September 2021 in the Northern Hemisphere

[cohan]

I think it was Primula florindae which suffered from heat and drought both, because my hose isn't long enough and anyway we have water from our own well and I try to save water only to the edible plants and pots. In the end they flowered very well in August, and there is still one tall flower in it now when usually they are well over in September. I think it was the rains which encouraged it to make more flowers even now.



Here is a picture of Primula florindae flower I wrote about, it was taken last week.
Second picture is one of my favourite fern, Dryopteris crassirhizoma and last picture there is one of the earliest Colchicums in my garden. I bought it ten years ago and have been able to divide it already in many beds.

P florindae is not quite satisfied with the moisture here where I grow it either-- after a couple of years, I built up the part of the bed on the south side of the plants, to keep their roots cooler and moister  and a bit more shaded, plus try to keep a very deep mulch-- usu it is enough that they flower, maybe with a bit of extra water on occasions.. This year I didn't think about them during our extra hot and somewhat dry weather until it had already been like that for a while-- them I gave them some extra waterings, but seems like it wasn't enough.. eventually when we got some rain in August, a couple of the plants made a short flower stem each (one is flowering now, very unspectacularly) but not much... I probably need to think of a different kind of planting for them that stays wetter..

[cohan]

Quite a few things in flower considering how late it is.

Hieracium intybaceum. I love the luminous pale colour of the flowers, they remind me a little of Crocus scharojanii flavus (or at least photos of it, I've never seen the real thing).

I grow this one too, chosen for those pale yellow flowers-- also attractive, wavy slightly greyish leaves. I find plants short lived (even biennial? hard to keep track of individuals) but it self sows to maintain itself.  I can see piles of buds and spent flowers on the plant, but only ever see a few open at once, which is a little disappointing.. I've come to suspect, though, that it may be a morning bloomer, and I pretty much never see that garden area in the morning! I also wonder if it would be better in a tougher garden spot where it might grow less vigorously?

[Tristan_He]

Cohan and others - it's quite common in Britain for P. florindae and some others in this group to be called 'bog primulas' and not without reason - they are quite happy with their feet sitting permanently in water. If you have a pond edge, or can manufacture this type of environment, they may be happier.

[Leena]

Cohan, your experience confirms what I have.

Cohan and others - it's quite common in Britain for P. florindae and some others in this group to be called 'bog primulas' and not without reason - they are quite happy with their feet sitting permanently in water. If you have a pond edge, or can manufacture this type of environment, they may be happier.

I fear that if the soil is moist/wet in winter, and it will then freeze solid which will happen, then the plants die from that, so that is why I haven't tried them in constantly wet place
Still, P.florindae has been easier with me than many plants which need to be moist but not wet.

Others wrote earlier that P x polyanthus has been tolerant of drought and I agree, but here I have lost many polyanthus when I planted them in clay soil which gets wet and frozen in winter. I thought 10 years ago that they were very difficult plants until I succeeded in making beds with lots of humus and there polyanthus have grown very well. I am so happy that finally I have found how to grow Primulas, or at least some of them!
P.veris and also P.elatior have been the easiest primulas here in my garden... but they are yellow at the same time  as dandelions.. .

[Leena]

The white Anemonopsis macrophylla is particulalry delightful Mariette.

Also I have admired Mariette's white Anemonopsis, how beautiful!

About five years ago I sowed Anemonopsis seeds from a forumist, and they are flowering now for the first time.
I like them very much:). They are now in maybe too dry place, and I will have to move them next spring.

[Robert]

Thank you for all the comments and postings. They are all very helpful! 

No, I am not the Bog King. I am not going to chop down all the Primroses in my garden  , however primula x polyanthus is an awkward plant for me. I guess I am the loser in this regard.    The strong flower colors just do not look right, at least for me in my garden. Maybe, I can turn them into something else - at least this is my hope. Primula eletior is a species that will likely grow in our garden. When I get a chance I will give them a try and see what happens.

[Leena]

Robert, I can see your way of thinking about polyanthus, they are not at all graceful flowers. And I guess they also require dividing and other care regularly.
I'm only learning to grow them now, and sow seeds and then save the ones I like most:).

