Image of the day

Come on folks ... let's begin an 'Image of the Day' topic. I'll begin by posting an image of Pulsatilla vernalis.

Who will follow this up tomorrow?

PULSATILLA VERNALIS

Comments

Tue, 02/02/2010 - 7:15am

That's a great idea, Cliff! (and a most wonderful photo.) I grow a few Pulsatilla species, but not vernalis.  I just received seed of it this year.  Have you (or anyone) found anything different as to its germination requirements in comparison to other Pulsatillas?

Tue, 02/02/2010 - 8:50am

Many thanks Rick.  The Spring Pasque Flower is one of my favorite plants and one of the absolute gems of the high altitude snow melt zones in the European Alps.  Not difficult to germinate if the seed is fresh the resultant seedlings can be quite variable but usually worth persisting with until flowering. Please do not be tempted to pamper these seedlings in any way.

Lori S.'s picture

Tue, 02/02/2010 - 11:57am

It grows here in a state of virtual neglect out in the front yard - no special care or attention at all.  Mine are white-flowered, re. the variability that was mentioned.  Seed starting was straight-forward - easy, warm germinator.

McGregorUS's picture

Wed, 02/03/2010 - 7:10am

Great idea Cliff and to keep the ball rolling I offer this. Its Rhodothamnus chamaecistus, not in cultivation, but photographed in the mountains of western Slovenia. I just think it is beautiful.

Wed, 02/03/2010 - 7:21am

Another of my all time favorite plants, Malcolm and one that we are fortunate enough to see thriving in the Dolomites each year (and flowering, but not as well, in large pots in my garden).

Beautiful image of a super plant.  Who will rise to the challenge tomorrow?

Wed, 02/03/2010 - 8:38am
McGregor wrote:

Great idea Cliff and to keep the ball rolling I offer this. Its Rhodothamnus chamaecistus, not in cultivation, but photographed in the mountains of western Slovenia. I just think it is beautiful.

This plant is one of the real charmers of the Ericaceae.... my favourite plant family.... and your photo shows it in peak condition, Malcolm.
Still under snow here in Aberdeen, so such pictures are a treat!

Maggi Young

McGregorUS's picture

Wed, 02/03/2010 - 9:06am

And its intriguing because it's a limestone plant, unlike most of the Ericaceae! 

Wed, 02/03/2010 - 1:20pm

What a wonderful plant!  I'd love to try one in Newfoundland...we are the king of ericaceous plants when it comes to natives...however, if Rhodothamnus needs lime it might not be happy here.

McGregorUS's picture

Wed, 02/03/2010 - 1:55pm

I don't think its too fussy in cultivation, just in the wild, as I understand it.

Hoppel's picture

Thu, 02/04/2010 - 12:21am

That Townsendia condensata is one of my favourite, the flower is 5cm in size, soft hairy leaves, fast grower in sunny very dry place, unfortunately monocarpic. I just like it - looks like a soft ball.

McGregorUS's picture

Thu, 02/04/2010 - 8:00am

is this photograph of wild plants, or are they ones you are growing in Poland?  They are very nice - quite charming.

Thu, 02/04/2010 - 8:15am

I have seeds of this one to try this year...yes it's too bad they are so short-lived.  makes for a lot of work to keep them going year to year.

Thu, 02/04/2010 - 2:02pm

Townsendia grows rather easily in the sunniest part of our Arboretum Rock Garden.  We've had no expreience with condensata at the Arboretum, though.  I think hookeri or maybe montana.  I don't know if any of our Minnesota Chapter members have tried T. condensata.  We will certainly keep it in mind!  Thanks for the photo.

Hoppel's picture

Fri, 02/05/2010 - 12:52am
McGregor wrote:

is this photograph of wild plants, or are they ones you are growing in Poland?  They are very nice - quite charming.

This is photo from my garden, plants are located under roof overhangs by my house in pure granite gravel. In regular conditions in my garden it would rot off very quickly.

Hoppel's picture

Fri, 02/05/2010 - 12:57am
Boland wrote:

I have seeds of this one to try this year...yes it's too bad they are so short-lived.  makes for a lot of work to keep them going year to year.

It may be much easier to keep it going by immediate sowing. I've done it last year just after seed ripening and new seedlings shot after a couple of weeks in the same place. Now new plants are of 2cm size but probably 'll be flowering next year.

Fri, 02/05/2010 - 3:04am

Pretty plant from the Dolomites for today's image ... the gorgeous honey-scented Thlaspi rotundifolium.

THLASPI ROTUNDIFOLIUM

Fri, 02/05/2010 - 1:18pm

Hello to all. Greetings from north central Tennessee. Pouring rain here today. Attached is one of my favorite Cornus shot at Cataract Falls, Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland Summer 2007. Actually Todd it was the day my wife & I visited you in St. John's.
Great job with the website. I'm still learning how to use it ;D

Regards to all, Paul H. Schneider, Eastern Sun Studio & Gardens, Portland, TN

Fri, 02/05/2010 - 6:41pm

Welcome to the forum, Paul!

