7) Erigeron, Hymenoxys, Townsendia and other Asteraceae

Frost Aster - Aster pilosus (now Symphyotrichum pilosum)

Submitted by Mark McD on Fri, 03/19/2010 - 08:35

Not exactly a rock-garden-sized Aster (yes, I still call them Aster) is Aster pilosus (Symphyotrichum pilosum), native to eastern North American and disjunctly in British Columbia. Typically growing to 3' or more, the species is highly variable and I have plants that reach 6' tall, and as well, have observed plants growing only 18" tall and could be admissible to a larger rock garden.
Map: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SYPIP3

Hymenoxys grandiflora in a trough

Submitted by Kelaidis on Fri, 03/05/2010 - 16:29

You don't often see Old man of the Mountain in Gardens: this picture shows it in the Mount Evans trough in our Denver Botanic Gardens trough display. Alas, it is monocarpic--so no show the next year.

I think I planted over a hundred of this in my gardens at home (especially in troughs). Should make for an interesting look this summer!

Townsendia aprica - armchair botanizing

Submitted by Mark McD on Fri, 03/05/2010 - 10:13

More armchair botanizing today. I was going to add to the Parry's Easter Daisy thread, but we're starting to talk about Townsendia in general, so I started this thread which features a rare Utah endemic, Townsendia aprica. I also uploaded a photo to the Image of the Day thread, as I had found a gorgeous photo that embodies Townsendia.
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=24.msg722#msg722

Parry's easter daisy

Submitted by Kelaidis on Fri, 02/19/2010 - 22:13

I think the ONLY way to grow townsendias well is in troughs. In fact I think all my best ones are in pots, which is the only way they are reliably perennial. In fact, even the biennials and annuals, like Townsendia parryi, come back reliably from seed in troughs. This is yet another trough in Wildflower Treasures at Denver Botanic Gardens (or in this case, it's actually an antique Indian mortar (or is it pestle?) that has had a hole drilled through the bottom.

A great fleabane... Erigeron scopulinus

Submitted by Kelaidis on Fri, 02/19/2010 - 21:44

I can't think of a better Erigeron to launch this discussion than E. scopulinus, which is still relatively new both to science and cultivation in the broadest sense. This is not only one of the toughest, one of the daintiest and most beautiful of tiny mat formers, it is very rare in nature--only known from a few spots on the Mogollon rim of New Mexico and Arizona. It was introduced to cultivation by Sonia Lowzow, a remarkable woman and grower who lived in Showlow Arizona (Lowzow from Showlow was quite the tongue twister).