Image of the day - 2012

[Todd Boland]

The seeds germinated in about 6 days at room temperature.  Seeds were collected by M. Pavelka from ~2000m elevation at Sipikor Dag, Turkey.

Delightful but Turkey and Newfoundland don't mix!

[Lori S.]

Myosotis asiatica and Potentilla uniflora(?):

             

[Hoy]

A beautiful place to take a walk!

The Myosotis is very similar to this one from Turkey:

Unknown Myosotis and morning view of Lake Van

   

[RickR]

I wish I'd seen it in flower.  I am sure it was rather nice.

James   

See here:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=779.msg11305#msg11305

[McDonough]

A trough with Alyssum oxycarpum. When not in bloom, the foliage is tiny, tight, and neat, a classic alpine; in bloom the stems extend to surprising length when considering the tiny basal rosettes, expanding into a fine show of golden blooms. In bloom early June, 2011.

[McDonough]

Two views of Alyssum oxycarpum foliage in late March 2011.  I bought this as a seedling at a New England Chapter NARGS meeting in September 2010; I'm just going by the name as labelled.

[Tim Ingram]

Mark - have you ever come across Alyssum serpyllifolium? I grew this years ago and the foliage was the exact same as you last photos but the flowers were virtually stemless. These little alyssums are great plants, but for most rock gardeners eclipsed by their bigger cousins.

[Hoy]

Mark, A remarkable plant! Your last picture of Alyssum oxycarpum shows a very succulent-looking specimen but the first picture when the plant is in flower seems to show a more "normal" plant. Is the plant as succulent as the last picture shows?

[Hoy]

A little colder the last day - cold air from east has brought dry and cloudless weather but much colder than we are used to this winter. The remaining sleet and slush has frozen solid. Though, the Crocuses just wait for more sun to open their flowers.

   


The witch hazel is flowering although the colder weather does that the flowers contract a little.

[cohan]

Two views of Alyssum oxycarpum foliage in late March 2011.  I bought this as a seedling at a New England Chapter NARGS meeting in September 2010; I'm just going by the name as labelled.

Great looking plant!

[McDonough]

At one point I grew a number of dwarf Alyssum species, including several choice ones from Turkey, can't remember if serpyllifolium was among those I grew.  I was a bit alarmed with this species when the rosettes expanded and the stems grew taller and more diffuse than I would have imagined, but it was such a nice show for weeks, and then afterwards all the stem growth dried up and faded away, leaving behind the tiny "ropes" of succulent growth again, looking nice for fall and winter.  The silvery ropes of congested foliage remind me of the strange South American genus Nassauvia, specifically N. revoluta, although these are Asteraceae and obviously not related to Alyssum.

[Lori S.]

The arrangement of leaves on A. oxycarpum is certainly reminiscent in appearance of that of various succulents.  Are the leaves actually succulent at all?  The alyssums I've grown so far have flat, rather rough- and dry-feeling leaves.  I'll definitely keep a watch out for seed of that one - terrific foliage.

[McDonough]

The arrangement of leaves on A. oxycarpum is certainly reminiscent in appearance of that of various succulents.  Are the leaves actually succulent at all?  The alyssums I've grown so far have flat, rather rough- and dry-feeling leaves.  I'll definitely keep a watch out for seed of that one - terrific foliage.

No, the leaves aren't actually succulent, they just look like they are by their arrangement, they are rough-scabrid to the touch as most Alyssum are.  I'm sure it made lots of seed but I never collected any, nor did I collect seed on much of anything else this year given my non-stop work demands and "working weekends", grrrrr.

[Todd Boland]

That Alyssum is worthy to grow for foliage alone!

Crocus and witch-hazel Trond...you are inflicting pain!  We just got nearly a foot of snow yesterday...winter has finally arrived...now three months to my first blooms.

[cohan]

I agree Todd-- I have a hard time considering any season/place 'winter' that has things flowering! We also have crocus flowering-- at supermarkets and flower shops!