Flowers and foliage April 2008

[Anthony Darby]

Quercus coccinea is not one I know Tom. I have a couple of seedlings of Q. coccifera which look like holly and do not grow large. Not sure how hardy they are, but they've survived two winters in pots.

[Carlo]

Armin,

It looks like Tillandsia ionantha--a beautiful little thing. I have over sixty tillandsia taxa here and grow several different forms of T. ionantha which is easy to find, inexpensive and easy to grow. Beautiful, isn't it?

[Paul T]

Anthony,

Quercus coccinea is the Scarlet Oak (sometimes called the Red Oak, but I think there are a few others under that common name as well).  Pretty big from memory, but lovely autumn colouration if I am thinking of the right one.

[Kenneth K]

Quercus coccinea is not one of the largest oak trees. Brilliant autumn colors in areas with a warm and dry summer climate. In our country it is not so frequent with that kind of weather in the autumn so we miss the color most of the time. It is often mixed up with Q palustris that is quite like scarlet oak but gets much bigger.
I like to sow trees and bushes. I have no estate but at least room enough for a couple of trees. I have sown and placed in the garden Gymnocladus dioicus, Magnolia wilsonii, Magnolia sieboldii, Koelreuteria paniculata, Gingko biloba, Liriodendron tulipifera, Davidia involucrata just to mention a few. All of them really quite easy. Sometimes you have to wait several years but it is worth it. My last Davidia seed to grow this spring is five years now! And the seedlings that you don't have the place for you can always give to a garden friend. No problems there!

[Viola]

Yesterday in Brunnental - Austrian Mountains.

Snowline 1.500m
Primula clusiana
Primula clusiana
Calianthemum anemonoides
Caltha palustris
Pinguicula alpina
Gämse

[Maggi Young]

Karl, you have good weather to enjoy the mountains... it seems the chamois ( Gämse) was enjoying the spring grass also.

[johanneshoeller]

Karl, it would be fine to walk with you, but I have had to work in my garden at the weekend (preparing Cyps,...)
An interesting Gentiana acaulis and verna alba

[henkw]

Many of the Paeonia mlokosevitschii that are sold are not true. They are actualy hybrides and if you sow seeds from those you get a mix of more or less yellow or pinkflowering plants. As it takes some time until the flowers come you never know the outcome. I have a couple of seedplants from the Botanical Garden of Gothenburg that are wild collected in south Kaukasia 1987 and they are sure to be yellow. But you can never be sure even with wild collected seeds as they hybridize also in nature.

Thank you Kenneth for your comment, I think it must be a hybrid, a pity.
Have plants that have been collected in south Kaukasia flowered yet.

Henk

[henkw]

Dear Johannes.

Your white Gentians look wonderfull again.

Can we expect more?

Henk

[John Forrest]

Did a swap of Epimediums with Ian Mcenery and just show that it arrived safely and has already flowered. A lovely addition to the garden thanks.

[Kenneth K]

Yes, my P mlokosewitschii has flowered and I have sown seeds in a couple of generations, all yellow. Sorry but all my pictures has disappeared. Hope to get new soon. But you have to watch out. The flowering time is short!

[Diane Clement]

Thank you Kenneth for your comment, I think it must be a hybrid, a pity.
Henk

Your plant could be a hybrid, but may actually be a pink form of the true species.  There is a modern view that our concept of P mlokosewitschii as a yellow species may be based on historical selection.  Jim Archibald reports that wild colonies include plants with pink and yellow flowers, as well as pink flushed and apricot flushed "intergrades" - not hybrids, but just colour variants within the species. 

[Paddy Tobin]

John,

Wonderful photograph and beautiful plant.
You caught it just perfectly.
Paddy

[Viola]

Maggi, yes the Gämse is hungry, it has a long Wintertime.

karl

[ian mcenery]

John glad you like it yours is not far off flowering. Great photography by the way