March 2022 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Mariette]

Thank You  Rudi for Your comment - of course I meant Scilla bifolia - You showed a very attactive white form.

[Akke]

Robert, Rudi and Mariëtte

Thanks for the beautiful pictures and inspiration for combinations of plants.

Mariëtte

Your garden looks great. Our weather is very similar at the moment, warm and without significant precipitation. About Corydalis, C. cava has naturalized around here, still there are just two colours. C. solida is also growing in the park but numbers are much lower. Loved the visitor on Cardime quinquefolia.

Rudi

I hope the tree didn’t suffer, there’s so much to see in the shape and bark of them.

Robert
 
Wow, there’re so many lovely flowers in your garden, loved your posts, Erythrante made me think of Diplacus, they’re related, aren’t they? Both Nemophila are sprouting over here, good to see what I can look forward to, Narcissus rupicola will need some more patience as seedlings are showing up for the first time.

 Tulipa humilis (just humilis) is a dutch clone, already much paler than ‘violacea black base’, T. humilis seedlings of more wild origin are now growing for the second year. As I’m new to sowing bulbs and have just a few coming up for a second year, the differences between genera becoming more obvious, is exciting.
If I understood correctly, Janis Ruksans is exporting outside Europe again, this might be an interesting  source for breeding material.

Your yellow, red and blue is good, this  one (at my neighbours’) wasn’t planned this way.


Phacelia tanaceitifolia isn’t anything like P. campanularia, but seeding around here without being weedy. Regarding weeds, an interesting read in saturdays newspaper; urban flora is likely to be more diverse than rural and maybe is worthy of more appreciation.

Another news article (KNMI, meteo); temperatures in autumn and winter were 0,7 and 1,9C above average. Same as for Mariëtte, March could end up really dry, we had just a few drops and another dry week is expected.

Tecophilaea cyanocrocus and

Crocus jalovensis stayed outside autumn/winter, but were ready to be taken inside.

Fritillaria michailovskyi dwarf should be tough, though miniature in size.

[MarcR]

Hi Robert,

You really bring back memories!  I used to patronize that nursery. I lived in Daly City, about 3 blocks from San Francisco for many years; and I had friends in Sebastopol, which is just East of Occidental.
They and I were avid gardeners, so they introduced me to the nursery.  The plants were well grown, and reasonably priced. 

[ruweiss]

Robert and Akke,
The flowers are all native wildflowers and I am sure, that the tree is well.
This foprst is in quite natural shape with a lot of dead wood all over the floor,
and flora and fauna are in a good condition. I even saw a black woodpecker which
is quite rare in our region. This bird is with up to 45 cm the tallest woodpecker
species in Europe and very impressive.

[Pauli]

Rudi,
the solidas on your picture seem to have entire bracts - can´t these be cava; solida should have crenate bracts.
And - beautiful spring pictures here!

[Robert]

Akke

The names of California plant species in the Phrymaceae family have gone through a number of revisions over the last 30 years or so. Mimulus, Diplacus, and Erythranthe are all Genus names that have been assigned to California species in the Phrymaceae Family at one time or another. Whether the name changes are warranted is far outside my interests, however I use the plant names in current use in California to accurately communicate information concerning these species, which hopefully reduces confusion.

Your postings are always so very interesting and inspiring. I enjoy how you make effective use of a wide variety of plant species – all in containers. I also find interesting how you effectively view the “borrowed space” of public plantings throughout town. I look forward to seeing how all of this will evolve though the seasons.



I thought that Rick might like to see how my pot full of Phacelia campanularia ssp. vasiformis looked as of 25 March.



This is a lousy photograph, however it gets the point across. Our Phacelia campanularia ssp. vasiformis grew 54 cm tall this season and is loaded with flowers. I hope that it is understandable how I was impressed with this planting. The Jepson Manual lists this species as obtaining a height of 10-70 cm. For those interested, Phacelia campanularia ssp. vasiformis, Desert Bluebells, is native to the Desert Mountain regions of the Mojave Desert in Southeastern California. It is found in open, sandy or gravelly areas to Pinyon/Juniper woodland; < 1,600 m. Subspecies campanularia has a rotate corolla, subpseices vasiformis a funnel shaped corolla. Subspecies vasiformis is much more common than subspecies campanularia. My general experience with the cultivation of California native annual species is that the seeds needs to be planted as soon as weather conditions are appropriate in the autumn. With some species, when planted late in the season the plants frequently do not develop to their full growth potential, sometimes markedly so. Those living with extremely cold winters might experience difficulties with some native California annual species. Experimentation will likely yield the most effective methods to cultivate these species in less than desirable climatic situations.

Mark R –

Some of the California nurseries and nurserymen from the past are certainly inspirations. Western Hills Nursery is just one example.  San Francisco had Victor Reiter, Jr. and his La Rochette Nursery, Ed Carmen and Carmen’s Nursery in the South Bay Area. Marshall Olbrich and Lester Hawkins of Western Hills Nursery, as well as Victor Reiter and Ed Carmen were all leading the vanguard of cutting edge plant materials for gardeners in Northern California.

Rudi –

Thank you for the clarity concerning the native wildflowers in your region. I know next to nothing about the flora of Europe. I do cultivate a goodly number of European species in our California garden. Even small bits of information can aid in the successful cultivation of some species. Information can also help me seriously consider the appropriateness of some species, species that might not take well to our California climate.

