August 2015 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Gabriel B]

From my dry hill garden, tall larkspur (Delphinium exaltatum) surrounded by sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula). This larkspur doesn't mind our hot summers, and I don't mind that its color is a rather washed-out lavender. It would be worth finding a better form. The bumblebees like it.





Sideoats grama is a perennial grass native to dry sunny areas in Minnesota. It has lovely red-orange stamens and white feathery stigmas when it's in bloom. It spreads quickly by seed, so it's sprinkled around the dry hill garden. A bit of a nuisance, but at least it belongs because the garden is an informal prairie garden. It serves as a delicate and swaying background to more substantial plants.



Partridge pea is a native reseeding annual. I bought one seedling about five years ago, and have never run out of plants since then. The leaves are lovely and pinnate, like sensitive plant, and the plants serve as nice leafy fillers in dry sunny spots. There are nectar glands on the leaf stalks for wasps and other predators, and the flowers provide pollen to the bees.

[Hoy]

We have only one native larkspur monkshood in Norway, Aconitum septentrionale. The colour is variable and not always anything to boast of! Some are better though.

[Leena]

We have only one native larkspur in Norway, Aconitum septentrionale. The colour is variable and not always anything to boast of! Some are better though.

Here in Finland there is only one place where it grows wild (it is near east border), but I have it in the garden. It is the first Aconitum to flower in June/July and is already ripening it's seeds. Your plant must grow in higher altitude, and that is why it flowers later. I agree that it's flowers are not as showy as some other Aconitums, but I like it because there are not many so tall plants flowering at that time, and it gives hight to the garden.

[Hoy]

Leena,

The plant shown grows at 950m. At that altitude they are still in full flower, but higher up or some places where snow has lingered the plants are just coming into growth!

[Chris Johnson]

Arisaema fargesii

[johnw]

A few Delosperma in flower here, moderately so as they had a bit of a set-back due to bare-rooting to rid them of a nasty commercial peat/bark mix.

D. cooperi? - what ever it is it's too floppy.
D. 'Lavender Ice'
D. 'Jewel of Desert Garnet'
D. Firespinner'


johnw

[johnw]

Lilium sargentiae from collected wild seed by the kilted wunderkind Jens Nielsen is in flower this week.

john

[Maggi Young]

Lilium sargentiae  from collected wild seed by the kilted wunderkind Jens Nielsen is in flower this week.

john

Oh my - how lovely  - and Jens is pretty cute too! 

I've just  been discussing with Ian how we NEED more lilies in the garden.

[Robert]

From my dry hill garden, tall larkspur (Delphinium exaltatum) surrounded by sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula). This larkspur doesn't mind our hot summers, and I don't mind that its color is a rather washed-out lavender. It would be worth finding a better form. The bumblebees like it.

Gabriel,

Is the Tall Larkspur, Delphinium exaltatum, perennial, biennial, or annual?

Also, I can appreciate your comments about your native grasses. I use our perennial California native bunch grasses in our garden. Some of them seed about, and I am pleased with this situation. It would not hurt my feelings if they crowded out all the invasive annual grasses.

[meanie]

Arisaema fargesii

Nice! Is it late this year?

Commelina tuberosa is late this year but on the plus side I now know it to be hardy to -8°c.............


An unknown Pelargonium............


Finally, a photo of my ace squirrel killer in recognition of his help in the garden lately!


I still get the odd seedling pulled out or pot of seeds tipped out but the problem is much better now that he has his eye in.

[Gabriel B]

Trond, Aconitum is usually called monkshood in English, not larkspur, but it's not a terrible mistake to make, because it's very similar to Delphinium, as Digitalis is similar to Penstemon! I'd love to grow monkshood, but I rarely see them in gardens around here, probably because they don't like the summer heat. Thanks for your pictures. I like the stately or dignified look of the plants: tall spires growing from neat clusters of lobed leaves. Perhaps I will look into monkshood, and see if there's a species that would do well here.


Robert, Delphinium exaltatum is perennial. So far, the mother plant has lived for three summers, I think. Might be in too dry and sunny a spot, since I think I read somewhere that it grows in forest glades. But it's very tolerant, and I water it occasionally. If you would like to try it, I can send you some seed this fall.

I'm certainly glad to have native plants as "weeds" too. It's good to have plants growing wild that will provide food to insects and other animals, and it's sad that people don't often know the difference. Fortunately more people have been learning about native plants over the past few decades.

[Robert]

Gabriel,

You might want to give one of our local selections of Aconitum columbianum a try. Here in our part of California they are a high elevation species, so most likely cold hardy even in your part of the country. In addition, they seem to tolerate the heat well at our low elevation garden. They are complete water hogs and like rich soil, most likely these are not an issue for you. I do like to trade. 

[Hoy]

Trond, Aconitum is usually called monkshood in English, not larkspur, but it's not a terrible mistake to make, because it's very similar to Delphinium, as Digitalis is similar to Penstemon! I'd love to grow monkshood, but I rarely see them in gardens around here, probably because they don't like the summer heat. Thanks for your pictures. I like the stately or dignified look of the plants: tall spires growing from neat clusters of lobed leaves. Perhaps I will look into monkshood, and see if there's a species that would do well here.

....

Thanks Gabriel. In fact I do know it but for some reason  I thought of the plant as a Delphinium while writing I changed the Latin name but forgot the English!

[Chris Johnson]

Nice! Is it late this year?

This is the first time it has flowered but generally, most plants that don't have some protection are 3-4 weeks later this year. Old-timers here say it's the second coldest and wettest spring and summer they can remember. Following on from an appallingly wet and windy winter, the weather can only improve.

[Tristan_He]

Here's my Campanula garganica. I really like this bellflower, as it flowers after many other things are over, is pretty slug-proof, and is easy to grow but not invasive. I've had this plant for 5 or 6 years now; this year I gave it a bit of a feed in the spring and it has really responded. Also took a few cuttings for the new rockery which seem to have mostly taken.