Haut Chitelet Alpine Garden (France)

[Philippe]

First update July 2013, part 3



Gentiana kochiana and Leucanthemopsis alpina growing together, for the eye's delight. Such a shame that the Leucanthemopsis almost never sets seeds here. It grows vegetatively very well though.



The dedicated Linaria alpina scree bed, where it sows itself freely now



The heavenly pure white Narcissus poeticus which deserves mass plantation near Paradisia liliastrum, Lathyrus laevigatus ssp.occidentalis, Anemone narcissiflora.



Minuartia recurva, particulary interesting for covering rocks and cracks, as it forms very compact and low cushions with tiny leaves of the purest green. The flowering is usual for the genus, only more compact too, which makes it on the whole a humble, but very valuable plant.



Polygala chamaebuxus, for a try in the bed since June, as the mature plant was given us only last fall. For the moment, the past winter and the summer seem to fulfill its needs.

[Philippe]

First update July 2013, part 4



Rhododendron ferrugineum in full flowering for several days.



Senecio doronicum. Lovely grey lightly hairy foliage supporting Doronicum-like yellow-orange flowers. An interesting combination.



Silene acaulis



Trifolium alpinum, a careless plant here. The only care it needs is to stop and look close by when one is passing by it, for everything is charming in it: foliage, form and refinement of the flower, colour.



And Cytisus emeriflorus to end this late June western Alps overlook. A soil carpeting greenweed which was lost in the jungle of the WAlps bed that has been renewed last year ( second pic of the first part above). Profiting of light and sun again, it should grow better again now.

[Philippe]

First update July 2013, part 5

Let's go to North America now, with some Lewisia to begin



Lewisia pygmaea ssp.longipetala



Lewisia tweedyi, or a hybrid coloured form of it?



Lomatium utriculatum



Luetkea pectinata, useful for a shady ( and neglected too) corner of one of the beds



Phacelia sericea, which I am trying to increase by seeds since 2 years, in order to get in the end a beautiful group amongst grit and smaller rocks

[Philippe]

First update July 2013, part 6



A last pic of a Phlox, planted in a trough, and labelled Phlox kelseyi var.missoulensis ( which it could be)

A look toward Asia now.



Incarvillea younghusbandii, a surprising exotic-like plant from China/Himalaya, which appears suddenly within a week quite late in the season, bringing almost at the same time leaves and very soon huge extravagant flowers that remind of some south american tropical climbing Dipladenia.



The usual Meconopsis baileyi/ex betonicifolia



And one of the numerous hybrid forms with grandis (received under Lingholm)



Primula chungensis

[Philippe]

First update July 2013, part 7



Primula polyneura



The scented Primula reidii var.williamsii ( not particularly pleasant for me personaly)



Rheum alexandrae, with 4 flowering spikes this year ( and tasty raw stems, having I find a somewhat light "floral" touch that the usual cultivated kitchen rhubarb of the gardens doesn't have)



The beautiful Silene nigrescens



Trollius pumilus

[Philippe]

First update July 2013, part 8

And to finish, Primula modesta var.matsumurae from Japan



And Taraxacum pseudoroseum from Central Asia.



I will perhaps post in the next update some pics of the Lautaret Alpine Garden, to which I am going one week nextly.

[ranunculus]

Some delightful images there, Philippe, many thanks ... your use of soft focus can be exquisite.

[astragalus]

Philippe, I am enjoying your plants so much.  How wonderful to see Silene nigrescens and Luetkea pectinata doing so well, and your Linaria alpine planting is perfect.  Thank you for sharing.

[Philippe]

Second update July 2013, part 1

I finaly manage to make an update again... Most of the plants shown below are not flowering anymore though.

We are having the second warmest July of the last 15 years. And this simultaneously goes with one of the driest ones too. It has only rained 3 times since the month's beginning. And these were complete 3 weeks without a single raindrop untill last wednesday, when a thunderstorm finally brought copious rain and some fresh air to the garden again. This was more than welcome, as many plants were already wilting from drought in the steep beds, where the water could not get into the dusty soil. Many nearly daily watering hours for 2 weeks prevented the most interesting or young plants to suffer too much, but the growth delay after the cold spring and long winter is totally forgotten now. I think the plants even have some advance now, for those at least who didn't suffer too much from the persistent lack of rain. It could be that the usual very late flowering Gentiana sino-ornata opens its flower by the end of August

New heatwaves are said to concern France next week again. And it will probably be hotter than it was untill now. Thunderstorms should hopefully bring some rain again before that.

This weather is not only a hard time for the mature plants in the garden, but it makes also every new plantation impossible or at least very risky. I hope we get some normal conditions soon again during August, after that it would be slowly too late to do so.

