Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: Zdenek on August 01, 2016, 12:53:56 PM
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I am sorry, I am a little late as usually. Here are four pictures from our garden from the last month:
Campanula troegerae
Gentiana georgei
Gentiana stipitata
Gypsophila aretioides
The last plant is 30 years old and this is its the very best frowering after all those years.
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Flowering really well this year is Codonopsis pinifolia.
First picture shows just the flower
the second how long the flower stems are & how they wrap themselves around the plant support.
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I am sorry, I am late as usually. Four pictures from the last month:
Campanula troegerae
Gentiana georgei
Gentiana stipitata
Gypsophila aretioides
The last plant is now 30 years old and this is its the best flowering from all those years. In first 24 years it did not showed any flower at all.
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Beautiful Codonopsis, Mike ;)
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Is it Autumn yet?
Acis autumnale has been flowering for a while and
Hesperis coccinea (have I got that right?) has been flowering for a month.
Cyclamen hederifolium has also produced a few flowers
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I just noticed yesterday that my Acis autumnalis is almost in flower. I see that your plants also have leaves showing. Mine outside seem to be evergreen here whilst those under cover have a proper summer dormancy.
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Is it Autumn yet? ...
Hesperis coccinea (have I got that right?) has been flowering for a month.
Hi Roma,
close - Hesperantha - this species used to be known as Schizostylus coccineus but got lumped into Hesperantha a while back.
Nice to see the Acis - we have A. tingitana in flower "down south" ;D
cheers
fermi
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Matt, at the Cruickshank garden there were two forms of Acis autumnalis. The one which I have produces masses of seed and is evergreen except in a very dry summer ( not often in Scotland). The other form was deciduous and in one clump which set little seed.
Thanks for the correction, Fermi. I ought to have known. I got Hesperis matronalis from the AGS seedex a few years ago instead of Hesperantha cucullata.
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In the far south of NZ we are doing what we can to dispose of Acis autumnalis altogether. Charming though it is, it is a rampant seeder and turns up in almost every pot of bulbs, in beds and even in my vegetable garden recently. No matter how many I dig out there are always more. A. rosea has also had a good year with half a dozen bulbs giving me 60plus stems but only 22 seeds, already germinating, sown in early June.
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That's interesting. Mine are all the same form, just behaving differently under different conditions.
I'd be happy to have it seeding around as it's not really 'weedy'. I doesn't seed here, but the bulbs increase quickly enough.
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Flowering really well this year is Codonopsis pinifolia.
First picture shows just the flower
the second how long the flower stems are & how they wrap themselves around the plant support.
That is exceptionally nice!
Salvia "Black and Bloom".............
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8721/28411584760_1888fb2af2_z.jpg)
Commelina tuberosa..............
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8701/28695867705_4aa77abc47_z.jpg)
Kniphofia uvaria?
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8377/28590054622_4a64bc2a56_z.jpg)
Echeveria cante is now in bloom..............
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8087/28459244110_15f8c7b828_z.jpg)
The flowers are the largest of any Echeveria that I've grown and a rich shade of red............
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8611/28125964394_fc48c405db_z.jpg)
Gasteria aff.bicolor lives in a cool greenhouse over the winter and goes outdoors in the spring. It blooms reliably every summer..........
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8890/28459256650_72a9c98050_z.jpg)
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nice, Zdenek your Gentiana are grown in turf mixt?
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Your Salvia is a stunner Meanie. I bought two earlier in the year when they were flowering, one a deep maroon and the other a blue/purple both similar to yours. Planted out they grew well but have died off totally with frosts. The stems look totally dead so I'm hoping they will come away from under the soil. I think their species is probably of Mexican origin. In the meantime I have been able to replace after several years a favourite salvia, S. roemeriana which I originally grew from seed from Les Kreeger in, I think, Surrey. He had some wonderful seeds including another favourite, the tiny Hypericum kelleri which I still have and Delphinium balansae which I don't.
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Lesley,
Many of the Meso-american Salvias were tender at the El Dorado County farm (located in the Sierra Nevada Foothills). Some such as S. melissodora, guaranitica, sinaloensis etc. would come back from the roots, generally weakly, and then slowly die-off over the next few winters. Low temperatures of 20 F (-6.5 C) were routine every winter. At our home in Sacramento it is very different. Species such as Salvia confertiflora survive the winter and can become huge. So far, the only tender "species" has been Salvia "vanhouttei" and the like. Our Sacramento home is very close to the Sacramento River. Winter temperatures rarely fall below 28 F (-2 C).
Salvia sinaloensis is a very low compact species. The gentian blue flowers are stunning. It is very easy in a container and worth the effort. I found that yearly repotting was important as the species appears to be a heavy feeder. In our Sacramento garden the plants in the ground need a yearly addition of compost, otherwise they will not bloom for us.
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Some Dandelions:
Taraxacum officianale -I need to do some weeding ......badly!