As a kid who spent nearly every summer weekend in wild northern Minnesota near the Ontario border, I am very familiar with this species.  Back then I dismissed it as "boring", since many other more "interesting" flora abounded in the area - pitcher plants, sundews, more than a dozen species of orchids, etc.
But I have now become rather fond of Cornus canadensis, and have seen it native in a few places in southern Minnesota, too.

Sat, 02/06/2010 - 12:16pm

Cornus canadensis is perhaps THE most common woodland plant in Newfoundland...we also have Cornus suecica which is equally as nice.

Great looking Thlaspi Cliff!

Sat, 02/06/2010 - 12:50pm
RickR wrote:

Welcome to the forum, Paul!

As a kid who spent nearly every summer weekend in wild northern Minnesota near the Ontario border, I am very familiar with this species.  Back then I dismissed it as "boring", since many other more "interesting" flora abounded in the area - pitcher plants, sundews, more than a dozen species of orchids, etc.
But I have now become rather fond of Cornus canadensis, and have seen it native in a few places in southern Minnesota, too.

Thanks Rick, I grew up in northern NY near the Vermont border. We could find C. canadensis occasionally, usually in Vt. or NH. With clay soil & thuggish summer heat here in north central TN, it is one that I doubt would be very happy.

Sun, 02/07/2010 - 3:45pm

Here is my contribution to plant of the day...Diapensia lapponica...creme de la creme of our native alpines but extremely difficult to grow in cultivation.  We have a single plant in the Memorial University Botanical Garden alpine house that is now 3 years and going...every one we tried outside died within weeks.  This picture is in the wild where they are actually reasonably common in Newfoundland.

Lori S.'s picture

Sun, 02/07/2010 - 4:47pm

Gorgeous photos, all!

Very interesting, Todd.  What do you suppose is the critical difference between the alpine house and outdoors in your location, as opposed to where the plant grows in nature?

Lori

Mon, 02/08/2010 - 10:35am

Outside I think it gets too hot where our BG is close to sea-level.  The alpine house is lightly shaded so the heat is not nearly as intense.  In the wild, Diapensia grows in open, windy areas that are often foggy thus intense heat is not a problem.  St. John's is far from hot but relatively speaking we are hotter than where Diapensia would normally grow.

Tue, 02/09/2010 - 11:19am

An image from an Alpine Garden Society Show (at Blackpool, Lancashire, U.K. in March 2009) of a fine Saxifraga 'Lismore Carmine'.

SAXIFRAGA 'LISMORE CARMINE'

McGregorUS's picture

Wed, 02/10/2010 - 4:58am

This is one of the most popular of the cultivars which has appeared in the last 20 years and this is one of those depressingly beautiful specimens that some people manage to take to alpine plant shows!

McGregorUS's picture

Wed, 02/10/2010 - 5:04am

I thought I'd post this picture of Allium crenulatum. It's taken in the Olympic Mountains, Washington State, and I thought it was so attractive against the dark shale. I'll post another picture in the Bulbs section as well.

Wed, 02/10/2010 - 2:35pm

Stunning Allium Malcolm...I have lots of Allium in the garden but I have not tried that species.

That is a wonderful saxifrage Cliff but growing in an alpine house seems like cheating.  If it looked like that outdoors, then I'd be REALLY impressed.

McGregorUS's picture

Thu, 02/11/2010 - 12:53am

This picture is from a few years ago and the whole thing has now gone but for four or five years it was as good as this. So it can be good outside.

'Lismore Carmine' is halfway down on the left hand side and round the right hand side there is 'Lismore Pink' which I think is even more beautiful. They are both hybrids involving Saxifraga georgei and really want a slightly more moist atmosphere than is typical here. We're not fantastically cold, or fantastically hot (often at least) but we are often very dry which is usually the determining factor for what does well long term.

I would think Newfoundland might be ideal for this sort of saxifrage.

Thu, 02/11/2010 - 4:31am

Hi Todd and Malcolm,
I must begin by stating that the Sax' wasn't mine - simply another image captured at an AGS national show - but it may not have been grown in an alpine house - perhaps in a frame, perhaps simply covered with a sheet of glass to protect it at flowering time?
As Malcolm's image superbly illustrates these wonderful sax's can be grown and flowered extremely well outside (here in northern England anyway) and really, the use of an alpine house is little different to protecting the plant with glass.  Temperatures in an unheated greenhouse (in the depths of winter anyway) are seldom much greater than outside.
Greatly looking forward to meeting you in May, Todd - will be in touch by personal mail as soon as all the details are to hand.  If you could order a little sunshine in advance please?   :D

Thu, 02/11/2010 - 7:57am

Those saxes from outside are impressive!  Yes, we can do fairly well with Kabschias, but they still do best in troughs or tufa rather than in the open garden...frost heaving is terrible in this climate but tufa/trough plants don't seem to suffer.

