Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: Knud on June 08, 2025, 06:06:24 PM
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This last week I visited our local botanical haven, the Stavanger Botancal Garden, a couple of times. Right at the entrance the Chilean Firebush, Embothrium coccineum, was ablaze. Meconopsis punicea was at the tail end of what had been a good flowering for most of May. Lilium pyrenaicum was at the start of its show.
In the rock garden there were two in bloom I had not seen before, Aethionema kotschyi and Erigeron leiomerus
Knud
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A last one from Stavanger Botanical Garden, a beautiful Edelweiss, Leontopodium nivale ssp alpinum.
In our garden Edraianthus horvatii has just started flowering, as has Daphne alpina.
Knud
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Another few species started flowering in the rock garden the last weeks. Campanula Molly Pinsent only the last few days, I keep it in a trough to protect it from slugs. The Caucasian crosswort, Phuopsis stylosa, grows in the rock garden, and started a few weeks ago. One can see why it is called ‘stylosa’. The instensly blue flowers of Moltkia petrea are always a surprise once they open from their purple buds. This plant is 10-15 years old. The last saxifraga to flower here is one I have as Saxifraga cochlearis ‘Minor’. Rhodohypoxis have of course been blooming for weeks already, but after a light drizzle last week many of them donned quite large water drops in their flowers.
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Thank You for the many pics shown in May and June, Knud! Last month, I marvelled especially at the rare Sorbus filipes! Do the leaves set off the white fruits as well as Sorbus fruticosus? I´m very pleased with mine grown from seed.
We spent a few weeks in Sweden, where I found a clone of Lily of the valley with 13 flowers to the stalk - something hybridizers aimed at in the past.
(https://up.picr.de/49684546nd.jpg)
A special feature of Sweden are the remnants of abondoned gardens, this is a double form of Narcissus poeticus growing wild.
(https://up.picr.de/49684547mn.jpg)
On Öland, there are lots of irises growing by the roadside, this is Iris x Flavescens.
(https://up.picr.de/49691088qi.jpg)
Another spot showing an iris called Iris x sambucina in Sweden, together with naturalised oriental poppies.
(https://up.picr.de/49691091ay.jpg)
(https://up.picr.de/49691090oo.jpg)
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Some orchids on Öland:
Neottia nidus-avis
(https://up.picr.de/49706960zf.jpg)
Orchis militaris
(https://up.picr.de/49706948mu.jpg)
I´m not sure about this one:
(https://up.picr.de/49706952uw.jpg)
An attractive hemiparasite: Melampyrum cristatum
(https://up.picr.de/49739500jp.jpg)
(https://up.picr.de/49739499vf.jpg)
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In Västergötland, Geranium sylvaticum was flowering in a variation of colours not found in commerce.
(https://up.picr.de/49736487ws.jpg)
(https://up.picr.de/49736486xj.jpg)
(https://up.picr.de/49736485la.jpg)
Another hemiparasite: Melampyrum nemorosum, aptly named Natt och Dag, Night and Day, in Sweden.
(https://up.picr.de/49739498dx.jpg)
(https://up.picr.de/49739497ul.jpg)
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A double Rosa majalis growing by the roadside, knee high due to mowing.
(https://up.picr.de/49696445wi.jpg)
An attractive Geum x intermedium
(https://up.picr.de/49717293na.jpg)
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Finally two pics from back home. One of my sons made an interesting observation. He prepared the loam in his garden with sawdust of oak and spruce to plant blueberries. The flowers of the neighbouring hydrangea turned from pink to blue, but only those closest to the blueberry.
(https://up.picr.de/49756100ss.jpg)
A campanula trachelium in my garden.
(https://up.picr.de/49767150kj.jpg)
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Blue berries like an acidic soil, this soil pH also will give blue hydrangeas.
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Thank You, Jeff! My son was interested to try an eco-friendly way to achieve acidic soil for his bluberries instead of the usual peat. Obviously it works well, also to turn hydrangeas blue. The surprise was that not all flowers of the hydrangea turned blue, but only those closest to the blueberry. Hereabouts, chemicals are sold to achieve blue hydrangeas. Sawdust of spruce and oak might be a good alternative where available. :)
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Flowering & setting seed in the garden this June.
Clematis fremontii white seedling
Sarmienta repens
& Clematis hirsutissima showing wonderful golden seed heads.
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Well, Mike, I was admiring the Clematis fremontii - then I saw the Sarmienta repans - crikey and double crikey! What fantasic flowering!!
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Thank You for the many pics shown in May and June, Knud! Last month, I marvelled especially at the rare Sorbus filipes! Do the leaves set off the white fruits as well as Sorbus fruticosus? I´m very pleased with mine grown from seed.
Thank you, Mariette, for your kind comments.
As to your question about the fruit I do not remember them as white. To jog my memory, I checked some pictures I took in September 2020. The colour of fruit of the Sorbus filipes we have is more a pink-blushed cream colour, but they do show off well against the leaves. Just now, soon after flowering, their colour is the same crimson red as the flowers were, and they take quite some time to turn to the colour shown in the pictures.
And thank you for sharing your wonderful pictures from your trip to Sweden.
Knud
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Mariette
Pine needle compost should also increase soil acidity.
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Thank You, Jeff, this may be a hint where these are handy. In the case of my son, it was just oak and spruce of his logs.
Knud, thanks so much for the pics of Your Sorbus filipes fruits! Browsing, I found them described as white, but the colour of Yours is equally special as that of the flowers!
It´s surprising that Embothrium coccineum flourishes so far up in the North! It became a tree many tried to grow in the eighties and nineties, having seen it in flower in Great Britain. At that time, most failed to be successful, even in my part of the world, which belongs to the mildest regions of Germany.
Mike, the white form of Clematis fremontii is especially beautiful! The urn-shape of the flowers looks much more impressing!
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Well, Mike, I was admiring the Clematis fremontii - then I saw the Sarmienta repans - crikey and double crikey! What fantasic flowering!!
Maggie the sarmienta are now so large it's going to soon be quite a problem to repot them, also not sure whether the "ally" trays will take much more weight.
3 very large clay pots on 2 shallow trays, could be whoops soon.
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It´s surprising that Embothrium coccineum flourishes so far up in the North! It became a tree many tried to grow in the eighties and nineties, having seen it in flower in Great Britain. At that time, most failed to be successful, even in my part of the world, which belongs to the mildest regions of Germany.
Mariette, that was interesting about the Embothrium in Germany, I did not know. We have a mild coastal climate, not cold in winter and cool in summer - to the great frustration of many people. Adding to that frustration is the year-round rain. It’s a shitty climate, really, but many plants like it. The botanical garden sits protected on the southwest facing slope of a hill and I can imagine is naturally well drained, and it is certainly well run. Their South America section was established around year 2000 and they have a number of trees and shrubs, from Chile in particular. My favourite there is a very large Buddleja globosa. I was told the Embothrium flowers well every year.
One tree that does not flower every year in our garden is the Japanese Summer Camellia, Stewartia pseudo-camellia. This year, though, it is full of buds and just now in the middle of its three or so weeks of flowering. Each flower lasts a few days on the tree, then a few more on the ground as it is dropped whole. While on the tree the flowers are very popular with bumble bees but I have never seen one on a fallen flower. Each year, of course, the tree has good autumn colour.
Knud