Miscellaneous Woodlanders

[cohan]

I mentioned elsewhere how it seems this season is giving deeper colors, despite the warm weather.  I have never seen the Cardamine laciniata with such deep lavender buds.  These are in the wild, near my house:
Open woods are not common in Minnesota.  Usually there is a lot of native underbrush.  The cardamine seems to thrive in these areas that get too dry to support summer growth.  

Cool plant! I'm interested in the woodland Cardamines I've seen on the lists, nothing like that here!
Of course the Dicentra is exquisite, high on my endless list 

[McDonough]

Catching up to these topics

Ernie, you obviously like Polygonatum; I'm tempted to grow more of them, I only grow 3-4 types, but it is a most interesting genus.  I do have P. humile, although have not heard of a 'Nanum' form, is it really smaller than regular P. humile.  Must add P. falcatum to my garden too, Plant Delight's Nursery has some wonderful selections.

Rick, the Cardamine laciniata is most pleasing, seems like there are a number of very worthwhile Cardamine/Dentaria species to try in the woodland garden.  Have you tried growing this in your garden.

Following up on my imposter Asarum caudatum alba posting (plant was actually A. canadense), I had bought the plant a second time and planted it out a couple years ago, the label got lost, then couldn't remember where I had planted it.   Well, today I found it, here's two photos of Asarum caudatum forma alba; an overall shot of the handsome foliage, and lots of creamy-greenish blooms (instead of maroon).  Don't you just love those sorts of garden surprises!

[RickR]

The rediscovery of something thought lost or forgotten is definitely uplifting.  It happens "often" in my potted menagerie.  Most recently for me, Lilium rhodopaeum, that I had started from seed and couldn't find last fall when I had wanted to give it special care for the winter.  I found it this spring as it started its second year of leaf growth. 

When I first found Cardamine laciniata, perhaps ten years ago, I did pot up a few, thinking perhaps I would plant it in the garden.  But change my mind mostly because it flowers very sparsely.  The pots were donated to the Chapter's plant sale.  More recently, though, I am changing my mind, only because its life above ground seems to be so fleeting, that even its interesting greenery would be welcome at a time when there is plenty of room in the garden.  However, it may decide, like Thalictrum thalictroides does, to extend its stay at the surface in garden conditions.  I guess I will only know if I try it.

to give an idea of the paucity of bloom: in the largest carpet in the pic below (in the wild), there were 16 blooming spikes.

               

[cohan]

That's something like the flowering density of Pyrola here- or maybe even more flowers than Pyrola has, depending how large the patch is..
might vary depending on conditions though.. I'd still like to try some of those Cardamines... seem interesting, and for places where maybe not so many other things grow..

[Hoy]

Cardamine is one of my favorite genera - and one that is not damaged by slugs

[WimB]

A couple of shade-loving plants in flower here now:

Adonis amurensis 'Flore Pleno'
Dicentra cucullaria 'Pink Punk'
Primula 'Cowichan Red'

[WimB]

And I forgot some others:

Thalictrum thalictroides 'Amelia'
Thalictrum thalictroides 'Pink Flash'
Uvularia grandiflora 'Gold Leaf Form' (the leaves turn yellow after flowering)
Hepatica nobilis 'Perrine's Pink' (just for the leaves)

[Hoy]

You really have some gems, Wim!

Does the flower of the hepatica stand up against the leaves?

[Hoy]

The cresses are starting now, here are two:

Cardamine pentaphylla and waldsteinii, and a lone Primula of unknown parentage:
      

[cohan]

Wim- that Primula really is red!

Trond- love the Cardamines and nice colour on that Primula;
Earlier I'd reported how happy I was with the two auriculas I planted last summer, one of which flowered in fall, and I could see bright green overwintered foliage as soon as the snow melted.. Well, my report of excellent hardiness here seems premature, since while one came through nicely, the other seems gone, unless it resprouts later... 

[RickR]

The wild Pyrola spp. in Minnesota are very floriferous compared to Cardamine laciniata.  If each growing point of cardamine is thought of as a separate plant, pyrolas would be ten time more floriferous.  I have never notice that pyrolas are rhizomatous, I don't think they are.

All great pics, Wim.  That's really a deep color for D. cucullaria, I think.

I don't think the native Thalictrum thalictroides liked the snowless, warm winter this past season.  The Schoaff's Double in my garden seems to be unaffected, but the native ones have taken a big step backwards.  Still true to the trend this spring, though, the native ones' flower color seems to be deeper.

Schoaff's Double - 1 April, and 8 April

        

The gold foliage on that Bellwort must be striking, Wim.  Our Minnesota native Uvularia grandiflora has twisted petals - something I always thought set it apart from similar species, but I guess it is not a defining trait after all.

        

        

[cohan]

I notice much more flowering in the native woodland species here after a snowy winter- that snowmelt is key moisture here, since we often don't get a lot of rain after the snow stops until late May/June..

I'm pretty sure Pyrolas here (mainly asarifolia, though there are others, as well as Orthilia and Monese) are rhizomatous, or stoloniferous, or something (Okay, I checked Moss/Packer and they use the phrase for the genus 'creeping rootstocks) since they all tend to form patches, with, esp for Pyrola, a low rate of flowering.. in the mixed woods right behind my house, they colony or adjoining colonies extend over a large area-- many many square metres (I should attempt some sort of measurement, since these large patches fascinate me) though never exclusive of other plants which grow among, through, above the Pyrolas- a number of patches extending (maybe?)15-20 feet in all directions, with small breaks and other patches next to them.... Flower stalks are certaily not uncommon, and might cluster several near, but then there could be several feet or more to the next (I'll have to try to dig up some photos...).. I think colonies in sunnier spots might have a slightly higher rate of flowering, though I have not encountered such extensive groups in sunnier spots..

[RickR]

That's interesting, Cohan.  I got that idea from your first posting about pyrola "mats", but I have never seen them do that here.  Thanks for the clarification.  Perhaps I have just not been to the right places.  Of the three Minnesota flora books I have, only one mentions the rhizomatous quality of pyrola (so I am wrong).  In A Flora of Northeastern Minnesota, Lakela notes the trait for all six native Pyrola spp. there, and for Moneses uniflora.   Indeed, ones that I have seen up there could be so, but nothing really suggested to me that the colonies, usually of 1 to 10 sparsely spaced plants, were connected.   I have noted mats of Moneses uniflora, though.

[WimB]

You really have some gems, Wim!

Does the flower of the hepatica stand up against the leaves?

Thanks, Hoy!
I wouldn't know, I just bought it (the leaves were really eye-catching  ). I guess it doesn't really matter anyhow...it probably flowers before the new leaves start growing.
The flower is described as pink with a white starry middle  I wonder

Wim- that Primula really is red!

Cohan,

it is indeed, a vibrant red and it keeps on flowering for months, it's a superb plant!

All great pics, Wim.  That's really a deep color for D. cucullaria, I think.

Thanks Rick,

that D. cucullaria 'Pink Punk' is a selection made by Susan Band of Pitcairn nurseries (http://www.pitcairnalpines.co.uk/)

[cohan]

Wim- for months, wow!

Rick, no doubt a matter of the growing conditions- if there are only a few plants, you wouldn't notice 'creeping rootstocks'.. of course not every colony is that extensive here, but I probably couldn't go more than a few metres anywhere on my property (except the sunniest mowed patchs) without seeing some... I still have to dig up some of those pics...lol