What do you see on your garden walks? 2012

Lots of goodies, Panayoti! I wouldn'tmind growing that Opuntia ;)

Congratulation with growing peaches, Bundraba! What's the flowers like on that Oxalis?

Tim, when I get time I will pay your redeveloped nursery a visit! It looks, and so does your garden, terrific!

Tim, that riased bed looks full of promise.  Please keep posting pictures as you develop it.

Trond, if Oxalis decaphylla blooms, I'll try and remember to get a photo posted.

Gentiana farreri (ex 'Alex Duguid') begins bloom in August. Bupluerum spinosum is new to the garden and Silene schafta gives us pink.

A small Sphaeralcea from the San Mateo Mountains and another great rock fern: Pellaea atropurpurea.

There's been a lot of these Frittilary butterflies this year

Epilobium canum ssp. 'garretii' (Zauschneria)

I thought Limonium vulgare(?) might go well with these Phlox: and more Lycoris!

Bundraba! wrote:

Trond, if Oxalis decaphylla blooms, I'll try and remember to get a photo posted.

Yes please!

You still impress, Michael! The butterfly is nice too. Similar to one flying here now.

I'm impressed by the Lycoris too. Seems not to be on sale in Europe, anyway I haven't found any sources. Do they set seed?

What great pix you all have: can't wait to visit your garden, Tim! You grow so many plants I love (and have either lost or merely long for)...and as for YOU, Mr. Michael Peden, your cursed garden puts botanic gardens to shame: are you sure you do not have a staff to help you? Love your Southwestern Oxalis (could be O. grayi?)...I have not succeeded with this and thought it might be tender...WRONG! eh?

Cohan: that white cactus is Cylindropuntia whipplei 'Snow Leopard'--commonly grown in Denver. it can get massive (over a meter tall and across) and it's vicious. But stunning too!

The Veratrum formosanum is essentially a micro-V. nigrum, mine are very dwarf--mostly under 15"...but I starve and torture my plants. In a more typical garden where they have richer soil and moisture it can get twice as big--but still svelte and manageable (unlike most Veratrums). The black color is super: I got my first plants from seed from Jack Elliot, but Beaver Creek has listed it...well worth the investment!

The weather is mercifully cooling just a tad, and the plants show it: lots in bloom. This is my first installment:

1) My waterfall bog bed with Solidago I should remove and Lobelia cardinalis starting up: hot yellow and red is a combo I enjoy.
2) Clematis hexapetala--this taken at DBG. Mine are finished blooming. The most spectacular herbaceous clematis from Mongolia. It's been blooming two months.
3) Hosta clausa--the strangest of the genus with NO basal rosettes...love that dark color! At DBG
4) A miniature Hosta (couldn't find the label...will seek it out if need be) at DBG--love these little ones.
5) Impatiens are horrible weeds, especially this I. balfourii--but I would hate to be without them. There is always a woodsy corner to tuck them into...
6) This is my favorite Impatiens, I collected it in Pakistan in 2001: just as weedy as the preceeding, and even more distinctive co
7) Jovibarba heuffellii 'Hot Lips' growing to enormous heights at Denver Botanic Gardens. One of my faves.
8) A smaller J. heuffellii--looking almost snake-like
9) Ligularia (I believe 'Desdemona') in our Asian garden: amazing it looks so good after two months of colossal heat...but we do water the bejesus out of things there!
10) Our last big clump of Silphium perfoliatum in the Cottonwood border at DBG (removed elsewhere due to massiveness and spreading): a great spectacle when in bloom--love it but don't have room for it in my garden, alas!

Kelaidis wrote:

...and as for YOU, Mr. Michael Peden, your cursed garden puts botanic gardens to shame: are you sure you do not have a staff to help you? Love your Southwestern Oxalis (could be O. grayi?)...I have not succeeded with this and thought it might be tender...WRONG! eh?

That may be going just a bit far Panayoti! And; no staff just clever camera angles! the Oxalis goes under ground for the winter (it's very late up too), thus none of the winter burn that might normally affect many other plants from that region. For example, I have a small birch leaved Cercocarpus that barely survived last year's mild winter. That said, those mountain meadows down there must get pretty chilly. I observe that the summer "heat zone" as mapped for the mountains north and east of Phoenix is the same, or nearly so, as ours here. I've been messing around with Agaves too. These surprise me! I'll get a photo or two for one of these posts. Is your Hosta "stilletto"? This wouldn't qualify as a miniature in my garden but the flowers are excellent. I don't collect the miniatures but have accumulated a few. They are cute but I'll refrain from posting a lot of slug damage here; unless y'all really want to see it :)

Trond; like the Daffs and Snowdrops I have; no seed on Lycoris to date; and those clumps are pretty old.

