Alpines - June, 2012

Oxytropis megalantha:

Dryas octopetala:

Androsace albana, from SRGC seedex seed in 2011:

Arenaria kansuensis, starting to flower:

Campanula turczaninovii, from seed in 2010 - according to Graham Nicholls, a tap-rooted sort; the buds are rather intriguing, almost black:
 

Rosularia turkestanica:

Lori, you never cease to amaze us with you never-ending plant menagerie. :o

Do rosularias change colors with the seasons similar to semperviviums?

Well, I don't know about never-ending (though I am busy replacing what I kill... sigh) but there's a couple of new things there... many thanks though!!  :)  I haven't really noticed that Rosularia change colour so noticeably as Sempervivum.

Eremostachys speciosa has opened, and the thickly-furred stem has suddenly elongated...

First flower on Pyrrocoma uniflora, planted in 2009:

Lori wrote:

How's about an update to get us into June?

June?? The temperature is more like March. I am dressed in the same way as in winter exept I wear jandals ;)

Lori, of all your gems I really fell for the Eremostachys!

I also am intriged with that Eremostachys!  That gentian is freaky too.

BTW Lori, I'll be in Calgary the end of the month but will immediately head down to the Bighorn and Bearstooth Mountains.  I'll be in Calgary July 9-14 if you want to get together for lunch or dinner...my treat this time!

Trond, it is Junuary here too...a solid week of only 5-7 C!  Last June was a writeoff and this June is even worse!  If it wasn't for two weeks of above normal temps in mid-May, our trees would not have a leaf.  Now, the lilacs have been in bloom two weeks and still look as fresh as they day they opened.  We have also had strong winds...the north bed next to my house has been shredded...guess I have to revisit planting it out in Ligularias!

Just a few plants I shot today before my fingers went numb.  The seeds of Geum reptans look so neat right now.

The flower stem on the Eremostachys speciosa is so thick an substantial.  Is it a biennial?

Todd, I never knew Geum did that swirly thing!  I've never been much of a fan of the genus...
Regular lilacs (S. vulgaris) were duds this year for us.  May temperatures most of March, and March temperatures most of April really did a number on the flowers. :(

I have 5 species of Geum but I must admit, Geum reptans is the creme-de-la-creme of the genus...but also the trickiest to grow, at least for me.  Others do not have such fancy developing seeds although Geum triflorum is also pretty cool (but its flowers are not nearly as nice).

RickR wrote:

The flower stem on the Eremostachys speciosa is so thick an substantial.  Is it a biennial?

The genus is said to consist of perennials, according to eFlora of China.

Todd - that geum is an absolute work of art! There is a lot more to plants than flowers (!), especially for the nurseryman who spends a lot of time scanning seedlists. Geums seem to vary from the very demure to the completely flamboyant - but they mostly do poorly in our dry garden. I have heard others describe reptans as very special.

Sounds good, Todd... perhaps I can drag you out on a hike in mid-July?  

Update on Eremostachys speciosa... I've been away since Monday, and have come back to find it in full bloom; it kind of reminds me of Pedicularis, which I always enjoy seeing:
   

Update also on Campanula turczaninovii - it is a very dark, rich purple-blue with a white-furred calyx... the narrow, funnel-shaped flower form is reminiscent of C. uniflora (which I see with much smaller flowers than this in the wild here).  It's 33cm (13") tall, planted in soil that I have mentioned is rather richer than need be perhaps; I suppose it might well be more  compact in the lean, mean condition of my later beds.
   

Edit:  A later photo with the flowers more open...

Update on Androsace albana:

Todd,Lori nice pictures. It is raining now.Here are some from my garden.

Very nice, Krish,and well done with the daphne especially!

Aethionema glaucescens:

Thanks Lori.The Daphne is 3 years old and so far doing well.The weather system from Alberta has moved to Saskatchewan. It is raining all day today too.Hope to get a break on monday.
I went out to take some pictures in the rain.The Dianthus and the penstemon are from NARGS seeds.

more pictures

Sedum pilosum, forming weird shapes as the flower stems elongate:

First blooms on Campanula bessenginica, from last year:
 

Lesquerella arizonica:

Campanula saxifraga, starting to bloom:

Myosotis decumbens, with the flower stems at about max length:

First flowers on Salvia cryptantha, from last year; nothing to write home about at present, but assuming it lives long and prospers...
 

Dianthus sp. and Alyssum spinosum (and Penstemon x 'Pink Holly', not yet in bloom):

Hieracium villosum:

Looks like your Sedum pilosum is almost going to bloom itself out.  Going to be a very nice display. 8)

The Hieracium villosum that I kept in pots look a lot more like yours, Lori.  The pics I've been showing is in a hot and dry garden.  

Myosotis decumbens from your seed is coming along...

RickR wrote:

Looks like your Sedum pilosum is almost going to bloom itself out.  

Yes, they're biennials, darn it.  The one rosette that will not bloom may be another seedling, not sure.

RickR wrote:

The Hieracium villosum that I kept in pots look a lot more like yours, Lori.  The pics I've been showing is in a hot and dry garden.  

