June 2013 in the Northern Hemisphere

[johnralphcarpenter]

Primula alpicola, white form

[Hoy]

On our way north to help our youngest daughter move (she has been studying at the University of Trondheim but has changed to Svalbard for a year) we first stopped at our cabin at the coast for one night. Not much to admire (the neighbour's sheep have taken their toll) but the little Potentilla ambigua was in flower. It is a nice plant and the picture doesn't do it right. Also Veronica austriaca was untouched by the sheep. They self sow in the dry shallow soil. Several plants of an Allium (name forgotten)  were in flower too but many had been damaged by the sheep.

[Hoy]

The next day we continued to our mountain cabin where it is still spring and a heavy rain. Veronica fruticans is in flower. It has spread a lot after I introduced it some years ago. An Anemone narcissiflora (from seed several years ago) is very nice this year.

[ranunculus]

I love to see that anemone, Trond ... lovely images.

[Tim Ingram]

It is very lovely - such a simple and beautiful flower. There are pink and yellow (I think?) forms of this too, but looking at that photo. the white must be hard to beat.

Our garden is too dry for such a plant but we do well with umbellifers like Ferula communis subsp. glauca; this self seeds and in mischievous moments I wonder whether to sprinkle seed down onto the motorway verges next to us!

[ashley]

Agreed Tim.  Even the straight species is a magnificent plant, and insects love it too.

[PaulM]

I really like the Ferula Tim. I have tried it here in Sweden, and I had one plant for many years, but then one winter it died-probably got too wet. I received seeds of it from Mervyn Southam, who was an umbellifer-expert. I have collected seeds of Ferula communis on my trips to Turkey, but I haven't given it a try here yet. It probably takes about a decade to reach flowering size with us.

Here are some Penstemon plants which have flowered recently:



Penstemon lemhiensis [ Specified attachment is not available ]

[PaulM]

Here are some more of the Penstemons:

[PaulM]

Penstemon mensarum, which I think looks a lot like P. strictus, but maybe they are closely related.

[PaulM]

Penstemon wilcoxii to finish off this year's Penstemon-species in bloom here

[Hoy]

Thanks Cliff and Tim!
Tim, your ferula is a magnificent plant! I have not tried it but have planned to do for a while. If PaulM managed to grow one in Sweden it gives me hope I will manage!
Nice Penstemons, Paul, I have a lot of seedlings I will plant out next spring.

[krisderaeymaeker]

Here are some Penstemon plants which have flowered recently:

I like your Penstemons Paul , very beautiful !

[ranunculus]

Just received these delightful images from dear Anne Spiegel who is currently being snowed upon in Corvara, Italy on her (and Joe's) annual pilgrimage to the beautiful Dolomites.  A very late season and the current snowfalls mean that the high passes and usual haunts are out of reach, so Anne was especially pleased to discover these magnificent stands of Gentiana acaulis in a high meadow where she noted that every plant was growing in large clusters like this ... in old cow pats, perhaps?

Gentiana acaulis images captured by Anne Spiegel.

[Mark Griffiths]

wow, thanks for passing these on Cliff.

[Tim Ingram]

Now I know what to do to get my gentians to flower - if only I can find the local cow... would sheep droppings work? They are more on the scale of the alpine garden!