PK, those are very healthy Cup plants.  They don't look like they are in a very moist place, which I thought they needed.  Are they?

Bundraba! wrote:

Trond; like the Daffs and Snowdrops I have; no seed on Lycoris to date; and those clumps are pretty old.

I wondered if that was an old patch of Lycoris, Michael...

I thinned mine last year for the Chapter sale, but they seem to be doing well.  They always look like they will produce seed, but I've always cut them down before they have a chance.  I'll let some go this time, and see what comes up for you, Trond. ;D

RickR wrote:

I thinned mine last year for the Chapter sale, but they seem to be doing well.  They always look like they will produce seed, but I've always cut them down before they have a chance.  I'll let some go this time, and see what comes up for you, Trond. ;D

That's kind of you, Rick  :)

I had to buy this Penstemon, it was named Penstemon 'Rick R'  ;D

My garden is not particularly well-tended at the moment due to our long absence but some plants do bloom anyway.

I have several Clematis and many are flowering at the moment, Clematis (forgotten name), C x jouiniana 'Praecox', Francoa appendiculata (the main flower stem finished for the season), and a untidy corner with a mophead Hydrangea and an Anemone.

The Lonicera periclymenum is a weed but have showy flowers and a very pleasant fragrance, here the cv 'Serotina', a Malva struggle through the dense growth of weedy plants - notice the bindweed, the fern Osmunda regalis, the new growth of Rhododendron bureavii is almost as good as its flowers.

Remember guys, only Lycoris squamigera is fully zone 4 hardy.  Other Lycoris not so much.  I've had a couple L. chinensis that I've missed digging come through, but not happy looking.  And Lycoris radiata survives here for 7 years so far, but never adapting.  They come up in the fall, get frozen back, and limp along into the summer.  Leaves never surpass a pitiful 5 inches and they don't look that happy.  They apparently are cold hardy enough, but never amount to anything.

Idyllic late summer: There's a lot of "fade". Iris have stopped growing, Daylily leaves are tinged with browns and yellows, the air is still and thick but not uncomfortably so. There is a lot of rot in some of the "alpines" -this is unfortunately normal -but I really like the scene in the garden now, composed of only a few plants, but so glorious; the slow turn-over into autumn! The blues in Platycodon and Gentiana add a touch of magic but they must be sought by the eye in this garden right now as they are not common.
 

An expanded view of My Little Shade Garden and an excellent Hosta for flower color; H. 'stilletto'.
 

Seems I should try any Lycoris I come across!

Michael, my favorite time of the year is the spring although all the other seasons have their charm too ;) Have to look for Hosta 'Stiletto' too ;)

Have been warm and dry for some days. However I don't need to water the garden but a few pots.

Bacopa 'Blue Shower' and an Agapanthus

Hoy wrote:

I had to buy this Penstemon, it was named Penstemon 'Rick R'  ;D

Rick, did I miss previous mention of Penstemon 'Rick R'?  Please tell us about it, the color is amazing!

Lori wrote:

Ooops, sorry!  I think I have caused everyone to go astray - I just backtracked and realized it was Trond who bought Penstemon 'Rick R', not Rick!  :-[  Scratch my comment about using the word "eponymous"... unless you can come across that one, Rick.  Any idea of the heritage of that penstemon, Trond?

Lori, I  wondered who you talked to and what you talked about ;D

I can't find the label although I am sure I put it somewhere. I think it was Penstemon superbus 'Rick R'. I'll report on hardiness next year!

cohan wrote:

Trond- nice blue on the Bacopa- is that an annual or can you overwinter it?

It is a perennial although I assume it is difficult to overwinter inside. I'll try though.

Hoy wrote:

I can't find the label although I am sure I put it somewhere. I think it was Penstemon superbus 'Rick R'. I'll report on hardiness next year!

You just won't stop the charade, Trond!  Fun, but I'm on to you, though...  ;D ;D ;D

I thought that bacopa was extra nice, too.  The white form has been around for decades here, but only now is it catching on with the general gardener.

RickR wrote:

Hoy wrote:

I can't find the label although I am sure I put it somewhere. I think it was Penstemon superbus 'Rick R'. I'll report on hardiness next year!

You just won't stop the charade, Trond!  Fun, but I'm on to you, though...  ;D ;D ;D

I thought that bacopa was extra nice, too.  The white form has been around for decades here, but only now is it catching on with the general gardener.