My plants are all out in regular soil, full sun.  
Good news on the Myosotis decumbens seeds!

Silene bolanthoides - not as cute as last year (http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=274.msg9910#msg9910); it seems the flowers are smaller for some reason (the plant is larger as well).  I seem to be missing the fresh blooms - luckily, there are quite a few more to come.

Asperula boissieri, with some damage from what was a strangely-destructive winter in my garden:

Well, at least this survived last year's September planting frenzy - Anthyllis vulneraria coccinea:
 

The outsized bells of Campanula alpestris:
 

I'm still just thinking of a new bed for rock plants but your posts Lori and Krish make me look forward to the necessary digging and stoneworking ;D

You should definitely do so Trond! This is a picture of the first alpine bed I made, probably 25 years ago. It was great for 10 or 15 years and then got overgrown and weedy as the nursery took precedance. At last I am starting to renovate it, the idea being to use tufa and rocks around the edge and infill with gritty sand (as suggested by David Sellars). The narrow strip down the front, filled with sand, should hold more moisture, and I hope will be suitable for a slightly different range of plants. In the gravel at the back I aim to put small Mediterranean shrubs like phlomis (have some nice ones germinating from Euroseeds). The trouble is with the excitement of doing something new here, the rest of the garden begins to grow away alarmingly...

Tim wrote:

You should definitely do so Trond! This is a picture of the first alpine bed I made, probably 25 years ago. It was great for 10 or 15 years and then got overgrown and weedy as the nursery took precedance. At last I am starting to renovate it, the idea being to use tufa and rocks around the edge and infill with gritty sand (as suggested by David Sellars). The narrow strip down the front, filled with sand, should hold more moisture, and I hope will be suitable for a slightly different range of plants. In the gravel at the back I aim to put small Mediterranean shrubs like phlomis (have some nice ones germinating from Euroseeds). The trouble is with the excitement of doing something new here, the rest of the garden begins to grow away alarmingly...

Tim, I don't need the excitement of doing something new to neglect the garden, lazy as I am ;)

I have in fact made some plans and intend to start digging and building later in the summer. I have  a few other smaller projects to finish too.

Your renovating project looks exciting. Please continue documenting the progress!

Lori, you have jumped ahead of me....13 days of single digit temps will do that!  Finally the wind changed yesterday and the temp reached 24 C.  Back to east winds today for the next 4 days so back to early spring temps :(  I have had the same tulips open for nearly a month!

Heavy (welcome though) rain today. Managed to take some pics before the rain started.

An unknown primula (it had an label, obviously wrong) and Ranunculus parnassifolius on the shed roof. In the foreground in the second pic is Anemone trullifolia linearifolia.

Linum cariense:

Armeria juniperifolia, planted last year:

Gentiana siphonantha, soon to bloom; grown from seed in 2010; seed from Pavelka (4300m, Anyemaquen Shan, Quinghai, China; densely tufted, narrow leaves to 10cm, dark blue flowers in heads 10-15cm, stoney slopes, 2008 seed):
 

Silene pusilla, in front, with Dianthus glacialis:

Dracocphalum heterophyllum, in front, with Ajania tibetica:

Buds on Telesonix jamesii v. heucheriformis:

Finally, after 4 years, the start of bloom on Genista dephinensis:

Interesting red buds on Silene falcata:

Aethionema glaucescens, again:

More Sedum pilosum weirdness:
 

Bad pics of a promising little Aconitum from Beaver Creek , labelled as Aconitum sp. ex DaXue Shan:
 

Trough with Heuchera hallii:
 

Buds on Edraianthus dalmaticus:

Seeds forming on Rheum rhizostachyum:

Cancrinia tibetica seedling, tightening up in outdoor conditions:

Anthyllis vulneraria coccinea, again:

Some colour in the tufa bed:

Buds on Campanula orphanidea:

Aubrieta canescens:

Splendid pictures everyone ... (Note to myself) :- I must visit Calgary and Norway asap.

Well, Cliff, do let me know if you decide to visit!  :)

Updates - Silene bolanthoides:
 

Silene falcata:
 

Lori - I keep seeing pictures from your garden, either of plants I have small seedlings of, or that grow in mine but not quite so well! The two silenes are good examples, great plants (especially falcata). I think the other one I have labelled as Bolanthus thymoides from Euroseed (the foliage looks the same). I'm still looking forward to seeing how Lactuca intricata turns out. So nice to see all these plants; our tufa garden beckons!

A few things flowering on our sand bed at the moment. The oxalis keeps producing one flower every now and again, but what a colour! Except for the thyme all of these were only planted last autumn and have taken to the conditions well. The Leucogynes is planted on the north side of a large block of tufa, with the hope that it might be a little cooler and moister - I am quite surprised that it has kept looking so good through hot dry spells this spring.

You have the most amazing plants, Tim!  I'd love to see your gardens... I can just imagine poring over it, inch by inch, to see all the wonders!
I planted out my Lactuca intricata some time ago, and it is tightening up, though it's still hard to imagine it becoming a spiny shrub.

