Alpines July 2012

:o :o :o

Any scent?

Don't know, I never smell plants, if the perfume is not obvious I never notice. Hospital appointment tomorrow so will check on Thursday.

Michael, do you turn your plants around to get light from all sides? Your plants looks sp perfect!

Yes, all plants are turned once a week.

WOW!  Spectacular!

Impressive to say the least!

Michael wrote:

Don't know, I never smell plants, if the perfume is not obvious I never notice. Hospital appointment tomorrow so will check on Thursday.

My first instinct with plants, is to smell the flowers (and the foliage); its a whole dimension of gardening.  Regardless, the plant is fantastic, an impressive specimen.

Well, nothing here to compare with the magnificence of that Trachelium!! 

Cancrinia tianshanica has tightened up nicely outdoors; I look forward to seeing if they winter over:
   

Delphinium beesianum:

And another dwarf Delphinium, blooming in the first year from seed; perhaps the same as above(?) but much more vividly-coloured; something of a surprise, as I had the pot labeled as something entirely different:

Silene saxifraga:

Lori wrote:

Well, nothing here to compare with the magnificence of that Trachelium!! 

And another dwarf Delphinium, blooming in the first year from seed; perhaps the same as above(?) but much more vividly-coloured; something of a surprise, as I had the pot labeled as something entirely different:

Lori, I think you have much to compare - or rather you two are in different exercises!

I always get surprises like that! I mean, what pops up isn't what the label says. Although I am a bit absentminded, I am not to that degree. I think ants or other animals move the seeds around in the nighttime ;)

Quote:

Any scent?

No noticeable scent.

A couple of wonderful alstroemerias originally grown from seed from Jim and Jenny Archibald:-

Alstroemeria garavantae - (Chile, V, Cerro Vizcacha. Ex. a J. Watson coll.). This has done well and self   
                                        seeded on a raised bed over many years, growing to around 30cm).

Alstroemeria pulchra      - (Chile, V, Valparaiso, Con Con. Ex. Beckett, Cheese and Watson 4762). A more 
                                        tenuous plant which by accident has seeded into a peat/bark raised bed!

In Jim & Jenny Archibald's seed list for August 2006 are 25 Alstroemeria of which I have grown 8 or 9, at least for several years, which shows what potentially good plants they can be for the garden once growing conditions have been mastered. (I speak from the relatively mild south-east of the UK! Jim grew these planted out in a glasshouse, from which to harvest seed, but they are hardy with us to -10°C or a little lower).

Awesome Alstoemeria Tim, beautiful flower markings.

Lori, had to look up Cancrinia tianshanica, found the following Holubec photo link, it looks like a wonderful yellow buttopnhead alpine that looks like a tiny Tanacetum or NZ Craspedia.
http://holubec.wbs.cz/3Borohoro-Shan_-Xinjiang.html

Nice dwarf Delphiniums, I was going to show D. forrestii, but a rabbit ate all the leaves and buds leaving just nude stalks. :(

Moderator edit: Spelling of Cancrinia  :)

Echoing what Mark has said... amazing Alstroemeria, Tim!

Too bad your Delphinium forestii got munched; looks like a very interesting one:
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=91153&flora_id=800

Jurinea cadmea:

Taking a minute to post a few shots...
Telesonix jamesii v. heucheriformis:
 

Monardella odoratissima v. odoratissima:

First flowers on Saxifraga cochlearis minor:

Stachys lavandulifolia, a rather spreading one that I will likely have to control or move (like the Monardella):

Repeat bloom on Dryas octopetala:

Flowers developing on Ajuga lupulina:

And a flower stalk on this teensy Saxifraga umbellulata v. pectinata... the basal rosette is slightly over a cm across:

Lori wrote:

Too bad your Delphinium forestii got munched; looks like a very interesting one:
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=91153&flora_id=800

It flowered last year, but does not look anything like the photo in the link you provide, most likely what I have is a misnomer, but it was a nice low-to-mid-size Delphinium anyways, I was hoping to post photos for a proper ID.  Maybe next year.

Agoseris glauca in bud, from seed in 2011 - not sure how truly rock-garden worthy this will prove to be, though I enjoy seeing them in the mountains here:
 

Going back a little (been away in the beautiful Dolomites for three weeks) to your magnificent Trachelium, Michael ... and I know you don't exhibit your beautiful plants any more ... in a clean pot that would have been up for 'Best in Show'.  A magnificent plant.