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8820/28760426785_866ce31300_o.jpg)
Taraxacum leucanthum -Grown from Bjørnar Olsen seed collected in Xinjiang (BO-15-208)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8793/28655528752_9156bbacdf_o.jpg)
Taraxacum lilacinum -Grown from Bjørnar Olsen seed collected in Xinjiang (BO-15-209)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8358/28760426135_e0500cbc3f_o.jpg)
As a child I was told that: "mess around with Dandy Lions and you will pee yourself"
...........I firmly believe it. A fresh change of underwear was needed after this encounter. ;-)
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3704/11589479446_f2e2e81f58_z.jpg)
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Beautiful photos as always, Steve, though the last was a bit of a shock.
Some snaps of my allotment yesterday.
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You keep it beautifully Margaret.
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Margaret, how lovely - and HOW productive!
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Love Margaret's allotment! And it looks like one gets full sun. No street trees!
I had to add this Crocosmia, presumedly George Davisson (is it one or two 's'?), with its open, canary yellow blossoms. Simply too perfect. They rarely do well in my garden, mainly too wet, but a few euros for a pot o' colour is just fine.
Then one of the newer Passiflora hybrids, which have graced the German market this season. I snapped this fragrant one up, along with P. vitifolia, and put them in large pots ti let them over-winter. Only P. coerulea seems to handle my climate (and sprouts out of every crack it finds!).
I love trumpet fuchsias and this one, name lost, has been with me a few years. It might be Big Slim.
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Jamie, I think it is just one 's' (George Davison) but I've also seen it as 'George Davidson' .
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Thank you Robert for the notes about American salvias. I've always liked Salvia from when my mother grew several and overall they do well for me, so I'll always try a new one. S. roemeriana was a favourite roim its first blooming many years ago now. Bright scarlet and I think from New Mexico so I would have expected it to be a bit tender but in the finish it was summer drought that did for it. It always set good seed. I hope I get the little new one going, maybe in a pot down here in the south of NZ and where we are having night after night of snow at present. That's unusual. It would normally be a good fall over one night and then no more for maybe weeks. I have to say I'm over it.
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Among the reblooming daphnes, this is a really nice one, Daphne x susannae 'Anton Fahndrich'. It seems to be quite hardy, nicely shaped and last year rebloomed twice.
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Thanks, David. An interesting change to be able to make an ID, but not be sure how its spelled!
Here are two shots of a Sarracenia purpurea, which apparently flowers in the Summer, rather than in the Spring. As I purchased it from the garden centre, it may be a hybrid. In any case, a poor fly-catcher.
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Lesley,
We are very fortunate to have the U.C. Berkeley Botanical Garden and San Francisco Botanical Gardens somewhat near by. I am sure that many of the Mesoamerican Salvias that I grow in our Sacramento garden initially came from their collections. Many of the species will do reasonably well for us. The cloud forest species (S.F. Botanical Garden has a great collection!) dislike the hot, dry interior of California and are often not cold hardy either.
Salvia chiapensis is another superb species we grow in our garden. It must be day neutral, as it will bloom for us almost all year. In the last few years, there has been a decline in their blooming. They most likely need a top dressing of compost (our American meaning of the word). I'll be home late next week and hope I can get some nice photographs of our best Salvia species. Now that the Sacramento garden is being tended all of the time, the garden is shaping up well. Some of our Salvia species even are reseeding themselves. I hope that they do not become weedy!
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I'll look forward to your salvia pictures Robert.
We in NZ have just a small handful of the amazing dwarf daphne roll call. The older species such cneorum and its variegated form, probably still arbuscula (I lost mine when I moved the trough; its roots out the bottom were broken), tangutica and a few others and D. petraea in its form 'Persabee,' maybe others I don't know about (mezereum and its white form of course). So overall, not many. It's a great pleasure to see others here and remember the incredible selection in the Czech Republic in 2013. My petraea 'Persabee' flowered really well in our autumn so that I didn't expect buds for spring. But it is currently COVERED in buds, better than ever before and I hope it can be brought on for our OAGG Show on 1 and 2 October. It was a couple of weeks late last year for the show at the same weekend so I 'll have to bring it under cover into the warmth for a while.
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nice, Zdenek your Gentiana are grown in turf mixt?
Both these Gentians are growing in a peat bed. It is 20 cms of clear peat and anything else. In this bed grows well also himalayan Androsaces and some himalayan Primulas.
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Not much in flower at present worth reporting on, exception being Campanula tommasiniana
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Pictures taken today.
Gentiana saxosa.
The buds appeared quite a few weeks ago but are very slow to open.
It must need a lot of bright sunshine to do this.
I just hope many of the other buds will open before some of the open flowers lose their pristine look.
I have read that G. saxosa can flower well into September.
If I can get a better picture in the coming weeks I will post it here.
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How beautiful G. saxosa is!
Gentianopsis are just starting to flower here, a bit earlier than usual.
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Your Gent. saxosa looks very white John. Here they tend to be creamy. Unfortunately it and I think all the NZ gentians are now called Gentianella!
