April 2019 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Robert]

Here once again two tiny ones from the very top...

Androsace adenocephala, Tibet, 4500 m
and
Primula pamirica, Tadschikistan, Pamir, 3900 m

By the way...  many thanks for the nice words, Robert.

Thomas,

Once again I am amazed by the variety of plants that you cultivate! 

No wonder I stick to our local native plant species. I would have nothing in my garden if I attempted to acquire rarely cultivated species. Your collection is very impressive. And you keep pulling more and more "out of the hat." Keep this up! It is very fascinating but way beyond my means.

[Leucogenes]

Thomas,

Once again I am amazed by the variety of plants that you cultivate! 

No wonder I stick to our local native plant species. I would have nothing in my garden if I attempted to acquire rarely cultivated species. Your collection is very impressive. And you keep pulling more and more "out of the hat." Keep this up! It is very fascinating but way beyond my means.

Hello Robert

Too much praise for a "bloody rookie"... I'm not striving for glory... you know that. I am only a small light here...but my enthusiasm for the alpine flora is limitless. I didn't grow all the shown plants myself from seeds...logically.
Maybe I'm exaggerating all this a little bit...today, for example, it took me forever to produce a suitable location and the right mixture of substrate for three tiny specimens of Aquilegia jonessii. To give such jewels an appropriate environment is the attraction of the thing. However, I am also very lucky that my dear Antje gives me the necessary leeway for these experiments.

Again many thanks for the nice words from profound mouth. 😎

Thomas

[kris]

The weather is very dry here but that does not bother the townsendias.
It is in full bloom now.

[Diane Whitehead]

How unusual to see daisies in early spring.  Most daisies seem to be summer or fall flowers.

[shelagh]

Towards the end of last year Brian and I had major changes made to the garden to make access easier and hopefully less work. I thought you might like to see how it is progressing.

First a picture of the raised bed just after it was finished and Brian had replanted most of the plants he had saved before the removal of the rock garden and scree bed.
Cytissus ardoinii Cottage
Daphne arbuscular
Erodium
Geum Totally Tangerine.

[shelagh]

Heuchera Silver Celebration
Some colourful favourites
Rhodanthemum

[shelagh]

Sax. Butter Cream
An across view of how the bed looks today, filling up nicely.

[Maggi Young]

Looking  very  good, Shelagh - and aren't the  plants settling  in well?

[ArnoldT]

Here's a bloom on Cydonia sinensis, which in a former life was known as Psuedocydonia sinensis.

[GordonT]

Nice to see it in bloom, Arnold. I wonder when my seed grown plant will flower, it is a bit taller than me, now.

[ArnoldT]

Gordon:

My tree is about 35 years old.  It was doing very nice for years until the Oriental fruit moth got a hold of it.

Practically killed 50 % of the tree before I realized what had happened.

Compounding  it I hired a pest service that was treating the tree with the incorrect pesticide at the wrong time.

I now hang pheromone traps and monitor the population and treat only when necessary with Spinosad which has done the trick.
 Tree has filled in most of the damage but doesn't look like it once did.


I use this site to guide my use of organic pesticides.  http://newa.cornell.edu/index.php?page=weather-station-page&WeatherStation=kteb

Find the closest airport and it will tell you what you should be doing for insect control.

[Leucogenes]

Diapensia lapponica is one of the biggest challenges.  It is probably almost hopeless to create the ideal conditions here...  but I have tried.  (picture)

I hope the Nordic gods will have mercy on me. 



Trond...  I always forget to express my enthusiasm for your pictures from the wilderness...sorry.  I like the boreal flora of the northern tundra and Mountains very much.
In the next days I will plant Polemonium borealis.  The seeds reached me via detours from Spitsbergen.  Wonderful healthy young plants have been created.  Do you have any tips for the successful cultivation of this Nordic species?

[Rick R.]

That's a great site, Arnold. I never knew there was such a thing.  Thanks so much for sharing it!

[ArnoldT]

Rick:

The insects that plague us and our plants all develop based on temperatures.

You can track an insects growth and maturation based solely on ambient temperatures.

[Hoy]

Diapensia lapponica is one of the biggest challenges.  It is probably almost hopeless to create the ideal conditions here...  but I have tried.  (picture)

I hope the Nordic gods will have mercy on me. 

Thomas, I think your summers are too warm!
You have to grow them in a fridge

Trond...  I always forget to express my enthusiasm for your pictures from the wilderness...sorry.  I like the boreal flora of the northern tundra and Mountains very much.
In the next days I will plant Polemonium borealis.  The seeds reached me via detours from Spitsbergen.  Wonderful healthy young plants have been created.  Do you have any tips for the successful cultivation of this Nordic species?

Thank you, Thomas.

I have never tried cultivating P borealis. It is a plant for the extreme north, growing wild some places in Finnmark and in Svalbard (Spitzbergen). I have seen it growing in sandy, stony soil among grass and in a rocky riverbed in Spitzbergen. Also for this the summer heat may be a problem.

Polemonium borealis from Svalbard (July some years ago):