;D ;D ;D

Michael wrote:

Trachelium asperuloides

Splendid :)

So nice to see so many gardens still flush with blooming alpines. As for my garden things are pretty slow, the 100+ F temps have sent some plants into summer dormancy. some plants on the other hand are on round two of blooming. here are a few pics from yesterday(July 17).
E. holmgrenii second time aroun on the blooming
http://photos.imageevent.com/teita/rgmay132011/websize/IMG_1317.JPG
Lupinus lepidus with some sort of drabas
http://photos.imageevent.com/teita/rgmay132011/websize/IMG_1312.JPG
Heterotheca jonesii blooms until hard freeze
http://photos.imageevent.com/teita/rgmay132011/websize/IMG_1315.JPG
Clematis hirsutissima blooms more or less continuous in the summer
http://photos.imageevent.com/teita/rgmay132011/websize/IMG_1313.JPG
Zauschneria garrettii just getting going
http://photos.imageevent.com/teita/rgmay132011/websize/IMG_1324.JPG

Beautiful, Jim!  Your alpine beds look very natural, a lot like the alpine ridges we hike in summer.

Lactuca intricata doesn't look like salad anymore... and it looks like it will bloom in its first year from seed.  At least I will get to see flowers even if it doesn't winter over!

Saponaria pumilo has a very long bloom season - terrific plant...

Allium albidum ssp. caucasicum is starting to open:

http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/RhizomatousAlliums

Cheiranthus roseus is a repeat bloomer (and not seemingly monocarpic, as was expected) - something (flea beetles??) attacked the leaves early this season, so it has not been very photogenic, however.

Some odd repeat bloom too on Phlox hendersonii:

And one obviously does not grow this one for its flower power  ;)... Bolanthus thymoides:

Lori- The Lactuca is very cute- hope it overwinters!
Do you find much variation in the Agoseris you see in the wild? seems quite a bit of variation in flowers on google, but those could be far apart--some more like Dandelions, some more like Zinnias or something... I think I saw one of the Agoseris once, and quite liked it...

Full view, close-up in image of the day; First flowering for Waldheimia tomentosa; from Holubec 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; this in the 'no-name Semp bed, right in front of the house.

And also still small and planted out last fall, Potentilla nitida also from Czech seed, though I'd have to check to see which vendor; I have several of these in a couple of beds, and a few more yet to plant out, some variation of whitish leaves like this one, or greener; wonder if flowers will vary? hopefully I will find out next year.. they seem to be growing well.

I like the white form, Cohan ;) I have never tried Waldheimia nor P nitida. Maybe I should!

Thanks, Trond :) I like white daisies well enough, but they seem more common, always prefer another colour for daisies, although I still want a white dandelion..lol
P nitida is one I have admired in photos from our Dolomitic friends, and again, pink seems a more exciting colour for Potentilla than usual yellow or white  ;D as lovely as those can be! So far it seems easy enough, though Todd mentioned it doesn't do well for him, not sure what the differences would be, possibly moisture, though it has been quite wet here since I've been growing them, and I have them in more or less clay with gravel, but raised, sloped plantings for drainage.. If they continue to survive it will probably be mostly in spite of me, not because of me...lol

Your alpines are looking good, Cohan!  Dang, I wish I'd grown Potentilla nitida instead of Potentilla divina... it certainly appears to be the showier of the two re. flowers, from the few pictures I can find of the latter.  Oh well, I'm still waiting for it to bloom anyway (from seed in 2010), so I guess I'll see someday.

Here's a slightly confused Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Pearl Bells', bought this year - nice to see it bloom though, no matter how unseasonally:

Cotula hispida, a tufty South African plant with tiny yellow button flowers - an experiment:
 

Acantholimon kotschyi ssp. laxispicatum - a couple more plants, grown from seed in 2010, are coming into bloom this year.  However, the one that bloomed last year was dead this spring, so it will be interesting to see what these do.
 

Marrubium lutescens, from seed this past winter, is looking cuddly, as is Pyrethrum leontopodium (purchased):
 

Plantago urvillei, from seed this past winter, in bloom:

Jurinea cadmea is attractive in seed as well as in flower:

Oxytropis megalantha blooms all season through, though not spectacularly:

It's strange what one comes across sometimes... Rhodohypoxis baurii 'Lily Jean', which I expect stands very little chance of wintering over (no kidding, right?  :rolleyes:), but as I have no interest in keeping it indoors, I guess it'll fall into the category of slim-chance experimentation... strange, ratty-looking flowers, which are supposed to be double, but are mostly rather disorganized-looking.

Along with the Rhodohypoxis, I was also surprised to find a few dwarf trees at one of the local nurseries - Thuja occidentalis 'Teddy' and Juniperus communis 'Gold Cone':  
 

Heterotheca jonesii has been blooming for some time:

Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears':

Cyclamen purpurascens:

Campanula hercegovina 'Nana':

Primula scotica:

Lori- was Potentilla divina the Russian species? I think I was wavering between the two, thinking the Russian might be hardier, but made the final decision based on which seed order needed filling out..lol

So many lovelies there- love the Pyrethrum, Jurinea is cool too- I've looked at some of these on the seedlists, but didn't get that far yet.. what colour flowers did this one have?