Now more photographs from our springtime garden…



Many years ago, I seriously bred deciduous azaleas. Rhododendron austrinum x ‘Gibraltar’ was one of my early hybrids. I liked the ruffled petals inherited from Gibraltar and the strong heat tolerance inherited from Rhododendron austrinum. This hybrid was a good start.

[Robert]

This is one of my best Rhododendron atlanticum hybrids. This complex hybrid is very compact, remaining < 1 meter in over 30 years. It is the parent of other successful hybrids.



‘Prelude to Summer of Love’ is another hybrid which was a prototype for my Summer of Love Series of hybrids.



The ‘Tatiana’ Series of Azaleas are my most successful hybrid grex of Deciduous Azaleas to date. They have large trusses of colorful flowers and bloom prolifically. The plants are compact, growing to about 1 meter in height after 25 years.



Acer palmatum ‘Red Filigree Lace’ has intricately dissected foliage.



The first of the Calochortus species are now coming into bloom. This is Yellow Star Tulip, Calochortus monophyllus, a species found locally in the foothill region of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Many more Calochortus species are budded and will be blooming shortly.

[Akke]

Maggi

Exactly! If one's own garden cannot be a place of beauty and sanctuary for the owners (possibly also growing some delicious fresh food too), then  what is the point of it ? 

You’re right, even if gardening in ‘pots and pans’. Even there a tiny bit of fresh food is fun.

Rudi

Your forest sounds (and looks) great, it must be nice to have such lovely plants growing wild, they’re appreciated much over here, being naturalized. The woodpecker sounds impressive, there’s smaller ones over here and this seems the right season to catch a glimp, normally you just hear them. In the park ( my ‘back’ garden) one part is left mostly to itself.



I’m confused, I always thought this was Corydalis cava, anyway it’s very happy in the ‘left-alone’ part.

Later on and a bit lower on the ‘mountain’, just a lump of loam topped with humus less than 10m in height, Allium ursinum will follow.

An early one and also doing very good left to itself.

To my taste, some parts could do with more neglect.

This isn’t a lawn that needs mowing in my opinion, this lookes like Gagea Lutea to me. Usually mown before being fully grown and this might even be natural (the park is on the old defence walls and part of that was at some old glacial ridges).

This part is more blue because of Scilla Siberica, yellow dots are most likely Eranthis cilicica.

When it comes to stinzenplanten, especially bulbs, this is a hotspot, most of the species in the park, are growing here as well.

The magnolia is shining against the blue sky.


Robert

About the blue sky, the record of total sun hours in March has already been broken (total 2014 was 208, against 211 yesterday). Precipitation 0,7 mm now and not much more expected, it rained for 2 hours, average is 56 h. Due to cold nights average temperatures are about normal, it is not very normal that a. these reports make the headlines, b. they’re given this early.

Just read your post and love your Azaleas.

[Mariette]

The names of California plant species in the Phrymaceae family have gone through a number of revisions over the last 30 years or so. Mimulus, Diplacus, and Erythranthe are all Genus names that have been assigned to California species in the Phrymaceae Family at one time or another. Whether the name changes are warranted is far outside my interests, however I use the plant names in current use in California to accurately communicate information concerning these species, which hopefully reduces confusion.

Robert,the vast range of plants You´re posting is always so inspiring! Right now, I´m trying to germinate two species of Diplacus, grandiflorus and pictus.

[Rick R.]

Thanks for the phacelia pics, Robert.

My general experience with the cultivation of California native annual species is that the seeds needs to be planted as soon as weather conditions are appropriate in the autumn. With some species, when planted late in the season the plants frequently do not develop to their full growth potential, sometimes markedly so. Those living with extremely cold winters might experience difficulties with some native California annual species. Experimentation will likely yield the most effective methods to cultivate these species in less than desirable climatic situations.

Your theory seems to be right on!  I got a couple transplants to grow, back in 2001, before I had a digital camera. I finally got tired of continually pinching off the flower buds and let them do their thing.  They plants grew flatly, about 2 inches high at most.  I wonder, too, if the soil was too nutritious and moist.  This is my only pic of it:



A long time ago, and I'd like to think I'm a bit smarter now.  Maybe I'll try direct sowing in late fall here, so they don't germinate 'til spring.

[Leucogenes]

Earlier this month Rudi showed a beautiful small specimen of Callianthemum farreri here. The flowers are now starting to appear on my plant too. At this stage, the bluish colouring is particularly visible. I have seen six flowers on the mother plant so far...and another flower a little further away on an underground runner. Some needles from neighbouring Abies koreana occasionally fall on it...it doesn't seem to mind.

[Leucogenes]

Coluteocarpus vesicaria from eastern Anatolia also enjoys the rising temperatures.

[Leucogenes]

But my personal highlight of the week is the formation of a flower on Besseya wyomingensis. I have made countless attempts to cultivate this North American beauty. Apparently my patience has been rewarded.😎

[ruweiss]

Herbert,
you are right, off course these plants are Corydalis cava.
thank you for the correct identification
Akke and Robert,
thank you for your pictures and comments.
Thomas
good to see some `real´alpines. Well done!

[shelagh]

Some wonderful pictures on this month. Thank you all.

Lovely day today so just a few shots from around the garden.

Beesia calthifolia just coming into flower.

A trough of Bellis perennis or Bachelors Buttons.

Fritillaria.

Haquetia epipactis.

Iberis Little Treasure.