May in the Northern Hemisphere

[ian mcdonald]

Some of the plants in flower now.



Spring gentian.



Rhododendron wee bee.



A slipper in the garden.



Antennaria dioica.

[ian mcdonald]

Alpine catchfly.





Helianthemum oelandicum.

[Véronique Macrelle]

Mellitis melissophylllum
Primula auricula 'Heidi'

[Leena]

Days have been very warm here this week, over +20 at days which is unusual. In the news they said that this year summer has come several weeks earlier, and it feels like it. Early flowers are going over and new ones are coming up fast.
I have to post this picture from last week-end. 

[kris]

Leena your garden looks adorable!!!

[Lampwick]

Pictures taken today. . .

Paeonia mlokosewitschii.
Phlox bifida 'Ralph Haywood'
Phlox subulata 'Bonita'
Phlox subulata 'Holly'
Salix hylamatica

[Maggi Young]

Crikey, it's already summer with you, Lampwick!! 

[johnralphcarpenter]

It's time for thyme!

[Robert]

More photographs from our Sacramento, California garden.



This has been a fantastic symbiotic combination!  Castilleja affinis ssp. affinis with Lupinus albifrons var. albifrons. A few days before this photograph was taken both species were in peak bloom at the same time. It was fabulous! In addition, this is their 4th season together - both started together as seed. I also had success this year growing and flowering an annual Castilleja, Valley tassels, Castilleja attenuata. This was my first attempt with an annual Castilleja species. Castilleja attenuata is not the showiest species, however I am pleased with the results.



Beautiful foliage on a prime form of Eriogonum wrightii var. subscaposum. Grown from seed I gathered near Carson Pass, Alpine County, California. I am growing other forms of E. wrightii var. subscaposum from other locations in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and I am selecting out some very nice forms.



Eriogonum prattenianum - It will be blooming soon. The woolly gray foliage is extremely beautiful. It is a great plant for our garden even if it never bloomed. The flowers are just an added bonus. From seed I gathered on Peavine Ridge, El Dorado County, California.



Eriogonum umbellatum var. polyanthum - I am growing many different varieties from seed gathered on my outings. This batch of seed yielded some very nice forms as well as some odd-balls. They are under observation - they are very different. From seed gathered in El Dorado County, California.



Penstemon roezlii will be blooming soon. From seed I gathered in El Dorado County, California. Many more Penstemons will be blooming soon. 

[Lampwick]

Crikey, it's already summer with you, Lampwick!! 

Yes Maggi, The Phlox do give a lovely display at this time of the year don’t they?
But tell me please:- why cant I get P. kelseyi ‘Lemhi Purple’ and P. caespitosa 'Zigeunerblut' to put on a grand display? I have a number of healthy plants of each of these from cuttings taken last year.
I know David Nicholson and Paul Cumbleton have done well with some of these.

[Maggi Young]

Yes Maggi, The Phlox do give a lovely display at this time of the year don’t they?
But tell me please:- why cant I get P. kelseyi ‘Lemhi Purple’ and P. caespitosa 'Zigeunerblut' to put on a grand display? I have a number of healthy plants of each of these from cuttings taken last year.
I know David Nicholson and Paul Cumbleton have done well with some of these.

I am tempted to reply by saying send me cuttings and I'll let you know how they get on here! 

[Lampwick]

I am tempted to reply by saying send me cuttings and I'll let you know how they get on here! 

I have sent you an Email . . .

[Maggi Young]

Oooh!  My impudence rewarded - many thanks!   M

[Hoy]

This is the sole survivor after a field vole party last winter. Up here in the mountains the snow has just disappeared. And in stead of a great display of flowering Pulsatilla vernalis we found a damaged meadow.

This is what most of the meadow looked like:





We expected at least 10 plants with many flowers each. This is the only one:

[Yann]

It's summer, the best place i know for plants in front of the UK coasts is in a nuclear area :+)