Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: johnw on August 01, 2020, 02:54:52 PM
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The night fragrance in the garden is incredible on these Lilium sargentianum, a Jens Nielsen collection from the 1990s. Days have been warm and nights 18-20c for a week now. In the other end of the garden Magnolia virginiana 'Moonglow', night flowering I feel I'm in Savannah. Smallish flowers pack a powerful lemon scent.
johnw
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Gorgeous lillies, John. Scent in the garden is just the best thing, isn't it?
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Gorgeous lillies, John. Scent in the garden is just the best thing, isn't it?
Certainly transports me!
john
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36° C today, not too good for many plants, but many other plants don't mind:
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The night fragrance in the garden is incredible on these Lilium sargentianum, a Jens Nielsen collection from the 1990s. Days have been warm and nights 18-20c for a week now. In the other end of the garden Magnolia virginiana 'Moonglow', night flowering I feel I'm in Savannah. Smallish flowers pack a powerful lemon scent.
johnw
L. sargentianum is quite impressive John, cannot wait to see my little ones flowering!
36° C today, not too good for many plants, but many other plants don't mind:
Veratrum nigrum doesn't seem too bothered by the heat Rudi, always a beautiful plant.
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It is Allium season now. Allium sikkimese flowering in the rock garden.
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Autumn isn't far away
Scilla scilloides and Scilla autumnalis (Prospero autumnale). The second one started somewhat earlier.
Gerd
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L. sargentianum is quite impressive John, cannot wait to see my little ones flowering!
Veratrum nigrum doesn't seem too bothered by the heat Rudi, always a beautiful plant.
Our meadow garden is rather hot and dry and Verbascum nigrum took a very long time to get
to to the present condition.
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1. Cyananthus microphyllus. A late-flowering plant that tells us that autumn isn't far away.
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2. Iris kemaonensis. I was surprised to discover this flower, because this species normally flowers in spring, when the leaves are still hardly developed. This mid-summer flower was a one-day wonder.
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3. Roscoea purpurea f. rubra. Shortly after it was introduced from Nepal by Kew botanist Bill Baker it was given the catchy name Red Ghurka, but most plants now in cultivation are later seedlings and should be called by their scientific name. The leaves will quickly roll inwards in hot sunshine, so this is best avoided.
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Ericameria resinosa...from the Wenatchees Mts.
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Very interesting plants and beautiful pictures everyone. :)
It is Allium season now. Allium sikkimese flowering in the rock garden.
It is interesting that you can grow it. I once had it but it died after a bad winter, it was after a warm December followed by cold January without much snow. Maybe it isn't so tender as I thought?
Some plants from the garden now. Phloxes are flowering well, and they bring much colour to the garden.
I have only couple of Clematis but also they are doing well.
I love the blue of Gentianas and wish I had more of them. I haven't been very successful at getting them to germinate, but once the few have germinated, then they are ok. G.triflora is very nice and seems to grow well. :)
I also love Primulas, some of them grow well like these P.florindae's, with some I have trouble, but every year I learn more and find a place in the garden where they will survive.
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Very interesting plants and beautiful pictures everyone. :)
It is interesting that you can grow it. I once had it but it died after a bad winter, it was after a warm December followed by cold January without much snow. Maybe it isn't so tender as I thought?
Allium sikkimese is hardy at 6" Ht. I have another Allium sikkimese taller than this one around 8". Both are really nice blue alliums.
Aquilegia chaplinei is flowering now. Unlike other Aquilegia this one flowers in summer and need constant moisture to flower. It is at the edge of running water.
The second picture is the Clematis Ville de Lyon. Border line hardy unless close to the foundation of the house.
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The following are a few photographs taken of plants in our Sacramento, California garden during the period - late July into early August. I have become such a simple-minded gardener, satisfied with simple pleasures and simple plants.
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Helenium bigelovii is native to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It blooms most of the summer. Next year I will start working this species into our perennial borders.
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Rudbeckia fulgida with an orange flowering color line of Cosmos sulphereus.
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Rudbeckia nitida ‘Autumn Sun’ is a favorite in the back of our perennial borders.
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I never tire of the tree ripen peaches from our garden. The white-fleshed ‘Paradise’ Peaches are ripe now. I eat 5 to 10 every day. We just finished the last of the orange-fleshed ‘Fay Elberta’ Peaches. ‘Momo-san’ is an orange-fleshed cling-stone Peach with divine favor. They too have started to ripen.
