Flowering Now - May 2009

[Paul T]

Luit,

Never even heard of the Genus before.  I just love the combination of those fuzzy grey leaves and the pink flowers.  Probably attracted my eye more now than in 2007 as Robin's pic shows the leaves a bit more and so I could catch the contrast.  I love it!

From your link....... It's interesting to see the pics in that post of your garden too.  You do have some space, don't you.  Great to see the shots showing the full garden beds. I'd imagine they've changed a bit by now though?  Filled in a bit more?  And Oh, that glasshouse in the background. 

[Lampwick]

Wow Lampwick, that Anthyllis looks pretty special.  Not come across it before.  Very nice.

Thanks Paul, 
As Luit says, it’s an easy plant to grow in a hot sunny place. In the winter months it looks a sad thing, and I would think that some would dig it up and discard it (which is what my brother-in-law did, despite me telling him that it would appear again in the following spring) 

I don’t give it any overhead protection during the winter months, and the plant you see must be approaching eight years old. It is native to the European Alps, from the Pyrenees to the Apennines.

You will rarely see it offered in many garden centers, but a search through specialist alpine nursery lists will yield positive results. I don’t see it very often in the many gardens I have visited; and this is a shame as it is a wonderful eye-catching plant and deserves to be seen more often!

Here is a close-up of foliage and flowers, which are unfortunately covered with fine misty droplets of rain.
 
   
You can also see it here – third picture down. 
http://portraitsofalpineplants.com/Portraits%20of%20Alpine%20Plants.htm

[Hans J]

some pics from today :

Papaver 'Kleine Taenzerin' ( = little dancing girl) a breeding from Graefin Zeppelin nursery
Digitalis Mix
Iris pseudoacorus 'Berlin Tiger' + Aeonium black

[Lesley Cox]

I really like the clse-up of the Anthyllis. It looks as if it's been iced. Though I know the name and now, what it looks like, I've never seen a plant. Does it set seed? That would be the only way we could introduce it. It is listed on our Biosecurity Index so someone must have had it at some time.

[Lesley Cox]

Hans, for the Gentiana depressa seed I think now that I was mixing you up with Johannes Hoeller.

[Lesley Cox]

Cohan, the seedlists of both the Scottish Rock Garden Club and Alpine Garden Society - no doubt the Nth American RGS and the British Columbia RGC as well - carry large selections of many pulsatilla species in all colours.

[Paul T]

Does anyone here in Aus have the Anthyllis and can spare a piece?  I really like it, but have no idea whether it is here or not.  Otherwise, as Lesley mentioned for NZ, the only way to get it is to try to get seed of it?

[Sinchets]

As a point of note- Anthyllis montana from seed exchanges could end up being A.vulneraria. I should know I have been caught out twice. It is a nice species, but coarser than A.montana and with variable flower colour (yellow, red, orange or purple). Mojmir Pavelka (EuroSeeds) offered wild collected seed of both A.montana and A.aurea last year.

[cohan]

Cohan, the seedlists of both the Scottish Rock Garden Club and Alpine Garden Society - no doubt the Nth American RGS and the British Columbia RGC as well - carry large selections of many pulsatilla species in all colours.

thanks, lesley--i'm not a 'real' member of anything at this point, since i left toronto (cactus and succulent club there); out here with no hope of ever attending any meetings, i havent got around to joining any groups (i know there are some not in person benefits--like seed lists --so i havent seen any of these seedlists...lol
i assume these are offerings from member's gardens vs wild collections?

[Hristo]

Hans,
Love the Iris 'Berlin Tiger' deserves the name!

[Magnar]

Some pics form the later days:

 Trollius laxus albiflorus 09
 Pulsatilla alpina 09
 Anemone nemorosa Green Fingers 09
 Pulsatilla vernalis 09

[Sinchets]

Yes Cohan, and you have to take the risk of not getting what you really thought you were getting- garden hybrids aside. Though I must also add that some seed is true and worth obtaining.
I can send you some of my 'Pulsatilla ex Papageno' if you like- they are white P.vulgaris as far as I can see.  
Today in the woodland garden -Erigeron elatior

[Magnar]

More from the last week:

 Ranunculus adoneus 09
 Primula Johanna 09
 Hepatica x kyrvinberg 09

[cohan]

Yes Cohan, and you have to take the risk of not getting what you really thought you were getting- garden hybrids aside. Though I must also add that some seed is true and worth obtaining.
I can send you some of my 'Pulsatilla ex Papageno' if you like- they are white P.vulgaris as far as I can see.  
Today in the woodland garden -Erigeron elatior

thanks, simon--yes, those are the conditions i would expect with such a listing--and probably some things listed you'd be hard pressed to find, elsewhere.. would be ok for me with pulsatillas, as i am just starting and neednt be too exclusive--lots of room for early spring blooms!
white P vulgaris would be nice, thanks i think both of my current plants are turning out to be standard violet flowered, vs one rubrum--which is actually fine with me--with only two plants, one colour is better! i'd rather drifts or patches than spots

nice erigeron, btw;
 i thought i had pictures of my tiny tiny erigeron from the low mountains/montane zone here--(possibly compositus, i will need to look at flower stem characters, i guess)  but i find i didnt load those pics to the computer, yet;
it seemed so compressed this spring as to be nearly invisible-probably not much more --if not less! than a centimetre in height..now if has fluffed up/grown a bit, and i see around 5 buds on it--i collected it as a snippet in late summer 07, and it has just given me a flower or two at once til now; unfortunately, its not in fullest sun(i scarcely have any), so the flower stems are a touch longer than they could be, though the plant remains very compact..
are erigerons self fertile?

[Hans J]

Hans,
Love the Iris 'Berlin Tiger' deserves the name!

Hristo ,

Yes I like it much too -it is a german breeding from Tamberg (1988 )- it needs not wet.