Rick- I'm sure those soils are indeed quite vulnerable to erosion, presumably lessened a bit in this area by limited precipitation, certainly affected by human activities: the main trail at this site leads across the flats to the foot of a mountain, and then some way up through the forest to a waterfall (I've actually never been all the way, since I am generally much more interested in the xeric plants out in the open areas) and the part of that trail that crosses one of these really dry areas is covered with a boardwalk to protect the delicate soil/plants.
The trail I more often take, which branches out sideways along the river from the main route, is unprotected, and passing hikers, occasional horseback riders and cyclists turn the track to dust, even though there can't be that many people- I don't think I've ever run into another person on that trail.....
Here's a shot that shows these deposits definitely can erode: this mound seems to have washed out from under one side of a colony of juniper, artemisia etc. not sure what all the mechanisms would be- I wonder if the juniper would have held more snow, causing more water damage? I didn't really pay attention to exposures here, but I'm thinking the eroded side should be more or less east, and as you can see, gets some shade from nearby trees-- all factors in this area that would mean more moisture, snow retention.
Maybe Lori would have more insight on this sort of mound and processes involved? I'm assuming this formation (different from the earlier shots) would be wind originated?
Mark- lovely flowers for fall. Would these be in continuing flower from summer, or just flowering now?
Mark- lovely flowers for fall. Would these be in continuing flower from summer, or just flowering now?
[/quote]
These alliums started blooming only recently, they're fall bloomers, many of the thunbergii forms are still just in bud. Here's how the colony of Allium thunbergii - robust white form looks today, photographed during lunch hour on this gorgeous autumn day, after three days of on and off downpour rain, the somewhat downturned florets are particularly weather resistant (frost resistant too, although we haven't had any yet).
Good question Cohan. One the positive side, Allium thunbergii is very cold tolerant, not bothered by some degree of freezing temperature and even some snow, they'll go as long as they can. On the other side, I once had a form of Allium thunbergii, and a Himalayan species A. stracheyi, that could never successfully bloom here in New England, because they would try to flower in December. I had both of these when I lived in mild Pacific Northwest (near Seattle Washington), and in that climate they did indeed bloom in December without problem, but here in New England, by December the ground is frozen and all plant activity is stopped.
Two views of the Seven Son Flower, a small Chinese tree, Heptacodium miconioides (syn. H. jaminoides), introduced to cultivation in North American by Arnold Arboretum (near Boston, Massachusetts), around the early 1900s. It is very hardy and ornamental, flowering in September with clusters of small white flowers that are scented like jasmine or gardenia (drives the bees into a frenzy), but the real show is after the flowers, when the calyx lobes expand and turn a bright pink to red color. The tree also has pale shredding bark, and handsome peach-tree-like leaves, a really good tree all around.
In this photo taken on October 5th, the transition where there are still white flower clusters and developing pink bracts.
Two photos of the bracts more fully expanded, the darker one on a drizzly day, Oct. 12. The bright one taken yesterday in sunshine, where the bracts seem to glow.
Potentilla nitida with some 'lost label' semps; the seed batch of P nitida from several years ago has been interesting- plants are quite varied- in greener, more silvery, flatter, taller etc.. Still no flowers :( so i can't comment on those.. This is definitely the flattest of all, perhaps smaller leaves, that would require a closer look.. a bit of fall color on this one.. Oct 07
A different kind of (ex) Potentilla- Dasiphora fruticosa hybrid/cultivar.. I picked up a couple of these (different) late a couple of years back for $1.00 each, and although they are in a dry spot with rare supplemental watering, they have been doing well, if going slowly. I might still have the names around somewhere, if I can find the plastic nursery tags...lol This one is a very nice creamy palest yellow, the other is white.. We have a large typical yellow on the property, and I still really want a pink flowered variety! Oct 07 some nice subtle fall colours too.
A more standard D fruticosa.. this seems taller and looser than modern cultivars, could be closer to wild forms, or its site which is sunny, but not all day.. this shot from Oct 13. all forms seem to flower well beyond frost...
Trond, I agree- the natural bright yellow is nice, but I love that cream colour.. it should get to a decent size in time too- probably faster if I watered it, and I will try to next year, but the spot I have these (the cream, a white, and a Prunus tomentosa seedling) is a bit beyond my hoses, so I will have to carry water- or get more hose! I do make a point of throwing some extra snow on them in winter- they are only a few metres from the driveway, and they have a thick mulch to hold whatever moisture the do get, but the spot is by two old spruce trees, and at the 'high'/dry end of the property..