And it makes me think about the building of the garden itself: as long as there will be no possibility of automatic light watering system, when possible the new beds should be rebuilt on a rather even or only very slight slope ground, with terrrace-like setting rather than the moutain-like one that was prefered at the construction some 40 years ago now. Some of the beds just emerge from the ground and reach a height of 2 meters sometimes. This is of course quite impressive, and yes, sometimes beautiful, but this is not adapted to such long dry periods as the one we had in July.

Anyway, place now to some pics from the last 2/3 weeks, in alphabetical order.



Achille clavennae, from the eastern Alps




Androsace spinulifera planted in quite poor and relatively draining soil to prevent humidity excesses. The plant seems quite happy in this part of the bed



Arenaria tetraquetra, with this spanish Sierra Nevada wild introduction from the mid seventies. A very old plant indeed, which of course was already several times divided, but invariably never sets any seed at all.




Artemisia glacialis, with thin and very silvery aromatic foliage.




Asperula gussonii, planted in a trough for the moment, but also now mistakenly in the Turkey mountains bed...The italian bed isn't done yet, I hope we can make it this year, or at least prepare a provisory place where the Apenins, sicilian and corsican plants will be at home.

[Philippe]

Second update July 2013, part 2



Astragalus vulneraria, from Turkey, a very beautiful plant we received last spring. It has endured the very wet and cold May without problems, and looks ok now in this very dry and sunny period. Let's see what it will do next winter!



Calceolaria uniflora, again hand pollinated this year, really hoping for seed to be formed this time. I have only 2 small pots of this jewel, and they are as last year in the non public propagation area. I would really like to be able to set the plant once in the south America bed, but I will have to wait further.




The weedy Campanula excisa, so adorable, but always ready to invade a whole bed with its underground running stems. Always a problem to deal with this plant here, as only a small piece of root can give a new plant that will rapidly conquer the place, profiting of every rock to hide under.




Cremanthodium helianthus. I always thought of Cremanthodium as a soil-high moisture loving genus. This might be true for many species, but I precisely lost this one when planted in a wetter part of the bed. Fortunately, I had also planted it in a drier place, where it flowered for the first time this year. Not really a beauty, but somehow I really love this genus, and it's always an excitement to see the plants growing again in late spring/early summer. There should be 3/4 new species flowering next year if everything's ok in the next months. I am so impatient to see them



Dianthus glacialis in the Carpathians bed. A tiny Dianthus, with proportionnaly big flowers over dark glossy green foliage

[Philippe]

Second update July 2013, part 3




Doronicum grandiflorum. This plant has a long story in the garden. Sown in 1995, it has struggled for about 7/8 years in a place where it seemingly really wasn't happy. The plant was then taken to another place, where it still is now, but it needed further 3/4 years before it finaly began to grow better and better. NOw it flowers every year.




Hebe armstrongii from New Zealand.




Helichrysum milfordiae.




Hieracium villosum.A good and well proportionned plant, with a lovely contrast between the yellow flowers and glaucous foliage.




Hormatophylla spinosa from Spain.

[Philippe]

Second update July 2013, part 4




Iris setosa. I am not really an Iris-lover, but I find them particularly interesting this year, maybe because of the quite generous blossom.





The unavoidable Leontopodium alpinum, Edelweiss. As many people often ask for it, it is now planted directly at the entrance of the garden, in a trough, where they can find and see it easily.





Lilium croceum





A last look at the Meconopsis baileyi. Is still flowers right now, but doesn't look that good anymore, with always more and more seed pods amongst the flowers, and yellowish foliage partly due to the dry and warm weather conditions.




While M.baileyi is progressively ending, M.horridula begins.

[Philippe]

Second update July 2013, part 5




A cross between the big monocarpic species, probably M.paniculata and napaulensis.




And M.punicea with 2 flowers this year. One more than last year. I can't manage to get stronger or well developped plants producing more flowers.



The south american Mimulus cupreus, not totally perennial.




Paradisia liliastrum, one of my very favourite plants when it comes to flower.




Penstemon glaber var.alpinus

[Philippe]

Second update July 2013, part 6




Phyteuma globulariifolium ssp.pedemontanum




The blood red Potentilla atrosanguinea in the himalayan bed.




Potentilla nitida from the south and eastern european Alps. Pink at the beginning, unfortunately rapidly fading to white from the moment when the sun is shining too bright. There is in the garden another source of that plant showing a much brighter pink lasting a bit longer than this one.




Primula bulleyana




Ramonda myconi

[Philippe]

Second update July 2013, part 7



Rhododendron keleticum in the chinese bed.




Saponaria pumilio