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‘Flavor Queen’ Pluots are delicious.
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You make me wanting to grow peaches, too, Robert, though we "suffer" from a vast amount of ripening apples right now!
@ Leena: Thank You for Your kind comment, Leena - indeed it´s increasingly difficult here to grow plants which have to stand the drought and heat of recent years as well as boggy conditions for many months. Cyclamen hederifolium coped well with the desert-like weather during the last weeks, yet the flowers are slightly damaged by temperatures up to 40 °C in the shade.
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Liriope muscari ´Munroe White´looks unimpressed by the heat.
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This plant came as Scilla mauritanica to me, but it´s Hyacinthoides now, as I learnt. Safe in it´s pot, of course.
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Very interesting plants and beautiful pictures everyone. :)
It is interesting that you can grow it. I once had it but it died after a bad winter, it was after a warm December followed by cold January without much snow. Maybe it isn't so tender as I thought?
Some plants from the garden now. Phloxes are flowering well, and they bring much colour to the garden.
I have only couple of Clematis but also they are doing well.
I love the blue of Gentianas and wish I had more of them. I haven't been very successful at getting them to germinate, but once the few have germinated, then they are ok. G.triflora is very nice and seems to grow well. :)
I also love Primulas, some of them grow well like these P.florindae's, with some I have trouble, but every year I learn more and find a place in the garden where they will survive.
Same here Leena, Phlox in flower and also some gentians. I manage few G. triflora seedlings but something happened to them afterwards; in all species the seedlings are very sensitive for 1-2 years, I think (or I try to console myself :)
Various Lobelias are starting to flower as a sure sign of August. Lobelia x speciosa is the most spectacular.
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A clump of Gentiana paradoxa seedlings planted together - some resemble more the septemfida, some the paradoxa but no complain.
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A Dahlia I call 'Covid Dahlia' - because I don't know where the label is and it was bought in late spring together with a bunch of soil bags from my favorite garden center (for curbside picking). I just wanted to add something else and it is always easy to stick one more tuber in the garden.
Extremely tall and the hummingbird enjoys it.
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Mariette, that last plant is beautiful!
The second picture is the Clematis Ville de Lyon. Border line hardy unless close to the foundation of the house.
Here I have also lost one 'Ville de Lyon' in bad winter 2016, but it was so pretty, that I had to buy another which is now three years old. :)
Robert, your peaches looked so delicious I instantly started to think I have to buy some next time I go to the supermarket. :)
Heleniums have become my favourites, they have been a bit short lived in my garden, but they give sunshine to late summer and autumn. :)
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Robert - wanted to say your peaches look delicious, but Leena was faster than me :) I love the white flesh varieties.
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Wow! Some great garden photographs everyone! 8)
Leena, Gabriela,
Yes, our tree ripened white-fleshed peaches are delicious! ;D
More photographs from our Sacramento, California garden…
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I grow many simple easy-to-grow plants and a few less common species. I tinker with all the plants. These are the best of the F1 generation – Calycadenia truncata. They are very floriferous and have a degree of garden tolerance. I will see what I can do with them in the coming years.
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Lessingia leptoclada – another batch of first generation seedlings.
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Erythranthe lewisii grows well in our garden, however I am working hard on improving its performance in our garden. In addition, hybrids can be created with other closely related Erythranthe species. For me it is a very exciting genus to work with, with tremendous potential.
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I am moving closer to my goals with this heat tolerant line of Aquilegia formosa with strong stems – upright habit (i.e. does not flop after overhead irrigation), a strong perennial constitution, and a number of other desirable characteristics.
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I enjoy my annual – perennial borders filled with common-simple-easy species such as Zinnia, Tithonia, Helianthus, etc. This is a breeding border where I am tinkering with the species. On the lower left hand side one might see the bagged flowers used for controlled pollinizing. Even with the bags, labels, and drying seed heads this is a pretty site (sight - play on words ;D. ) I see every morning out our solarium windows. Trials are conducted in our mixed perennial-annual borders to assess the best lines.
I am very pleased that our garden is finally functioning. Most of my mothballed projects are active again and I have new ones up and running. I am thrilled!
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What wild and changeable weather. Yesterday’s, 15 August, high temperature was 107 F (41.7 C) and the morning low temperature was 72 F (22.2 C). This morning between 4 and 5 am the still morning air abruptly erupted into a major windstorm. The skies were dark with thick clouds and flashes of dry lightning. The morning low temperature was 77 F (25 C). Now, about 9:00 am, there is a light rain.
