May 2017 in the Northern Hemisphere

[gerrit]

Silene hookeri ssp bolanderi is flowering well now.  This is their second year.

I lost a few of both when they got a bit too wet in late summer but had plenty seedlings to start with.

Silene hookeri subsp. bolanderi:

Glad to hear, and to see, propagating from seed is a good option. Did you have sawn immediately after you harvested the seeds or di you wait for the next season?

Silene hookeri subsp hookeri often disappear after the winter with me. How do you keep bolanderi in winter?

[meanie]

This old photo shows the strong hairiness somewhat better.

I've been developing a strong attraction to "hairy" foliage.

Sarmienta repens & self sown seedlings of Physoplexis comosa in flower at the moment.

Speechless! I can't decide which I like better.

A few things from my garden;
Tropaeolum peregrinum is a bit of fun but I planted it to grow into Eccremocarpus scaber which unfortunately seems to be mugging it. I should have seen it coming really!


First bloom on Petunia exserta for which I must thank Chris for the seed..............


Phlomis italica.............


Salvia elegans continues to bloom.............


Digitalis "Silver Fox" which I bought for its hirsute foliage..............
 
Digitalis grandiflora...........


More fun with annuals - Schizanthus pinnatus.............

[meanie]

A few more;
Salvia microphylla "Pink Blush".............


Salvia greggii "Blue Note"...........


Disporopsis pernyi............


Asphodeline lutea looks superb at the moment.............


Saxifraga stolonifera..........


Sisyrinchium striatum...........

[Lesley Cox]

More amazing photos thanks to everyone. I think the Physoplexis and the Sarmienta top the list but I also like very much the Digitalis 'Silver Fox.' It reminds me, both in the flower and the furry foliage of one I had many years ago called D. purpurea 'Heywoodii.' That had similar foliage and the flowers were also white but blushed delicately with soft pink and palest yellow as well. It was short-lived though and unfortunately crossed readily with ordinary purpurea and the seedlings always came like that rather than the seed parent which meant that in 2 or 3 years 'Heywoodii' became subsumed with the other and was lost altogether quite quickly. I was given the seed by a gardening friend of local fame and his experience was the same. I've never seen it since.

I've learned at long last that one's gardening life is a continuum of beautiful plants which come, stay for a while or longer and then, in many cases, quietly go, never to be seen again. I can mourn those ones for a short time but if I were to feel guilty about the losses over many years, life would be impossible to live while retaining some sort of sanity.

[Robert]

Meanie,

Salvia elegans still in bloom! Ours can grow outside unprotected. It dies to the ground each season. What has surprised me lately is that it has been seeding around, mostly in pots of other plants that are growing nearby. Generally it stools out and I have to constantly remove parts lest it take over. Salvia guaranitica is another that dies down and comes back each spring. At first the slugs eat the new shoots, but now with warm, and dry weather it is coming back strongly. Some of the compact forms of Salvia microphylla could be nice in our garden. The others get too big! Some of our California native Salvias are blooming now. I am so busy during daylight hours... maybe a photograph... maybe not. 

As usual, a very interesting set of plant photographs. Digitalis dubia will be blooming soon in our garden. I like the foliage on this species.

[meanie]

Meanie,

Salvia elegans still in bloom! Ours can grow outside unprotected. It dies to the ground each season. What has surprised me lately is that it has been seeding around, mostly in pots of other plants that are growing nearby. Generally it stools out and I have to constantly remove parts lest it take over. Salvia guaranitica is another that dies down and comes back each spring. At first the slugs eat the new shoots, but now with warm, and dry weather it is coming back strongly. Some of the compact forms of Salvia microphylla could be nice in our garden. The others get too big! Some of our California native Salvias are blooming now. I am so busy during daylight hours... maybe a photograph... maybe not. 

As usual, a very interesting set of plant photographs. Digitalis dubia will be blooming soon in our garden. I like the foliage on this species.

Salvia elegans never sets seed here but it does send out runners which are usually all that I keep for the following year. This year I kept the parent plant frost free (just!) and it has been a bit of a star this spring.
The cultivars if S.guaranitica that we have here ((Black and Blue and Black and Bloom) are hardy in free draining soil and despite being tuberous they also send plenty of runners out as well. This is the first spring that I've had both and Black and Blue has proven to be the far better plant as far as it comes back earlier and far stronger. So much so that I've dug up Black and Bloom and given it away!
On the subject of runners and S.microphylla, Nachtvlinder is a thug in this respect! One runner went straight through Royal Bumble, came up just the other side and only when it bloomed did I realise that it wasn't Royal Bumble at all! I pulled a load of Nachtvlinder runners out, potted up about 30 plants and gave them to the various charity plant sales around here.

[Leena]

Spring has advanced here, thought it has still been colder than usually. Because of the cold many spring flowers kept flowering for a long time, even late snowdrops were still in flower two weeks ago. Now Corydalis are over and I'm waiting for the seeds to ripen and Hellebores didn't flower well this year.
Here are some pictures from the past week in my garden.
Ranunculus ficaria 'Alba Plena' (I can't remember the new name right now)
A very nice Anemone nemorosa with pink flowers, they are slightly bigger than flowers of 'Kentish Pink', but the same colour.
The same pink A.nemorosa with Trillium grandiflorum
Anemone nemorosa 'Hilda' very pretty with smallish flowers
Uvularia grandiflora

[Leena]

The first is an unknown very hardy and floriferous old Primula
Primula 'Dark Rosaleen'
The first peonies have opened this week, P.obovata is the first and any day now more peonies are opening.

[Leena]

Trillium chloropetalum giganteum var Album
Trillium grandiflorum 'Flore Pleno' with Hylomecon japonicum
Glaucidium palmatum var leucanthemum is one of my best plants
The last picture is of Tulipa norwegica I got from Hoy two years ago, and now it is flowering  . Thank you!

[ashley]

A lovely series Leena
May is such an exciting time, especially there in the north.
I remember late May in Åland/Ahvenanmaa as magical, with abundant forest flowers, sun-bathing adders and glorious birdsong.

[shelagh]

Hasn't it been a terrific month. It's been a pleasure to log on every day and see such wonderful flowers.  Thank you all.

[johnw]

One of my favourite Japanese maples, Acer palmatum 'Koto No Ito' but getting rather bigger in this spot than expected.

john

[Gabriela]

One of my favourite Japanese maples, Acer palmatum 'Koto No Ito' but getting rather bigger in this spot than expected.
john

Very nice narrow leaved - is it getting red in the fall?

[Gabriela]

Your garden is looking great Leena! I draw lots of inspiration 
P. obovata and C. buschii (I presume) - what can it be more lovely?

[Carolyn]

One of my favourite Japanese maples, Acer palmatum 'Koto No Ito' but getting rather bigger in this spot than expected.

john

Thank you for posting these acer photos, John. This looks like the unnamed acer which I admired recently in a private garden. The freshly opened leaves and the silhouette of the tree are both stunning. Now I know what name to look for, I shall have to buy one. How big is your tree and how old?