September 2014 in the Northern Hemisphere

[K-D Keller]

September pictures 1

Lithops dorotheae, Cyclamen rohlfsianum, Arum pictum, Crinum moorei

[K-D Keller]

September pictures 2

Biarum marmarisense, Gentiana sino-ornata-hyb, Sternbergia lutea

First small flower of Biarum marmarisense since a long time. It seems that IŽam on the right way now.


 

[Gerdk]

Yes, both of these Viola species grow with the most brutal, hot and dry conditions during the summer. Of coarse, during the summer they are dormant, hiding under the ground waiting for cooler weather and the winter rains.

Robert, 
I agree with Maggi - nice little charmers! Would you please add in addition something about winter temperatures minima?

Thanks in advance.

Gerd

[Robert]

Robert, 
I agree with Maggi - nice little charmers! Would you please add in addition something about winter temperatures minima?

Thanks in advance.

Gerd

Gerd,

Both Viola species grow in the 2,000 to 4,000 ft. (610 to 1,219 meters) elevation range, on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. V. douglasii grows in the serpentine barrens with Arctostaphyllos, Pinus sabiniana, and other shrubs, perennials, bulbs, and annuals that can survive the soil environment. V. purpurea grows at the edges and openings of the dominant Oak (Quercus kelloggii) - Pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest of this elevation range. Generally wintertime low temperatures range from 20 -10 F (-6.6 to -12 C), sometimes with snow cover, sometimes without. Record low temperatures are around -17 C (0 F).

[Gerdk]

Thank you Robert for your detailed reply. According temperatures it seems these Violets would be able to survive
our winters here in western Germany but not our usually wet summer - perhaps in a sand bed.

Gerd

[Robert]

Gerd,

I was out of town for a day but did want to get back to you on this one.

For me it would be interesting to know how the violias would do in your climate. Right now I'm growing mine in large tubs with other "alpine" plants - a very quick draining, sandy mix with very little humus (like a mini sand bed). The tub does get irrigation and they seem happy. As I build up stock I will try others in a sand bed. I am having very good success with this method with other xeric California native perennials and annuals.

A few others are interested in seed and I am sure you might be interested too. Gathering wild seed is a bit problematic as timing is everything before the seed dehisces. I know of a population of both species 1/2 hour drive from the farm. For the wild plants, there is a good chance of getting the timing correct this coming spring. I bag the seed pods from the plants in the tubs. There were not many seeds this season and they have already been planted (with the start of our rainy season). I will keep you in mind for next season - May - June is the general timing for ripe seed.

[Gerdk]

Robert,
Thank you very much for your interest.
I grow Vv. beckwithii, douglasii, hallii, nuttallii (also var. vallicula) and trinervata in deep pots (Long Toms) plunged in pumice gravel
in a small greenhouse. I water like it is the regime for summer dormant bulbs - i. e. only occasionally during summer, starting with
more at the beginning of September.
This works well and I lost paradoxically only Viola sheltonii, which I took for the easiest of this group. A problem
here in my garden is the position of the greenhouse. Plants have a lack of sun direct sunshine and  especially the
violets mentioned are more or less etioleted during flowering time and there is nearly no seedset.
I built a small sand bed for the eastern Viola pedata. This tricky species is covered with a sheet of glass during
the rainy months in late autumn and winter - but, not a full success. It survived but no flowers until now.
Even in this bed I planted Viola nuttallii var. vallicula which sprouted in spring 2014 but (as usual) no sign
of growth this autumn.
Thank you for offering some seeds for 2015. If you are interested (please send pm) I can collect some seeds of the rare western Viola
clauseniana, which set seeds regularly here.

Gerd

[Robert]

Gerd,

Thanks for your comments. I can understand the challenges you might have trying to grow Viola species - some of which grow in full sun, then bake and go dormant during the summer months. Even some of the easier west coast species can be a challenge for me, as the slugs and insects seem to like them in the open garden. Most I grow in containers, until I can create more "sand beds" that seem to work fairly well (but not always) for me.

I'll PM when I can. I enjoy growing various viola species.

Thanks again for your comments.

[Robert]

A few things I like in the garden now.



As a little boy I grew up playing in Mr. Barrett's maize field. The sound of the dry leaves rattling in the wind brings such good feelings to me. Due to the drought I could only plant this small stand of sweet maize. Generally we plant a much larger amount of heirloom field maize. Either way I would miss the sound of the dry leaves if I didn't plant it.



Here are some common annuals being used to fill in until the fall bulbs start coming up. In the spring I'll use native annuals such as Eschscholzia caespitosa, Lupinus benthamii and Mimulus bicolor. They look great with the spring flowing bulbs.



More summer annuals (Zinnia, Verbena, and Salvia) where dormant bulbs are resting. There are also species thymes, oreganos and violas cascading over the rocks and a few other perennial plants. I do practice crop rotation with the annuals using different ones each season (I'm a farmer). However, some always reseed, so I do leave a few. It always makes things interesting.



This Nicotinia was a chance seedling, reseeder this season. An F1 hybrid of some sort. I'll save the seed. It is the only plant this season, so it will be a self. The F2 could be a mess, but for me its fun. I can pull out the ones I don't like and play around with the rest.

[meanie]

I had to go away at short notice for a few days but I was delighted to find Brugmansia sanguinea was back in bloom on my return.............


And an unknown Echeveria..................


A few from Sues garden;
For JohnStephen - Thunbergia gregorii has bloomed well all summer.................


Even more remarkable is the fact that she left this tender climber out all last winter!

Her Mandevilla has been out since March when the RSM made its presence known.................


Her Passiflora (exoniensis? hybrid of some description)..................


Nicotiana sylvestris and N.langsdorfii (both regular self seeders)....................

[pehe]

Many beautiful pics!

Empodium plicatum
Galanthus Reginae Olgae

Poul

[brianw]

I built a small sand bed for the eastern Viola pedata. This tricky species is covered with a sheet of glass during
the rainy months in late autumn and winter - but, not a full success. It survived but no flowers until now.

I bought 3 "tubers" of Viola pedata from J. Amands earlier this year. When they started 2 got slugged quite quickly but the other has been flowering gently for some time now. Are the other 2 lost or are there tubers still somewhere in the pot? Roots are coming out of the normal depth pot now from the growing plant. What do I expect to find when it goes dormant? Where do the tubers form in the root system, at the crown or along the roots, maybe out of the pot, how many from 1 plant?.
Not grown this before so don't know what to expect and how gently to treat the escaping roots.

[Gerdk]

Brian,
Viola pedata does not form new tubers in the manner as potatoes do. The upper part of the rootstock
is thick and fleshy and from there smaller roots were sent down. When the species goes dormant (in autumn
normally) the leaves disappear and you`ll have new shoots in spring. If cultivated well the 'crown' of the plant
is able to divide. Sometimes - if there was too much moisture - this crown can rot and if you are lucky a new
upper growing point is formed.
I recommend to remove the upper part of soil and look what happened near the surface. Don't water too much
and arrange good draining.

Gerd

[Gene Mirro]

Colchicum (may be C. speciosum):

[Maggi Young]

Colchicum hybrid (I don't know the name):

(Attachment Link)

What a smasher, Gene - superb clump