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Thanks to the kindness of a formist we are growing Zephyranthes macrosiphon. With the extreme heat, the flowers last only a few days, however we are working on the possibility of changing this.
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From one pack of cheap Zinnia seeds purchased at the super market I am getting all sorts of genetic variability. Very common and easy-to-grow species can be fun to work with. I am working on improving this cactus or quilled Zinnia elegans line.
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I enjoy the formal double type flowers of Zinnia elegans.
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It is hard to tell but this is a Pom-Pom type Zinnia – all from the same package of generic super market seed.
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Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium is very heat tolerant, easy-to-grow, and provides much flower color in the late summer and autumn. Although there are many fine clones of this species there are still many breeding possibilities that can be explored.
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A tub full of common Viola hybrids.
Once again, I am getting a great deal of variation from one package of seed. The original variety breeds fairly true from seed, however there are some off types. I enjoy creating varieties that perform well in our garden and have characteristics that I like.
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Up until the start of the recent heat wave, this Larkspur, Consolida ajacis, was still blooming and looking fairly good. Of course I am saving this seed. I enjoyed the common Delphiniums that Leena posted a while back. Larkspur is almost closest I come to enjoying a Delphinium in our garden. I do grow some of our California native Delphinium species, however they are not easy for me to grow and need much improvement.
I am always on the lookout for, as Bob Ross would say, happy accidents in our garden. Genetic mutations are fairly common. Every season I find plants with somatic mutations, meiotic mutations, or accidental crosses that arise in our garden. In the future I will share photographs of these happy accidents and how I am making the best of the opportunities these mutations offer.
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Robert, you really grow some colorful plants in your garden!
Does the Epilobium need much feeding? I have some at my summerhouse but they seems to dwindle after a few years.
This is the most colorful I have in my garden at the moment, Fuchsia magellanica. Now it reaches almost 2m in height.
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Gentana asclepiada - an attractive pale blue form I got at Cambo a few years ago.
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Hi Trond,
In the Sierra Nevada Mountains I find Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium growing in rocky habitats where few plants compete with them. Their habitat is fairly dry, however in our garden they are tolerant of some irrigation. I have never found them growing in meadows. This species does well in our garden as long as they are not crowded and overrun by more aggressive species. Above is what I have observed in the wild both on the east and west side of the Sierra Nevada crest, as well as my experience growing them in our garden.
In our garden, I just try to make the best of what I have and what is easily available. My goal is to have a beautiful garden filled with flowers as much as the climate and seasons allow. I hope I can inspire others to see how their existing garden can be full of creative possibilities even with simple and common plants species.
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Robert
At least in this end of the world, you seem to have succeeded in inspiring me: Epilobium canum (mine var garrettii) is being sowed tomorrow along with Salvia roehmeriana, Phacelia campanularia. All of these my own seed.... ;D.
Epilobium canum is a short lived perennial here but seeds well and I'm going to keep it more like a biennial than a perennial. So does the Salvia roehmeriana. Phacelia campanularia is a beautiful annual very garden worthy here.
There are quite a few more in lesser advanced degree.
I discovered a pot full of Lewisia brachycalyx seedlings that obviously germinated and GREW! under snow . We have been having quite a lot of it covering my seedlings, however it doesn't stay for long.
Thank you very much for your support! :)
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An especially small gem from Iran...Viola pachyrhiza
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Thomas, your Viola is a real jewel. Were you able to raise it from seed?
Arturo
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Thomas, your Viola is a real jewel. Were you able to raise it from seed?
Arturo
Hello Arturo
I did not grow this beautiful little viola from seed myself. I got it from Gerd Stopp... The seed was from Dieter Zschummel. They've both been botanized in Iran... several times.
This plant is not officially on Gerd Stopp's super list! I occasionally get rarities like this. I have the luck to live in accessible proximity and to know these two extraordinary persons personally. I can't imagine a better mentor in Germany...
I hope to be able to keep this viola alive for a certain time.
Best regards
Thomas
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Hello Arturo
I did not grow this beautiful little viola from seed myself. I got it from Gerd Stopp... The "Mother plant" was from Dieter Zschummel. They've both been botanized in Iran... several times.
This plant is not officially on Gerd Stopp's super list! I occasionally get rarities like this. I have the luck to live in accessible proximity and to know these two extraordinary persons personally. I can't imagine a better mentor in Germany...
I hope to be able to keep this viola alive for a certain time.
Best regards
Thomas
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Hi Trond,
In the Sierra Nevada Mountains I find Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium growing in rocky habitats where few plants compete with them. Their habitat is fairly dry, however in our garden they are tolerant of some irrigation. I have never found them growing in meadows. This species does well in our garden as long as they are not crowded and overrun by more aggressive species. Above is what I have observed in the wild both on the east and west side of the Sierra Nevada crest, as well as my experience growing them in our garden.
In our garden, I just try to make the best of what I have and what is easily available. My goal is to have a beautiful garden filled with flowers as much as the climate and seasons allow. I hope I can inspire others to see how their existing garden can be full of creative possibilities even with simple and common plants species.
Thanks Robert.
My plant(s) do grow in a dry spot. It is not a meadow but they have to compete with another plant that spreads a lot. (Euphorbia chamaecyparis). I will try to remove the last one!
Escallonia 'Iveyi' in my garden now:
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Robert
At least in this end of the world, you seem to have succeeded in inspiring me: Epilobium canum (mine var garrettii) is being sowed tomorrow along with Salvia roehmeriana, Phacelia campanularia. All of these my own seed.... ;D.
Epilobium canum is a short lived perennial here but seeds well and I'm going to keep it more like a biennial than a perennial. So does the Salvia roehmeriana. Phacelia campanularia is a beautiful annual very garden worthy here.
There are quite a few more in lesser advanced degree.
I discovered a pot full of Lewisia brachycalyx seedlings that obviously germinated and GREW! under snow . We have been having quite a lot of it covering my seedlings, however it doesn't stay for long.
Thank you very much for your support! :)
Arturo,
Yes, it feels good to be inspired. I too feel inspired by your projects in Argentina. You are growing many interesting plants in a unique climatic zone. I am keenly interested in your progress and the end results, good or bad. Although our interests seem very different, there is still a great deal to learn that can be applied in different situations.
The activities of many of the forumist are very intriguing, and enlightening. Some gardeners are specialist, others collectors, and so many different gardening styles based on climate, interests, and accessibility to plants, seeds, or bulbs. For me it is often like taking a mini garden tour. :)
Thomas,
You are always showing plants that are new and different, at least to me. :) Thank you for sharing the results of your gardening activities. 8)
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Robert, perhaps my recent discovery is that any garden anywhere in the world is a trinity: the plants, the garden setting and the gardener. Each are unique in so many ways that it is simply impossible to replicate elsewhere. This SRGC is particularly stimulating at least to me because it brings forth a rather unique crowd of gardeners that is dedicated to whatever they grow beyond the average traditional gardens.
I'm just now getting myself prepared in sowing your annuals ( indoors of course).: i.e Clarkia concinna, Layia gallairdoides. I've got a suspicion that many actually germinate in your place in fall, or barely do so and stay ready to jump into the season as soon as it warms up a bit. Their growing window is quite short as your deadly summer heat hits you sometime during August. They should be by then in seed format. So with a shortened season they ought to perform very well here if started early. This is my experiment for this season. Then if I'm able to collect enough seeds I'll try out fall sowing outdoors. Once my pots are filled I'll post what have emerged.
Trying to introduce your herbaceous perennials has its tricks too. Gaillardia aristata from Oregon grows unattended in the slightly wetter part of my property, but doesn't reseed naturally ( something sought after, since I don't want to generate weedy introductions here).
However unless I try there's no way to elucidate which will behave how. Since I keep a very close eye on how each fare I'm confident that I won't introduce weeds!
Arturo
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A lot of early bloomings for those in northern regions, except Acis and few Colchicum i don't have many flowers to photography.
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Trond,
Very nice looking Escallonia. Escallonia rubra is very common in the nursery trade here in California.
Arturo,
I have a posting concerning the germination of California native annual species somewhere on the forum. Their germinating behavior can be much more complex than has been stated. if the posting can be found it might be worth reviewing.
The smoke from several forest fires in our region has persisted all day (19 August). The smoke has been so dense that it has reduced the temperature today by approximately 10 F (5.6 C).
Yesterday I spent the previous evening grooming, deadheading, and weeding the plants in the garden. Ash fell from the smoke filled sky like snowflakes. During such sessions, I take note of significant traits exhibited by the plants that I am tending. On this evening I noted that Penstemon laetus ssp. laetus is seeding around in the rock garden beds and containers. This is a good signal that this species is happy in our garden. Cosmos sulphureus is starting to look ragged after 5 consecutive days of 100 F (37.8 C) plus high temperatures. I found one plant, among many in the same bed, which was still lush with bright green foliage and many new flower buds. I will be saving seed from this plant!