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A few August flowering plants from my summer house. It is no formal beds. The plants grow where they like and where they survive. The worst enemy is summer drought since the neighbour has managed to keep his sheep fenced. None are native.
Opuntia polyacantha has survived one winter. I hope for flowers next year!
[attachimg=1]
Delosperma cooperi has germinated from seed. The original plant is dead 3 years ago. Seedlings appear a few places.
[attachimg=2]
A tiny Sedum relative. It does best in pure sand.
[attachimg=3]
A Cyclamen, probably purpurascens. From a seed mix. Ed.:hederifolium
[attachimg=4]
Limonium latifolium. Two other species are native in this area but I have planted this. It seems to like the sea spray.
[attachimg=5]
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An Allium. Could it be senescens?
[attachimg=1]
Allium cernuum
[attachimg=2]
At last one native: Hieracium umbellatum. It can be very pretty. This specimen has fasciation.
[attachimg=3]
Epilobium/ Zauschneria canum a couple of years old. First time with flowers! Euphorbia cyparissias try to hide it.
[attachimg=4]
Two cricket nymphs. Maybe two different species.
[attachimg=5]
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Very nice Trond. The Limonium is obviously enjoying summer at the seaside 8)
Your cyclamen looks like hederifolium.
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Very nice Trond. The Limonium is obviously enjoying summer at the seaside 8)
Your cyclamen looks like hederifolium.
Thanks Ashley :)
I have made a correction of the name also.
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Even if not natives they look like they belong there Trond. Especially the Limonium with the sea view - wonderful! Brings back memories walking among sea lavenders on a wild shoreline of the Black Sea...
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Even if not natives they look like they belong there Trond. Especially the Limonium with the sea view - wonderful! Brings back memories walking among sea lavenders on a wild shoreline of the Black Sea...
Thanks, Gabriela, it is my goal when planting :) I have yet to see the Black Sea though!
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Trond,
Very nice for a naturalistic planting. It is quite an eclectic selection of species! Of course, I am always surprised by the mention of drought or dry conditions in Western Norway - or perhaps your summer home is located in the east towards Oslo? It looks so lush and green - all of this is relative to our California climate. Anyway, thank you for sharing.
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Trond,
Very nice for a naturalistic planting. It is quite an eclectic selection of species! Of course, I am always surprised by the mention of drought or dry conditions in Western Norway - or perhaps your summer home is located in the east towards Oslo? It looks so lush and green - all of this is relative to our California climate. Anyway, thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Robert ;) Yes, I choose my plants! But I have also planted native Norwegian plants including grasses and grasslike plants :o
This is at our summer house situated at the SE coast running from Oslo southwards. It is the sunniest part in Norway in summer. In Kragerø county the islands get less rain and more sun than the mainland. This picture shows a typical situation: Rain to the left (mainland), sun to the right (islands).
[attachimg=1]
The driest part of the summer is usually June-July, but the amount of rain vary a lot. This year June was dry but July was wet so it looks very green now. As the dry condition only lasts about a month or two it is only the shallow soils that suffer. (Most soils at the islands are very shallow though.) Drought here is nothing like California!
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Your Salvia is a stunner Meanie. I bought two earlier in the year when they were flowering, one a deep maroon and the other a blue/purple both similar to yours. Planted out they grew well but have died off totally with frosts. The stems look totally dead so I'm hoping they will come away from under the soil.
Could they be;
Love and Wishes.............
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7676/28062532605_531343177d_z.jpg)
and Amistad................
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7411/27159321574_56b2ef0fb1_z.jpg)
Amistad is borderline hardy here but I can't make any claims on Love and Wishes as it is the first year that I've had it.
Hoy - I cannot keep Epilobium going here. What's the secret?
A few new things in bloom since my last post;
Albuca humilis...........
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8697/28210604993_16fe2ca4f6_z.jpg)
Salvia patens.............
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8271/28793911136_f1ecc68f21_z.jpg)
Tricyrtis formosa.............
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8165/28253002263_f73e6e960f_z.jpg)
Schizanthus pinnatus...........
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7547/28901261171_e14141325a_z.jpg)
Manfreda elongata.............
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8685/28901263951_6b9a680f01_z.jpg)
And a very wonky Eucomis "Sparkling Burgundy". This is the first of my leaf cutting bulbs to bloom.............#
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8800/28384453534_89e6c64b5e_z.jpg)
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Thanks, Robert ;) Yes, I choose my plants! But I have also planted native Norwegian plants including grasses and grasslike plants :o
This is at our summer house situated at the SE coast running from Oslo southwards. It is the sunniest part in Norway in summer. In Kragerø county the islands get less rain and more sun than the mainland. This picture shows a typical situation: Rain to the left (mainland), sun to the right (islands).
The driest part of the summer is usually June-July, but the amount of rain vary a lot. This year June was dry but July was wet so it looks very green now. As the dry condition only lasts about a month or two it is only the shallow soils that suffer. (Most soils at the islands are very shallow though.) Drought here is nothing like California!
Trond,
I am impressed that you are growing some xeric type species - even in the "dry" SE coast of Norway. It seems that they do well with minimum attention too.
The photograph and explanation sums things up very well.
We have not had any meaningful precipitation since April and are unlikely to get any until mid-October. In the mean time it has been hot the last few day - 38 C, with a low temperature of 18 C. I went out early to take photographs in our garden. None of them turned out! :'( :P I guess I was out tooooo early. I was excepting another hot day today, however it stayed relatively cool - 32 C. I spent all morning planting vegetables. Vegetables from the market taste terrible, so I am highly motivated to grow our own. The greens I planted last month are ready to pick now as "baby greens". They are divine. :) As for the ornamentals, Rhododendron arborescens var. georgiana is in full bloom now and looking very good. Some of the Salvias are blooming too. The garden misses me when I am out of town. There is certainly plenty to do to get it back in shape again. I will try some photographs again as some parts of the garden do look nice. :)
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Meanie,
I certainly enjoy your Salvia photographs! 8) I think that you have shown Salvia 'Love and Wishes' in the past. Seeing it again is a good reminder to look for it here in the U.S.A. A must try for our garden!
I have planted a goodly number of meso-american type Salvias in the garden this summer, however transplanting has slowed them a bit. Maybe they will look good this autumn. Albuca humilis just finished blooming for us. I like its fragrance!
Thank you for sharing. I look forward to your next batch of photographs. :)
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Today was much hotter that yesterday. This morning the timing worked out to get a few photographs of Rhododendron arborescens var. georgiana.
[attachimg=1]
This form of Rhododendron arborescens blooms very late in the season. This specimen is planted in a hot west facing perennial border (our "Monet" border).
[attachimg=2]
It is completely unfazed by the heat and hot afternoon sun in this border. The flowers have a nice fragrance, which is an added bonus.
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Forty-eight hours after the first significant rainfall since May Magnolia grandiflora and Albizia julibrissin v. rosea have opened here. The quick response is fascinating, Brachychiton rupestris is wasting no time taking advantage of the situation, new growth surges forth and seems a stronger red than usual.
johnw
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:o
John,
that's tantamount to plant cruelty, subjecting a Queenslander to a Canadian winter!
;D
Lovely new growth!
cheers
fermi
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:o
John,
that's tantamount to plant cruelty, subjecting a Queenslander to a Canadian winter!
;D
Lovely new growth!
cheers
fermi
Inspiring to those of us who only have a UK winter to deal with though!
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Meanie,
I certainly enjoy your Salvia photographs! 8) I think that you have shown Salvia 'Love and Wishes' in the past. Seeing it again is a good reminder to look for it here in the U.S.A. A must try for our garden!
I have planted a goodly number of meso-american type Salvias in the garden this summer, however transplanting has slowed them a bit. Maybe they will look good this autumn. Albuca humilis just finished blooming for us. I like its fragrance!
Thank you for sharing. I look forward to your next batch of photographs. :)
Yes, I have shown Love and Wishes before (probably more than once, it's that good!) but it was easier to just show it again for Leslie than go back through my earlier posts ;D
What I find with the S.buchananii, gesneriiflora, guaranitica and splendens hybrids is that once planted out they are more "interested" in spreading their roots than blooming. Most of these hybrids do very well in pots (exceptionally well in the case of Amistad) which allows us Brits the benefit of starting them off and bringing them along in the greenhouse earlier in the season to extend their growing time. Next year I'm going to try dropping the pot into the ground - it works well with Brugmansia on a couple of levels and may be a good tactic with these hybrids as well.
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A few more;
Angelonia angustifolia is a bit of a cheat as I bought the plant a few weeks ago................
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7608/29019746875_560e861454_z.jpg)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8533/28987210706_201020bb82_z.jpg)
Agastache aurantiaca................
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8707/28402733543_60bd475911_z.jpg)
Eucomis punctata is a little on the short side this year............
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8754/28412304263_88935b3aa2_z.jpg)
It's still nice though..........
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8253/28743460950_fca862fa03_z.jpg)
This seed grown Aconitum volubile is not exactly prolific but it was still in a 7cm pot in April.............
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8362/28743454770_75acccc92a_z.jpg)
Finally, Impatiens niamniamensis.............
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8002/28439637254_7803762e22_z.jpg)
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Vegetables that are ornamental too, runner beans. And Hedychium Coccineum doing well this year again. I had some seeds of this Hedychium last year, harvested on Christmas day and sown immediately and then kept inside at room temperature, however none germinated. If anyone has some advise about sowing Hedychium it will be more than welcome.
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Vegetables that are ornamental too, runner beans. And Hedychium Coccineum doing well this year again. I had some seeds of this Hedychium last year, harvested on Christmas day and sown immediately and then kept inside at room temperature, however none germinated. If anyone has some advise about sowing Hedychium it will be more than welcome.
I've used saltpetre (pottasium nitrate) to aid Strelitzia germination. Mix it one teaspoon to one litre and soak for 2 to 3 days, more will not hurt. Then I used bottom heat.
