Flowering in a Swedish Summer

[fleurbleue]

Hello Paul, you have an astonishing range of plants  Do you protect them in winter and in this case, how do you do ? What is your hardiness zone ?
Cheers

[PaulM]

Onopordum bracteatum grows to around 2 meters.

I don't know where I got the Cirsium eriophorum seeds from Stephen, but I remember growing some from wild collected seeds which I got through the AGS some years ago, and they looked more like yours. I guess mine are garden collected originally. I'd be glad to send you some seeds if you'd like.

Overwintering Asclepias can be sometimes be difficult depending on where they come from, but A. tuberosa, speciosa, syriaca ( very aggressive ), purpurascens, exaltata, viridis are all hardy and don't need any special protection during the winter. A. tuberosa and A. viridis are better kept on the dry side.

I cover some of the dryland species with a plastic sheet in the fall, and use ferns for a cover against the cold.

[Stephenb]

Thanks, Paul - a few seed would be nice. I'll remind you when my seed list is ready.

Re-overwintering Asclepias, I suspect it's winter damp that they don't like, so I should maybe try protecting them - after all it's only the "Swamp" Milkweed that I've succeeded with. By the way, the season is unfortunately too short here for incarnata to ripen seed, but it flowers prolifically.

Our butterflies don't seem to be interested in it though. 

[Ragged Robin]

Your Cirsium eriophorum is really gorgeous, Paul, what a wonderful collection of plants with such character - lovely to look up as well as down to enjoy favourites grown from seed 

[Robert G]

Paul, those are some great plants! Your Ascelpias have inspired me for next year. Some wonderful natives here that I should be paying more attention to. Thank you for taking the time to post the pictures.

[PaulM]

Thank you everyone for the responses posted to my pictures. It's a pleasure to share pictures with other plant afficionados. Here are some more:

1) I ordered this as Jurinea mollis from the Swedish garden society's exchange but it turned out to be Centaurea scabiosa : (
2) Centaurea stenolepis
3) Cirsium muticum is called swamp thistle but it requires drier conditions here. Grows really tall; 2,5m), and is not very spiny
4) Clarkia rubicunda ssp blasdalei has been another very rewarding annual with copious numbers of flowers.
5) Clematis mandschurica is nice clambering through bushes, over a stone or other type of structure.
6) Clematis mandschurica again
7) Clematis ochotensis flowers in late May, but evidently it can re-flower as this was taken in August.

[Ragged Robin]

Centaurea scabiosa looks fantastic with the backdrop of your countryside, Paul, your rockery looks well placed for this effect.

[PaulM]

1) I grew this species last year, and evidently it produced some seed as this plant came up.  Delphinium staphisagria has been very difficult to germinate from seed.
2) Delphinium vestitum is a nice species with quite hairy rounded leaves.
3) Close up of the flowers with their black bees.
4) Dianthus giganteus and Salvia regeliana
5) Digitalis ferruginea ssp schischkinii
6) Digitalis ferruginea ssp schischkinii close up of the flower. This grows much shorter than a regular D. ferruginea, but I am not sure how this subspecies is different to D. ferruginea otherwise.
7) Dianthus zonatus ?

[fleurbleue]

Hi Paul,
Delphinium vestitum is very amazing !

[PaulM]

Thank you Nicole. I like it very much too, and it flowers late in the season which is nice. I'll probably donate some seed to the seed exchange.

1. Digitalis lutea x purpurea. Nothing I have strived for, but a spontaneous result.
2. Another picture of this crossing.
3. I sowed this as Hystrix patula many years ago, and it is now referred to as Elymus hystrix
4. Eryngium giganteam is a steadfast freind
5. When I took this picture it dawned on me why this gentian has the name cruciata
6. Geranium farreri flowered June 8, but made a re-appearance almost 2 months later.

[maggiepie]

Paul, you have a wonderful collection of plants, I have never seen most of the asclepias before.
Your geranium farreri is absolutely beautiful as is the clematis ochotensis.

[Lori S.]

Paul, is that the usual flower form for Clematis ochotensis?  Some photos from the internet seem to show a more compact flower with shorter petals with more substance... or is it quite variable?
http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/new-clemdetail.cfm?dbkey=348
http://www.henriettesherbal.com/plants/clematis/ochotensis.html

[PaulM]

Dear Lori,
             I am not sure as this is what I ordered as Atragene ochotensis from Alexandra Berkutenko. I agree that it looks very different from the pictures depicting Clematis ochotensis on the web. Maybe it's something entirely different. We should ask in the plant id forum.

[PaulM]

1) Geranium sp collected in the Fan Mountains of Tajikistan has flowered all summer
2) Same as above
3) Iliamna remota
4) Ipomoea lindheimerii from central Texas has proved hardy here in Sweden and in it's second season it has produced lots of growth and many flowers, and seed is setting as we speak
5) Ipomoea lindheimerii-  leaf
6) Lobelia cardinalis - an exquisite pink form from Plants of the Southwest
7) Same as above

[Lori S.]

Just echoing what others have said... you certainly do have a nice variety of plants!  Lovely to see!   
What is your zone or minimum winter temperature?