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Symphytrichum spathulatum blooms for many weeks during the summer into the autumn in our Sacramento garden. With some improvement this species has the potential to be a desirable addition to our garden.
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I attempted to dig and move this specimen of Colchicum macrophyllum the other day. There are unhappy accidents! I sliced through the center of the bulb cutting it completely in half. I attempted to tie the two pieces together with raffia and am hoping for the best. I thought that I had other specimens of this species, however this appears to be the only one. Bummer! Fortunately, I have a number of other Colchicums species in the garden that form viable crosses and set viable seed. At least I can continue with this breeding project.
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The current heat wave is a great opportunity to test my new plants for heat tolerance. With rigorous selection the plants in our garden can obtain peak performance. There are still flowers in the garden, which pleases me greatly.
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Trond,
Very nice looking Escallonia. Escallonia rubra is very common in the nursery trade here in California.
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The smoke from several forest fires in our region has persisted all day (19 August). The smoke has been so dense that it has reduced the temperature today by approximately 10 F (5.6 C).
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I attempted to dig and move this specimen of Colchicum macrophyllum the other day. There are unhappy accidents! I sliced through the center of the bulb cutting it completely in half. I attempted to tie the two pieces together with raffia and am hoping for the best. I thought that I had other specimens of this species, however this appears to be the only one. Bummer! Fortunately, I have a number of other Colchicums species in the garden that form viable crosses and set viable seed. At least I can continue with this breeding project.
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Robert,
I did see a lot of different forms of Escallonia rubra when visiting Patagonia. It is still rare in cultivation in Norway but should have a great potensial.
Wildfires are rare here and this year we have had only minor ones as it has been a wet July. I am glad I don't need to consider ash downfall!
If you sliced though the bottom stem of the bulb I think you will have 2 or more bulbs next year!
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I enjoyed the common Delphiniums that Leena posted a while back..
I'm happy to read this. :)
Gentana asclepiada - an attractive pale blue form I got at Cambo a few years ago.
That is a very nice colour! Here ordinary darker blue G.asclepiadea is opening also now, not yet in full bloom.
Early yesterday morning there was a heavy mist in the garden, but by the time (10 minutes) I got out, it was already clearing. Morning mist makes always everything so pretty in autumn.
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Trond, your Fuchsia magellanica is just wonderful. My place is unfortunately too cold for it to survive. Perhaps once my evergreen have grown high and thick enough they may reach the size of yours. Only ten km west of my place its a very commonly grown bush in gardens!
This is the most colorful I have in my garden at the moment, Fuchsia magellanica. Now it reaches almost 2m in height.
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There are so many species of Escallonia here. That might be developed into many horticultural forms... :) Many more just across in Chile. Escallonia virgata is a very beautiful evergreen shrub that grows in wet situations, a good companion to Fuchsia.
Leena, your garden view is just mesmerizing. It is exactly the type of atmosphere that I hope to achieve around my house. Congratulations...( I'm hurrying to sow Heleniums... ;D)
Arturo
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I am always surprised that people grow Epilobium over here it is the most tremendous weed. I think it's sometimes called Fire weed because after the blitz in London during the war it was the first plant to grow on the bomb sites.
We were amazed when we went to Alaska to find it was the State flower and on all the postcards.
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Thank goodness all epilobium are not as invasive as the most common one in the UK, Epilobium angustifolium.
I reckon they had a good lawyer who worked to get some really cute Zauschneria re-classified into epilobium to boost their appeal! ;D ::) ;)
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Leena,
Thank you for sharing the photographs from your garden. I enjoy the ambiance of your garden so very much. Although I may not be able to grow many of the plants that thrive in your garden, I certainly get inspired by your photographs and comments to improve our garden here in hot and dry California. BTW – I will attempt to grow common hybrid Delphiniums this coming season. The seeds are easily available and plants are offered at the local nurseries for sale, however the plants rarely survive past the spring blooming season.
The wildfires in Northern California continue to rage. Day-after-day of dense smoke fills the air, turning day into evening. The street light go on at 5 in the afternoon, it is that dark. Ash from the fires has turned to top of our automobile from blue to ash gray. We are safe in Sacramento, however some people in the San Francisco Bay Area are being evacuated (This is a very densely populated area). The nature of wildfires has changed in California. 20 to 30 years ago wildfires like these never occurred. Now major wildfires that threaten major population centers are a yearly occurrence.