I'll shut up now, Rick!

It's the second flush on that Bacopa. It flowered in June and beginning of July and had a break in late July. Then started again in August!

Been a while since I stepped in...been too busy to breathe this summer.  Here are a few Gentians which are currently open.  G. decumbens, G. macrophylla and G. walujewii var. kesselringii

A couple of alliums....good ole A. flavum and A. togasii

Todd wrote:

Been a while since I stepped in...been too busy to breathe this summer.  Here are a few Gentians which are currently open.  G. decumbens, G. macrophylla and G. walujewii var. kesselringii

MMMmm, I like each and every one of those Gentians!  But I particularly like the light blue blooms on the last one (G. walujewii), contrasting with the spotted yellowish centers and brownish-purple tipped buds.

In my garden, it would be impossible for Allium flavum and A. togasii (also spelled togashii) to bloom at the same time, A. flavum blooms starting the end of June into July, and togasii starts late August and into September, your season must be very contracted to have them bloom together.

That light blue gentian is also my favorite.

  How it comes up with that arrangement of open blooms is a mystery to me.

Delphinium grandiflorum..amazed the slugs missed this one!  Blooming first year from seed.  Inula rhizocephala..slugs DO love the blossoms.  Guess blooming the first year from seed means its monocarpic.  And my newest addition, the hardy Impatiens omeiana.

Todd, I've grown Inula rhizocephala before, but don't recall it having much longevity and I was away when it produced seed.  How long has it lasted for you?  Should you ever have extra seed, please think of me.

My understanding is that Inula rhizocephala is monocarpic....I have two plants...one blooming, the other appears to be waiting until next year.  I saw it first in Lori's garden...maybe she will comment in regards to how long her's lived.

I have a blooming mystery Aquilegia.  Sown from seed this year as A. parviflora but while the flower is minute, it is not that species.  I cannot find anything in Nold's book that comes close.  I am thinking a hybrid between viridiflora and one of the canadensis types, based on size and shape.

:( I'll apologize in advance for this rather blighted post. It may not be suitable for all audiences.

Erigeron compositus, Centaurea simplissicaulis, Eriogonum flavum 'xanthum': The fungus/mold fibers were quite evident on the last. below: Are these ants (termites) foraging on the fungus that attacks alpines? They are pouring out of this blighted cushion of Saxifraga bronchialis. Some plants survive the fungus period. Others do not. In some cases I'm able to out fox or out propagate the attrition rate or, at least, it seems to seem so.

The Psylid (on sunflower leaf) that makes growing the Aster family (most) an ugly challenge in my garden. There have been curious, usually brief, exceptions.

Finally here is a conundrum, one of many we face. These Asarum europeum are growing side by side. In the second photo; Shortia galacifolia planted in my experimental "New Sand Barren". Some green is beginning to creep into the sickly yellow leaves. I've been applying a gravel and crushed stone (feldspar?) as well as some peat to the barren sand. The yellowing might be due to excessive nutrient (and magnesium) in the soil or other imbalance.
 
I do see this stuff on my garden walks.

A rare instance: This sage brush (Bighorn Mountains, 2004) seems less prone to Psylid attack than many other plants on the garden. I think its the pewter shepherd dog!

Here's a nice little late blooming buckwheat backed by Satureja montana.

The odd flower on Iris suaveolens 'rubromarginata'.

Three little Western peas grown from 2009 seed. They will all bloom gloriously next year of course. The third is an orophaca and (all/any) up there pretty high on my "must grow" list.

Three agaves that survived last winter. The last, planted right at the south foot of my house has come through two winters. Note two tiny pups off of the first. It is planted in a crevice pocket with probably scant root run due to construction. I consider these a horticultural stunt to trump sage brush but a fun idea! They are: First is from SW New Mexico at 8500' or so (estimate). The other two hail from central Arizona (8000' estimate). The Arizona population seems just a bit tougher. I've just now obtained another try at A. utahensis which grows yet farther to the north and west.

Anemonopsis macrophylla

I've been aware of this pest in other gardens, even in other parts of the country, but seemingly not so bad as here, which really makes me wonder if growing conditions contribute to the problem: The plants may have a defense, but if it isn't available to them via the environment, they are lost. In your case, Cohan, I suspect the lack of certain pests might have something to do with that -49 degrees you post. That would probably deter me!

Unless the splitters have been busy the Agave is still A. parryi.

Scilla scilloides is putting on a much better show this season compare to recent years.

