January 2022 in the Northern Hemisphere

[cohan]

Nice to see things growing and flowering elsewhere! Here the most I can expect is a few plants with dried stems , leaves, flower heads sticking out of the snow-- most are buried...lol It has not been a snowy winter- Nov was mild and dryish, December cold with frequent but light snow, Jan up and down (yesterday's high was around +7C, the day before a high of -16, with -30 in the morning... this is not unusual here)..
Here, native Eurybia conspicua and Solidago sp, growing wild on the edge of the acreage.

[Robert]

Cohan

I grow our native Eurybia integrifolia, Ragged Daisy, in our Sacramento garden. In its native habitat in the Sierra Nevada Mountains they are currently covered with snow. Despite the warm weather, currently running 2.27 F (1.26 C) above average for the month of January, our Eurybia plants in our garden are still dormant. So far we have had about 3 weeks of winter this year (during December 2021). In addition, despite wet weather in October and December, November and January have been extremely dry. Currently there is no precipitation is sight for our region. Yesterday and today we have endured very strong desiccating winds. Although the current fire around Big Sur is far away, the winds are so forceful smoke is blowing in. Cooler weather and precipitation would be very welcome.

[Akke]

Robert

Thanks for the elaborate explanation about your gardening, it got me thinking in a pleasant and useful way. What you plant is of course important, but how and why are interesting as well. Already present on a subconsious level, how and why will get more attention from now on. No revolution, just adding even more fun.
About being a good gardener, what are the demands? Personally I like your approach being a happy gardener, if that’s a competition I would like to enter and hope that first place will be shared by all. I don’t know how Faraday worked things out, he has had a very reassuring effect on me, being in a thunderstorm. I reckon that the better the ‘how’ fits you, the better the results are. Making compostions for me at this time consists of trying to fit as many bulbs (mostly ‘common’) as possible lasagnestyle, in layers, in a container for my neighbour, considering flowering time and planting depth etc. more of a nice puzzle actually. I’m not sure if planting a carpet of purple Crocus vernus x in the park together with Scilla Siberica was indeed a composition or coincedence, given flowering time it is beautiful to see it gradually change from purple to blue however. It seems composition matters, otherwise I’m not very charmed by ‘the big dutch crocus’ ( sorry), I hope to see seedlings of some other ‘dutch’ garden Crocuses I already had any day  though (and C. Tommassianus seeds as well from the park, naturalized and all shades). Regarding non bulbous, indigenous plants, we (my neighbour knows more about these, so a common project) have some things in mind. Not as impressive as your californian species, looked some up, but sweet close-up (containers😀).
Hybrides can be both useful on account of being more adaptable as fun, I just like to keep the bees happy as well and trying to keep an open mind. I like my Narcissus nylon (still flowering) and wouldn’t mind surprises from Crocus gembosii x concinnus (don’t have them), but I’m avoiding Crocus reticulatus for now because it easily hybridizes with C angustofolius. Not very consistent, but it’s My garden.
Looking forward to more thoughts and pictures. Just a little bit happening here despite the 7C which even here is considered ‘warm’, Cohan.
Beautiful pictures as well, now I’ve discovered dull grey autumn/winter with flowers our autumn/winter looks much more attractive, before that I would gladly change places.

Hope you get better circumstances soon, Robert

[Robert]

Akke,

Great comments!        My wife Jasmin and I enjoy them all. 

Maybe I am a Bob Ross gardener. You know, the TV painter guy. He started in the USA but I think the reruns are around the globe these days. Even in Iran I have been told.

In my garden nothing "but happy accidents". Bob Ross RIP!

Crocus are blooming in our garden now. Hopefully some picts soon. Nothing rare, but they are pretty and I like them in our garden. I agree, I like the species, however I do have some large-flowered Dutch hybrids. At the time it was the best I could do and they are still in the garden. What can I say. Maybe another Bob Ross "happy accident".

[Akke]

 😃
 too long ago for Bob Ross and my education, but I remember some things being very similar. Still not very good at drawing though.
I wish you a good Crocus  season, while I enjoy some snowdrops(sorry Jasmin) as well.

[Akke]

Spring is coming with Galanthus and Eranthis.
Meanwhile Ipheion in my neighbours container is still making new buds.

[Robert]

Despite a cool start to January, our weather here in Northern California quickly turned quite warm and very dry. To date the average temperature for January is running 2.57 F (1.43 C) above the 30-year average (1991-2020). The weather is more like what we expect in late March, not late January.



Color is already showing on the flower buds of Primula (Dodecatheon) hendersonii. Open flowers before the end of January is a strong possibility and will be a first-time event for us.



Our early Hoop-Petticoat Narcissus are still blooming. The later blooming types are now just getting started.



I finally have a sequence of new seedlings coming on each season. Nothing remarkable is showing up yet; however I have a good mix of genes to work with and the seedlings show many different characteristics.



The sun has brought out the flowers of Crocus tommasinianus. I grew these plants from seed. Three plants survived and bloom on a regular basis each spring. Despite hand pollination, I have never been able to get the plants to set seed.



On the other hand, I grew these Violas from a pack a seed I bought many years ago. They look nothing like the original plants. From one pack of seed I now have several color lines that are extremely heat tolerant, borderline perennial (despite our hot summers) and provide a great deal of color during the wintertime. Progress can be made. For me this is exciting.

[Robert]

Another area where great progress is being made is with Calochortus luteus. This is a crop of F2 seedlings. I have a great deal of genetic variability to work with.



This tub is filled with F1 seedlings of Calochortus luteus. They currently share the tub with dwarf Narcissus species, Leptosiphon ciliatus, and Phacelia stebbinsii.



This is a photograph of Calochortus luteus blooming in the wild, Colusa County, California. This is what we look forward to, and even something better, each year in our garden.



I am thrilled to have 3 plants of Eranthis hymenalis that have survived in the open garden and have now bloomed for two consecutive seasons. They do set seed. Who knows what I can do with three plants?



I have one plant of Viola adunca ssp. adunca that actually grows well in our hot, low elevation garden. I gathered the seed from a low elevation population where summertime temperatures routinely rise to 30 C or more. This plant will be blooming shortly. In addition, I have a huge genetic pool to draw from in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is a very real possibility that beautiful forms of this species that thrive in our garden can be created. Extremely exciting!

[Akke]

Lovely flowering, Robert. And as always adding to my wishlist, a lovely and not to difficult Calochortus is now on it. Keeping in mind that this is a wishlist, not a definitily-have-to-list.
I like the way your viola’s are so different from the same package, I’ll see what happens this year with mine (put a few under glass to speed up).
Meanwhile with temperatures average or above, buds are showing up, including a nice clump of Eranthis hyemalis and some Crocus Tommassianus probably. They seem to like our wet climate, naturalzing well, adaptable to a certain point apparently.
Here a few pretty warm days are expected, mostly this means also miserably and grey this time of year, but I’m curious to see with so much flowers waiting.

[cohan]

Cohan

I grow our native Eurybia integrifolia, Ragged Daisy, in our Sacramento garden. In its native habitat in the Sierra Nevada Mountains they are currently covered with snow. Despite the warm weather, currently running 2.27 F (1.26 C) above average for the month of January, our Eurybia plants in our garden are still dormant. So far we have had about 3 weeks of winter this year (during December 2021). In addition, despite wet weather in October and December, November and January have been extremely dry. Currently there is no precipitation is sight for our region. Yesterday and today we have endured very strong desiccating winds. Although the current fire around Big Sur is far away, the winds are so forceful smoke is blowing in. Cooler weather and precipitation would be very welcome.

Doesn't seem like the drought in your area is going anywhere....
 This Eurybia is wild around here; although it is sometimes called Wood Aster, it flowers little if at all if it is under trees in any amount of shade- it does, in those conditions, make a handsome foliage plant, with  a wide range of interesting autumn colours.  If planting in a garden, you'd want to give it a large area alone or with other robust plants, since it spreads rhizomatously, forming extensive patches when given a chance! I also grow the much tamer E sibirica- it does not stay flat in my garden as it did at high altitude where some of my seeds were collected, but still forms nice mounds  maybe 15-20cm high, and does spread, by seed, and as individual clumps, but not uncontrollably.

[cohan]

Nice to see flowers, Akke-- Galanthus here flower with Crocus-- late April would be a good date, most years...
Robert-- I was surprised to see V adunca (which is very common here in a range of sites from mostly shady to mostly sunny, and has sown itself into rock gardens etc, where it does very nicely) in 'badlands' habitat in southern Alberta, also some very dry sites in the foothills, though in both cases primary precip will be in early=mid summer, and also snow melt in spring.

[Leena]

It is nice seeing pictures and stories of flowers when it is still white here.
Violas are pretty, here I grow mostly Viola odorata and Viola sororia which do well in woodland conditions.. someplace even too well, but I don't mind. They are easy to move, if necessary. Last summer I dug up one clump of V.odorata and was surprised how deep and thick the rootball was, no wonder it seems very droughtolerant here.

This Eurybia is wild around here; although it is sometimes called Wood Aster, it flowers little if at all if it is under trees in any amount of shade- it does, in those conditions, make a handsome foliage plant, with  a wide range of interesting autumn colours.  If planting in a garden, you'd want to give it a large area alone or with other robust plants, since it spreads rhizomatously, forming extensive patches when given a chance! I also grow the much tamer E sibirica- it does not stay flat in my garden as it did at high altitude where some of my seeds were collected, but still forms nice mounds  maybe 15-20cm high, and does spread, by seed, and as individual clumps, but not uncontrollably.

I had to google  Eurybia conspicua, and it looked really nice. If there ever are seeds I would be interested.
I have Eurybia divaricata in my garden, and though I read that it can be considered weedy, it is not that here. I have had it for over ten years, and there are no seedlings during this time, but it does spread with roots. It flowers well every year even in quite shady and dry places and it is nice to have flowers in shade also in the autumn. My other asters don't flower in shade.

[Robert]

Akke,

It appears that there is a common area (park) where bulbs and perennials have naturalized? It must be a pleasant location to visit.

Cohan,

Viola adunca and V. macloskeyi seem to be widespread through the northern portions of North America. Past attempts to cultivate these species in our low elevation garden have failed. The summers seem too long and hot for them. I have to admit that I am thrilled to have one specimen that appears to survive our hot summer weather intact. Maybe I have “my foot in the door” with this specimen.

Ragged Daisy, Eurybia intergrifolia, is indeed ragged looking when in bloom. “Asters” purchased at local nurseries have preformed poorly in our garden. The plants grow well, however the flowers do not hold up well in the late summer, autumn heat. I feel Eurybia intergrifolia cannot be any worse.

On the other hand, I have forms of Symphyotrichum spathulatum that preform quite well in our garden. The flowers are “bleached out” compared to their appearance at higher elevations, however the flowers do hold up well in the heat. There appears to be much room for improvement with this species. They do “run”, however keeping them under control is easy in our climate. In a cooler environment they might be weedy in this regard.

Leena,



Viola odorata grows well in our hot Sacramento, California garden. Yes! They are drought tolerant even here where summertime temperatures can easily reach 40 C. and there is no summer rainfall. Clumps of this species somehow survive even when the soil becomes quite dry (not much irrigation). I do not know how they survive drought, but they do.

I maintain a pot of Viola odorata. When they are in bloom I move them near our main garden pathway where their scent can be enjoyed (pictured).

I like Viola sororia. Sadly, it is very aggressive in our garden. I have to work very hard to eliminate them, which is impossible. Maybe this is not such a bad things as the flowers are very pretty.

[Akke]

Your white gardens look beautiful as well, Leena and Cohan. But I'm very pleased with my new view, Crocus angustofolius, fleischeri, vitellinus and probably some chrysanthus cultivar popped up in the big tub. A few more ‘warm’ (up to 10C, 4,5C above average)  days are expected, I’ll see what happens.
Interesting to read about plants growing in very different conditions, some seem to adapt easily, Viola odorata does well here left to its own in public green in usually wet circumstances, but it can be dry in your place I understand, Leena. Eranthis hyemalis is sometimes even considered weedy here and Crocus Tommasianus is also fine without care. They’re all ‘Stinzenplanten’, mostly imported even as early as the 17th century. It’s also worrying, regarding drier summers that are expected, 2019 and 2020 where extremely dry already

Robert, your post made it clear that Viola odarata can handle dry and wet as well, I think I’ll try a few seeds. It shouldn’t be to difficult to get as they are actually growing on several locations.
There’s actually a few parks and a lot more of public greenery where bulbs and perennials are naturalizing (Stinzenplanten are generally good at it). I live almost next door to a really nice park (‘my back garden’, one of the best places so far) where I walk my dog and have some more good places to go for an alternative doggywalk. The big city park is more interesting for the indigenous garden and there’s more places to visit (by bike), did some research. Yes, I consider myself lucky and mostly a troublefree ‘gardener’ I can enjoy lots of flowers with a lovely, natural composition.

[Robert]

Jasmin adds:  The nearest example we have to Stinzenplanten is daffodils, and sometimes irises growing in the foothills.  They indicate places where once there was a homestead, and perhaps a farm or ranch during the late Gold Rush (1850s) and early turn-of-the-20th century.  The flowers are all that remain at these isolated locales, a remembrance of some woman attempting to make a home and beauty in her new place.  These women likely found solace gardening, when there was little comfort in her world:  Many of these women were immigrants, brought over, and this was one stop of many she had been brought to by her husband’s wanderlust.  These women suffered terrible isolation and regular uprootings; they had no kin in this country, and rarely womenfolk in their times of need for support during illness, childbearing, and loss.

As for Calochortus luteus and a lot of others, I do not think you would like the climate that they need!  These Calochortus must have absolutely hot 40º C (or more) and intensely dry, long summer conditions, while at the same time making sure the bulb is deep enough that it does not desiccate!  Our big black tub full of sand is situated in nearly the hottest, most exposed garden location.  Many Calochortus grow naturally in very extreme areas: out of the serpentine rock in the full, intense sun, with absolutely no water nearby.  The only analogous climate I can think of is the Australian Interior/Outback.



Calochortus superbus blooming in our garden last spring.