BTW again – some Epilobium species are weedy here in California. Epilobium canum is not weedy. It is very safe to grow. Epilobium canum is very ornamental and a very useful species, ideal for our hot dry region of California.
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incredible photos, Leena. Even better than your usual good quality. "Mesmerizing" is the perfect adjective, and you have really captured the emotional sense of your garden.
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Nice Escallonia Trond - broadleaves evergreens are very difficult to grow here because of our cold winters, Buxus, Mahonia and some Ilex manage to look decent but that's about it. In my region even Mahonia can look unhappy with burnt leaves sometime.
Spectacular captures Leena :)
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Nice Escallonia Trond - broadleaves evergreens are very difficult to grow here because of our cold winters, Buxus, Mahonia and some Ilex manage to look decent but that's about it. In my region even Mahonia can look unhappy with burnt leaves sometime.
Thanks Gabriela. Maybe the climate change makes it easier to grow them?
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Trond, your Fuchsia magellanica is just wonderful. My place is unfortunately too cold for it to survive. Perhaps once my evergreen have grown high and thick enough they may reach the size of yours. Only ten km west of my place its a very commonly grown bush in gardens!
There are so many species of Escallonia here. That might be developed into many horticultural forms... :) Many more just across in Chile. Escallonia virgata is a very beautiful evergreen shrub that grows in wet situations, a good companion to Fuchsia.
..
Arturo
Thanks Arturo.
I did see a lot of Escallonia when I visited Patagonia a couple years ago. Some were very nicelooking! It's strange you can't grow them, your climate can't be "worse" than mine? What's your minimum winter temperature?
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Early yesterday morning there was a heavy mist in the garden, but by the time (10 minutes) I got out, it was already clearing. Morning mist makes always everything so pretty in autumn.
Your garden looks very pretty Leena!
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Thanks Arturo.
I did see a lot of Escallonia when I visited Patagonia a couple years ago. Some were very nicelooking! It's strange you can't grow them, your climate can't be "worse" than mine? What's your minimum winter temperature?
Trond Yes, it is strange, that I can't grow Fuchsia magellanica here and only a few km west it is found growing in gardens. I suspect it is due to the type of winter hard frost we get. Out here we get the drying winter winter winds that blow from the Atlantic. When they reached our valley, all the moisture was gone in the higher plateaus of the open patagonian steppe. So apart from being cold it is very drying. About 10 years ago we lost a beautiful full grown snow gum ( Eucalyptus viminalis) to -20ºC . What killed it was the dryness not the low temperatures. Further west the temperatures were as cold but the overall cover of the forest and proximity to the large Nahuel Huapi lake provided enough air moisture and there the native trees and bushes survived. Another example is our native luma (Myrceugenia apiculata) that I also can't grow here. My only natural tree species that grows here is Maytenus boaria, small leaved evergreen. They did suffer the frost and dropped off about half of their small leaves, but then in spring the recovered. However I've not given up hope. If my evergreen conifers grow large enough then I might generate the necessary microclimate for those native species to survive my easterly dessicating winds.
Visiting the paso Tromen, in Lanin national park there were a few other species of Escallonia similar to your picture, just after a stately stand of Araucaria araucana (monkey puzzles). That place is really cold in winter and gets standing snow. So perhaps getting material of those species one could develop broadleaf evergreens that withstand severe frost.
Arturo
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Arturo,
Maytenus boaria looks very nice! I like evergreens that are not conifers. Also Myrceugenia apiculata looks nice. I have never tried it though. Monkey puzzle is commonly planted around here and it is some big trees around.
I remember Tromen, a very interesting area with lots of flowers also.
Here are Fuchsia magellanic and an Escallonia sp from the Puerto Natales area in Chile. They seemed to take cold winters but maybe it is moister as it is closer to the fjords. Pictures taken there a couple years ago.
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Yes these enjoy and maybe need fairly humid conditions. Fuchsia magellanica grows profusely in SW Ireland while Escallonia rubra does best in coastal areas.
The other plant in the first photo looks like Acaena ovalifolia which is becoming established here too but may prove invasive.
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Yes these enjoy and maybe need fairly humid conditions. Fuchsia magellanica grows profusely in SW Ireland while Escallonia rubra does best in coastal areas.
The other plant in the first photo looks like Acaena ovalifolia which is becoming established here too but may prove invasive.
Agree Ashley.
