Flowering Now - April 2009

[annew]

After some very welcome rain, a trip around my garden.
Amelanchier pumila - a shrub which I keep to about 1.2m high by taking out older stems. Four daphnes, which are scenting the garden beautifully, D. 'Cheriton' with a phlox on the rock garden, D. cneorum 'Eximea' on the edge of a raised bed, D. 'Burkwoodii' and D. 'Velky Kosir' with Alchemilla erythropoda.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great looking Daphne Anne !
The scent in the garden must be heavenly !

[annew]

On the rock garden, Aubrieta 'Elsa Lancaster', which stays very compact, and Tulpia 'Little Princess'. A couple of troughs containing two very small plants - Valeriana supina (I didn't know it was going to be THAT small) surrounded by 3mm grit, and below it Aquilegia laramiensis.

[annew]

Yes, it's gorgeous, especially on a damp evening.
Just three of our ferns, which are all powering up now - Dryopteris crassirhizoma, Asplenium scolopendrium 'Crispum', and Polystichum setiferum 'Plumosomultilobum'.
Also in the shade, Hosta 'Krossa Regal', Cortusa matthioli 'Alba' and Paris quadrifolia.

[annew]

Finally a few oddments - Tulipa 'White Swan', Menyanthes trifoliata, Lathyrus aurea, and Fritillaria meleagris 'Alba' with Primula sieboldii.

[ranunculus]

Super images, Anne ... those ferns are beautiful.

[johnw]

Shortia 'Leona' (uniflora x galacifolia), a hybrid by Steve Doonan, a nice pink.

johnw - +18c today after a blistering Tuesday at 27c.

[johnw]

Shortia uniflora ex Danish seed.

All from today.

johnw

[johnw]

Just getting ready to open Rhododendron tsariense.

johnw

[ranunculus]

Incredible shortias, John ... very envious!

[Brian Ellis]

Your Lathyrus aureus is way ahead of mine Anne!
...and those shortias, what can I say John

[Gerdk]

Fine springflowers here!

Anne, is your trough, which looks a little bit like a castle your own composition?
If there isn't a copyright I'll build a similar one.

Gerd

[Gerdk]

My garden shows a colourful selection of springflowers. Here are some
pics from today

1. Phlox - Erigeron - Fritillarias
2. another Phlox and Fritillarias
3. Prunus prostratus
4. Papaver from seeds collected last year in Crete
5. Erinacea pungens
6. Anemone trifolia
7. Trillium grandiflorum
8. Viola hybrid from the Eastern US - parents unknowm
9. Wistaria sinensis - this year at its best

Gerd

[ranunculus]

Wonderful, Gerd ... just wonderful.

[johnw]

Collected in 1886 Fargesia nitida, the Umbrella Fountain Bamboo is flowering here, it had been trying to open flowers last autumn even into December. Tuesday's 27c caused an eruption and as we pass by it we get covered in pollen. The chance of 3 lifetimes to grow this one from seed before it dies.

I dread the seed cleaning process. We collected 2 garbage bags of seed when the last Fargesia species bloomed in 1998 and each seed had to be cleaned individually, our fingers were numb for a month.

johnw