April 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Gail]

Interesting collection Gerd and that rubella is fascinating.

[Hoy]

I like your violet collection, Gerd! I have tried to establish some on my property and have successed with a few. Rubella, is it hardy with you or do you grow it indoors?

At the moment I spend the Easter holiday at our cabin in the mountains. Not alpine but an undulating landscape between 950-1250m. The spring has reached us here - about a month earlier than normal. Almost all the snow has receded so it is difficult to take a proper crosscountry ski trip.



The first flowers are already showing in the meadow:

Mogop Pulsatilla vernalis

        

[Gerdk]

Thanks Gail and Trond!

Viola rubella isn't hardy here and I keep it frost-free in winter!

Gerd

[arisaema]

Finally some flowers here as well

Bulbocodium vernum
Corydalis fumariifolia (or turtschaninovii, I think I've keyed it every spring for the past 3 years, but always forget the result.)
Primula sonchifolia
Felis catus
Hepatica seedling
Hepatica asiatica ssp. asiatica ex Liaoning
Iris, probably 'George'?

[alpinelover]

A few plants in flower over the last days.
Ranunculus gramineus (photo 1 and 2)
Veronica prostrata subsp. scheezeri (photo 3 and 4)
Phlox subulata 'Pink buttons' (photo 5 and 6)
Edrianthus montenegrinus (photo 7)
Erigeron chrysopsidis 'Grand Ridge' (photo
Pulsatilla rubra subsp. hispanica. (photo 9)

[Lesley Cox]

Trond, it looks as if you have some nice company for your Easter holiday.

Alpineover, you have some lovely plants there, especially, for me, the almost black Pulsatilla. It looks very sleek and sumptuous. Did you know that the Phlox 'Pink Buttons' is a NZ-raised variety? It is P. douglasii, not subulata, and was raised by the Salmond brother and sister team at Hokonui Alpines, south of where I live. They distributed it to a nursery friend in Germany, some years ago. I don't think there is a better colour form in the reds/pinks. group.

[Maggi Young]

Masses of colour in your garden, Frankie.
 I'm surprised to see that lovely Phlox in flower this early.     Perhaps I should  suggest to mine that they speed up!

[alpinelover]

Trond, it looks as if you have some nice company for your Easter holiday.

Alpineover, you have some lovely plants there, especially, for me, the almost black Pulsatilla. It looks very sleek and sumptuous. Did you know that the Phlox 'Pink Buttons' is a NZ-raised variety? It is P. douglasii, not subulata, and was raised by the Salmond brother and sister team at Hokonui Alpines, south of where I live. They distributed it to a nursery friend in Germany, some years ago. I don't think there is a better colour form in the reds/pinks. group.

Thank you for the correction, Lesley. Yes, the colour of that plox is very intense. But what do you mean 'a NZ-raised variety'?
And the Pulsatilla is not almost black, it IS black! It's a species wich grow in the Picos (spain).

[alpinelover]

Masses of colour in your garden, Frankie.
 I'm surprised to see that lovely Phlox in flower this early.     Perhaps I should  suggest to mine that they speed up!

Thank you Maggi, the high temperatures of the last week is the cause that many plants flower early than other years. It's every day about 25°C. here.

[Lesley Cox]

I meant that the variety of Phlox was raised, that is BRED, in New Zealand. It was a seedling which appeared from a plant in the Gore garden of Peter and Louise Salmond, at their nursery, Hokonui Alpines. I don't believe it was deliberately bred, that is, part of a breeding programme, but a happy and adventitious seedling which appeared, and was seen to be of exceptional colour.

This is a phenomenon that happens for many gardeners and some of the finest of our rock garden hybrid plants have originated in such a way. Like Topsy, the "just growed."

[Hoy]

Trond, it looks as if you have some nice company for your Easter holiday.

Yes, thanks
The girls are paying their old parents a visit in the Easter Holidays - a break from their studies. And the flowers are breaking records - it is one of the warmest Aprils in 100 years!

[Hoy]

You have a lot of nice plants, Arisaema and Alpinelover! Now I am really excited and looking forward to getting down from the mountain to my garden

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Isn't this a grand season !!!  Beautiful flowers everybody.
I have some to add as well !  

1) Armeria 'Vranov'
2) Ramonda nathaliae
3) R. nathaliae alba
4) Salix boydii making catkins  
5) Saxifraga pedemontana suffering somewhat from the drought
6-7-8-9) Some colourvariations for Gerd from Viola tricolor
10) Silene hookeri ingramii survived winter out in the garden  

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Some more :

1) Delosperma congesta
2 and 3) Dicentra 'Burning Hearts'
4) Dicentra 'King of Hearts'
5) Alyssum pulvinara
6) Arenaria montana
7) Dianthus "White Hills"
8. Edraianthus serpylifolius
9) Penstemon rupicola "Ruby"
10) Phlox hoodii

[DaveM]

Agreed Luc. Bit cool here though today as the haar stayed with us until late afternoon - pesky stuff. Some in flower though from my garden yesterday when we had sun for most of the day.

Phlox bifida 'Ralph Haywood'
Oxalis adenophylla
Saxifraga stolitzkae
Gentiana acaulis 'Maxima Enzain'