This week we have had the first frosts in two nights, not very cold, only -1,5C, but my zucchinis are now dead.
A picture from a bed which I remade, and which still has empty spots:). I am waiting to receive some bulbs which I'm going to plant there,
and also I think I will move my small Anemonopsis there in the spring. It is nice to have some empty space.
The second picture is from garden when sun was shining one day.

[Robert]

Leena,

Your garden looks so lush and nice. It is so dry here in California and we are having yet another heat wave. Yet more heat records may be broken.

I am not going to give up on polyanthus Primulas. Like you saving seed and selecting the ones I like seems best.

Yesterday, I started the first sowing of winter vegetables and flowers. This seems late for some species, however the heat has been never ending this summer and now autumn. I have been waiting on cooler weather that has not stayed around for long. The forecast is for rain in about six or seven days. The last storm brought a few days of cooler weather but no rain to our garden. Hopefully the rain forecast will pan out.

[Mariette]

Also I have admired Mariette's white Anemonopsis, how beautiful!

About five years ago I sowed Anemonopsis seeds from a forumist, and they are flowering now for the first time.
I like them very much:). They are now in maybe too dry place, and I will have to move them next spring.

Thank You, Gabriela and Leena, but I think Your Anemonopsis is equally beautiful with its bicoloured flowers! I remember an Anemonopsis macrophylla growing in my father-in-law´s garden many years ago, and it had pale lilac flowers, which looked comparatively dull.
Also bicoloured are the flowers of this silverleaved Cyclamen purpurascens - a great surprise after so many years´ waiting for the first flowers.



Abeliophyllum distichum gone wrong in season.



The outside of the tepals of this Colchicum ´Innocence´shows a thin pink stripe running down from the tips - the first time I noticed this with this variety.



A colchicum-curiosity.



This butterfly used a colchicum flower to spend the night and crawled to the top when the sun was warming up his bedroom.

[ruweiss]

Begonia grandis is reliable hardy with us and flowers profusely in late
summer and autumn.

[Andre Schuiteman]

Bistorta griffithii, a striking Himalayan species that likes a damp spot.

[cohan]

Cohan, your experience confirms what I have.

I fear that if the soil is moist/wet in winter, and it will then freeze solid which will happen, then the plants die from that, so that is why I haven't tried them in constantly wet place
Still, P.florindae has been easier with me than many plants which need to be moist but not wet.

Others wrote earlier that P x polyanthus has been tolerant of drought and I agree, but here I have lost many polyanthus when I planted them in clay soil which gets wet and frozen in winter. I thought 10 years ago that they were very difficult plants until I succeeded in making beds with lots of humus and there polyanthus have grown very well. I am so happy that finally I have found how to grow Primulas, or at least some of them!
P.veris and also P.elatior have been the easiest primulas here in my garden... but they are yellow at the same time  as dandelions.. .

Tristan-- I do know they'd like that sort of setting, but I have nothing of the kind in the garden or anywhere in the managed parts of the property -I've considered planting some in natural wet areas at the back of the acreage but a) it is quite wooded, might be too shady b)it's a natural area, so not convinced planting exotic plants is a great idea! c)it's rather far from the house, so I wouldn't see them often, anyway...lol I did redig the bed and plant them a bit below grade with a more peaty (from soil on the acreage) soil and deep mulch I add to each year.  that will have to suffice them for now- they do well enough in years with more rain in mid-summer.
I also have P viallii which is also supposed to prefer boggy conditions-- and made a very small area between rock beds- I dug well below grade, into clayey soil, pounded the soil  at the base to make it less draining, and filled with peaty/humusy soil from natural wetlands on the acreage- whenever i do water (not often) or have buckets of rain water to empty, I aim for that spot! Th eleaves are not huge, it would prob like even more water or richer soil, but it has more flowers each year, growing with a local Platanthera which is very happy, and Rubus arcticus which is probably much too happy...lol

Leena-- I also have P elatior in several spots, very unfussy here. I forget now whether it flowers exactly with dandelions, but I do try to choose other colours of flowers in late spring/early summer for that same reason...lol
I have never noticed/thought about plants having problems with wet soil freezing in winter-- all soil here is frozen solid for many months- -the only exception could be powder dry soil, but that is mostly only under spruce trees, and I have no plantings in those places!

[cohan]

Bistorta griffithii, a striking Himalayan species that likes a damp spot.

that's a cool one!