The Impatiens is nice, seems to have a bit of colour in the leaves too. I planted a few seedlings from my cousins place of one of the big invasive Impatiens, in my first year or so back, but I didn't choose the sites that well, and they didn't grow..lol
Fermi- so many Christmas pics I can never choose...lol
Nice Iris- I do like the cleaner shape of these compared to some of the bloated beardeds..
A view from this morning- prettier today with sun on top of the snow and frost.. I always like the view of this path into the woods on the acreage, especially in winter..
A teaser from a daytrip into the mountains today-- I haven't even looked at most of the nearly 700 images,but here's one... Abraham Lake, Alberta (sorry, no idea of names of mountains!)
I like winter and snow but not too early in the fall!
At home I prefer mild weather and rain until December. This fall has been very fine though and a lot of nice weather and sun. The temperature is still about 12C in the daytime and 8 in the night.
It seems our trend now (last year and this, if that constitutes a trend..lol) is for the snow to stay relatively early: last year the snow came and stayed on Oct 20, this year it was Oct 28. Some other years, it has not stayed until well into December, after a number of light snowfalls.
Lots of this snow from the other day has melted, with some days of 7 to 10C, but nights well below freezing, but far from all of it melted with days getting short, and shadows long, so many spots do not get much sun and have few hours of melting temperatures.We are forecast another 10-25cm or more over the next couple of days, so that will be lasting all winter for sure...
I'll have you all sick of seeing snow before you even get any...lol We got at least 33cm, probably more before settling, since it snowed well over 24 hours. I shovelled 2 hours last night, housemate shovelled 5 hours today, and I did another 2 hours, seems to be mostly done snowing now... We still have some paths to the woods, compost area etc that will have to be dug another day... Photos from last night, it still snowed a few inches after this...
My first semp etc bed in front of the house, with the newer rock bed behind.. the farthest mound is just snow... part of our battery of shovels...
The second rock bed, closer, you can just see Polemonium boreale at the right-- still green and flowering after it partly melted out of the first snow we had on Oct 28... doubt the plants will see sunlight for months now...
Part of the path between my house and mom's, parking to the left. left to right Arctic willow, apples, Philadelphus etc.
How about a less wintery subject? Here's Micranthes lyallii ssp. lyallii (formerly Saxifraga lyallii... hard to keep up with these name changes!) from the Katherine Lake area in Banff, about 2500m elevation:
Comments
cohan (not verified)
Rick- I'm sure those soils
Tue, 10/08/2013 - 10:52amRick- I'm sure those soils are indeed quite vulnerable to erosion, presumably lessened a bit in this area by limited precipitation, certainly affected by human activities: the main trail at this site leads across the flats to the foot of a mountain, and then some way up through the forest to a waterfall (I've actually never been all the way, since I am generally much more interested in the xeric plants out in the open areas) and the part of that trail that crosses one of these really dry areas is covered with a boardwalk to protect the delicate soil/plants.
The trail I more often take, which branches out sideways along the river from the main route, is unprotected, and passing hikers, occasional horseback riders and cyclists turn the track to dust, even though there can't be that many people- I don't think I've ever run into another person on that trail.....
Here's a shot that shows these deposits definitely can erode: this mound seems to have washed out from under one side of a colony of juniper, artemisia etc. not sure what all the mechanisms would be- I wonder if the juniper would have held more snow, causing more water damage? I didn't really pay attention to exposures here, but I'm thinking the eroded side should be more or less east, and as you can see, gets some shade from nearby trees-- all factors in this area that would mean more moisture, snow retention.
Maybe Lori would have more insight on this sort of mound and processes involved? I'm assuming this formation (different from the earlier shots) would be wind originated?
Mark- lovely flowers for fall. Would these be in continuing flower from summer, or just flowering now?
Mark McDonough
cohan wrote:
Tue, 10/08/2013 - 12:54pm[quote=cohan]
Mark- lovely flowers for fall. Would these be in continuing flower from summer, or just flowering now?
[/quote]
These alliums started blooming only recently, they're fall bloomers, many of the thunbergii forms are still just in bud. Here's how the colony of Allium thunbergii - robust white form looks today, photographed during lunch hour on this gorgeous autumn day, after three days of on and off downpour rain, the somewhat downturned florets are particularly weather resistant (frost resistant too, although we haven't had any yet).
cohan (not verified)
Very nice! I wonder if they'd
Wed, 10/09/2013 - 12:29amVery nice! I wonder if they'd be hardy here or try to bloom this late when it's likely to be too cold...