Apparently, eryngiums are quite tasty; I suppose that is why the are usually so darn thorny.  Something ate one of my two Eryngium agavifolium planted out this year in the garden.  A 3 inch divot was left, and the culprit had eaten right into the soil.  I could still feel the primary roots radiating out from what would have been the crown.  Eryngium agavifolium is not prickly at all.
             

A Helianthus cultivar.  Sometimes the buds are more interesting than the flowers.  And Gentiana septemfida, not liking the heat stress.
       

Vernonia gigantea topped out at 9ft 10 inches.  Yes, I measured, and how else but on a ladder can I get pics of the flowers?
       

Euonymus hamiltonianus var. sieboldianus is beginning to color up for its last year in the yard. :'(  After ten years it is beginning to sucker, and I don't want the next door neighbor having to deal with it.  On the bright side, E. planipes (thanks, Mark!) or a medlar will be replacing it.
Pics of sieboldianus from above and below.
       

The herbaceous Aralia continentalis replaced the woody Aralia elata that had threatened to invade my other neighbor's lot. Chamaecyparis thyoides always has heavy cone set for me.
       

Salvia penstemonoides was thought to be extinct, but was rediscovered near Dallas, Texas--it is a beautiful thing that seems to be hardy for us. I am amazed that Impatiens omeiana is hardy in Newfoundland, Todd! Or has it not been through a winter? Inula rhizocephala has always been monocarpic here, Lori--you must have very special conditions to have it rebloom twice more. I am relieved we do not have Psyllids, however. This time of year the garden seems to have a second spring, and the botanic gardens has almost too much to relate, but my own garden is more manageable. Here are some of the highlights from the last day or two...

1) This pale form of Allium cyaneum came to me as A. sikkimense (Joy Creek Nursery)--it's better sited than others of this species, and shows off more. Needs something contrasting next to it, though...
2) Artemisia filifolia is the only shrubby sagebrush in this area, always growing on sandy soils. It was native to my property, and this one magically appeared in just the right spot. I love its extravagant swirls.
3) Colchicum (Merendera) pyreneicum is always the first of its clan, inducing a bit of panic (which is why its Spanish name is "I scare the shepherds" [with the approach of winter]/ I love it in the evening when it closes,
4) And in the daytime when it is wide open.
5) I take my tender cacti outdoors for the summer, where they are happier, and often bloom: here Coryphantha elephantipes
6)-7) I've grown Cyclamen purpurascens long enough that seedlings are popping up all sorts of places--here in among sempervivums, and elsewhere--often in full sun!
8) Not much blooming here on my dry xeriscapes (east and west Ridges), except for Mexican hair grass (Nasella tenuissima) which I must cut back before it takes over...
9) Eriogonum allenii is well into its second month of blooming, alongside Seseli gummiferum: two of the mainstays of my summer garden.
10) Hedeoma hyssopifolium from the Chiricahua Mts. of New Mexico, its first year here. It makes a dense mound of bloom with time.

Only down to the H's--must post another note next for the rest...

1) This time of year the Hylotelephiums make a great show: just planted this H. 'Bertram Anderson'' a rew weeks ago...
2) Hylotelephium cauticolum must be one of its parents: it makes a great show on a dry corner of my rock garden where it's hard to grow most alpines.\
3) The Star Performer in my garden right now is this Lobelia cardinalis, or probably a hybrid with the Mexican species, come to think of it. It's been in this spot then or more years.
4) Even the vegetable garden is decorative with Ipomoea (draped, bloomsin the morning) and crimson Amaranth everywhere.
5) Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips' has been blooming much of the summer, but lulls at the height of heat--now that its cooled off a bit it's kicking in. Amazing a plant from southern Mexico is so hardy.
6) I love the scarlet of Salvia darcyi, which I finally have growing well at home.
7) Just to prove I am not a rock garden snob, I do grow a few annuals (here in a brash combination: petunias, callibrachoa and Angelonia) 
8) Kniphofia porphyrantha finally blooming after half a dozen years!
9)The black spikes on Veratrum formosanum--one of my favorites, dark though it be..
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Noticed the last two did not show up: will try posting them again:

7) Just to prove I am not a rock garden snob, I do grow a few annuals (here in a brash combination: petunias, callibrachoa and Angelonia) 
Kniphofia porphyrantha finally blooming after half a dozen years!
9)The black spikes on Veratrum formosanum--one of my favorites, dark though it be..
                                                                                                                                                       

Rick, I don't think I'll ever grow a plant that I need a ladder to admire! At least not in one season.

I had several Eryngiums once and they were never touched by slugs ;)
Scilla scilloides looks pretty. Seems to be a nice plant.