2 Polemonium boreale these are from seed spring 2012, so yet to overwinter; I have them planted in a couple of spots to see what they like..

3-5  Potentilla nitida with frost; I have a number of seedlings, some have been in ground since last fall, others only planted out this year; there is interesting variation in leaf colour, density etc..

6 A couple of Townsendia parryi trying to  flower, can't see these ones will make it, though there is another in a different bed by the house that is open..

7 Next to the Townsendia is an Erigeron, collected in the mts west of here, which I've been calling compositus, but wonder if that's right? of course this is no pic for id... frosty morning..

[Spiegel]

Cohan, great pictures of the Potentilla nitida.  The frost makes the foliage even more beautiful.

[cohan]

Thanks, Anne! They are already favourites of mine.. I just hope they flower here, Tim mentioned them being shy to flower in cultivation..

[Hoy]

Cohan, Polemonium boreale seems to be a nice plant. I have never tried it but P caeruleum is native here and is very good at our mountain cabin.
I have not tried Potentilla nitida either but your place should be more homely for it than Tim's  I remember seeing it in the Alps several years ago.
Although the Townsendia don't reach to open the flowers now they should survive the winter. At our mountain cabin even lateflowering dandelions survive!

[cohan]

There is a picture on the net of Polemonium boreale- I think it's on Svalbard- all alone on gravel plain- very dramatic!
I have my fingers crossed for flowering on the Potentilla- maybe next year! It certainly feels like the alps here- we could have 2-5cm of snow today with a high of 0C, but back up to mid-teens C by the weekend!

I still have to post pics of the Townsendia that did open- not quite flat open, but close..

[cohan]

Some more seedlings from this spring, planted out in late summer- these are some more I expect to get a little tall- mostly in flower/seed so I've given them a berm behind a rock garden; this berm was part  partially decomposed sod mixed with topsoil and clay and a bit of gravel in the top few inches. Plants are those coming from alpine/sub-alpine meadows etc; this is in a part of the property that stays moist, yet I hope for the raised aspect to provide good drainage while the plants can send roots down to the moister zone if they want-- those are the aspirations, time will tell! Planting was done in late summer 2012

1,2 Hieracium villosum seedlings from spring 2012, this was our frosty morning last week, but the sun had already hit this spot and melted it..
3 one of a number of Pulsatilla on the same berm; these are older, but languished a couple of years in pots, waiting for a bed! I have seedlings  from garden seed of alba, rubra, rosea; we'll see if they flower true to type, but the leaves at least are different!

I also stuck some seedlings of Cyclamen purpurascens from Austrian wild seed, in a few spots on this berm; their seedmates have survived one winter (and one flowered) on the rock garden beside this, so I thought I'd let some see if they like a less rocky life..

[cohan]

Another of the Townsendia parryi mentioned above- this was planted out late summer 2011, and grew well all summer this year. the flower is still more or less trying to open, though not doing much today with a high of 0! this bed is right in front of (though not up against) the house, so one of the warmest spots in the yard, and one of the sunniest.. this is the same bed with my no-name Sempervivums..

[cohan]

Back to the berm above, continuing on the dandelion-esque theme of Hieracium,
1 Hieracium intybaceum (most of the leaves still probably the slightly stretched out leaves from the seedpot)
2 Hypochoeris maculatum no marks yet, leaves are still tiny, but pleasingly flat

3 Still Asteraceae, but not dandelions! Saussurea riederi (I'll post in the Sauss thread too, for completeness- I imagine those family/genus threads will be more useful for future members to search in than these generalist threads); interestingly, this should be a taller Sauss compared to the several low rosette species, yet this spring's seedlings are still tiny compared to the S nepalensis in the next post..

4 another of the Pulsatillas (or the same one? lol these shots are from a different day- a couple days after the coldest nights/frost, and plants look unfazed..

[cohan]

In the actual rock garden next to the above berm,
1 Geum montanum from spring 2012 seeds, planted out late summer.. these are still tiny- the whole thing maybe an inch across..

2 Saussurea nepalensis these still have long stemmed leaves from the seed pot, where they were in part sun and so packed in the pot they had to reach for light!

[Lori S.]

Great to see the "fruit of your labours" finally, Cohan, knowing you've been busy all summer building rock gardens!  It's all looking really nice!

[Hoy]

There is a picture on the net of Polemonium boreale- I think it's on Svalbard- all alone on gravel plain- very dramatic!

I'm going to visit Svalbard next summer. I'll tell you if I do see any P boreale!
Interesting plants you show, Cohan! Hypochoeris maculata is native here but I have never considered it as a rockery subject Especially the leaves can be nice though.

[cohan]

Thanks, Lori- I will get around to showing some overviews eventually so you can all see what I've managed so far....lol  I'\ve taken pics at various stages, so I'll need to do a compilation...

Trond- the most important plant for me on Svalbard is a white/pale flowered dandelion- so please watch for any in seed 

I don't think any of these dandelion cousins will have very exciting flowers, plus tallish flower stems, so that's why I put them on the berm behind the rock garden- where I can enjoy the foliage and they won't overwhelm any little delicate things

[Lori S.]

Orostachys iwarenge has had enough time, in this warm summer and very extended fall, for the flowers to open:


Jovibarba hirta (or so I assume) in fall colour:

[Booker]

Stunning photographs of some amazing plants, Lori ... thanks so much for posting.

[Lori S.]

Thanks, Cliff!  
With them blooming in the second year from seed or even the first, it doesn't look like I'm ever going to get much of a plant of Orostachys iwarenge going!  Well, it's nice to see it get to bloom, on the other hand.

More from the rock garden, just foliage... Edit: all are from seed this year, unless otherwise indicated:
Aethionema schistosum, a division purchased at the CRAGS sale this spring (thanks, Cathy!):


Inula verbascifolia:


Sideritis phlomoides:


Sideritis clandestina, with Lactuca intricata in the background:


Campanula topaliana... unfortunately monocarpic:


Eriogonum sp., with Lupinus wyethii (purchased from Beaver Creek this spring) in background:


Arabis androsacea, draping nicely (grown from seed in 2010):


Marrubium lutescens:


Artemisia caucasica:


Marrubium globosum: