May 2014 in the Northern Hemisphere

[ichristie]

Hello Ebbie, it is possible to grow this from seed not all seedlings would be whit but most are please remind me later and I will send you some seed, cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[Margaret]

Just catching up on posts. Angie, well done with your Acer and your garden is lovely. Have you thought of going into the semi mature tree business?

[Stephen Vella]

Angie, nice Trillium combination under your maple...just lovely

[ebbie]

Hello Ebbie, it is possible to grow this from seed not all seedlings would be whit but most are please remind me later and I will send you some seed, cheers Ian the Christie kind.

Thank you Ian. I will therefore in touch with you.

[astragalus]

Starting to bloom now, Primula sieboldii in the "last outcrop".  I'm looking for some good color forms.  It's also growing oin the stream garden, where it doesn't really seem to mind wet feet.  Blooming in the tornado-damaged old rock garden is Rhododendron kiusianum.  The late Harold Epstein, a former president of NARGS, insisted that I plant this and said it would be hardy.  It seems to be but most years has not been happy with extended drought.  Some of them came from Harold, names long ago lost.  This is probably one of them.  I've only lost them in the colder and more exposed parts of the garden.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Here is a lupin plant in flower in my front garden making a great display.

And here is a great stand of lupins grown from seed from Prince Edward Island, Canada.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Rosa 'Dunwichensis' is in full bloom.

[astragalus]

And here is a great stand of lupins grown from seed from Prince Edward Island, Canada.

And looking exceptionally happy.

[astragalus]

The stream garden is starting to come alive.  It's where the snow lies longest and is the last to join the march of spring.  Primulas have started, and the hellebores and Rodgersias have become lush.  The Primula japonica must have made hundreds of seedlings, how nice

1.  Primula japonica by the stream
2.  Ranunculus aconitifolius fl pl
3.  Camassia sp

[johnw]

And here is a great stand of lupins grown from seed from Prince Edward Island, Canada.

John - Obviously good Scottish blood there.....

I spent every summer there as a child until age 13.  It was a kid's paradise, warmest salt water north of North carolina, warm sunny days and miles of uninhabited pure white sandy beaches.  And every car, no matter what the colour, left the island red.

johnw

[Maggi Young]

A good news story from the UK :
"The rare fen violet (Viola persicifolia) has been re-discovered at the National Trust’s Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire following an absence of more than a decade – it had last been seen in 2003.
The fen violet is probably the most elusive of our native violet species – a tiny plant growing to maximum of 25-30mm, it has bluish-white flowers with a mother-of-pearl sheen.



The endangered species is on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and is known to exist in the wild at only 3 sites in the country (including Wicken Fen).

The plant likes a wetland habitat with alkaline water. Seeds can lie dormant in the ground for many years and will only begin to grow when the ground has been disturbed and the weather conditions are right.

Previously the violet was re-discovered at Wicken in the 1980s following an absence of more than sixty years, only to disappear again at the turn of the century.

Habitat loss along with the effects of drainage, ploughing, and lack of management on many of its former sites have all had a major part in the dramatic decline of the species.

The fen violet was re-discovered during a botanical survey undertaken on Monday 19 May.

Martin Lester, Countryside Manager at Wicken Fen said: “It’s fantastic to see the fen violet again at Wicken Fen.”

“It was a moment of satisfaction, surprise, tinged with relief that we had found it again. This delicate wetland plant is clinging on to survival not just in this country but across Europe.

“No-one can really explain why it can disappear for long periods only to reappear decades later – let’s hope it says around for a few years this time.”

Other rare plants that can found at Wicken Fen include Marsh Pea, Marsh Fern, Fibrous Tussock Sedge, Round-fruited Rush, Milk Parsley; and three rare aquatic plant species – Flat-stalked Pondweed, Long-Stalked Pondweed and Whorled Water-Milfoil.

More than 8,500 species have been recorded at Wicken Fen making it the top site for wildlife in the care of the Trust.
 Story from National Trust website
 Photo credit Carol Laidlaw
 http://ntpressoffice.wordpress.com/2014/05/24/found-rare-fenland-violet-rediscovered-after-absence-of-ten-years/

[Michael J Campbell]

Pimelea ferruginea

[astragalus]

That looks amazing.

[PaulM]

Yes, some really amazing plants growing in your gardens.

I have an Astragalus sp, which I collected in Uzbekistan in 2005 which is flowering and it's a nice but rather large plant with fuzzy stems and leaves, especially when they emerge early in the spring. The stem grows up to about 1m in length. Unfortunately the insects seem to shun it, and no seeds pods are forming. Maybe more than one plant is needed. Well, I am not planning to start a colony of them, and besides it took around six years to reach flowering size.

I think there are hundreds of species in this genus in Central Asia, so I don't have any high hopes that I will get a species name, but maybe someone out there is familiar with the flora...?

[astragalus]

Every day there seem to be more color.  Some are planned combinations are others are just plants that moved themselves via seed.  Those are the most fun and often the best.