Miscellaneous Woodlanders

[RickR]

By the way: Rick, did you forgive your brother?
Gerrit

I would blow up if I held grudges. 

There's the time he fell a large ash tree and destroyed my only two Paw Paw trees; when he decided to clear the part of the woods one fall where I had planted fruiting Viburnum trilobum and Liparis lilifolia, and where Galearis (Orchis) spectabilis grew naturally; when he decided to cut down some ancient and very picturesque native Nanyberry Viburnum understory trees; when he decide it was a good idea to cut all the forest edge small trees and shrubs so he could see into the woods -- it let so much light in that it is now a tangle of invasive buckthorn and the wildflowers that used to thrive there are all but gone....shall I go on? (This would be a whole chapter if I were to write a memoir.)

Oh, and the crème de la crème: we use to have a small hillside where morel mushrooms grew.  He decided to build a road for the tractor there.

[cohan]

Oh my! one man destroyer of the forest!

[gerrit]

Well Rick, I'm looking forward to read your memoirs. It's clear you have talent. (and of course a brother)

Thanks for posting this 'funny' story.

Gerrit.

[Hoy]

Well, Rick, I am glad he isn't my brother - or rather that my sister hasn't done anything like that yet

[WimB]

Some Calanthes flowering here:

Calanthe tricarinata
and Calanthe hancockii

[Hoy]

Nice Calanthes, Wim.

I have tried some in my woodland but they are prone to slug damage.

However, this blue corydalis is unaffected by slugs.

[cohan]

 ;)Calanthes are very sweet!
So's blue Cory

[Hoy]

The lateflowering Scilla lilio-hyacinthus has started its show in the woodland. Very shade tolerant (notice the broad leaves) and moderately expanding by bulbs and seed.




Also blooming now is the latest of the Anemone nemorosa types I have, seedlings of some blue popping up many places in the garden and woodland. They are among the biggest of the kind too.

[Lori S.]

Very nice, Trond and Wim! 
I think I'd need a constant drip irrigation system to keep the blue corydalis happy here - I've seen them do reasonably well in gardens where they are watered daily (a notion that shocks me!)  For me, they come back but dwindle from year to year, and my guess is it's way too dry, though I don't think hardiness seems to be a problem (have only tried the more commonly-available ones).

[Todd Boland]

I cannot grow the blue corydalis either...and dryness is not a problem here.  Can't figure out what the issue is 

Pulmonaria montana blooming at the moment, along with Helleborus orientalis and first Corydalis solida.

[cohan]

Trond, the wide leaves on the Scilla are very nice, as are the pale Anemones..
Lori, I'm with you on the watering!  I think perennial beds should rarely if ever need watering once established! Though it might be easy for me to say, since parts of my property are not very dry generally--really depends on the year, though! Things are pretty soggy currently, with snow still to melt in places..

Todd--the Pulmonaria is a really nice colour, and nice change to typical spring colours..

[Hoy]

Very nice, Trond and Wim! 
I think I'd need a constant drip irrigation system to keep the blue corydalis happy here - I've seen them do reasonably well in gardens where they are watered daily (a notion that shocks me!)  For me, they come back but dwindle from year to year, and my guess is it's way too dry, though I don't think hardiness seems to be a problem (have only tried the more commonly-available ones).

The blue corydalis I show here is a species with corms and it is ephemeral, although not as shortflowering as the solida types. It also tolerates relatively dry summers. The other kinds of blue corydalis have rhizomes and need moist soil. They are much later flowering too.

I can't remember the name of it but probably did I buy it from Janis Ruksans.

[Todd Boland]

Bergenia ciliata is starting...it will bloom for a good 6 weeks.

[RickR]

Trond, Corydalis turczaninovii is tuberous, I think.  Could that be it?

Very nice, indeed.  Wouldn't mind any seed of that, if it makes any...

[Todd Boland]

Rick, for some reason my B. ciliata never sets seed     I've had many requests over the years.  I've never heard of a pulsatilla that won't set seed yet my P. flavescens doesn't...I have a strange garden!