Image of the day - 2012

[Hoy]

Still sorting through 1500 images taken in the Beartooth and Bighorn Mountains...what spectacular places.  I have never seen so many alpines.  Here is just a teaser shot of the habitat in the Beartooths...still lots of snow around but loads of alpines as well.

Looks very promising Todd! I am looking forward to your photoshow

[Hoy]

My contribution today actually is from Thursday when we walked down Aurlandsdalen (the Aurland Valley). It is one of my favorite wild flowers of Norway, Saxifraga cotyledon. They usually grow in cracks in very steep walls from low alpine down to the sea along rivers.

[Toole]

Nice Saxs Trond.

Here's my contribution for the day as well----Moisture on Galanthus.

Cheers Dave.

[Spiegel]

Beautiful Saxes, Trond.

[cohan]

Nice Sax, trond, always extra nice to see things growing out of rock

Dave- nice to see your winter blooms

[cohan]

Waldheimia tomentosa; from Holubec  oops! Pavelka! seed, 2010, but only planted in the rock garden last fall; I was disappointed the flower is white, hoping for pink as in the photo from habitat on Holubec's site, but its still very cute hoping for seed, as this is my only plant, makes me a little nervous! Still small, only maybe 3inches/7cm across; I'll post a full view in the alpines thread..

[Kelaidis]

I think a white Waldheimia would suffice for me! We have tried them again and again, and they melt with the first hint of 90's...

My flower of the day is Platycodon grandiflorus, in a wonderful dwarf form. I have put a number of these strategially throughout my rock gardens (like stiff little sentinels) and they've done a credible job of adding color now in the quiet time of late summer.

[cohan]

Our hottest one or two days were probably just below 90F, but really only for a few hours, and always coolish overnight.. there has been a little damage to the Waldheimia leaves, but I think that's from hail... I'll still hold out some hope for viable seed and maybe pink offspring )

Late summer colour must be very appreciated in a hot dry summer such as you've had there, Panayoti

[Lori S.]

Waldheimia... I'll still hold out some hope for viable seed and maybe pink offspring )

Or even that later flowers on the same plant may be pinker, who knows?  A first flower can often be somewhat anomalous, and with some plants (though I wouldn't know how likely it is with this), weather conditions can affect flower colour.

[cohan]

The Pavelka description did say white or pink flowers, which I had forgotten since that was read a couple of years ago, and I remembered the more recently seen photo on Holubec's site with pink flowers.. its still fun to have a plant from India growing in front of my house with Sempervivum (and Saussureas!) even if it always flowers white...lol.. Ironically, it is not very tomentose at all, but neither was Holubec's specimen; the green foliage may be just fine with all the coloured semps, anyway!

[Hoy]

Cohan, I have to disappoint you! It is very unlikely that a whiteflowered plant should get pink offsprings - however vice verse do happen! Genes for red/pink usually are dominant

Nice Platycodon, Panayoti, I had some seedraised specimens for several years and they flowered themselves to death

[CScott]

Lori,
Did you grow the Gentiana verna from seed?
I have obtained seeds, and am wondering at best way of germinating them?

[Lori S.]

Hi, Carolyn,
I got it from Wrightman's in 2008.  I haven't germinated that species from seed, but for gentians in general, I have been using GA-3, though cold stratification is also successful.

Fabulous saxifrages, Trond!

Rick, Leontopodium alpinum is easily grown here in regular soil (it just has to be watched for drying out too much in hot, dry weather) - strange that it does not do well there?  Is it the humidity, I wonder?  You normally get more precipitation than here, but maybe it's the timing of the precipitation (hot, dry periods are too long, too hot and too dry?)

[cohan]

Cohan, I have to disappoint you! It is very unlikely that a whiteflowered plant should get pink offsprings - however vice verse do happen! Genes for red/pink usually are dominant

Oh well! White will have to do  I'll get some more Erigeron and Townsendia for pink..lol

[RickR]

The Balloon flowers (Platycodon grandiflorus) are indeed showy.  The double forms are especially fun as they open, but in full bloom, not as much.
I finally got a hold of some from the Astra series.  They bloomed at 5 inches before I got them planted.

Hakone White, a purple double form and a dwarf that is never more than 1 ft high.

        

        

Regarding Edelweiss, Lori, I speak from other Chapter members' experiences.  (Myself, I just don't see the charm of it. )  They tell me it is the heat and humidity that is problematic here.