Flowering Now - May 2009

[WimB]

I'll start May with some pictures of plants that are flowering in my garden today:

1) Armeria trojana
2) Dianthus microlepis
3) Houstonia caerulea
4) Pleione limprichtii
5) Primula japonica 'Miller's crimson'
6) Saxifraga pubescens 'Snowcap'
7) Trillium sessile recurvatum Thanks to Göte for the correct name

[Gerdk]

Ranunculus cupreus - a surprising discovery!

Today I found some strange flowers in a shady part of my garden which arose from tiny procumbent fernlike leaves. Even these leaves puzzled me for a long time and at first I kept them for some kind of a new weed.
When the flowers appeared I remembered Ranunculus cupreus - ' cupreus ' for the color of the exterior of the petals.
At last the penny dropped. This buttercup arose at a place where I emptied a pot two years ago. Surprisingly this species from Crete survived two winters here, the last one much colder than usual.

Gerd

[Hristo]

Cracking pics Wim and Gerd, Gerd always great when a plant you wrote off appears and then exceeds expectations!
In the shade of the house my first Cypripedium to flower, C.macranthos.

[Paul T]

Wim, Gerd and Chris,

Great pics!! 

Congratulations Gerd on this Ranunculus doing a lazarus and coming back from the dead.  And what a cutie it is too!! 

[Gerdk]

On the quick -
some pics from the Düsseldorf Botanic Garden - made yesterday

1. Paeonia x suffruticosa High Noon
2. Paeonia x suffruticosa Meikoho
3. Paeonia x suffruticosa - red ( no label found)
4. - 7. Paeonia rockii
8. Aesculus x carnea Baumannii
9. Illustration of pollination by bees
10. Cantua buxifolia - inside a large dome shaped greenhouse

Gerd

[Paul T]

Gerd,

That is a gloriously coloured dark rockii.  I would so like to be growing one of that depth of colour.  The shape and form is exquisite!!  Great dark form of Cantua buxifolia..... mine is white with some pink striping, nothing like that good solid colour.  Great pics as always, thanks!! 

[Paddy Tobin]

Wonderfully coloured P. rockii, Gerd.

Paddy

[Gerdk]

Thank you Paul + Paddy!

Paul, is Cantua buxifolia a difficult plant under your conditions?
I once tried cuttings and they were like a magnet for spidermites.
The whole plant without flowers isn't a beauty - do you agree?

Gerd

[Sinchets]

Flowering now in the woodland garden- a medley of Viola:
Viola cornuta and V.cornuta alba with Viola tricolor 'nigra' and V.ticolor subalpina.

[annew]

They look nice together, Simon - I was wondering where to plant my Bowles Black seedlings 

[Lesley Cox]

Anne the black violas like tricolor 'Bowles' Black' or 'Molly Sanderson' or our 'All Black' all look at their most attractive (I think) with something pale yellow or lemon coloured, like Erysimum pulchellum or pale Helianthemums etc.

[Magnar]

Finally we got some nice days here in the north too, the snow is melting fast and new flowers coming every day 

[WimB]

Magnar, nice pics. That Trollius is a real gem.

[Sinchets]

They look nice together, Simon - I was wondering where to plant my Bowles Black seedlings 

I had the black V.tricolor and V.tricolor subalpina planted several feet away last year, and they made their own way there to join the Viola cornuta. The V.t. subalpina has already hybrised with V.schariensis on the rock garden, so I am interested to see what will happen next.

[Gerdk]

I had the black V.tricolor and V.tricolor subalpina planted several feet away last year, and they made their own way there to join the Viola cornuta. The V.t. subalpina has already hybrised with V.schariensis on the rock garden, so I am interested to see what will happen next.

Simon, I believe there will happen a lot -
violets of the pansy type behave pretty promiscuously - just like  Primula veris and its relatives. Please show the results - always interesting!

Gerd