They both grow best along the S and W coast here in Norway.
I remember we found many Acaena species. We didn't name them all!
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Thank you all for comments on my garden pictures. :) You know I'm very good at taking pictures which don't show all the weeds around the garden. ;D But the pictures show how I see the garden, so in that sense they are true. :)
( I'm hurrying to sow Heleniums... ;D)
I have been wondering if the Helenium cultivars which I have are hybrids and not very fertile? I don't know about Heleniums enough. :-[ There seem to be seeds, but only one or two from a potful germinate. I have tried sowing in warm, or sowing in the autumn outside, and no better luck. Of course I don't need any more Heleniums, there isn't enough room. :)
One of the best Heleniums is 'Sahin's Early Flowerer', it started to flower a month ago and is still full of flowers.
In the second picture a redder 'Indianer Sommer' (Indian Summer) is only now starting to flower, and the third picture is a plant I grew from 'Indianer Sommer' seeds. Only one seed germinated and it's flowers are yellow, not like the mother plant. It is nice anyway, and all bees and such like Heleniums so they are good in the garden, besides being beautiful.
Helenium in the last picture is also a seedling (from my friend), a nice and tall plant. A blueish plant on the left is also seed grown, Aster amellus starting to flower now.
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This is a typical specimen of Tithonia rotundifolia ‘Torch’.
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This is an interesting somatic mutation of Tithonia rotundifolia ‘Torch’. Each season I find a number of somatic and/or meiotic mutations in the garden. Accidental crosses are also frequent occurrences. It might not be practical for me to collect and grow rare and exotic plants from around the world, however I frequently discover unique, one-of-a-kind, plants in my own garden. Sometimes very interesting mutations arise in the most common plant species. My own garden is frequently the site of new discoveries.
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I frequently discover unique, one-of-a-kind, plants in my own garden. Sometimes very interesting mutations arise in the most common plant species. My own garden is frequently the site of new discoveries.
That is so good for you! :) I don't have self sown findings like that, but I like to grow from seeds because that there are always surprises, and even though there may turn up plants not so special, but sometimes I get even better plants from seeds than if I bought them. I have some of my best peonies or irises grown like that. :)
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Thanks Gabriela. Maybe the climate change makes it easier to grow them?
I doubt that the climate change will be THAT significant Trond, at least not during my life span :-\
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I have been wondering if the Helenium cultivars which I have are hybrids and not very fertile? I don't know about Heleniums enough. :-[ There seem to be seeds, but only one or two from a potful germinate. I have tried sowing in warm, or sowing in the autumn outside, and no better luck. Of course I don't need any more Heleniums, there isn't enough room. :)
One of the best Heleniums is 'Sahin's Early Flowerer', it started to flower a month ago and is still full of flowers.
In the second picture a redder 'Indianer Sommer' (Indian Summer) is only now starting to flower, and the third picture is a plant I grew from 'Indianer Sommer' seeds. Only one seed germinated and it's flowers are yellow, not like the mother plant. It is nice anyway, and all bees and such like Heleniums so they are good in the garden, besides being beautiful.
Helenium in the last picture is also a seedling (from my friend), a nice and tall plant. A blueish plant on the left is also seed grown, Aster amellus starting to flower now.
I have a red one and some yellow Heleniums Leena; I didn't keep track of the names. I think most of them are hybrids, I collected one year seeds from the red one and looked closely at them and they were 'empty'. From a large seeds quantity few should be OK but like you mention, they won't come true to the cultivar.
But they are very nice plants for sunny locations anyway.
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Blerdy weather >:( I only want two dry days so I can get my lawn cut, it's nearly up to my knees now. Colchicums are battered!
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I doubt that the climate change will be THAT significant Trond, at least not during my life span :-\
I certainly hope not!
But the climate has changed a lot already. We can grow plants now that my grandma couldn't do (she even hadn't the possibility as they were impossible to get unless you got them sent to you from abroad).
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Blerdy weather >:( I only want two dry days so I can get my lawn cut, it's nearly up to my knees now. Colchicums are battered!
Seems your weather is worse than mine, David! Although July was cool and wetter than normal I don't complain!
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I certainly hope not!
But the climate has changed a lot already. We can grow plants now that my grandma couldn't do (she even hadn't the possibility as they were impossible to get unless you got them sent to you from abroad).
True Trond, there are many noticeable changes in any particular climate types; but when our grandmas use to do gardening, like you mention, many plants weren't available to begin with or/and people were having other more life stringent problems than to try growing other plants than the native ones (at least in Eastern Europe).
