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

[cohan]

We have had quite windy weather lately, fetching hot dry air up from the Med. Many of the plants have developed 1970's style centre-partings.
Flowering just now in the rock garden:
the children of my original Helianthemum hybrids
Arum apulum

i need to look at a map to get  a better idea of your situation--so from this post i guess you are on the southern side of  mountains running east/west, oriented toward the mediterranean?
the arum is great, really wonderful plants they are...

[Sinchets]

Hi Cohan. We are on the northern side of the Central Mountains- actually the Stara Planina or Old Mountains. They run east-west across much of Bulgaria. Not high enough here to deflect the winds from the south but high enough to cause a block to some of the rain areas around us get in summer. The mountains in the west are higher and also seem to take a lot of the rain too- all in all it can get quite dry here between May and September.

[Sinchets]

Having said that though some plants are enjoying the heat. Flowering today:
Papaver paucifoliatum- from Archibald seed- I read that the flowers should be unspotted- but some of mine are In fact the group has 3 colour forms- orange-red with black spots, orange-red with washed out spots and a plain unspotted more orange. they all opened this morning so it is not an ageing thing.
A better pic of Glaucium aff.acutidentatum

[Sinchets]

Also from today
Dianthus plumarius praecox
An Arenaria sp- name lost in the mists of time
Penstemon confertus
Penstemon arenicola

[Sinchets]

Flowering today in the garden:
Hedysarum tauricum with Penstemon eatonii eatonii
Hedysarum tauricum with Onosma rigida
Dianthus superbus alpestris

[Sinchets]

Also from today:
Salvia jurisicii
Dracocephalum ruyschianum
Dracocephalum sp (possibly heterophyllum) spot the wee beastie!

[Lesley Cox]

The green one with the long legs? 

[Ragged Robin]

Catching up with some more of your lovely postings, Simon, in your open rock garden - the colours are just gorgeous in the heat vibrant reds and blues and brilliant white of the dianthus .....MMmmmmm

[maggiepie]

Simon, here are a couple of  pics of the little Erodium Cedrorum I mentioned to you .
The first flower opened today and is already gone, do you think it's a weed?

[Sinchets]

It's a beautiful long legged beastie with an annoying habit of cutting half way through a flowerstem before moving on to a new one leaving a trail of wilting stems behind 
Thanks Robin- I love the reds too 
The Erodium doesn't look like one of our 'weeds', but I guess that's not to say it isn't a weed elsewhere. Do you have any information as to the source. It is described here http://www.kadel.cz/flora/e/kvCard.asp-Id=7509.htm how well does the description fit with yours? As a point of interest:-  my larger flowered pink Erodiums can make a flower last a few days, E.chrysanthum lasts 1 day as do our native annual weeds.

[maggiepie]

Simon, all I know is the seeds came from Ontario Rock Garden Society's 2007 seedex.
I sowed seeds of 4 different types, the cedrorum is the only one that didn't flower the first year.

[Sinchets]

Well it does have interesting leaves- and hopefully it will have lots of flowers even if they are shortlived.

[Paul T]

So many wonderful plants in this topic.  Just on this page.... Helen I love the Erodium, and Simon, that Dianthus superbus alpestris is so striking.

[ichristie]

Hi Simon, thanks for showing your super plants some we have never seen I would like to try them sometime,  cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[Sinchets]

Thanks Ian. Some of the bulbs out there, especially the Frits, still have labels that were handwritten by you and Ian M- a great way of reminding us of many 'productive' visits to your place in Kirriemuir.