April 2013 in the Northern Hemisphere

[johnralphcarpenter]

Ypsilandria cavaleriei today. Tiny!

[Gerdk]

Finally the blues are coming

- Viola odorata near a path in my neighborhood
and wonderful coloured Viola adriatica in my garden

Gerd

[Tim Ingram]

What a wonderful plant of Viola odorata - with me this grows vigorously but produces very few flowers hidden amongst the leaves. Do you find that it flowers like this every year Gerd?

[Maggi Young]

Blue heaven Gerd !

[Yann]

Calanthe tricarinata is flowering in the greenhouse as well as Anemonella.
The sunshine of this week end was beneficial for both plants and people.

[Gerdk]

What a wonderful plant of Viola odorata - with me this grows vigorously but produces very few flowers hidden amongst the leaves. Do you find that it flowers like this every year Gerd?

Thank you, Maggi + Tim!

Tim: Although I visited the odorata place (in front of a hedge - southern exposure) for the last years it
was the first time that I noticed these plants. It seems it is an exceptionally event.
Just funny that I have never been able to create a similar display when I planted the species in a garden bed.

Gerd

[Luc Gilgemyn]

1) Pulsatilla vernalis pushed through last year's dead leaves yesterday !
2) Pulsatilla slavica alba still pushing.. 

[Botanica]

Very nice Calanthe tricarinata Yann

I received a calanthe sieboldii and calanthe discolor this year..cross the finger for a nice flowering:)

[Yann]

This is a spare of a frozen mother plant which survived this winter.
The main plant was 10 years old

[TC]

I visited Culzean Castle yesterday in the hope of some Spring flowers.  The Magnolias and Rhododendrons were still in bud.  This is about 3 weeks later than average,  We then went for a walk by the shore in the small village of the Maidens looking for some bird migrants and again nothing.  However a bright patch of yellow caught our eyes.  It was a patch of Coltsfoot - tussilago farfara. I have always considered it as a troublesome weed, but looking at this patch and the individual flowers, I realised that is a rather pretty plant.  Anyway it certainly brightened up a rather unproductive day

[johnralphcarpenter]

Viola labradorica - once you've got it you will never be without it.

[astragalus]

Someone on the lecture circuit in the U.S. has been heard to declare that deer do not eat daphnes.  Very wrong.  The following are pictures taken today of various daphnes in the crevice beds and screes following a winter when I failed to cover the garden with chicken wire.  I was too busy, too lazy, whatever, and this is the payback from the antlered rats.

[astragalus]

More deer damage

[astragalus]

This was doing so well.

[astragalus]

Breaks my heart