Mark McDonough
Good question Cohan. One the
Tue, 10/15/2013 - 4:42amGood question Cohan. One the positive side, Allium thunbergii is very cold tolerant, not bothered by some degree of freezing temperature and even some snow, they'll go as long as they can. On the other side, I once had a form of Allium thunbergii, and a Himalayan species A. stracheyi, that could never successfully bloom here in New England, because they would try to flower in December. I had both of these when I lived in mild Pacific Northwest (near Seattle Washington), and in that climate they did indeed bloom in December without problem, but here in New England, by December the ground is frozen and all plant activity is stopped.
Mark McDonough
Two views of the Seven Son
Tue, 10/15/2013 - 4:56amTwo views of the Seven Son Flower, a small Chinese tree, Heptacodium miconioides (syn. H. jaminoides), introduced to cultivation in North American by Arnold Arboretum (near Boston, Massachusetts), around the early 1900s. It is very hardy and ornamental, flowering in September with clusters of small white flowers that are scented like jasmine or gardenia (drives the bees into a frenzy), but the real show is after the flowers, when the calyx lobes expand and turn a bright pink to red color. The tree also has pale shredding bark, and handsome peach-tree-like leaves, a really good tree all around.
In this photo taken on October 5th, the transition where there are still white flower clusters and developing pink bracts.
Two photos of the bracts more fully expanded, the darker one on a drizzly day, Oct. 12. The bright one taken yesterday in sunshine, where the bracts seem to glow.
cohan (not verified)
I guess it would depend what
Tue, 10/15/2013 - 10:21pmI guess it would depend what cues are triggering flowering- day length, day/night temperatures, or number of days of growth!
Seven sons looks like a nice addition to the fall garden, atypical colour scheme for that season..
There are still some things flowering here, but they are definitely on borrowed time..
cohan (not verified)
A couple of views on the road
Thu, 10/17/2013 - 12:36pmA couple of views on the road yesterday...
deesen (not verified)
Biiiiiiiiiggggg skies there
Thu, 10/17/2013 - 12:42pmBiiiiiiiiiggggg skies there Cohen.
cohan (not verified)
Indeed, David- at least where
Fri, 10/18/2013 - 5:05pmIndeed, David- at least where there is cleared land- my property has trees all around, so we can only see the sky more or less straight up..lol
cohan (not verified)
Potentilla nitida with some
Wed, 10/23/2013 - 1:03pmPotentilla nitida with some 'lost label' semps; the seed batch of P nitida from several years ago has been interesting- plants are quite varied- in greener, more silvery, flatter, taller etc.. Still no flowers :( so i can't comment on those.. This is definitely the flattest of all, perhaps smaller leaves, that would require a closer look.. a bit of fall color on this one.. Oct 07
A different kind of (ex) Potentilla- Dasiphora fruticosa hybrid/cultivar.. I picked up a couple of these (different) late a couple of years back for $1.00 each, and although they are in a dry spot with rare supplemental watering, they have been doing well, if going slowly. I might still have the names around somewhere, if I can find the plastic nursery tags...lol This one is a very nice creamy palest yellow, the other is white.. We have a large typical yellow on the property, and I still really want a pink flowered variety! Oct 07 some nice subtle fall colours too.
A more standard D fruticosa.. this seems taller and looser than modern cultivars, could be closer to wild forms, or its site which is sunny, but not all day.. this shot from Oct 13. all forms seem to flower well beyond frost...
Lori S. (not verified)
Crocus speciosus:
Sat, 10/26/2013 - 11:56amCrocus speciosus:
Trond Hoy
Cohan, I think my favorite is
Sat, 10/26/2013 - 2:23pmCohan, I think my favorite is the smaller cream potentilla (I prefer that name!) and not the yellow one!
Nice Crocuses, Lori, autumn flowering crocuses often get damaged by the rain here!
Here is a nice plant still flowering. It has been flowering for several months now but only with 2-4 at the same time. It is a perennial here.