Good luck with Cotula- there is another species or two commonly grown, right? Can't remember if they are hardy or just bedding plants..
The Rhodohypoxis is cute, I like the fuzzy leaves! I have babies of various SA bulbs, but they will all live indoors full time..

Eclectic selection Lori. As far as the Rhodohypoxis is concerned your slim-chance experimentation will be exactly that I fear!

cohan wrote:

Lori- was Potentilla divina the Russian species?

Yes, seems to be:
http://www.mobot.org/mobot/research/russia/caucasus.shtml
I only hope, as the article above mentions, that the seeds came from this large-flowered anomaly, rather than the rather narrow-petaled forms I've googled!
The flowers on Jurinea cadmea are pale pink; the plant is still in bloom (you can see a flower in the picture), with more buds coming, while the old flowers are forming seed.
Yes, I imagine you're right about the Cotula... commonly grown elsewhere, no doubt, but not here much.  I recall trying Leptinella squalida (which apparently has been lumped into Cotula at times) in past years - only tiny bits wintered over.

Yes, certainly "eclectic", David!  I plan to concentrate on some more conventional (read: "showy") selections going forward!  ;D

Good luck with the Potentilla!
I had to go back and look again at the Jurinea to see the flower, missed it first time around..

'Eclectic' is good-- showy is nice, and you do want some of that around for effect, I guess, but its the 'cool' plants that get me most excited...lol

And what's a 'cool' plant Cohan? I think most plants are cool - except the aggressive weeds like Circaea lutetiana which is currently suppressing all my other plants.

Lori, you do seem to experiment a lot, it is perfectly understandable ;D Is P scotica in flower now? It's twin, P. scandinavica is finished a long time ago.
I lost my Rhodohypoxis last winter after 2 years :-\

Lori - such marvellous plants. I've just planted out Lactuca intricata and a whole lot of other seed raised things on a raised bed, including Astragalus utahensis which I grew years ago in a pot and made a magnificent plant - fingers crossed!

Cohan - Potentilla nitida is grown a lot here and has lovely foliage but for some reason is very shy flowering. The pink flowers when they come are glorious. I don't grow it very successfully but must try again. This is a picture of a tufa planting in our sand bed and bottom right is Potentilla ovina with the typical yellow flowers but very nice dissected silver foliage. I don't know its origins but wonder if the name has got muddled with divina?

Tim, a very neat and beautiful piece of rock garden!

Tim, I'll let you know next year if my P nitida is also shy to flower- they are tiny this year, so I wasn't expecting anything yet, though I know some things flower that small..
As to ovina/divina, it doesn't look similar at a glance, but no time to look them up now- out to do a few minutes of mowing before work.. at least the grass has slowed down- takes it 45 minutes to grow out instead of 20..lol

Tim wrote:

Potentilla nitida is grown a lot here and has lovely foliage but for some reason is very shy flowering.... and bottom right is Potentilla ovina with the typical yellow flowers but very nice dissected silver foliage. I don't know its origins but wonder if the name has got muddled with divina?

Potentilla ovina is a yellow-flowered (as you said), North American species... one of the confusing (to me anyway!) alpine species that occurs here.  You'd think the geographical differences and flower colour difference (with P. divina in pink) would have reduced the likelihood of mixing "ovina" and "divina".  Anyway, if you google P. divina, there are lots of hits.  Interestingly, according to The Plant List, all three species names (P. ovina, P. nitida, P. divina) are "unresolved". 

P. divina:
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/view/item/29949.html
http://eol.org/pages/11164060/entries/34464326/overview

Nice tufa and plantings, Tim!  That particular piece looks a lot more nodular than what I have.  Lactuca intricata has one flower open today... will wait a bit before posting a photo.
Yes, the Primula scotica plants in the acid beds are currently in bloom.  One plant on the north-ish side of the tufa bed bloomed much earlier.  I'm rather surprised at how well they seem to be doing in the relatively dry conditions there.

Hi folks,
Replying from Chamonix Mont Blanc, but with two images from the Dolomites ...

Potentilla nitida alba
Potentilla nitida rubra in habitat

Stunning plants and scenery, Cliff!  The almost fluorescent pistils(?) are especially brilliant against the white petals.

Cliff, you haven't lost your artistic qualities!

Booker wrote:

Hi folks,
Replying from Chamonix Mont Blanc, but with two images from the Dolomites ...

Potentilla nitida alba
Potentilla nitida rubra in habitat

The white form is stunning indeed :)
Boy would I love to have that rock!

The one in the background I suppose?