Image of the day - 2012

[Hoy]

Although the fall as a whole has been mild we have had more frosty nights than last year. The first week of December seems to be very cold too (maybe down to -6C/21F). Now we have gotten a couple of inches of snow too

Penstemon 'Rich Red' flowered nicely last summer and tried to produce some new flowers in the fall. here is the result: August and December.

[cohan]

I can't believe you still have plants blooming outside, Todd!  There's been snow on the ground since late October here.... it's going to be a long winter.   

It already has been!  Usually we'd just be getting started on snow cover by now, but we have from a few inches to a foot or so already established and piles of a couple feet around the driveway...

[Todd Boland]

I can't believe you still have plants blooming outside, Todd!  There's been snow on the ground since late October here.... it's going to be a long winter.   

Lori, that crocus was in a greenhouse.  I did have plants still blooming up to a week ago but 5 days ago we got 15 cm snow then the temp dropped to -7 C.  It may be melted by the end of this week but -7 C will have taken care of anything with a bloom!

I'll be experiencing your snow and cold soon enough...I am spending Christmas in Calgary this year!

[cohan]

Well, Calgary was +7 today! We didn't get nearly that high- somewhere around 0 or just below..

I've had some plants here still with flowers after as low as -20C- garden Violas and native Asters come to mind...

[Lori S.]

Yes, I have lots of freeze-dried flowers too.   

Townsendia parryi and Androsace chamaejasme:

[cohan]

Yes, I have lots of freeze-dried flowers too.   

Townsendia parryi and Androsace chamaejasme:

Here is my Townsendia parryii, during  a brief melt on Nov 04- it was soon after covered again, and will likely be so now till spring..

[Spiegel]

Taken today on the cliff above the crevice gardens, a Phlox, probably pungens, but label is gone.  It's been frosted but the flowers are still pretty good.  One of the joys of the western phloxes is that they have repeat flushes of bloom if the weather is to their liking.  Probably the record here is held by Phlox kelseyi, which bloomed 5 times with the last bloom late in the fall.  That's really getting your money's worth from a plant.  It was grown from Alplains seed.  Also looking good is a very nice onosma in the latest of the crevice gardens.

[Tim Ingram]

Having said we don't normally get snow until the New Year, of course now we get snow! (Only a few centimetres but it really does brighten the garden up and cover up all those parts which need a good tidying).

[Lori S.]

Amazing to hear about the performance of Phlox kelseyi down there, Anne.  One bloom is all I expect in this short season.

[Todd Boland]

Well the snow is all gone again...three days of 7-9 C will do that!  Arum italicum is looking pretty good at the moment.  I've had it for years but only once did it bloom and that was three years ago.

[Toole]

While out in the garden this morning i inadvertently managed to alter my SLR camera 's settings for the following pic ,(i was playing around using full manual ).

Obviously i've been a few steps high on the resolution side however an edit of contrast and colour has resulted in hopefully an acceptable image.

Arisaema sps.

Sunglasses required 

Cheers Dave.

[cohan]

Todd, I had a few little bits of Arum- I think it was italicum, though maybe not- from a friend to try, but to no great surprise, there was no sign of them in spring.... We had a few days up to those sorts of temps after our snow, but not sufficient duration to cause overall melting, especially in shade, though many places were bare.. that's a few snows back, though...

Dave- nice image! Sometimes a less technically accurate or complete photograph tells us something interesting about a plant..

[Hoy]

Well the snow is all gone again...three days of 7-9 C will do that!  Arum italicum is looking pretty good at the moment.  I've had it for years but only once did it bloom and that was three years ago.

Todd, my plant is still covered by snow - so far December has been extremely cold I've never gotten flowers though, maybe it is to shady where it is growing.

Dave, you have caught the spathe well enough. Looks like the plant is growing on a sunny beach!

[Lori S.]

Arum italicum is beautiful.  I've tried to grow it here with no luck at overwintering.  Funny sort of behavior for a plant to generate new leaves just before going into winter!

A short-lived beauty, Braya linearis:

[Spiegel]

Lori, I think it's not about how often the phloxes will rebloom in one season, it's the fact that they have the ability to do so.  Would that more of my favorites would do this.