Except the Botanical Gardens, personal small gardens were filled entirely with native species, be it perennials or annuals. And they were plenty enjoyable :)
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Leena,
The Tithonia rotundifolia with the somatic mutation is only a potential starting point. It might turn out to be a dead end or, with some good fortune, it can be turned into something very nice.
Years ago I grew Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’ and another clone. They preformed well in the garden, however they seem to need division and added soil amendments every few years. Currently, I am growing our California native Helenium bigelovii. I was hoping to gather seed from this year’s crop, however much of the seed seems of questionable viability. I deadheaded the first crop of flowers and the second wave of flowers was blooming during a heat wave. Maybe this was not to their liking.
Now on to other things….
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I am continuing to clean up and revitalize some of our borders. Until recently, I was unhappy with the performance of our California native, Solidago elongata. However, I have now changed my mind. Mixed with dwarf blue-violet Asters and Origanum laevigatum seedlings it looks pretty good. This photograph was taken a few days ago before the Aster flowers started to open. I will try again with a photo a little later.
There was another happy surprise in this border. Under the weedy violets I found a specimen of Penstemon rydbergii var oreocharis that I had planted several years ago. I thought that it had died-out, however here it was healthy and happy. I will be growing more of this species in average garden soil in the future.
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This is a F2 grow out of Zinnia elegans hybrids (cactus types x small flowered dwarfs). Some nice cactus type flowers on semi-dwarf plants are showing up in the second generation.
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Another Cactus type from this F2 generation grow-out.
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Blerdy weather >:( I only want two dry days so I can get my lawn cut, it's nearly up to my knees now. Colchicums are battered!
Hi David,
We could sure use some of your rain! 8). Here in Northern California, the wildfires and smoke have been terrible.
Blerdy weather - I will have to look that one up. :)
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Mariette, that last plant is beautiful!
Thank You Leena - as I´ve got enough bulbs of it now I´m going to try it outdoors, though I wouldn´t do so in Your garden.
And You´re right: the borders are increasingly difficult to keep alive during July and August these last years in our area. This seedling of Pteroxygonum giraldii took a lot of watering to enjoy its first flowers.
(https://up.picr.de/39311915it.jpg)
Despite the drought we faced since 7 weeks, some colchicums start to flower, this one always being one of the first: C. pannonicum syn. ´Nancy Lindsay´.
(https://up.picr.de/39311920mc.jpg)
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Despite the drought we faced since 7 weeks, some colchicums start to flower, this one always being one of the first: C. pannonicum syn. ´Nancy Lindsay´.
This beautiful picture clearly says - fall is starting! Mariette.
No Colchicums here yet but Tricyrtis also signal the upcoming change.
Tricyrtis 'Tojen'
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Thank You, Gabriela! Unfortunetely, I´m not able to grow such beautiful tricyrtis like You, the slugs always devoured them.
The sedums are taking over, yet a late phlox adds a splash of summer. Sedum spectabile ´Carl´with a seedling.
(https://up.picr.de/39311917if.jpg)
A hylotelephium - seedling with Leucanthemum x superbum ´Bröllopsgåvan´.
(https://up.picr.de/39311916hp.jpg)
Phlox and Bistorta suggesting it´s still summer. :)
(https://up.picr.de/39311921ye.jpg)
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Thank You, Gabriela! Unfortunetely, I´m not able to grow such beautiful tricyrtis like You, the slugs always devoured them.
The sedums are taking over, yet a late phlox adds a splash of summer. Sedum spectabile ´Carl´with a seedling.
Beautiful Mariette. This part of Canada usually has dry/hot summers, there are slugs but not too many and they are usually busy eating smaller plants and tender seedlings :( like Soldanellas, Gypsophila, Silene, Minuartia and so on....
Phlox is also in flower here.
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Thank You, Gabriela!
Summers here are becoming hotter, drier and very windy, the average rainfall during the last 10 years is only 80 % of what it used to be. Slugs are fewer therefore, too, but still I can´t grow some favourites like delphiniums and tricyrtis. But I´ll keep experimenting!
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Thank You, Gabriela!
Summers here are becoming hotter, drier and very windy, the average rainfall during the last 10 years is only 80 % of what it used to be. Slugs are fewer therefore, too, but still I can´t grow some favourites like delphiniums and tricyrtis. But I´ll keep experimenting!
That's all we can do Mariette - keep on growing!