Flowering Now - May 2009

[Lvandelft]

John, what a lovely Centaurium scilloides. I could never keep it here.
The Dianthus freynii you showed must be some hybrid. I just have two little plants made this spring of
an at least 30 years old plant which just survived all those years on an old raised bed.
This is totally different from your plant. I've never seen the true one so big.
I found a scanned dia of the plant as I have here.

Dianthus freynii:

[Lampwick]

Hello Luit,
Centaurium scilloides - I have had this little plant for very many years now, and it seeds about in my troughs and raised beds without ever becoming a nuisance. It often flowers into November some years, but it does need a hot scorching sunny day to persuade it to open its flowers. 

Dianthus freynii – Yes, there is a distinct difference between our plants. Mine appears to have longer flowering stems and an open habit regarding the flowers. In the AGS Bulletin (Vol. 41, page 49) it says – “In June the leaves disappear beneath innumerable tiny pale pink flowers on very short stalks.” – nothing like my plant! 

Perhaps some knowledgeable person could suggest what my plant might be please! 

Below is an overhead picture of it. It has been in this trough since the day I bought it; about 15 years ago. 
 

[Paddy Tobin]

Not from my own garden but sent to me today from a friend in Maryland, USA. He took the photograph in a client's garden. Certainly one which we would like to have growing in the garden.

Mountain laurel or Kalmia latifolia

Paddy

[WimB]

John,

your Dianthus looks like D. erinaceus but I'm not completely sure.

Paddy,

that mountain laurel is stunning.

Wim

[WimB]

Forgot some other plants that are flowering here now:

1) Amorphophallus rivieri
2) Dianthus sp.
3) Hebe sp.
4) Rosa sp.

[Gerdk]

Here is a selection of what is flowering just now

1. Albuca humilis - hardy here, even after last winter
2. Oxalis squamata - seems to be a little bit tender but some plants survived outside
3. Oxalis valdiviense - first flowers, from SRGC seeds sown mid January 2009
4. Rhodohypoxis deflexa - survived outside
5. Dianthus myrtinervius
6. + 7. Digitalis obscura - a Spanish foxglove
8. Dipcadi serotinum - originally from Spain, more or less hardy outside
9. Lilium martagon
10. Cornus kousa 'Satomi' - already shown otherwise here. I was told the breeder named
                                       it after his daughter

Gerd

[Lampwick]

John,

your Dianthus looks like D. erinaceus but I'm not completely sure.

Wim

Hi Wim,
I do grow D. erinaceus which has very prickly foliage with flowers on very short stems. 

See here.
http://portraitsofalpineplants.com/Portraits%20of%20Alpine%20Plants/STA50024.jpg

My D. freynii (?) hasn’t got prickly foliage, and the smaller flowers are on long stems. 
 

I have just “surfed the internet”, putting D. freynii, D. glacialis and D. erinaceus in Google, which has resulted in many contradicting images which has been of no help whatsoever.

[arisaema]

Some pics from earlier this month:

Corydalis turtshaninovii (I think)
Anemonella 'Oscar Shoaf'
Lathyrus vernus 'Flaccidus'
Xanthorhiza simplicissima and Glaucidium palmatum var. leucanthum
Meconopsis cf. impedita
Omphalogramma vinciflorum
Primula tangutica x 2
Epimedium acuminatum
Anemonella thalictroides 'Green Hurricane'

[Zdenek]

Hello Luit,

Dianthus freynii – Yes, there is a distinct difference between our plants. Mine appears to have longer flowering stems and an open habit regarding the flowers. In the AGS Bulletin (Vol. 41, page 49) it says – “In June the leaves disappear beneath innumerable tiny pale pink flowers on very short stalks.” – nothing like my plant! 

Your Dianthus freynii is exactly the same as mine plant which is commonly grown here as D.f. but it sure is not. I have never seen the true D. freynii in spite of all my attempts but it must be very close to D. glacialis. The plant shown by Luit could be the true plant but the markings in the centre of flower seems me suspicious (also a hybrid?). In every case it is very nice.

[arisaema]

These from the last week:

Corydalis turtshaninovii 'Eric the Red'
Corydalis cashmiriana
Meconopsis x cookei 'Old Rose'
Meconopsis punicea
Meconopsis integrifolia x 2
Meconopsis quintuplinervia
Orchis mascula
Meconopsis lancifolia x 2

[Zdenek]

Lampwick,
the plant shown on the URL you sent is not D. erinaceus. I attach here a picture of my true D. erinaceus.

[Lvandelft]

Hello Luit,
Dianthus freynii – Yes, there is a distinct difference between our plants. Mine appears to have longer flowering stems and an open habit regarding the flowers. In the AGS Bulletin (Vol. 41, page 49) it says – “In June the leaves disappear beneath innumerable tiny pale pink flowers on very short stalks.” – nothing like my plant! 

Perhaps some knowledgeable person could suggest what my plant might be please! 

Below is an overhead picture of it. It has been in this trough since the day I bought it; about 15 years ago. 
 

John, I have been searching a little in books. I think that a plant, like I have, is pictured (black/white) in AGS XXXVIII PAGE 392.
It has the same markings in the centre.
I bought my plant in the 1970's in Switzerland from Max Frei, who was then one of the leading alpine nurseries in Europe.
The picture in AGS bulletin is of a plant shown in Birmingham 1970.
I am afraid that this plant is since long time out of trade. It is very slow growing.
I hope this is of help to you.

[Paul T]

Some stunning photos, everyone.  Beautiful.  The various Meconopsis are glorious, but Oh that Primula tangutica!!  Dark, almost black.... so un-primula-like.  Amazing.  I think I have commented on this one when posted here previously... like no Primula I have ever seen before.

[Rodger Whitlock]

Not from my own garden but sent to me today from a friend in Maryland, USA. He took the photograph in a client's garden. Certainly one which we would like to have growing in the garden.

Mountain laurel or Kalmia latifolia

Ah, an old friend indeed. I grew up in Maryland and my father dug a plant of K. latifolia which he then planted by our front door. The wild form (if my father's plant was typical) has a distinct rosy cast to the flowers which is missing in the posted photograph. Perhaps the specimen shown is one of the cultivars that have been developed.

I will say that though I see K. latifolia for sale in garden centres here, I refuse to buy one. First, they are always some selected color form and I simply prefer the chromatic simplicity of the wild form. Second, K. latifolia is native to an area with quite hot, humid summers and no amount of overhead watering can provide quite the right growing conditions. I've never seen a specimen here worth  a second look.

Historically, "American plants" were notorious in England for difficulties experienced in growing them; one has to wonder if it was the climatic difference that caused the trouble.

[arisaema]

Thanks, Paul, the Primula is nicely fragrant as well, like peonies. (I should get some seeds if you want to try, just remind me in about a month.)

Gerd; loevly pics! I wanted to ask, what kind of soil do you give your Rhodohypoxis?