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Yes, I have shown Love and Wishes before (probably more than once, it's that good!) but it was easier to just show it again for Leslie than go back through my earlier posts ;D
What I find with the S.buchananii, gesneriiflora, guaranitica and splendens hybrids is that once planted out they are more "interested" in spreading their roots than blooming. Most of these hybrids do very well in pots (exceptionally well in the case of Amistad) which allows us Brits the benefit of starting them off and bringing them along in the greenhouse earlier in the season to extend their growing time. Next year I'm going to try dropping the pot into the ground - it works well with Brugmansia on a couple of levels and may be a good tactic with these hybrids as well.
Meanie,
Years ago I grew Brugmansia up at the farm as well as a number of tender Salvia species. Dropping the pot in the ground worked well with all of them. There were a few Salvia species that seemed to want to grow foliage rather than bloom when planted in the open ground. The restricted roots in a pot seemed to remedy this situation, but not always, nor with all species or varieties.
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Meanie,
Years ago I grew Brugmansia up at the farm as well as a number of tender Salvia species. Dropping the pot in the ground worked well with all of them. There were a few Salvia species that seemed to want to grow foliage rather than bloom when planted in the open ground. The restricted roots in a pot seemed to remedy this situation, but not always, nor with all species or varieties.
I'm hoping that it will also minimise root damage as well which is apparently one of the main reasons that the Brug growers use this method.
More photos now;
We all know the bedding Salvia splendens that you buy a tray of six for a couple of quid. Well, S.splendens "Yvonnes Giant" is a form of the true species that has been doing the rounds in the US for many years. In a good year it will grow to over two metres in height but typically the first time that I get some seed we have a pants summer. Still, it has reached a metre and a bit more and is branching nicely as well.................
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8345/28990521291_7581b5aa13_z.jpg)
Impatiens niamniamensis is just coming into bloom properly in the garden.............
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8002/28439637254_7803762e22_z.jpg)
Puya mirabilis. Three years from seed to bloom.............
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8088/28784154120_c56f70376f_z.jpg)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8317/28994070401_2a2db9e8b4_z.jpg)
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The first lot of soft fruit is over now but the blueberries are coming in with a vengeance. Bumper crop this year - so much more flavour than in the shops. The bushes are also quite ornamental with nice flowers in late spring and good autumn colour.
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A blue duck and red water lilies in my tiny pond. The poor duck has to be brought inside every winter but the water-lily remains outside :D
[attachimg=1]
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[attachimg=1]
Slowly our Sacramento garden is taking shape. Our garden centered around our vegetable plots and they have been the priority. I guess I feel if the gardener is not healthy then the garden can not be tended or appreciated fully. Good vegetables to eat can help promote good health.
[attachimg=2]
It may be difficult to notice but the vegetable plots are surrounded with ornamentals.
[attachimg=3]
I do my best to make every inch count. Vegetables and ornamentals are planted in tubs, the open ground, or wherever they will do best. This tub is planted with Pac Choi. Pac Choi, Tokyo Bekana, Arugula, and Curly Cress make up the bulk of our summer salad greens. They do well and taste good despite our hot summer weather.
[attachimg=4]
This view is of one of the ornamental beds next to one of the vegetable plots. Right now I am using tubs to grow most of the alpine species. Proper soil can be used and they will do well until we dismantle part of our house and can design and plant a proper alpine garden.
[attachimg=5]
Gladiolus oppositifolius is looking good right now.
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[attachimg=1]
This is an exceptional form of Epilobium canum ssp. latifolia that I found on a ridge above the South Fork of the American River. This form produces flowers abundantly, much more so that the average plant found in the wild.
[attachimg=2]
Epilobium 'Wayne's Silver' looking good.
[attachimg=3]
Our last Azalea to bloom for this growing season, a cross of a very late blooming form of Rhododendron arborescens and R. prunifolium. Nothing fancy, but none the less a good pink that holds up well in our hot weather.
[attachimg=4]
The foliage was burned due to lack of irrigation during a hot spell. Now they are being tended properly and are thriving.
[attachimg=5]
Silene laciniata ssp. californica. I grow these in tubs where they bloom off and on all during the growing season. My wife loves them and I planted a tub with them and other rock plants where she walks frequently. :)
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A blue duck and red water lilies in my tiny pond. The poor duck has to be brought inside every winter but the water-lily remains outside :D
(Attachment Link)
Trond,
How large and deep is your "pond"? Many years ago I bought a "kiddie pool" that I sunk into the ground as a pond. It worked okay but was too shallow to work well. I also used an old claw legged bath tub. This worked much better.
Is your pond lined to prevent leakage?
Anyway, I love the photograph! :)
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I can't get used to thinking of Zauschneria as Epilobium, especially as those we have here are filthy weeds (the epilobiums I mean).
Some years ago I had seed collected by Jim Archibald, of the silene above (as S. californicum). When he and Jenny visited NZ for an NZAGS Study Weekend, I was able to produce one flowering in a small pot, to put on their breakfast table. Smiles all round.
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Robert,
Nice to see your vegie patch as well as the ornamentals :)
As much as I disdain gardeners who think that vegies are the be-all-and-end-all of gardening (especially during the drought, we had people saying that we shouldn't waste water on non-food plants! >:( ) I wouldn't be without some space for fresh vegies and herbs.
I'm reminded of the saying "If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a lily" (although, one source does say that in China the lily you would buy would be for eating! :o I prefer to use the "western" slant on it and think of the esoteric qualities of a lily ;D )
cheers
fermi
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One of the most elegant tall shrubs we can grow, Clethra barbinervis shown here at Rockburn in Halifax with Stephen. The Atlantic Rhododendron & Horticultural Society imported a number of them in 2" pots not so very long ago, they have grown quickly and will only get more spectacular in time. The habit is so very Japanese though native to China as well. The fragrance filled the air last night, we mistook it for lilies. Sadly it's almost impossible to find a source in Canada these days. The web says hardy Z5 to Z6 which seems to be the case. Maybe it will produce seed for the Seedex.
johnw
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Robert, you grow quite a few showy ornamentals among the vegetables :)
In addition to the Epilobium canum I also had Silene laciniata in flower this summer ;)
Trond,
How large and deep is your "pond"? Many years ago I bought a "kiddie pool" that I sunk into the ground as a pond. It worked okay but was too shallow to work well. I also used an old claw legged bath tub. This worked much better.
Is your pond lined to prevent leakage?
Anyway, I love the photograph! :)
The "pond" was rather deep compared to the diameter when I built it but sediments have filled it up a lot. The depth vary between 30 and 60 cm depending on the rain. I have a pump circulating the water and it also deliver water to a very small watercourse. In dry weather the water sinks rather rapidly. I built a frame of leca blocks and dug a hole in the inside. I used a rubber pond liner and covered the bottom with appropriate soil before filling up with water. The water-lily is too big - I bought it as a dwarf which it certainly isn't!
[attachimg=1]
I am waiting for the walls to be covered by moss. Then I will try to plant in the moss.
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When Clematis heracleifolia 'China Purple' starts flowering it's a sign days are getting shorter :-\
[attachimg=1]
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What a super deep blue. Beautiful.
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I can't get used to thinking of Zauschneria as Epilobium, especially as those we have here are filthy weeds (the epilobiums I mean).
Some years ago I had seed collected by Jim Archibald, of the silene above (as S. californicum). When he and Jenny visited NZ for an NZAGS Study Weekend, I was able to produce one flowering in a small pot, to put on their breakfast table. Smiles all round.
Hi Lesley,
I can completely empathize with your feelings regarding some of the plant name changes. One thing that Epilobium and "Zauschneria" do have in common here in California is that even "Zauchneria" can be weedy by way of their rhizomes. One clone, 'Mattole Select' is known for staying put - more or less. In light soil the other varieties can spread, to put it mildly.
[attachimg=1]
This tub is planted with various rock species. Epilobium canum ssp garrettii is planted in the upper right hand side of this tub. Sub-species garrettii may grow a bit smaller than sub-species latifolia, however it is certainly foolishness on my part to plant it in this tub. I feel sure it will take over the whole tub, however I have some wishful thinking on my part that I can keep it small and under control. ::)
[attachimg=2]
I have to admit that I like the color of the flowers with the various rocks.
One other note, we have our 'willow herbs' (Epilobium) that are terrible weedy, seedy pests, especially with moist conditions. Even some of the other native Epilobium species, such as E. hallianum, need to be used with caution as they can be weedy - mostly from rhizomes.
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Robert,
Nice to see your vegie patch as well as the ornamentals :)
As much as I disdain gardeners who think that vegies are the be-all-and-end-all of gardening (especially during the drought, we had people saying that we shouldn't waste water on non-food plants! >:( ) I wouldn't be without some space for fresh vegies and herbs.
I'm reminded of the saying "If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a lily" (although, one source does say that in China the lily you would buy would be for eating! :o I prefer to use the "western" slant on it and think of the esoteric qualities of a lily ;D )
cheers
fermi
Fermi,
There are those that have the same attitude about ornamental plantings here in California. The thinking being that ornamentals are an unnecessary indulgence and a waste of water, especially with our xeric, drought conditions.
[attachimg=1]
I loved your comments about lilies. This certainly brought a smile to my face! ;D
I guess I could sell one loaf of bread for Scutellaria biacalensis. I enjoy this species in the garden as it blooms off and on all summer. I guess if I had the flue I could dig and eat the roots (they have very strong anti-viral qualities), however I prefer to keep them in the garden and out of my mouth. ;D
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Robert, you grow quite a few showy ornamentals among the vegetables :)
In addition to the Epilobium canum I also had Silene laciniata in flower this summer ;)
The "pond" was rather deep compared to the diameter when I built it but sediments have filled it up a lot. The depth vary between 30 and 60 cm depending on the rain. I have a pump circulating the water and it also deliver water to a very small watercourse. In dry weather the water sinks rather rapidly. I built a frame of leca blocks and dug a hole in the inside. I used a rubber pond liner and covered the bottom with appropriate soil before filling up with water. The water-lily is too big - I bought it as a dwarf which it certainly isn't!
