What a beautiful little gem! Your picture sent me searching to see if there were any Phyllodoce species growing in the UK, but sadly it seems there's only a tiny band of P. caerulea in Scotland (and it must be at risk from climate change), so it's unlikely I'll ever see it in the wild. I like the sound of your ericaeous trough - could you post more photos?
Helleborus niger 'Jacob' which came from the snow fully flowering.
The seedlings you very kindly sent me are coming along nicely but haven't reached flowering size yet.
A natural 'cloud pine'
(Attachment Link)
The roots look like something from a Salvador Dali painting. Any idea how this occurred? It was hard to tell, but there appeared to be a great deal of erosion around the roots.
Did you actually see this tree and photograph it? Sorry, I had to ask. There is so much AI fake and maliciousness out there these days. So sad that some do not have anything better to do with their lives. :'(
A natural 'cloud pine'
I like that 'Jacob' very much, but my H.niger from Holubeck seeds from Italy was even better. Sadly it died one winter, but here is a seedling from it, and this is two years older than seedlings I sent you. So hopefully yours look like this soon. :) Flowers are very big.
This one has indeed larger flowers Leena. I also have 'Jacob', but it never had so many flower stems like yours and actually is short lived; a new seedling takes its place every 2-3 years. I should probably find another location for it.
I also have 'Jacob', but it never had so many flower stems like yours and actually is short lived; a new seedling takes its place every 2-3 years. I should probably find another location for it.
The pictures are indeed real Robert, but I understand your caution :)
Those aren't roots but dead branches now hanging downward. Recently I came across this group of trees in a mountain valley SW of Fort William, Scotland. They all looked mature, with no evidence of replacement by seedlings probably due to grazing pressure by red deer. This particular tree had an enormous witches broom maybe 6-7m wide, which must have been old too given the slow growth rate. Unfortunately the point of emergence from the trunk wasn't easy to see from my vantage point, but perhaps you can just about make it out from the photo below. The broom also had small cones.
Witches brooms are apparently not uncommon in Pinus sylvestris (or other pines), and have given rise to various dwarf conifer cultivars, but this was the first time I'd seen one. They can arise from bacterial or fungal infections but also from spontaneuos mutations in the meristem . Therefore they tend to occur more often at higher altitudes where solar irradiation is more intense. However this tree was only about 150m asl.
(Attachment Link)
I have had 'Jacob' since 2011, and I don't think I have ever gotten seeds from it. Many times it starts to flower too early and flowers are damaged, but I'm glad not this year. Maybe because it hasn't had seeds, it is so long-lived here. With other H.niger, I have the same experience as Mariette, they are not easy to please, but they seed around so there is always some. Some H.niger I have are not as good-looking, with only a few flowers and also there are differences in leaves. Some have nicer leaves than others.
Kris, I'm sorry to hear yours don't do well. In Finland H.niger is considered to be hardier than H. x hybridus, but I think it also depends on the strain/type.
I should have better said ex. 'Jacob' Leena because I grew it from seeds.
I should add that in the same location, Helleborus purpurascens, which is a deciduous species, does well, although in other parts of the garden it flowers as early as the snow melts, here it holds on. Only recently the foliage appeared. It is very hard with our limited garden space to offer proper spots for some species and it takes careful observing of the way the conditions of snow cover/sun/shade, moisture are changing over the seasons.
Leena, I like the white daphne, it looks so much brighter than the ordinary one! The changes of weather may be similar here, though resulting in pics similar to Yours 2 months earlier.
First Clematis hirsutissima in flower today, also Cassiope lycopodioides.Very nice. Is that Haberlea to the left of the Cassiope photo?
Yes it is Maggie, it has been in the same large pot for about 35 years. As you can see its about twice the size of the pot.good grief! That's a big one - doesn't seem to mind being potbound, does it - and it surely is at that size!!
good grief! That's a big one - doesn't seem to mind being potbound, does it - and it surely is at that size!!
Calochortus luteus is coming into bloom now. It is a fine species. The next generation of plants and hybrids will likely bloom next year. This species is highly variable, so there are many possibilities with this species.
Some photos from last month: