Plants flowering in the open rock garden.April May '09

[Sinchets]

About 20 years ago I bought a packet of seed from Chilterns Seed of Linaria supina. The original plants were pale yellow and some had markings in orange or purple on the lip. Over the years it seems to have shared genes with other Linaria species I have grown, including L.maroccana, L.aeruginea and more recently L.alpina. The resulting plants have been more soundly perennial and every now and then throw up some lovely colour mixes.

[Sinchets]

Also just opening today on the xeric garden this Arilbred Iris- identity unknown.

[Ragged Robin]

...and seems to want to remain so Simon    Would like to know hich one is the L alpina in your previous post?

[Sinchets]

I think the Iris may be 'Vera Olivia' 
Sorry, Linaria alpina isn't in the pics- it's genes are in a Linaria on another part of the rock garden. I found L.alpina very shortlived- the cross into L.supina gave a flower with a lovely bright lip and a more perennial nature.

[Lesley Cox]

The linarias are very preety aren't they? and because they seed around and don't live too long, are like a little group of ephemeral visitors who come and go and come again, always welcome.

[Sinchets]

I agree Lesley- these plants are longer lived than some I have had- I have had plants live 4 or 5 years so far. They are easy to weed out and I just keep the colour forms I like. We  have a few we are playing with at the moment which have more orange and red in them.

[Sinchets]

A hot broody day here, with the promise of thunderstorms later
Interesting flowers, buds and pods in the rock garden today include:
Erodium chrysanthum (Mt Killini)
Astragalus zionis seedpods
Calandrinia caespiosa (first flower)
Centaurea chrysantha (flower bud)
Oxytropis sericea

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Looking good Simon !
I love the Calandrinia - I've tried sowing it a couple of times in the past but never succeeded to flower it in the garden... 

[Sinchets]

Thanks Luc. It is only 1 small flower just now, but I am happy with it. 

[Sinchets]

Some more plants flowering this afternoon.
Ipomopsis globularis
Aethionema sp1
Aethionema sp2
and close ups of the Aethionema flowers

[Sinchets]

Flowering today in the rock garden:
A Physaria species
Erigeron vagus at its best
Geranium malviflorum
Erysimum (suffructicosum?)

[Ragged Robin]

Simon, the plants you are growing in your open rockery are so enchanting, some I have never heard of before or seen like Ipomopsis globularis
and Aethionema species - thanks for sharing them and I would love to see a general photo of the rockery too if possible? 

[Lori S.]

Simon, absolutely wonderful!  I'd love to see overall photos of your gardens too!

I'm amazed at how much variation there seems to be in Oxytropis in general... O. splendens, which we talked about, (the local form certainly is a good one), and also O. sericea. The flower colour of your plant is very different, again, from the local form, which flowers in a very soft pale yellow. 

[Sinchets]

Thank you both for your kind comments. Pics of the whole rock garden area will be taken tomorrow.
Lori, my O.sericea was from Ron Ratko (NNS06-384 collected in Utah), I think the pic may be making it look whiter than it is - it is a milky white just now and putting up a few more flower spikes. I rarely thin my seedlings so it is possible the other spikes may be on different plants- I  will check to see if there is any variability in colour. Oh and the Lamiaceae are starting to bud, so hopefully I will have some Scutellaria and Dracocepahlum pics soon 

[Rodger Whitlock]

Erodium chrysanthum (Mt Killini)

Male or female? Or do you have both sexes?