(Attachment Link)
I am waiting for the walls to be covered by moss. Then I will try to plant in the moss.
Trond,
Thank you for the information about your pond. By the way, I like your set-up immensely. My wife and I have plans for something like this when we remove our 'sun room' (a part of our house that we wish to remove to have more garden space). We need to have a wall and space for our recycling cans, the back of the wall being used to mound soil for an alpine garden (something like a miniature mountain slope).
[attachimg=1]
A few more photographs from our garden.....
Another example of a tub full of alpine species.
[attachimg=2]
A generic Agastache hybrid from a local garden center. It blooms all summer and autumn, and is completely xeric, however tolerant of additional irrigation. I always keep a few around the vegetable garden.
[attachimg=3]
Mimulus aurantiacus var. grandiflorus - still blooming! I found this clone on the Middle Fork of the American River and am very pleased with its performance. :)
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Robert, I hope your optimism is rewarded (re:Zauschneria). Z. garrettii is certainly a vigorous grower and I've yet to find a truly small one. Apparently, if it has 'garrettii' in its makeup it will develop "taking ways". A tub full of it in flower would be quite a show, though. The zauschnerias develop very big roots and surrounding plants are shunted aside. In a large garden they make a great show.
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When Clematis heracleifolia 'China Purple' starts flowering it's a sign days are getting shorter :-\
Gabriela, I have never seen such dark colour of this species! I have two different one in flower now but neither is anything like yours!
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Trond,
Thank you for the information about your pond. By the way, I like your set-up immensely. My wife and I have plans for something like this when we remove our 'sun room' (a part of our house that we wish to remove to have more garden space). We need to have a wall and space for our recycling cans, the back of the wall being used to mound soil for an alpine garden (something like a miniature mountain slope).
A few more photographs from our garden.....
Another example of a tub full of alpine species.
A generic Agastache hybrid from a local garden center. It blooms all summer and autumn, and is completely xeric, however tolerant of additional irrigation. I always keep a few around the vegetable garden.
Mimulus aurantiacus var. grandiflorus - still blooming! I found this clone on the Middle Fork of the American River and am very pleased with its performance. :)
Nice plantings, Robert :) And the Mimulus looks great!
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Gabriela, I have never seen such dark colour of this species! I have two different one in flower now but neither is anything like yours!
It has a really good colour indeed, but there is more to it, the foliage is thick, dark green and the whole plant is compact; will increase but doesn't start going around the garden like I've seen other heracleifolias doing.
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First time blooming, Dierama erectum, raised from Silver Hill seed. Very late in the season bloomer and a nice break from the drooping 'fishing rod' types. Apparently prefers arid conditions.
I just came back from Madeira, where I documented much of the fire damage in Funchal, as well as simply taking lots of plant portraits. I'll start a new thread under the Diaries-Blogs section. If you have never been, this island is a truly great place for a weeks vacation (or longer).
J
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At some time Robert, our alpine nurseries listed Z. californicaum and the ssp. garrettii but I haven't seen either of them listed or in garden for many years. I tried both and liked them a lot but I don't recall finding them easy, certainly not rampant. Maybe our one remaining commercial nursery will produce the goods again sometime.
You are the only person I've come across, with your wife, who is thinking about removing a sunroom to make more space for garden. Usually it is the other way about:-)
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Elsewhere on the Forum but without a reply button, there is news of the death of Paul Ingwersen. I was thinking of him and of Will just yesterday when I realized that I hadn't seen Galanthus nivalis 'Tiny Tim' this year. I bought it from these gentlemen way back in 1981 when I was able to visit their nursery near East Grinstead. What a wonderful place it was and I especially remember troughs solid with the blue of Gentiana verna. Will said they raised hundreds of thousands each year!
Fortunately I found my littlest galanthus but flowering shyly where a large plant of Senecio candicans had overgrown the bulbs. The senecio was small when I planted it!
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I think the site of the nursery is now under the track bed of the reinstated railway, the Bluebell Line extension to East Grinstead.
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That is so sad. Wicked almost. So many amazing nurseries around the world, both large and small, have gone to oblivion because there was apparently no-one to take them on, either inherited or bought and as a result, the pool of plants available to gardeners gets smaller and smaller. Sure, new plants come along, from the wild or bred by plantsmen and women but in our (NZ) case the former are not available to us and for everyone, the latter seem to me to be more and more of the same. (I think this has all been discussed before on the Forum in a long and convoluted thread. Better not go there again.)
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I think the site of the nursery is now under the track bed of the reinstated railway, the Bluebell Line extension to East Grinstead.
