May 2013 in the Northern Hemisphere

[ebbie]

Gene, maybe it is caused by the lights and I am not an expert, but your plant doesn't look  like an Edraianthus (serpyllifolius) to me.

I think it's a species of Cyananthus.

[Maggi Young]

I think it's a species of Cyananthus.

I do not think it is  a cyananthus, Ebbie.  No fat, hairy calyx, for a start.

[Gene Mirro]

It might be Wahlenbergia gloriosa.  The photos on the web don't show the foliage very well.

[hadacekf]

Self seedlings of Lentopodium nivale in a through.

[Jozef Lemmens]

It might be Wahlenbergia gloriosa.  The photos on the web don't show the foliage very well.

Gene, I also had a Wahlenbergia in mind. Maybe some of the Australian members can help.

[Maggi Young]

Wahlenbergia gloriosa is a real possibility- see Mick McLoughlin's photo of a plant at Leeds in 2007, showing flowers and foliage well...... 
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=578.msg13916#msg13916

This photo by Paul Tyerman  shows the flower close up and the leaves are less distinct but you can see the form .... http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=1042.msg25781#msg25781

[Jozef Lemmens]

Wonderful plants, Franz.
Here a few from my garden.

Lamium armenum v. sintenisii


Viola cazorlensis


Daphne alpina
   

[K-D Keller]

Is your roscoea always this early? Mine are not even showing their noses yet.

I don`t know if the Roscoeas are hardy here in Germany. I overwinter the pots frost free. At the end of April I sink the pots in the open garden. At this moment there is now sign of  life in the pots. Four weeks later R.cautleyoides is always the fist in flower and for example in the pot with R. alpina there is still no sign of life.

What soil do you offer to your C. oreadum? I potted mine in a tuf/sand mix but the plant looks sad.

The soil is a 90% mix of lava 1-2 mm, lime grit, broken expanded clay, perlite and a bit sand. The rest is a mix of loam and peat based flower soil. My experience is, to much sand is to wet.

But so many other soils will work too. So many growers so many soils. 

Klaus-Dieter, how do you grow your Nomocharis?

I grow the Nomocharis in a plastic pot, so I can overwinter the pot frost free. Beat based well drained acid soil. Full shaded, north facing, only a little bit morning sun.   

[Gene Mirro]

Wahlenbergia gloriosa is a real possibility- see Mick McLoughlin's photo of a plant at Leeds in 2007, showing flowers and foliage well...... 
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=578.msg13916#msg13916

This photo by Paul Tyerman  shows the flower close up and the leaves are less distinct but you can see the form .... http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=1042.msg25781#msg25781

That must be it.  How did we survive before the internet?

Klaus-Dieter and Jozef, I live in a mild, cool climate, and grow Nomocharis in the open ground, in a raised bed of sandy loam soil, mulched with bark, in full sun.  pH is roughly 6.0.  I feed lightly with garden fertilizer two times in Spring.  They must not dry out while they are growing.  They do not mind wet soil in Winter.  But the growing method can be very different in a different climate. 

[Maggi Young]

How did we survive before the internet?

Well enough of course - but for many of us the world was a much lonelier place.

[Hoy]

I could survive without internet, but that would mean I had to read more books! - and miss a lot of friends!

From the garden today - two very different plants with different requirements!
Corydalis buschii preferring the woodland and Ranunculus parnassifolius preferring the roof.

[Michael J Campbell]

 Ranunculus parnassifolius

[astragalus]

The ranunculus is absolutely beautiful.
Right now it's the start of dianthus time in the garden.  Picture is of lower sand bed.

[Maggi Young]

In the Czech Republic recently  most of the dianthus were FULL of buds - I expect they are coming into flower now too......
Your sand bed is a pretty picture, Anne.

[Kirsten]

A very nice Dianthus bed, astragalus. Here in Denmark some of the Dianthus are also flowering now.

Here are some other flowering now in my garden.
Linum boissieri
Silene bolanthoides
Oxalis enneaphylla with "red" leaves