April 2010 - Northern Hemisphere- Flowering now.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Wonderful plants everyone !!
I spent (too) little time on the Forum the last few days, but as so many other people before me, I have to come back to Armin's Pulsatilla "Rote Glocke" : What a beauty !!! 

[Armin]

Luc,
thanks - if you like seed I'd be pleased to share some with you

Oleg,
like your P. slavica, very attractive!

Graham,
nice arrangement of the pulastillas in your gravel bed. They will grow bigger and will make a great show every spring.
My 'blue bell' is still in bud stage.

[WimB]

Some plants which were flowering here today:

Anemonella thalictroïdes 'Betty blake'
Anemonella thalictroïdes 'Jade Feather'
Anemonella thalictroïdes 'Amelia
Pinguicula grandiflora
Soldanella montana

[johnw]

A few Skimmia japonicas that I got from the Mitsch Nursery way back in the late 1970's. These are propagations from the originals.  The white berried form is from a friend in BC.

Usually they try to flower in January during the thaw, the balance flower in late March.  Curiously year there was no thaw and despite the very early spring they are flowering later than ever.

Common stuff for Europeans & west coasters but here they are considered to be too tender.  

1 - sold as dwarf red-budded male in those days, I wonder if it is v. repens from Hokkaido though the ones under that name at UBC were wonderfully tight and compact in the 80's, they seem to have lost their tight habit when last seen.

2 - dwarf female - again I wonder if it is v. repens from Hokkaido.

3 - type or v. reevesiana (forgot to check the label)

4 - 6 the white-berried form


Cuttings in late winter root in water quite well.

johnw

[pehe]

Nice plants everyone!

Flowering in my garden today:
1. Anemone blanda
2. Erythronium dens-canis
3. Narcissus cyclamineus and Ranunculus kochii
4. R. kochii close
5. My prettiest 'bulb weed' Muscari azureum Alba
6. Muscari latifolium and M. azureum Alba
7. Narcissus fly? After seeing the close up picture and consulting the Narcissus fly thread here I don't think so. But when I first saw it flying over my Sternbergias and Galanthus RGO I feared it was a Narcissus fly. Does anyone know what it is?

Poul

[Gail]

7. Narcissus fly? After seeing the close up picture and consulting the Narcissus fly thread here I don't think so. But when I first saw it flying over my Sternbergias and Galanthus RGO I feared it was a Narcissus fly. Does anyone know what it is?

Poul

Hi Poul,
It is a bee fly, Bombylius major (actually a fly that mimics a bee).  Adults feed on nectar but the larvae are parasitic on solitary bees.
See http://www.amentsoc.org/about/news/0101/

[Brian Ellis]

One or two ordinary things looking good in the garden today, Chionodoxa - beginning to do rather too well, but lovely all the same!  At the other extreme of the size range a Fritillaria imperialis - the red ones are not going to flower again this year - any clues as to why?  They are treated as well as the yellow ones
A Hyacinth, thrown out one year after it had flowered is also spreading around the garden.
My favourite Iris unguicularis - much darker than it's bigger sister.
Sanguinaria multiplex (by the way the S. 'Armstrong's Pink' has now lost most of it's colour).
Pulsatilla

[johnw]

Two Shortia uniflora, one the darkest pink we have.

One Shortia x Leona

One Hacquetia epipactis Thor.

Mercifully we are not too advanced as there is a predicted widespread frost for tonight.   I was in the Annapolis Valley yesterday and fear the Magnolias are going to get clobbered as they are fully out.  Cloud cover on the coast saved us last night.

Lovely Pulsatillas there Brian!  

johnw

[Olga Bondareva]

Flowers and Foliage  Fruits and Buds now. 

Scopolia sp. and last year Viburnum fruit.

[Olga Bondareva]

Newborn Scilla sibirica

[Olga Bondareva]

John
Oh, Shortia! Exciting images!

[Olga Bondareva]

Eranthis stellata

[pehe]

7. Narcissus fly? After seeing the close up picture and consulting the Narcissus fly thread here I don't think so. But when I first saw it flying over my Sternbergias and Galanthus RGO I feared it was a Narcissus fly. Does anyone know what it is?

Poul

Hi Poul,
It is a bee fly, Bombylius major (actually a fly that mimics a bee).  Adults feed on nectar but the larvae are parasitic on solitary bees.
See http://www.amentsoc.org/about/news/0101/

Hi Gail,

Thank you. It is good to know that it is harmless to my bulbs. Last year I lost several Sternbergias due to the Narcissus fly.

Poul

[pehe]

One or two ordinary things looking good in the garden today, Chionodoxa - beginning to do rather too well, but lovely all the same!  At the other extreme of the size range a Fritillaria imperialis - the red ones are not going to flower again this year - any clues as to why?  They are treated as well as the yellow ones

Brian, I have the same experience with Chionodoxa, they set lots of seeds and spread fast.
My F. imperialis is opposite to yours. The orange form increases and flowers well, but the yellow one refuses to flower. They are placed 50 cm from each others.

Poul

[pehe]

Olga,

Stunning pics! I particular like the Eranthis stellata.
Are you a professional photographer?

Poul