July in the Northern Hemisphere

[cohan]

This plant surprised me when I saw flowers last year ( I think) Phyteuma scheuchzeri? I believe--I've had seed of things like this a time or two, but don't recall getting seedlings! This is in a pot with a very different label in an outdoor nursery area..

 





Linum lewisii from B.C. seed. Another that flowers mostly in the morning, but cloudy or wet days it holds flowers longer, so I get to see them often enough!

[Gabriela]

Mine is from Gabriela's seeds:).

Gabriela, I'm happy you got now rain and your plants look very fresh and good.
Delphinium fissum is interesting looking, almost something like Aconitum but very dense flower spikes. Very nice!

And my seeds came from Yvain, so they went around a lot Mine is flowering poorly this summer because I move it last fall, but now it has too much shade, so I'll have to move it again (this happens often in my garden).
Dianthus seguieri ssp. pseudocollinus last year


This Delphinium is indeed very striking Leena; it is a tuberous species and it takes its time to start flowering but worth the wait. It needs a well drained spot in the garden.

[Gabriela]

Yes, that's Phyteuma Cohan. Nice blue on the Linum lewisii.

[Rick R.]

Gabriela, that looks so much like D. callizonus.  How do you tell the difference?  Callizonus seems to be an overall smaller and more compact plant, and the petals don't seem to be as deeply fringed(?) - is that it?  I have several types of flowers from different sources that should be Dianthus callizonus.  I just assumed it was species variation (or hybridizing).

[Tristan_He]

Hi Tristan

You post photographs of some very intriguing plant species, at least from the perspective of our isolated outpost here in California.

It is amazing what can be accomplished with what is close at hand. Many of our California native lilies grow within a very short distance from our Placerville property (e.g. L. pardalinum, L. humboldtii, L. washingtonianum and L. parvum). We have many native lilies in our garden, both species and the results of my ongoing breeding projects. Now that I have restarted my breeding projects, a new crop of plants can be evaluated each season.

Thank you Robert. And you too from my isolated outpost in Wales!

Like you I try to use native plants as well as things from further afield, though I think the range of natives we have doesn't really compare to what you have available (there are no Lilium native to the UK for example).

[Tristan_He]

Allium insubricum, seed from forumist some years ago gets better each year!

Cohan, that's a lovely Allium. I don't know though... it looks slightly off for insubricum - just a bit too vigorous and the inflorescences and flower shape look a bit different. Could it be narcissiflorum I wonder? The two often get mixed up in cultivation. According to Paul Christian you can tell once the seedpods start to form - insubricum stays nodding, whereas in narcissiflorum the pods turn to face upwards.

[Gabriela]

Gabriela, that looks so much like D. callizonus.  How do you tell the difference?  Callizonus seems to be an overall smaller and more compact plant, and the petals don't seem to be as deeply fringed(?) - is that it?  I have several types of flowers from different sources that should be Dianthus callizonus.  I just assumed it was species variation (or hybridizing).

Rick: to begin with, D. callizonus is a small species, 10-15 cm while D. seguieri grows much taller, there is no way to confuse them.

I don't know what goes around in the trade or seeds exchanges as D. callizonus, because I tried to avoid asking for seeds and for good reason.
This is a species endemic to Piatra Craiului Mountains in Romania. The place is not easy to reach (no cable cars or gondolas out there).

I am sure there are true seeds in circulation somewhere but more often than not probably not of the true species.
Also in cultivation in the garden it may hybridize with other Dianthus, so....

From your pictures, the first one may be D. callizonus but who can be 100% sure? Leaves and other details are used for identification.
You can look at pictures taken in the wild (with locations provided as well) on the inaturalist link below:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/82929273

[cohan]

Cohan, that's a lovely Allium. I don't know though... it looks slightly off for insubricum - just a bit too vigorous and the inflorescences and flower shape look a bit different. Could it be narcissiflorum I wonder? The two often get mixed up in cultivation. According to Paul Christian you can tell once the seedpods start to form - insubricum stays nodding, whereas in narcissiflorum the pods turn to face upwards.

Thanks, Tristan, it was from seed in trade, so always a chance of error! I'll watch for seed capsules, if it makes them, don't remember from past years. I thought it was the opposite that people were trying to get narcissiflorum and getting insubricum instead? maybe i remember backwards!

[Tristan_He]

Thanks, Tristan, it was from seed in trade, so always a chance of error! I'll watch for seed capsules, if it makes them, don't remember from past years. I thought it was the opposite that people were trying to get narcissiflorum and getting insubricum instead? maybe i remember backwards!

You're right Cohan, that is usually the pattern, but it's likely that both species are about. One nursery website is selling one of the narcissiflorum and has photos of both species accompanying it on its website! They are both lovely plants. I'm trying to increase my insubricum and am on the lookout for narcissiflorum...

[Rick R.]

Thanks, Gabriela!

[cohan]

You're right Cohan, that is usually the pattern, but it's likely that both species are about. One nursery website is selling one of the narcissiflorum and has photos of both species accompanying it on its website! They are both lovely plants. I'm trying to increase my insubricum and am on the lookout for narcissiflorum...

I'll have to watch those seed pods, see which way they point..

[cohan]

Not my kind of flower- not wild about doubles even, generally, and these crazy multidoubles are rather ridiculous   not to mention, with no sex parts, these flowers are useless to insects! This is the largest of several old peonies planted by my mom or aunt many years ago. Most years this one opens some flowers with many more starting to rot before they ever open. This warmer than average year, with perhaps more dry weather in July has suited it well, most flowers I've ever seen open on it.
Poor confused beetles-- it *smells* like a flower...??

[cohan]

A few views of one of the rock beds in front of the house...
Sempervivums and sedum in flower, Drabas in seed, Scabiosa japonica Ritz Blue, Geranium sanguineum *not* Elke, Allium Papaver etc

[Tristan_He]

Nice rockery Cohan, it looks really natural.

[Jeffnz]

Straight out of nature...