Hope the "click-clack' doesn't disturb the residents at Gravetye Manor too much ::)
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My Clematis heracleifolias are the pale ones. I cannot smell the scent but they are a good late summer source of nectar for invertebrates, including bees, hover-flies and butterflies. I hope the IDs are right. Img 1010909 is Bombus ruderatus. Img 1010910 is Episyrphus balteatus. Img 1010911 is Bombus hypnorum. Img 1010913 is Nomada fulvicornis. Every room should have one, Img 1010908 is Tegenaria gigantea.
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My Clematis heracleifolias are the pale ones. I cannot smell the scent but they are a good late summer source of nectar for invertebrates, including bees, hover-flies and butterflies.
That's one reason I like them too; the hummingbird is also feeding daily on it but I can never catch it on camera.
The first flowers on Iris dichotoma (they open in the afternoon and last till evening), Centaurea triumfettii ssp. stricta from wild collected seeds and, should the gentians fail you, there is always the blue Ceratostigma ;)
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You are the only person I've come across, with your wife, who is thinking about removing a sunroom to make more space for garden. Usually it is the other way about:-)
Lesley,
I guess my wife and I could be considered a bit eccentric, however we are both very excited about having more garden space. We do not see any purpose in keeping a part of our house that we never use and have to expend time and energy cleaning and maintaining. Having a larger garden will be a pleasure in so many ways. The sun room can be completely recycled and reused somewhere else. So this is a win-win situation. :)
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My Clematis heracleifolias are the pale ones. I cannot smell the scent but they are a good late summer source of nectar for invertebrates, including bees, hover-flies and butterflies. I hope the IDs are right. Img 1010909 is Bombus ruderatus. Img 1010910 is Episyrphus balteatus. Img 1010911 is Bombus hypnorum. Img 1010913 is Nomada fulvicornis. Every room should have one, Img 1010908 is Tegenaria gigantea.
Nice range of insects there Ian, perhaps I will try C. heracleifolia out. It's always a bit of an uphill struggle with clematis here though due to the slugs.
Have you confirmed this as Bombus ruderatus? If so it could be quite significant as it is an uncommon and declining bumblebee (http://www.bwars.com/bee/apidae/bombus-ruderatus). However, it could also be the very similar B. hortorum.
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Hello Tristan, I identified the Bombus using Collins Guide to Insects by Michael Chinery. I concentrated on the colour of the bands so it could be either. I live close to its former range according to the NBN site.
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Hi Ian. Bumblebees really are not easy. I did a course on identifying them a few years ago and I came out more confused than when I went in! There are different sexes, cuckoo bees, variability and cryptic species to contend with.
I use the Field Guide to the Bumblebees of Great Britain and Ireland by Mike Edwards and Martin Jenner (http://www.nhbs.com/title/139248/field-guide-to-the-bumblebees-of-great-britain-and-ireland). I had a blitz a couple of years ago and recorded 8 different bumblebee species in the garden. Maybe I will have another look tomorrow! :)
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Sunny and warm here today so I,ll have another look.
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Several weeks ago I planted this Tremacron aurantiacum from the alpine house to a trough
in the open garden. Now it is in full flower, but I wonder if it survives the next winter.
Daphne jasminea flowers for the second time this year.
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Oh Rudi! I wonder if you are being too brave in planting the beautiful Tremacron aurantiacum outside? I wish you the best of luck with it!
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I had not dared planting Tremacron aurantiacum outside if I had any! But the climate here is harsher I think. Very nice plant :)
Here is my version of Clematis heracleifolia:
[attachimg=1]
Adiantum pedatum is looking good now. It probably enjoys all the rain here this summer.
[attachimg=2]
Although it is a very common shrub and almost weedy I do like the berries in fall, Cotoneaster horizontalis:
[attachimg=3]
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Brian and I had a trip to New Barns Bay yesterday. It's near to Arnside in south Cumbria. It was a bit late in the season but we found Aster tripolium in great numbers. It ranged from 2 inches to about a foot and seemed to love the salt marsh conditions. Also some plants from the edge of the beach which is very difficult in places when the tide/bore in high. It is in limestone country and the limestone pavement and outcrops come right down to the waters edge.
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Never seen so many acorns on one tree. We also found a well laden crab apple and a large Hawkbit about 3ft tall. Quite a few Teazles and in the salt marsh along side the pools of seawater a seedpod we were not familiar with.
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Finally we found a 'grass' we hadn't seen or noticed before. It was in flower and came in quite large clumps.
We had lunch perched on one of the rock outcrops but Brian complained that it was a bit too sharp for comfort, he doesn't carry his own padding like me. Still the view of the Asters was lovely and eventually at 2pm the sun came out.
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Shelagh, IMG3760 may be seaside arrowgrass (Triglochin maritima).
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I must admit I did wonder about that. Here is a picture I took last year on our trip to Golspie with the SRGC and Ian Christie. Trouble is my reference books often only show a plant in flower, not seed, and in the case of grasses not at all.
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Oh Rudi! I wonder if you are being too brave in planting the beautiful Tremacron aurantiacum outside? I wish you the best of luck with it!
Maggi, thank you for the good advice, I will do my best with winter potection.