What do you see on your garden walks?

[Hoy]

A sad sight of damaged trees and shrubs

The Magnolia soulangiana I grow at our summerhouse lost the top of its main stem and some limbs due to heavy late snow a couple of years ago but now it is completely regrown. I removed the broken limbs and doctored the wounds with a sharp knife but did nothing else.

Now snow or frost here, in fact it is extraordinary mild for the season. The last days have reached 15C in daytime and not less than 11C at night. However, two nights with 0-2C a couple of weeks ago transformed the colours of the leaves and heavy rain later defoliated almost all the deciduous trees and shrubs so not much fall colour to show. In stead some plants still flower and Viburnum farrerii is in full bloom with fragrant flowers.

   

[Lori S.]

Wow, unimaginable, Trond!
I am scraping the bottom of the barrel here... and winter usually comes much sooner than this.  
Here is a bit of fall colour on Townsendia parryi:


The sun is very low in the sky now but if it shines on these autumn crocus, they might manage to open again:
 

I always enjoy the pinky tones of little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium.  I've lost the name of this other grass, but it's looking nice now.
 

This Stachys inflata seedling looks like it's put on a wool sweater for the cold weather:


Helleborus caucasicus is still defiantly green and looking incongruous against all the yellows and browns:

[James McGee]

The 'Front Path Garden' has Coreopsis auriculata, Geranium sanguineum, and Armeria maritima.  The Geranium sanguineum is particularly beautiful because some of the leaves are red while others are green.  This gives the plant a Christmas look.

- I just had to post a closer picture of Geranium sanguineum to show you what I was talking about above.

[AmyO]

While cleaning up the gardens today I took a few pics of what was still or reblooming!

Cyclamen hederifolium
Primula auricula
Spiranthes odorata
Tricyrtis sp.
Primula auricula


(Edited to add species names to allow search capability.    )

[Lori S.]

Very nice, James.  Geranium sanguineum is probably my favourite geranium species for its very long bloom and terrific fall colour.

Amy, you have a lot going on there.  I wonder if anyone grows Spiranthes odorata here?  Seems like it should not be such a stretch.  It's very surprising to me to see an orchid still in bloom!

[James McGee]

Amy,  What is the species shown in the upper right corner of the photo whose subject is Primula auricula?

[James McGee]

Lori,  I think Spiranthes odorata is actually rather a stretch for Amy.  In her more interior Northern climate it does not appear to be very strong.  I think Goodyeara would be much better for Amy's garden.

In contrast, I think Spiranthes odorata would be a greenhouse plant in Alberta. 

You have two native Ladies'-tress Orchids.  They are Spiranthes lacera var. lacera and Spiranthes romanzoffiana. 

The range of Spiranthes lacera var. lacera just makes it into Northeastern Alberta.  It is found in or near Jack Pine Forests.  This means it likes nutrient poor sandy, gravelly, or rocky areas that experience periodic fire.  However, it may also occur in rock outcrops where enough fuel is never present to carry fire.

Spiranthes romanzoffiana lives in wetlands.

It likely be best to observe these plants in the wild, rather than attempting cultivation.  Spiranthes lacera var. lacera is listed as being rare in your province.   

[AmyO]

James the other plant with the P. auricula is another unamed and unflowered auricula from seed. The Spiranthes are actually quite hardy here in the garden coming through pretty tough winters.

[James McGee]

Amy,  That slightly out of focus unflowered Primula auricula had me imagining one of my Mexican Pinguliculas.  Of course, Mexican Pinguliculas are a house plant in my climate.

I am surprised you are finding Spiranthes odorata to be hardy in Vermont.  The USDA lists the range of Spiranthes odorata as only extending as far North as New Jersey.  Is it possible the plant you are growing is actually Spiranthes cernua?  Here is the key for these two species from the flora of North America.

26 (25) Plants to 50 cm; leaves comparatively slender, ascending to spreading (flaccidly so because of membranaceous blades with thickened midrib); petioles of basal leaves less than 6 mm wide; leaves wholly basal or lower sheaths with ascending-spreading blades; perianth usually 8–11 mm; lip membranaceous to fleshy, less than 7 mm wide.   14 Spiranthes cernua

+ Plants to 100 cm or more; leaves broad, ascending to spreading (rigidly so because of aerenchymatous thickening of blade); petioles of basal leaves 7 mm or more wide; blades spreading-recurved on proximal cauline sheaths, frequently also on distal, leaves then extending to inflorescence; perianth (4–)10–18 mm (shorter in young or depauperate plants); lip fleshy, (4–)7–9.5 mm.   13  Spiranthes odorata

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=131021

[McDonough]

I am surprised you are finding Spiranthes odorata to be hardy in Vermont.  The USDA lists the range of Spiranthes odorata as only extending as far North as New Jersey. 

Lots of flora found in southeastern USA is perfectly hardy in northern New England; haven't met a southeastern Trillium species that isn't hardy and happy here in Massachusetts, like deep south Trillium decumbens or Trillium lancifolium:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch?keywordquery=Trillium+decumbens&mode=sciname&submit.x=21&submit.y=8
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=TRLA15

Even less of a climatic stretch comparing mid-Atlantic States to places like Massachussets, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

[AmyO]

Not sure if this clears things up...but I just peeked at the label again and it says Spiranthes cernua var. odorata. So we're both right? 

[McDonough]

Not sure if this clears things up...but I just peeked at the label again and it says Spiranthes cernua var. odorata. So we're both right? 

See the earlier thread:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=232.msg11449#msg11449

[James McGee]

Amy,  The variety odorata has been separated out into a different species from cernua.  If you really want to know you will have to get out a ruler and take some measurements.  I have read that 'Chadds Ford' originated in Delaware.  Delware is within the range of both S. cernua and S. odorata.  I would not trust the label from the nursery.  Some of the best botanists in the country have trouble correctly identifying Spiranthes.

It is very possible that S. odorata is hardy in Vermont.  Mark makes a very good case with his trillium example.  I grew 'Chadds Ford' in a pot in Illinois.  It survived the first season but not the second.  Maybe it would have survived if I had planted it in the ground.

James

[stephenb]

In stark contrast to events in the US, we are having the mildest November weather for over 100 years. At the weekend, I counted over 80 species still in flower. Here are a selection (see the file names for ID):

[stephenb]

..and a few more. Viola canadensis has been continuously in flower since May!