April 2019 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Maggi Young]

How  lovely to  see  Jasmin in the  flowers - such a  beautiful smile!

[Leucogenes]

Good images of your gardens everyone. Thomas, I have tried to grow D. lapponica without success, I wonder if it needs snow cover in winter?

Hi, Ian,

Please excuse the late answer... I just discovered your question.
I don't have much experience with Diapensia lapponica yet...but I suspect that covering it with snow comes very close to the natural conditions. Some parts of the plant (both in the centre...but mainly at the edge) die off in winter. The living part has a red colour in winter, which then changes relatively quickly back to green at higher temperatures. These are my personal experiences. But I think that a snowless winter is the smaller problem. It is the high temperatures in the Central European summer, which probably also makes me join the ranks of the "desperate". But I'm still trying...I've had few other small successes with difficult cases.
 
The also very beautiful Diapensia purpurea is in this year's sowing season...but no germination yet...but hope dies last. 😉

[Leucogenes]

Last night came the long-awaited rain.  During the day it was dry...  Time to take a quick picture of Androsace robusta ssp. purpurea from northern India.  Now it rains again quite easily...  perfect timing.  :-)

[Yann]

whouah nice species! yes the rain finaly came it was too dry.

[shelagh]

Thanks to all of you for wonderfully varied Spring flowerings, they certainly cheer you up on a dull morning.

[Robert]

How  lovely to  see  Jasmin in the  flowers - such a  beautiful smile!

Hi Maggi,

Jasmin says "Hello", the other half that you do not hear much from. 

[Maggi Young]

Hi Maggi,

Jasmin says "Hello", the other half that you do not hear much from. 

[Robert]

    

[Hoy]

Trond, your white Cardamine is very pretty! Wild rabbits ate my Cardamine glanduligera before it had time to flower.

Leena, you are catching up!  We have also had very warm April and the vegetation looks more like late May then April.

Sorry for the glanduligera. Hopefully the roots survive!

[Hoy]

Robert,

you have many beautiful flowers in your garden including Jasmin!

[Hoy]

Thomas,

Diapensia lapponica is not always covered by snow in winter as it often grows on the summit where the snow blows away during winter.

Like here, growing in a crevice with some moss. (June 2013.)

[Leucogenes]

Thomas,

Diapensia lapponica is not always covered by snow in winter as it often grows on the summit where the snow blows away during winter.

Like here, growing in a crevice with some moss. (June 2013.)

Thank you... Trond.  If anyone knows for sure, it's you. Fantastic pictures...a beautiful little treasure of the north.
As I said before, it will be quite difficult for me to keep this Diapensia alive successfully. I found the coldest point in the rock garden and have to wait.

Wish me luck...I can use it. 🤞

[Leucogenes]

Another experiment...Globularia spinosa. Here actually something for the AlpinHaus...if you manage to keep this plant alive at all. Friends, very experienced gardeners have advised me against...it would be unsuccessful. I have had these two specimens outdoors for exactly three years. A small cover is available. Two years were the two as petrified. Today I see massive growth of the beautiful foliage...therefore I have this Globularia from southern Spain.

...salute 

[Leucogenes]

whouah nice species! yes the rain finaly came it was too dry.

Hi Yann

I hope you've had enough rain. More rainfall is predicted for tomorrow.
The rain of the last two nights has done very well here. All the plants are exploding with life. Examples...

☆Androsace jacquemontii from Nepal...much smaller and hairier than A. robusta ssp. purpurea.

☆ In large parts of North America widespread...Androsace chamajasme var. carinata.

☆Geranium erianthum var. pallescens from the tiny Japanese Rebun Island. Already in the half-opened state the drawing does not look bad.

[Robert]

The flowering cycle in our Sacramento, California garden is shifting gears as we approach May.



The last of the Rhododendron occidentale hybrids. The parentage of this hybrid is different from the Nightlife grex. This hybrid has a wonderful fragrance.



Rosa woodsii ssp. ultramontana has now started to bloom. This is from seed I gathered on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Alpine County, California. The fragrance of this rose is divine.



This is a very unusual form of Phacelia purpusii from El Dorado County, California. These are first generation self-sown seed. I am extremely pleased to have this California native annual established in our garden.



A nice little group of Penstemon heterodoxus var. heterodoxus in a large tub. They look nice, however for me, they need some improvement.



One of those happy accidents. Stipa lemmonii var. lemmonii with Ixia viridiflora hybrids. Stipa lemmonii var. lemmonii is one of our California native perennial bunch grasses. I have this Stipa, other California native Stipa species, as well as other California native grasses planted throughout the garden.