May in the Northern Hemisphere

[Robert]

Hi Thomas,

Your Eriogonum kennedyi look very good!    By any chance do you know what subspecies they belong to? There are 5 subspecies in California. Believe it or not, I often have difficulty growing Southern California species here in Northern California.

Many Eriogonum species seem to thrive for me here in Northern California. At this time, the Eriogonum marifolium - E. incanum complex is giving me a devil of a time. I can grow them to blooming age then they decline and die-off.    I grow many from seed and have another batch of seedlings coming along. Maybe I will have better luck with some of them. Eriogonum elatum var. elatum from the east side of the Sierra Nevada does surprisingly well. I have yet to get one to bloom at this time. Eriogonum ursinum var. ursinum looks good, however my last remaining plant is a shy bloomer (at least so far). The other specimens died off in our move to Sacramento. I just check today and Eriogonum umbellatum var. smallianum is well budded and will be blooming soon.

Anyway, I enjoy seeing your photographs, especially the Eriogonum species you are having success with. Very 

[Hoy]

May in the northern Hemisphere is not always rich in flowers!
At 1000-1100m altitude it is still early spring. Two weeks ago you could still go skiing here.











The lakes are still covered by ice. It will be gone in a week though.





Snow mould is common.

[Hoy]

Slime moulds are common.




Pyrola sp. It is several species in this area and hundreds are blooming in summer.




Juniper, Juniperus communis. It is not dead neither sick. It is how it looks like at the ridges.




A week early for the trailing azalea (Loiseleuria/Kalmia procumbens).




If you are lucky you find cranberries in the bogs. They are very tasty at this time of the year.

[Hoy]

Lycopodium annotinum




Eriophorum vaginatum




Arctostaphylos alpina, one of the early bloomers.




Black crowberry, Empetrum nigrum is also early.




You can still find some crowberries. They are edible but not as good as the cranberries.

[Ian Y]

Thanks for sharing Trond, I love this type of habitat and flora - it was these plants that started me on my horticultural and gardening journey.

[ian mcdonald]

Rhododendron yakushimanum.



Rhododendron Carmen.


Horminum pyrenaicum.

[Robert]

Hi Trond,

Nice photographs! 

Now that the snow has, more or less, melted the landscaping will be greening-up?

[Lampwick]

Not very good pictures today; my apologies, too much sunshine for photography!

Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Nanum’.
Erigeron aureus 'Canary Bird'
Gentiana angulosa
Linum 'Gemmells Hybrid'
Phlox caespitosa 'Zigeunerblut'
Phlox subulata 'Snowflake'

[Lampwick]

(cough!). . . Ahem!! . . and one more 

[Maggi Young]

Sigh!  Raining here all day!

[fleurbleue]

Here too !... we have lost 15° C 

[Yann]

a small 30km ride, it has been raining all night and walking among bogs wasn't easy.

[Maggi Young]

Did you wear a wetsuit to traverse  le marais?

[Leucogenes]

Hi Thomas,

Your Eriogonum kennedyi look very good!    By any chance do you know what subspecies they belong to? There are 5 subspecies in California. Believe it or not, I often have difficulty growing Southern California species here in Northern California.

Many Eriogonum species seem to thrive for me here in Northern California. At this time, the Eriogonum marifolium - E. incanum complex is giving me a devil of a time. I can grow them to blooming age then they decline and die-off.    I grow many from seed and have another batch of seedlings coming along. Maybe I will have better luck with some of them. Eriogonum elatum var. elatum from the east side of the Sierra Nevada does surprisingly well. I have yet to get one to bloom at this time. Eriogonum ursinum var. ursinum looks good, however my last remaining plant is a shy bloomer (at least so far). The other specimens died off in our move to Sacramento. I just check today and Eriogonum umbellatum var. smallianum is well budded and will be blooming soon.

Anyway, I enjoy seeing your photographs, especially the Eriogonum species you are having success with. Very 

Hi Robert

I believe it is Eriogonum kennedyi var. alpigenum.

Today I started to prick different seedlings from North America.
Astragalus coccineus, Cryptantha abata, some different small penstemons and different townsendia ...and some others. Some got a place in particularly high pots.

Another question...are Phacelia campanularia and Mohavea confertiflora annual plants? Because they already bloom in pots.

Thomas

[Leucogenes]

Here are some more impressions of the last days...