April 2024 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Robert]

Currently in our Sacramento garden, the first Calochortus albus flowers are opening. This accession, RMB 149, is from the Mosquito Road area of El Dorado County, California from an elevation of 1,465 feet (447 meters). It is a typical representative of the species. What is exciting is that the next generation of plants is progressing along well. It will not be long until I have new accessions as well as hybrids to evaluate each year.



I obtained seeds of the California Central Coast forms of Dipterostemon capitatus ssp. capitatus from a gardening friend. After a number of attempts, I have never been able to get these plants to cross with our local Sierra Nevada forms of this species. Reported chromosomes numbers vary with this species ranging from n=9,18, 27, 36. It is likely some chromosome non-homogeny prevents the two groups from crossing easily with each other. I enjoy experimenting and solving with difficult horticultural problems, so I will keep trying and see what happens.



Various forms of Triteleia ixioides are coming into bloom in our garden.



I especially appreciate this Triteleia ixioides hybrid based on Triteleia ixioides ssp. unifolia. I find the dark markings on the petals especially interesting and attractive. This hybrid selection is also a compact grower. Many more hybrids are in the pipeline. Each year, there will be new accessions and hybrids to evaluate.



Triteleia laxa RMB 694 is from the Deer Creek Hill region of El Dorado County, California. The seeds were gathered at an elevation of 776 feet (237 meters) where the grasslands of the Southern Sacramento Valley end and the Blue Oak savannah of the Sierra Nevada Foothills begin. This species grows abundantly at this site. This form is very typical of this species.

[Robert]

Everything in our garden needs to fit into the general gardening scheme. I have no interest in growing or collecting Ixia species. The bright colors fit into our California garden scheme, so they will be worked into the garden where they will best fit in. Plants that do not fit in end up in the compost.



Lupinus albifrons var. albifrons fits into our garden perfectly. This plant puts on a spectacular flower show every year. The silvery leaves look great all year.



There can be a great deal of genetic diversity within each species. I make new accessions each year. Creating hybrids is an intriguing idea for me. Pictured is one of the new plants coming into bloom for the first time. Nothing remarkable with this plant, however there are all sorts of possibilities.



Diplacus kelloggii RMB 1053. I am very excited about working with this species. This accession is from an elevation of 3,385 feet (1,032 meters) in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This species was found growing on an open rocky hillside, a natural rock garden, with many other annual and perennials species.

In addition, I have new accessions of very interesting forms of Diplacus viscidus and Diplacus torreyi that will be coming into bloom later this spring. I will post photographs as they come into bloom.



Our orange form of Rhododendron austrinum is coming into bloom.

[Robert]

R & D is my primary garden interest. For the most part, everything needs to have a practical garden application. We strive to create a garden ecosystem that looks great. Long ago I attempted to collect plants and create a garden. For me the two were incompatible. The garden was ugly.    I know many others can pull this off, but it did not work for me at all. In addition, I have always had a passion for R & D. I enjoy growing populations of highly variable plants. R & D and creating a garden I like, works perfectly for me.

Here, in our garden, a new and a potentially nice form of Sisyrinchium bellum is being evaluated with Phacelia campanularia. The garden is looking better each season. I am very pleased. 

[Mariette]

Robert, You´re very fortunate to live in a part of the world where so many beautiful plants are at home as well as may be grown in Your garden! The yellow triteleia with the dark stripe looks really exceptional!

In my area, the natural  range of plants is much more limited, and those for the garden have to stand lower temperatures compared with California.

The first of my lilacs which flowered already in March was Syringa pinnatifida.



For the first time I noticed flowers on a Ruscus aculeatus I´m growing since about 20 years - maybe because they are so tiny.



A fritillary seedling flowering in the green-house, once again a lost-label plant.

[Andre Schuiteman]

Sown from AGS seed in January 2018, the Japanese Phyllodoce nipponica subsp. tsugifolia took some years to become large enough to handle. Seedlings didn't survive long in the open garden but one is doing well in a trough dedicated to ericaceous mini-shrubs. A plant of Ramonda myconi also grows in there, seen here in the background, and it looks gigantic compared to the Phyllodoce. 

