May 2024 in Northern Hemisphere

[Mike Ireland]

Helichrysum sessilioides on tufa wall.

[Mike Ireland]

Rosoea humeana alba seedlings. Always come pure white except this odd one with purple.

[Maggi Young]

Helichrysum sessilioides on tufa wall.

That's a cracker!!

Rosoea humeana alba seedlings. Always come pure white except this odd one with purple.

White Roscoea humeana is just a perfect flower - love it!

[Mike Ireland]

Maggie, the Helichrysum has been there now for 12 years, but this is the best year for the number of flowers.

[Maggi Young]

The Helichrysum is magnificent, Mike - must be enjoying the changed weather.

[Mariette]

The white Roscoea humeana is very beautiful, Mike! I wonder whether the bicoloured one will be stable - it would be an asset!

Escaping the heavy rainfall at home (already 435 mm this year, 126 in May till now), we spend a delightful holiday in dry and sunny southeastern Sweden. These are some pics from Öland.





Anemone sylvestris and Ranunculus bulbosus growing along the roadside.



Ranunculus bulbosus is a common plant here, but variations are rarely found. This is one with 9 petals.



And a semi-double one.

[Mariette]

This year I noticed white-tipped flowers of Adonis vernalis for the first time.





Black-and-Red bug filling up with poison.



A patch in all-gold. 

[ruweiss]

Mike and Mariette, many thanks for your pictures. I have never seen such a floriferous plant of
Helichrysum sessilioides like yours. My plant also grows on tufa and I tried several times to grow
cuttings of it at other places, but was not suuccesful.

[ruweiss]

Now flowering:
Dianthus Haematocalyx Nidze Form
Raoulia australis in the alpine house

[Mariette]

Thank You, ruweiss! Unfortunately, I own no rock garden, but if, I´d like it to look like this.



Parts of the alvars on Öland are tinted blue by Globularia vulgaris, but white specimen are to be found, too.



I´m not able to grow catsfoot in my garden, though I like the German name Katzenpfötchen. Here are they are growing wild, with male plants side by side.

[Mariette]

At first sight the alvar looks dull, but many orchids feel at home here. The first to flower is Orchis mascula.





Smaller, but very beautiful, Neotinea ustulata follows next.

[Diane Whitehead]

What fun to imagine what those Neotinia flowers look like.

Tiny people?  A dog's face with long ears?

[Stefan B.]

Whole universe





Dianthus erinaceus var. alpinus