Campanula orphanidea, now blooming... it looks somewhat different than the photos, so I'll have to check out the ID.

Dracocephalum heterophyllum and Sedum pilosum... as I always notice, there's nothing like these close-ups to show where some weeding is needed.  ;D  (Well, I tell myself at least it's a million seedlings of Asyneuma limonifolium I'm weeding out, not weeds per se... as if that makes a difference.  :rolleyes:)
 

Penstemon virens... lots of seedlings from it, too.  In a very short time, I've realized there's nothing like gravel to catch and hold seeds!

Tim and Lori, your plants seem to behave! Here's one I have brought up from seed - first flower I've seen although it is many years old and the name long forgotten. Should be a plant for the rockery but are getting too big. Is it the climate?

The leaves are silvery and finely divided. The flower is yellow (I had always thought it would be white) and daisy-like.

You certainly have a lot of interesting and unfamiliar plants, Trond!  That one looks very nice, even if you think it is a bit large.

Silene pusilla:

Lori wrote:

You certainly have a lot of interesting and unfamiliar plants, Trond!  That one looks very nice, even if you think it is a bit large.

Thanks Lori! However, if we both made inventory lists of our rockery subjects my believe is yours would be the longer ;)

Lori wrote:

... lots of seedlings from it, too.  In a very short time, I've realized there's nothing like gravel to catch and hold seeds!

Agree! I remember once that I went collecting interesting seedlings in the gravel at the pathways in the churchyard before they were removed ;D

Messing around today with a new camera...

Telesonix jamesii v. heucheriformis:

The flowers on Gentiana siphonantha are a really exquisite, rich blue... now, if only I'd get to see them when they're open!  (They do open... I caught a lucky glimpse one sunny day.)  Well, maybe tomorrow, if it doesn't rain most of the day as it did today.

Aethionema glaucescens, a different plant with a little different form than the other one that was recently posted:

Saxifraga paniculata v. minutifolia 'Red-backed Spider' survived the move last September out of the disintegrating "chocolate brownie" trough into a new tufa bed, and will bloom soon...

Wonderful display Lori!  You seem to have a lot more blooming at the moment than I....I have G. siphonantha this year...maybe it will bloom in a couple of years.

Flowering now are Androsace muscoidea (got this from Stephanie Ferguson last summer), Campanula pilosa, lewisia columbiana rupicola and Lychnis yunnanense

A few more...penstemon hallii, Saxifraga Fosters Red, Saxifraga cebennensis and Viola kunarwarensis

last year I grew a bunch of meconopsis...I'm delighted that all three bloomed this year.  M. grandis, M. baileyi 'Alba' and M. 'Hensol Violet'

Gorgeous plants, Todd!  Androsace muscoidea is delightful, and I hope my Campanula pilosa looks like yours one day!  I haven't even heard of most of those... love the red-flowered Sax too!  (I won't even comment on the meconopsis, especially the dark one... bah, humbug.   ;D ;D)

Yes, that androsace is very special, and the campanula with its color fading really gives it a different look.  Very pleasing!

A cute little Silene/Lychnis/Saponaria that I will have to ID.  Anyone recognize it?

Saponaria lutea:

First bloom ever on Genista delphinensis:

Arenaria grandiflora:

Incarvillea himalayense zhongdianensis:

Asyneuma limonifolium, starting to bloom:

Onosma euboica x2:
 

Could the mystery be Silene davidii?

Onosma rank up with blue corydalis for me!  I managed to get one to survive once through a winter but not since.

Todd wrote:

Could the mystery be Silene davidii?

Good suggestion but I don't think so... doesn't seem to match what I have as Silene davidii/Lychnis kantzeensis (bad photo but only one readily available:

Todd, you have some pretty plants yourself although you say you can't grow blue corydalises (or onosmas)!

More gems, Lori! Sorry, can't help with the Saponaria or whatever it is :-\

Lori wrote:

Todd wrote:

Could the mystery be Silene davidii?

Good suggestion but I don't think so... doesn't seem to match what I have as Silene davidii/Lychnis kantzeensis (bad photo but only one readily available:
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I bought S. davidii from Beaver Creek this year...it is a dead ringer for your mystery...does not look like what you already have as S. davidii...perhaps what you thought was S. davidii was mislabelled?  Or Roger mislabeled his (heaven forbid!)

Here's the entry for Silene davidii/Lychnis kantzeensis in eflora of China:
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=242000737

Most of the photos look like this:
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=88339&flora_id=800

This one has elongated foliage but the same flowers as the rest of the photos:
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=88330&flora_id=800

I'd guess your new Beaver Creek one is mislabelled if it's a dead ringer for my mystery plant, as the flowers don't match the eflora of China examples of Silene davidii.  I don't believe the foliage matches either, though it is not too dissimilar from the one with elongated leaves.

It would not be the first mis-ID'ed plant I got from beaver creek!  His plants are great whatever they are!

Todd wrote:

His plants are great whatever they are!

Agreed!!  :)