September in the Northern Hemisphere

[Gabriela]

September look in a prairie ecosystem from a more southern location in Ontario, with Schizachyrium scoparium, Elymus canadensis and Aster ericoides.






And something I hoped to see one day, and I finally did - fifth instar larva of the Spicebush swallowtail This swallowtail is more common in US and its range only extends in S. Ontario (for now). The larvae feeds exclusively on species from the Lauraceae family - here on Sassafras albidum leaf. I am growing few Lindera in my garden hoping that one day....

[Rick R.]

I think it is incredibly cute, Gabriela!

Last year I had a customer bring me a caterpillar of (I forget which) swallowtail - it eats lichen.  The husband brought it in and said his wife "freaked out" out when she saw it.  I told him what it was and that it would turn into a beautiful butterfly, and to put it back on the tree trunk where he found it.  He said he didn't think he could convince his wife that it was actually a benign creature.

  These kinds of people need to just stay in the city....

[Leena]

Rick, that is a sad story. Some people are so much distanced from nature.

Gabriela, I love that prairie look and Aster ericoides is so pretty. Here it flowers so late in November that it never has enough time to open it's flowers. A friend of mine had it growing in a best possible place and still it was too late. I guess it is the latitude which makes many plants flower later here than in more southern countries.
It is the same with autumn flowering bulbs, many of them are later here than in more south.
Still, I'm happy that drought is not so severe here and many plants grow well, Colchicums included. And I can admire winter flowering snowdrops from Europe and UK here in the forum when it is too cold for them to flower here.

[Andre Schuiteman]

Gentiana Strathmore. Here in the south of England we struggle with autumn gentians because our summers are too hot and dry for them. As they are among my favourite plants I try to grow them anyway. Keeping them permanently in the shade doesn't work, since they seem to crave sunshine. The trick is to give them a sunny spot and plenty of moisture but to provide some impromptu shading when the temperature rises to above 25°C. A large sheet of white paper draped over the plants works fine and it is even better to regularly spray some water on the paper, as the evaporation will have a cooling effect. The main problem is that I am often not around to do this - if only I could make some kind of automated system. All this must be laughable to growers in Scotland, where these plants grow like cress (don't tell me they don't).

Strathmore, while probably a hybrid, presents something of a mystery. Various websites claim that it arose as a sport from G. Inverleith at Ian Christie's nursery. However, in the Rock Garden, 1995, 95, p. 119, it is stated that the parent plant was not Inverleith and it appears to be unknown what it really was. Gentiana Inverleith is supposed to be a hybrid of G. veitchiorum and G. farreri. To me, Strathmore, on the other hand, looks very much like G. sino-ornata, having its tapering leaves and freely branching stems that easily strike root. The stalked flowers suggest that there is some G. farreri (or rather, G. lawrencei) blood running through its veins, but I see no trace of an influence of G. veitchiorum. That seems to confirm that G. Inverleith was not involved. My guess would be that Strathmore came from a G. sino-ornata hybrid that had some slight introgression of G. farreri/lawrencei.

Regardless, Strathmore is a good, vigorous plant with large flowers that stay open even during overcast weather. Last year, it flowered from September until well into December. It typically has pale (I should almost write 'pallid') blue flowers, which was true when my plant flowered the first time. Now in its second year in my garden, only a few of the flowers show the original colour, whereas most are a deeper and more luminous blue. I assume part of the plant has reverted back to the original condition of the parent from which it arose. The third photo below shows the two differently toned flowers on the same plant side by side. I wonder if others have also noticed their Strathmore turning deeper blue.

[Maggi Young]

Autumn flowering  gentians  of the  sino-ornata  type -
 the  best  advice  I  would  give  for  keeping these  glorious  gems  growing  well is  to lift  and divide them regularly, replanting  each time  in a  new  spot  or  at  least  one  with refreshed soil.  The  best  we've  ever  seen were  growing  in  what was  essentially  a  vegetable  garden !  Beautiful plants - and  hungry too!
 Your  attempts  to keep them cool is  also a  good  idea, of  course, Andre!

[Andre Schuiteman]

A friend of mine has seen G. sino-ornata growing by the thousands in the wild in what he described as boggy grassland. Most of the other related species wouldn't like having such wet feet.

[Maggi Young]

Yes, Andre, I have  heard  that, from Ron McBeath, who has  also seen such a  sight - but - this  degree  of  water-logging  would, he  was  sure, only  be  for  a  short  time - and  many plants  are  able to survive  such conditions  in the  short  term. He  was  sure that  later  in the  season the  area  would  be  much drier.

[Gerdk]

Here is Ionactis (Aster) linariifolia - enjoys growing in a sand bed

Gerd

[Andre Schuiteman]

Yes, Andre, I have  heard  that, from Ron McBeath, who has  also seen such a  sight - but - this  degree  of  water-logging  would, he  was  sure, only  be  for  a  short  time - and  many plants  are  able to survive  such conditions  in the  short  term. He  was  sure that  later  in the  season the  area  would  be  much drier.

Possibly, but you have to remember that in Yunnan autumn is already a relatively dry part of the year. Half the rainfall there falls between June and August, so I would think that during those months the habitats of G. sino-ornata would be even wetter than in October, when my friend saw them.

[Gabriela]

That's a very beautiful gentian Andre, even if a hybrid.

I think it is incredibly cute, Gabriela!

  These kinds of people need to just stay in the city....

I agree Rick, the malls have very large halls and space for them to take walks

[Gabriela]

Here is Ionactis (Aster) linariifolia - enjoys growing in a sand bed
Gerd

Nice one Gerd, and useful in dry situation; native in Canada but not in ON.

Re: Aster ericoides Leena: I also like it a lot. There was/is a nice dwarf cv. named 'Snow Flurry' which would also flower sometimes in November. I would buy it now that I have garden space but didn't see it available lately.
The type species grown in regular garden soil can easily go 'out of character'.

[Bart]

To my surprise Asarum maximum 'Silver Panda' made another flower:




edit  by  maggi :  Oops, sorry, I had  missed that Bart's  post  was  in the  Aroid  section. now  moved  here .

[ruweiss]

Got this Aster as Aster pansus "Snowflurrry" and don't want to miss it anymore since I saw it
many years ago in the Botanic Garden in Brno.
I showed these pictures already some time ago in the forum, but think, that they are still of
interest. This plant does not look very interesting during the most time of the year but everybody
wants it when he sees it in flower.

[Rick R.]

And Snow Flurry really attracts lots of insects, too. Have had mine for 20 years and wouldn't be without it.

[Gabriela]

Got this Aster as Aster pansus "Snowflurrry" and don't want to miss it anymore since I saw it
many years ago in the Botanic Garden in Brno.
I showed these pictures already some time ago in the forum, but think, that they are still of
interest. This plant does not look very interesting during the most time of the year but everybody
wants it when he sees it in flower.

True Rudi, some plants are admired only at a certain time of year, and as Rick mentioned it is a great plant for pollinators.

I realized seeing your post that I should have written it with the name accepted: Symphyotrichum ericoides, instead of Aster. I didn't know the 'Snowflurry' came for var. pansus (S. ericoides var. pansus), unless there are two Snowflurries on the market