Here is one of my troughs...albeit with not too many blooming at the time.

Lori S.'s picture

Thu, 02/11/2010 - 10:08pm

What terrific-looking troughs (both Malcolm's and Todd's)!  Seeing those, I'm compelled to renovate mine yet again...

To brighten this winter day a little, here is an alpine potentilla species from Kananaskis Prov. Park, eastern slope Rockies...  (I have posted a photo of what I believe to be the same species in the ID forum, and I hope someone can identify it.)

Fri, 02/12/2010 - 4:21am

That's an exquisite Potentilla Lori.....there are not too many alpinish types in Alberta.  Leaves remind me of nivea but the flowers are much larger than our local form of nivea.

Lori S.'s picture

Fri, 02/12/2010 - 5:29am

Yes, I love seeing them!
Well, even with not that many to choose from, I'm getting totally confused - the alpine potentillas with trifoliate leaves that occur here are P. hyparctica, P. nivea, P.ovina (3 to 5 leaflets), P. uniflora and P. villosa (according to Moss & Packer)... Help!   ;D

(P.S.  Oops, forgot P. hookeriana too, with 3-5 leaflets...  ackk!)

Lori S.'s picture

Sat, 02/13/2010 - 9:42am

Hmmm, what to post, what to post...
Okay, here's Polemonium confertum, confined, sadly to a trough, and so far from its home in the Colorado Rockies. 
I'd truly LOVE to see some pix of this growing in situ, to appreciate its full glory in a beautiful setting...  Will any of the American alpine gardeners/hikers take up this challenge and show us some???  ;)

Lori S.'s picture

Mon, 02/15/2010 - 1:41pm

What, no one to take up the challenge?  How unfortunate...

Here is Anemone parviflora, one of the species that blooms just after the snow melt in the eastern slope Rockies.

Mon, 02/15/2010 - 3:43pm

Polemonium are among my favourites but I can't seem to keep the alpine types going for more than a year or two. Must say I've never grown P. confertum.

Anemone parviflora is a common alpine along the limestone barrens of northern Newfoundland where they bloom from late June through July.

Lori S.'s picture

Mon, 02/15/2010 - 3:58pm

Judging from the photo record, it looks like I probably got Polemonium confertum in 2007 (from Beaver Creek) so it will be interesting to see how much longer it lasts.  I did notice last summer that there are little offsets coming up around it in the trough.

Mon, 02/15/2010 - 6:18pm

Beautiful images folks ... can we encourage more members to post?

An outcrop in the Dolomites that would grace any garden.

Snowing lightly again here in Lancashire, England.

Lori S.'s picture

Mon, 02/15/2010 - 6:58pm

What a fabulous scene!  I recognize Silene acaulis and a gentian (maybe G. verna?)  What are the darker pink in the center right and the pale yellow at the top?

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 1:58am

I like Saxifragas and other small rock garden plants very much, unfortunately I can't grow many of them in my maritime climate. I can neither grow these plants,but I dreamt of when I saw them!

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 9:48pm

Many thanks Todd - hopefully you might enjoy a few more images from these magnificent mountains on 5th May?  :D

Armeria maritima alpina

Wed, 02/17/2010 - 4:08am

I haven't been to the Dolomites but I am dreaming of trek there some time.
And Todd, I forgot to say it is from Mt Kenya, Kenya.
I have never been so cold as when lying in a wet sleeping-bag high up in the mountain under the equatorial stars waiting for starting to walk early in the morning! But the vistas and the otherworldly (yes, exactly the right word!) plants made up for cold nights. (I am used to sleep  outside in the winter here in Norway, but my sleeping-bag got soaking wet and took time to dry.)

Hoppel's picture

Fri, 02/19/2010 - 4:05am

Image for today: Anemone narcissiflora in Maritime Alps - maybe it is not my favourite plant but in nature it looks fabulous in high alpine meadows - photo taken on 2000m on limestone ridge. It takes me back there to warm summer in our black-and-white too long winter.  :)

Lori S.'s picture

Fri, 02/19/2010 - 12:26pm

What a beautiful sight, Michal!  Thanks for posting it.

Fri, 02/19/2010 - 11:31pm

This Gladiolus we found growing in almost pure volcanic rock a few places on Mt Kenya. Don't know the species. Anybody who has suggestions?

Sun, 02/21/2010 - 6:40am

I love all these Kenyans! I don't have a copy of Goldblatt's Glads north of S Africa, but I have a hunch this would be in there: what a wonderful color! Sunbird pollinated, I suspect.

My image is closer to home: Paeonia cambessedessii blooming with Gentiana acaulis in my home rock garden. This plant is my pride and joy: obtained five or six years ago from Arrowhead Alpines: it flowers so early that the flowers last for several weeks. It's a little bit too big for a classic rock garden, perhaps. But I am really bad at rules.

I always arrange a little party at my house when these are in bloom...it's fun to hear the little yelps as people walk around the bend and see these...

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