Photo of the Day 2016

A pretty amazing weed (Gloriosa superba), to be sure.  I find it really astounding how fragile and vulnerable warm climates are with respect to invasive species... an awfully pretty thing to look at though!

Aquilegia flavescens in Kananaskis Country, AB:

Lori, for a minute there, I thought you were talking about your Aquilegia picture.  Boy was I perplexed!

What kind of rock are those beauties growing in?

Ooops, I will go back and clarify the previous comments!  :-)  The Aquilegia flavescens is indeed native and non-invasive - it doesn't even seem to be much in cultivation.  It's growing there among limestone boulders, Rick... lots of limestone in the Rockies here.

I wonder if this is Ranunculus nivalis, seen in Kananaskis Country, AB, at ~2500m elevation?  The sepals are brown on the backsides, as for R. nivalis.

It's growing there among limestone boulders

I wish we could get limestone that color here....

[quote=RickR]

I wish we could get limestone that color here....

[/quote]

The usual range seems to be grey to tan.  What colours are available there, Rick?

Love this plant, Achillea ageratifolia:

While I do occasionally find light gray tones of limestone in the wild here, they are never accessible, either on public environmentally sensitive lands or just too far from roads to make it at all practical.  Limestone for sale is always a yellow-beige here.

Achillea ageratifolia is a hardy fellow.  Back when we had cold winters, it always did well for me in a trough,.

Lycoris incarnata started flowering a week or so ago 

started to look good a few days later

A second clump had spikes up about then

and is now at peak bloom

cheers

fermi

The only one I can get to bloom up here in Zone 4 is Lycoris squamigera.  It wants to set seed every year, but of course it never does (being sterile).

  My best clump:

Rick,

you do better with that one than I do! Even though it's called "Hardy Amaryllis" it has not persisted in our garden - either the frost hits it at a sensitive time or it doesn't like the watering regime!

Here's Rhodophiala bifida, a blood red clone which is quite eye-catching - I'm hoping it bulks up enough to make a spectacular display one year

For years I only had one clone (an orangey-red one) and never got any seed but got this a couple of years ago from a friend and have used it to set seed on the other clone - just waiting for the progeny to flower now!

cheers

fermi

That L. squamigera is the only plant I have that I semi regularly need to protect from spring frost (about every 3 years).  Despite it's deep planting it comes up at the same time as the Corydalis solida!  I have but one measely Rhodophiala seedling in a pot.  I would be happy with any Rhodophiala, let alone with such a beautiful color!  I wonder if mine will ever bloom....

Rick,

Rhodophiala baffle me as well! It took ages for the original clone I had to get to flowering size but since then they have flowered regularly - except last year! This one is in a bed which gets summer water and I wonder if that is why it is in flower already (the other one is usually in flower in March when the weather has started to cool down)

cheers

fermi

This is one of the few native Australian bulbs, the Garland Lily, Calostemma purpureum

cheers

fermi

This clematis came to us as the hybrid 'Golden Tiara'; it has persisted with a little supplementary water over the summers 

cheers

fermi

This variegated Yucca seemed to burst into bloom before I even noticed the spike forming!

Not sure of the specific - I think it was something strange like "Y. gloriosa variegata"

cheers

fermi

Lycoris elsae which started a few days ago is now in full bloom,

cheers

fermi

Scrumptious, and very fragrant-looking.  Is it?

Lycorus squamigera is one of the first to emerge here, and they only plant I worry about in late frosts.  All time record-breaking weather has stimulated them extra early:

[quote=RickR]

Scrumptious, and very fragrant-looking.  Is it?

]

No scent that I've noticed, Rick. Must check it out later.

This morning this Commelina elegans looked spectacular with a great many flowers open at the same time,

cheers

fermi

A most peculiar presentation of Rhodophiala bifida! A pic taken a week ago,

Today I saw that the scapes are now an inch or two above the gravel

cheers

fermi

This week more scapes have emerged with more normal lengths,

cheers

fermi

Only one flower stem on Lycoris aurea this year

cheers

fermi

Spring is finally here.

Bulbacodium vernum from my garden

Nice one, Krish!

Here's Cyclamen graecum flowering in the rock garden,

It started just over 7 weeks ago and now the leaves are showing,

cheers

fermi

the weather is getting much warmer.

I managed to take some pictures yesterday at the garden.

The Pusatilla was closed by the time I wnt to take the pictures.

difficulty uploading more pictures.

This South American ipheion has had a few name changes!

First, I bought it as Ipheion hirtellum but was told it was actually Ipheion sellowianum which is now considered to be Nothoscordum felipponei and by some to be Tristagma sellowianum (Kunth) Traub!

cheers

fermi

A nice pairing of a pale hoop petticoat daff , 'Jessamy' and a deep yellow, red-tipped Lachenalia aloides

cheers

fermi

Tulip Season is starting!

Tulipa saxatilis Bakeri group 'Lilac Wonder' does well in our rock garden without "running" too much ( as opposed to the type species)

cheers

fermi

Lovely, Fermi.  Our summer seems to be ending early, with rain and cool temperatures.  Spring is even farther away for us!

...Claire

We got this peony years ago as Paeonia mascula ssp russii but then was told it was actually P.kesrouanensis, but no surety of that

cheers

fermi

Tulipa clusiana 'Cynthia' 

In full flower while the sun was shining yesterday morning,

Also in bloom the tiny Tulipa aucheriana

cheers

fermi