July 2013 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Mark Griffiths]

love the blues, here are a couple of mine

Brodiaea purdyi, a new favourite and Trachelium asperuloides, one of the first "proper alpines" I got from Percy Picton's nursery. This one is from a plant I got in the early 90s - I had to split it up because ants built a nest up the original ten inch pan.

[Tim Ingram]

Paul - thanks for those images of the Angelica and Seseli. All the species of the latter that I have grown have proved monocarpic, but nice none-the-less - this is one I don't know. They could be very good plants for large gravel gardens where they might self-sow.

[PaulM]

Thank you Tim. Yes, I hope the Seseli will provide some seedlings. The Angelica sets cupfulls of seed so if anyone wants some please drop me a line. They lose their viability after a year or so-depending on how the seeds are stored of course.

[PaulM]

Very nice pictures Mark ! Is the Broidaea purdyi hardy outdoors for you in England ? Does it require a resting period with no watering ?

[Knud]

Paul: Nice pictures of a wide range of plants! I liked the bluebells on the stone walls.  The California Bluebell used self sow in our garden, but I haven't seen it this year. What has sowed around willingly the last few years, especially in pots left outside over winter, is another Phacelia, P. viscida (first picture), which started off (a few generations ago) as P. viscida 'Tropical Surf' from Thompson & Morgan. It is also beautiful, but I prefer the P. campanularia.

Mark: Nice pictures, and I particulary like the Brodiea. Like Paul, I was wondering about its hardiness? I have had what I guess is its more common cousin B. Elegans (second picture) in the garden for 4-5 years. It has had some quite cold winters, and some extremely wet ones, and seems to do well. Its last flower faded early July, and nice seed pods are developing.

Knud

[Mark Griffiths]

Paul & Knud, I grow it in a pot, I think it will be cold hardy but not sure about summer wet. The problem here though is more likely to be slugs - I even have issues with them going for it in the greenhouse. The flowers have an odd texture, almost like glass!

[Rafa]

Here some pics of plants that I am growing in my little garden

     Sideritis-ovata
    Iberis-spathulata

[Rafa]

also several digitalis

Digitalis-stewartii

[Rafa]

very nice this one

Digitalis lanata

[Rafa]

confusing yellow group..

    Digitalis lutea
    Digitalis ciliata jp

[Rafa]

and the last two

     Campanula dolomitica
    Erodium manescavii

[Mark Griffiths]

a couple of favourite silvers, Helichrysum frigidum and Stachys chrysantha.

[hadacekf]

My last flowering Campanula.
Campanula caespitosa



Edit by maggi to add comment from im from a post moved to a new thread 

And Campanula caespitosa, Franz - really very lovely. I don't remember seeing this offered for sale but will watch out for it or seed.

[Lesley Cox]

Lovely to see the Stachys Mark. I had it once, along with the similar but pink S. candida and the woolly, white-flowered S. saxicola. I loved all three but have none of them now.

My own Cosmos atrosanguineus have always stayed in the garden for winter but I'm thinking maybe this year I should have lifted them, not that it has been so very cold, down to about -6C but because we have had so much rain and the whole place is a bog. Fortunately I still have some seed from this year so if I have to, can start again with it. John W's little red dahlia species is quite happy (less hardy than the Cosmos) in the pot in which it has been since germination, but for now, bone dry. I had a look just yesterday and the tubers are very hard and clean-looking. I haven't seen the flower yet, hopefully this coming summer.

[PaulM]

Very nice pictures of some unusual foxgloves Rafa. I like the Campanula dolomitica very much too. How tall does it grow ?


Mark, I am also growing Stachys chrysantha, but it has not flowered yet. The leaves are very nice by themselves though. Very nice pictures.