Impatiens arguta (I think).
cohan (not verified)
Trond, I agree- the natural
Sat, 10/26/2013 - 6:18pmTrond, I agree- the natural bright yellow is nice, but I love that cream colour.. it should get to a decent size in time too- probably faster if I watered it, and I will try to next year, but the spot I have these (the cream, a white, and a Prunus tomentosa seedling) is a bit beyond my hoses, so I will have to carry water- or get more hose! I do make a point of throwing some extra snow on them in winter- they are only a few metres from the driveway, and they have a thick mulch to hold whatever moisture the do get, but the spot is by two old spruce trees, and at the 'high'/dry end of the property..
The Impatiens is nice, seems to have a bit of colour in the leaves too. I planted a few seedlings from my cousins place of one of the big invasive Impatiens, in my first year or so back, but I didn't choose the sites that well, and they didn't grow..lol
cohan (not verified)
This afternoon....
Sun, 10/27/2013 - 7:03pmThis afternoon....
Fermi de Sousa
Well, that's your Christmas
Sun, 10/27/2013 - 7:34pmWell, that's your Christmas pic sorted, then!
This was the image of the day for me - a decent clump of Dutch iris 'Thunderbolt' this morning in the drizzle!
cheers
fermi
Lori S. (not verified)
Another "winter wonderland"
Sun, 10/27/2013 - 9:42pmAnother "winter wonderland" here... and to think, I was sitting out there yesterday, basking in sunny, 16 degree C weather...
Wow, 'Thunderbolt' is gorgeous!
cohan (not verified)
Fermi- so many Christmas pics
Mon, 10/28/2013 - 10:54amFermi- so many Christmas pics I can never choose...lol
Nice Iris- I do like the cleaner shape of these compared to some of the bloated beardeds..
A view from this morning- prettier today with sun on top of the snow and frost.. I always like the view of this path into the woods on the acreage, especially in winter..
cohan (not verified)
A teaser from a daytrip into
Wed, 10/30/2013 - 11:36pmA teaser from a daytrip into the mountains today-- I haven't even looked at most of the nearly 700 images,but here's one... Abraham Lake, Alberta (sorry, no idea of names of mountains!)
Trond Hoy
I like winter and snow but
Fri, 11/01/2013 - 2:11pmI like winter and snow but not too early in the fall!
At home I prefer mild weather and rain until December. This fall has been very fine though and a lot of nice weather and sun. The temperature is still about 12C in the daytime and 8 in the night.
cohan (not verified)
It seems our trend now (last
Fri, 11/01/2013 - 11:48pmIt seems our trend now (last year and this, if that constitutes a trend..lol) is for the snow to stay relatively early: last year the snow came and stayed on Oct 20, this year it was Oct 28. Some other years, it has not stayed until well into December, after a number of light snowfalls.
Lots of this snow from the other day has melted, with some days of 7 to 10C, but nights well below freezing, but far from all of it melted with days getting short, and shadows long, so many spots do not get much sun and have few hours of melting temperatures.We are forecast another 10-25cm or more over the next couple of days, so that will be lasting all winter for sure...
cohan (not verified)
I'll have you all sick of
Sun, 11/03/2013 - 1:59pmI'll have you all sick of seeing snow before you even get any...lol We got at least 33cm, probably more before settling, since it snowed well over 24 hours. I shovelled 2 hours last night, housemate shovelled 5 hours today, and I did another 2 hours, seems to be mostly done snowing now... We still have some paths to the woods, compost area etc that will have to be dug another day... Photos from last night, it still snowed a few inches after this...
My first semp etc bed in front of the house, with the newer rock bed behind.. the farthest mound is just snow... part of our battery of shovels...
The second rock bed, closer, you can just see Polemonium boreale at the right-- still green and flowering after it partly melted out of the first snow we had on Oct 28... doubt the plants will see sunlight for months now...
Part of the path between my house and mom's, parking to the left. left to right Arctic willow, apples, Philadelphus etc.
Lori S. (not verified)
How about a less wintery
Tue, 12/24/2013 - 10:35amHow about a less wintery subject? Here's Micranthes lyallii ssp. lyallii (formerly Saxifraga lyallii... hard to keep up with these name changes!) from the Katherine Lake area in Banff, about 2500m elevation:
cohan (not verified)
This is another thread I
Wed, 12/25/2013 - 9:59pmThis is another thread I think I tried to post images in the other day- but was not allowed....
Nice plants under any name, Lori.. have you grown these?
Lori S. (not verified)
No, I'd guess that conditions
Thu, 12/26/2013 - 1:55pmNo, I'd guess that conditions would be too dry in my yard for it. I always see it along streams or in ephemeral snowmelt drainages.
Pages