[Redmires]

What a beautiful little gem! Your picture sent me searching to see if there were any Phyllodoce species growing in the UK, but sadly it seems there's only a tiny band of P. caerulea in Scotland (and it must be at risk from climate change), so it's unlikely I'll ever see it in the wild. I like the sound of your ericaeous trough - could you post more photos?

[ashley]

Yes indeed, such a beautiful plant, aptly named and well photographed.

[Andre Schuiteman]

What a beautiful little gem! Your picture sent me searching to see if there were any Phyllodoce species growing in the UK, but sadly it seems there's only a tiny band of P. caerulea in Scotland (and it must be at risk from climate change), so it's unlikely I'll ever see it in the wild. I like the sound of your ericaeous trough - could you post more photos?

This is the whole thing:

Unfortunately, the 200k file size limit here forces me to make it quite small. Apart from various 'other plants', it contains the following Ericaceae: Rhododendron lowndesii, R. pumilum, Rhodothamnus chamaecistus, Gaultheria trichophylla, Cassiope lycopodioides, and Phyllodoce nipponica subsp. tsugifolia.  The trough (or rather, planter) is sited so that it only gets morning sun. The interior diameter is 57 cm.

[Robert]

The old-timers in El Dorado County, California had a saying that it always “snowed on the dogwoods”. The reference was to our native dogwood, Cornus nuttallii. The reference was also to the fact that it was too early to plant the summer garden until it “snowed on the dogwoods”. In our area, the native dogwoods are found mostly at an elevation of 3,000 to 4,000 feet (914 to 1,219 meters). This snow generally occurred about 15 April when the native dogwoods were in bloom.

It is still too early for the native dogwoods to be blooming, however a late, low-elevation snowstorm arrived yesterday, 4 April. We had snow at our Placerville farm at an elevation of 1,500 feet (457 meters). The last time we had an April snowstorm at our farm was back in ~ 1980. I do not remember the exact year, however it was before 1984 according to my weather records. It was known as the April Fools Day Snowstorm, as it occurred on 1 April. ± 4 inches (10 cm) of snow fell down to an elevation of 1,000 feet (305 meters), stalling traffic on Highway 50, the main east-west route in El Dorado County. It was a mess.



Snow falling on the front deck of the farm house.



Rhododendron canescens in bloom (left) and falling snow.



Part of the orchard.

The peaches and Japanese plums have already bloomed. Unless it becomes extremely cold, which is very possible with clearing skies, the fruit should be okay. With a hard freeze, there will be no peaches or plums this year. The apples and pears have not bloomed yet and are safe.

[ian mcdonald]

Redmires, there is a photo of the Phyllodoce caerulea in Scotland on "my local patch and wildlife" March 16th 2015 for your interest.

[Robert]

In the garden many plants continue to come into bloom. This Erythranthe guttata is blooming through a Clarkia seedling.



Our California native annual Eschscholzia caespitosa is looking great now. They all self-seed, so the display is different each season.



Sisyrinchium bellum blooming with Ranunculus occidentalis hybrid. Our Ranunculus occidentalis hybrids bloom for many weeks during the spring. I like the combination with Sisyrinchium bellum. This all happens by chance as the Ranunculus self seeds around the garden.



I have grown this Rhododendron atlanticum hybrid for decades. It grows about 1 meter tall and is extremely heat tolerant. Perfect for our Sacramento garden.



The Pacific Coast Iris are coming into bloom.

[Robert]

The Pacific Coast Iris bloom abundantly. Here they are with a Lilium occidentale hybrid (lower right) that will bloom with intense deep orange-red flowers sometime next month.

[ashley]

Beautiful irises and other plants Robert    Thank you for sharing them.

A natural 'cloud pine'

[Leena]

Beautiful colourful garden, Robert.

Ashley, how interesting pine.

Here the snow melted away last week-end. It took only three warm days (+10C - +15C) and almost all the snow is gone. Only in very shady spots there is some left.
Warm weather also made crocuses come up and bloom, snowdrops are at their best now, hellebores are showing buds, and even corydalises are coming up. Everything is happening very fast now.
Helleborus niger 'Jacob' which came from the snow fully flowering. Snowdrop is 'S.Arnott'.



Crocus heuffelianus

[ashley]

Helleborus niger 'Jacob' which came from the snow fully flowering.

Wonderful H. niger Leena, in a lovely setting.

The seedlings you very kindly sent me are coming along nicely but haven't reached flowering size yet.