Flowering now July 2007

[arisaema]

Cremanthodium lineare is another possibility, you could try keying it. It's a really nice plant!

[Rob]

I tried to get a honey bee in the photo visiting this passion flower, but it was too quick and had moved to the next flower by the time I pressed the shutter.

[PaulM]

I'm glad you missed the bumble bee as it would have blocked some of the view of your exquisitly beautiful passion fruit flower. The only species I am growing here in the frigid north is Passiflora lutea, which has survived several winters, but still hasn't been able to build up the strength to flower.

Azorina vidalii is in full splendor now, and this will be my last post for July. It is a tender perennial, which is very frost sensitive, and it has to be taken indoors in the fall, but works well as a house plant too, with its glossy green leaves.

[Maggi Young]

It is the waxy surface of the flowers of the Azorina that I find as lovely as the shiny leaves...I love flowers of substance like this!
Plus the interior is like a Codonopsis, or even the passion flower! It is not a very long-lived plant, I thought, though preennial... is it so with you, Paul?

[Gerdk]

Here are some pics taken this morning

  1. Viola spathulata - from the Elburs Mountains, Iran - flowering nearly
      from April to November
  2. Viola aetolica - more or less monocarp
  3. Viola albanica - from Northern Greece, growing on serpentine there
  4. and 5. Scilla scilloides - just opening
  6. Bellis rotundifolia from Morocco - selfseeding here since 1995
  7. Another 'blue' flower - Nymphaea capensis 'King of the Blues'
      - rather disappointing
  8. Cyclamen ponticum - better than C. purpurascens when grown in
      a pot, although hardy outside
  9. Cyclamen hederifolium, the first flower
10. Gentiana asclepiadea - of Turkish origin ?

Gerd Knoche, Solingen
Germany

[Maggi Young]

All Violas are charming but the colouring and neat habit of V. spathulata rank it very high in my esteem. It is  looking very healthy and happy for you Gerd, you are lucky to have such a plant.

[Gerdk]

Thank you Maggi,
In my opinion Viola spathulata is one of the best recent introductions and it really deserves further distribution. It is easy when potgrown or in a trough with a cover against rain.
Unfortunately it does not build seeds cleistogamously in the way of a lot of the other violets. I tried to handpollinate the flowers - but no success.
So far, the only way of propagation was to root cuttings from side shoots.

Gerd Knoche, Solingen
Germany

[Paul T]

Gerd,

That V. spathulata certainly is something isn't it!!??  It has very similar flowers by the look of it to the mauve forms of our native V. hederaceae but a compact non-spreading habit to it that is just delightful.  Definitely a treasure to have in your collection.

Great pics everyone.  Thanks.

[mark smyth]

Gerd could your Bellis rotundifolia be the same as my Bellis caerulea? Tall wirey stems above spoon shaped leaves

[mark smyth]

I am sooo behind with my photos caused by idleness, swifts and bat survey reports. Maggi I might be at the weekend after all. I got a good payer today.

Annuals in the garden
Agapanthus in the wrong place but doing great - no sun until after 3.30pm
A tiny Hypericum
Leucojum autumnale
two limestone troughs

[mark smyth]

Campanula tommasinianus
Primula

[mark smyth]

Just found this on the bellis but mine are blue and have 17cm stems

BELLIS ROTUNDIFOLIA 'CAERULESCENS'
Delicate pale (horticultural) pink, daisy flowers Apr-Jul and later, 10cm

[mark smyth]

Just realised I put all my stuff in the wrong month but it'll be OK here anyway

[Lesley Cox]

Mark, I don't grow many annuals at all but I do like your arrangement where they are mixed and apparently randomly planted. So much more attractive than lined out or one kind massed.

[Gerdk]

Mark,
Assumed the flowers of your Bellis are 'caerulescens' which means bluish, I think you cultivate the same species like I do. Leaves and stems are just the same.

Gerd Knoche, Solingen
Germany