May in the Northern Hemisphere

[shelagh]

A quick trip around the garden over the past few days here.

Alyssum saxatile looking bright in the sunshine.

The Berberis used to be on the show bench before it go too big! Still under 3 foot and must be 15 years old.

Campanula bellidifolia and no show to take it to. Leontopodium and Lewisia missing shows too.

[shelagh]

Two of my favourite blues in the garden both doing well in the shade behind a seat.

Ptilostrichium spinosum suddenly came out with the sun.

Rhodo Peeping Tom. And Sedum humifusum showing a lot more flower than they did at the Glasgow Show.

[Maggi Young]

No two ways about it in my mind, May is a lovely month!

[David Nicholson]

Shelagh, I've never heard of that Lewisia and, in fact I doubt if that name exists in any of the literature. Could it be from a mis-labelled original of L. Leena?

[shelagh]

Ah David you spotted my deliberate mistake (harrumph) just seeing if anyone was awake.  Well it always worked when I was teaching

[Lampwick]

Two of my favourite blues in the garden both doing well in the shade behind a seat.

Ptilostrichium spinosum suddenly came out with the sun.

Rhodo Peeping Tom. And Sedum humifusum showing a lot more flower than they did at the Glasgow Show.

Shelagh,
That Ptilostrichium spinosum is a great plant!
I remember growing it very many years ago after seeing it in 1986 at the R.B.G. Edinburgh. There must have been up to a dozen plants intermingled with each other to form a huge wide area, and a very impressive display it was. And then, I lost mine. I never came across it again and it went “out of sight, out of mind”. This was perhaps because it changed its name at about that time.
You have prompted a “wake-up-call” Shelagh. I see that Craigiehall Nursery has it. I will have to get it now that I know it is an Alyssum. . . . Thank you!

[kris]

Just enjoying all these beautiful pictures from the forum members.
Three  pictures of Townsendias taken today.
1.Townsendia sp#1-lost the label.  someone please help me
2 Townsendia sp#2-same story -lost label.
3.Townsendia rothrockii

[Maggi Young]

John 'Lampwick' -  I see your  website  url is  not  connecting - I'm getting an error  403 message - is something wrong?
 I'm getting the access forbidden message  using  Firefox and Google browsers 

[Robert]

Robert
"Penstemon roezlii looking great. It looks even better in our garden than in the wild! I'll keep working on this one and see if I can come up with something even better for our garden.  "
Please do!. I'm partial to your penstemons. Unfortunately my first trial failed, but I'm willing to persevere. My Pent. palmerii are healthy looking first year seedlings! I know that when in bloom they'll be gorgeous. Your comment about flopping over with wind, restricts my planting scheme; still I wouldn't want to do without them...like your Digitalis dubia or your Geranium dalmaticum.

Arturo,

Penstemon palmeri is generally strong stemmed. Our wind event was extreme! The stems do not flop under typical breezy conditions. If you contend with windy conditions on a regular basis, well as you say, you may have to adjust your planting scheme. May good fortune prevail. The flowers are quite the show. 

[hamparstum]

John 'Lampwick' -  I see your  website  url is  not  connecting - I'm getting an error  403 message - is something wrong?
 I'm getting the access forbidden message  using  Firefox and Google browsers

   I happen to get the same error message too! I wonder what I'm doing wrong! Thank you Maggie for pointing it out. Arturo

[Lampwick]

John 'Lampwick' -  I see your  website  url is  not  connecting - I'm getting an error  403 message - is something wrong?
 I'm getting the access forbidden message  using  Firefox and Google browsers

Yes Maggi, I have been trying to fix it these last several days, but no luck!
I will have to pay to get some computer guru in and fix it for me. Thanks. 

[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 

Robert

I checked my collection of sesds. A good friend from British Columbia gave me some wild seeds. Among them are also Eriogonum douglasii and Eriogonum niveum. From the BC region and Washington State. These are currently stored in the refrigerator and will be sown next season.

The North American alpine and subalpine flora will occupy me a little more in the future. There are so many spectacular species...especially in the north. Many will remain unattainable for me...

Thomas

[Leucogenes]

Just enjoying all these beautiful pictures from the forum members.
Three  pictures of Townsendias taken today.
1.Townsendia sp#1-lost the label.  someone please help me
2 Townsendia sp#2-same story -lost label.
3.Townsendia rothrockii

Kris

It's always amazing how successful you've been with Townsendia.

 Maybe 1 and 2 could be T. incana or T. jonesii var. tumulosa. Please compare the pictures on the Internet.

All the best
Thomas

[Lampwick]

John 'Lampwick' -  I see your  website  url is  not  connecting - I'm getting an error  403 message - is something wrong?
 I'm getting the access forbidden message  using  Firefox and Google browsers

Maggi and others....
Please click on my blue webpage link at the bottom of the page to see if it works.
I THINK I have fixed it

John.

[Maggi Young]

Yes, John, site now opens in all its glory -don't know how you fixed it, but well done!! M