Flowering Now - May 2009

[Paul T]

Paddy,

What a striking pic of the Aquilegia!!  Captured beautifully.  Not seen that colour combination before.  Truly beautiful.

I love all your other pics as well, particularly the Geraniums. 

[annew]

Franz' little gems are stunning. My offerings are a bit bigger.
Arisaema ciliatum var liubaense (I think)
An Astrantia hybrid seedling
Cypripedium parviflorum and Epimedium 'Amber Queen'
Phuopsis stylosa
Trollius 'Cheddar'
Vicia faba

[Paddy Tobin]

And to finish. Paddy

Geranium
Iris chrysographes 'Inchriach'
Iris cristata
Iris germanica
Oxalis 'Ione Heckler'
Papaver 'Fireball'

[Paddy Tobin]

Paul,

Are you sure that it isn't just the name which attracted you, named after the Arthus Guinness of Guinness (excellent Irish stout) fame?
It seems a reasonably long-lasting aquilegia as it has been in the garden for about 7 years. Seed later?

Anne, love the trollius in particular. And the Vicia favia? From the veg patch? We have been eating ours for the past two weeks.

Paddy

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Colourful display Paddy !!
Your picture of Ione Hecker is wonderful !!
Thanks for showing !  

[Paddy Tobin]

Thank you, Luc.

I have a few to finish off - great weather yesterday and today, too hot to work in the garden so I took out the camera for a while.

Paddy

Papaver orientalis 'Beauty of Livermere'
Papaver orientalis 'Pattie's Plum'
Ditto
Papaver orientalis 'Perry' White'
Rosa 'Canary Bird'
Trollius europaeus

[Paddy Tobin]

Anne,

It has eventually come back to me. I couldn't place your Phuopsis stylosa for several mintues - it spreads with ease and has an odd smell?

Paddy

[Lesley Cox]

Zdenek's erinaceus IS, Wim's ISN'T and I'm in two minds about both Anthony's and John's. The foliage of D. erinaceus isn't just prickly or sharp, it is seriously dangerous if, for example, you put your hand on it. There is no "give" in the leaves and the pain is excruciating. They are as rigid and sharp as the most vicious of Aciphylla species. The flowers are thinner than in Anthony's, though there may be variation of course, among seedlings. The flowers on mine are like those of Zdenek's. I know mine is true because it was from the 1966 ACW collection, as seed. My subsequent plants have been cutting grown from that plant. For 20 years I had just one seed from the original plant but I've had some seed from the cutting grown ones. They are all identical. The original plant grew to 50cms in diameter but eventually died when I lifted it from the garden to move to Dunedin.

I haven't got a digital picture of it but will make sure I get one in the spring.

[Lvandelft]

So many beautiful plants to see here today.
Paddy, Irish stout or not, your Aquilegia 'Arthur Guinness' is simply stunning!

Here is a Trollius Alabaster

[Paul T]

Anne,

Love that Vicia.  Excellent colour combination.  Your other pics aren't bad either. 

Paddy,

The assorted Papaver are beautiful, but that Iris chrysographes is breathtaking.  Never seen one like that before.    Much darker Iris cristata than I have seen, too.  All very nice.

Thanks for posting the pics everyone.

[WimB]

my world famous pink pudding - boysenberry mousse.

Sounds very good, never heard of a boysenberry though

Zdenek's erinaceus IS, Wim's ISN'T and I'm in two minds about both Anthony's and John's. The foliage of D. erinaceus isn't just prickly or sharp, it is seriously dangerous if, for example, you put your hand on it. There is no "give" in the leaves and the pain is excruciating. They are as rigid and sharp as the most vicious of Aciphylla species.

Thanks Lesley, mine certainly has a softer character 
I'll try some to find some seeds of the real one in the exchanges this year.

[Paul T]

Wim,

I think that a boysenberry is a cross between a rasberry and a blackberry.  Very nice fruit.

[Paddy Tobin]

Paul,

That Iris chrysographes is very nice indeed with petals which look like velvet. I am disappointed with the amount of gold marking on the petals though - can't have everything. I have another Iris chrysographes which I prefer and it is about to open.


Rodger,

I passed on your comments on Kalmia latifolia to my friend in Maryland and this was his reply:

"Paddy, this person is very insightful and his comments have given me another plant perspective; always a beneficial exercise. Thanks for sharing!
 
Kalmia latifolia, in its natural haunts has some heavy variation to flower color. That is where selective breeders and Kalmia experts such as Dick Jaynes have searched tirelessley for variations in flower colors (aberrations, perhaps) in native stands and through asexual propogation have successfully produced myriad Kalmia with different color variations, flower shapes, leaf shapes, disease resistance and growth habits.
 
Most of the native Kalmia I see are white - whitish pink. Even plants growing in close proximity can show marked color variation and some are quite pink. The buds are pink, then open to white.
 
They are really quite stunning in native thickets. These tight thickets are described by locals as "Laurel Hells" because they are impenetrable and will foil you if you are hunting or hiking. They prefer very rocky and dry areas, mostly wooded slopes under Oaks and Hickories on thin acidic soil types. I personally think that mycorhizal associations in the soil really help them survive the tough forest conditions. The deer browse them heavily and often the Laurel thickets are chewed to the point where there is no foliage below 4', as though an imaginary woodland chalk line has been snapped.
 
They also get Phytophthora root rot and debilitating leaf spot diseases that can render them quite unthrifty. They can be difficult to get established in the landscape as they resent coddling such as regular watering, over fertilization, amended soils and overly maintained sites. The overhead watering that Mr Whitlock mentions is a cause of huge problems here in greenhouse (sorry - glasshouse) and shadehouse production areas because it just spreads fungal spores and perpetuates the spread of the leaf spot diseases. Handwatering or drip irrigation is a must unless you like perpetual fungicide applications!
 
Thanks for sharing. PS - my Kalmia are just about full bloom here, along with Rhododendron maximum 'Roseum' - early summer blooming plants such as Spigelia, Huechera, Marshalia, Panax and Cotinus are in right now!
 
Talk soon,
 
Marty"

[Lesley Cox]

Wim, I think Paul is right, boysenberry = raspberry x blackberry but the boysenberry is much larger than either, up to about 4cms long and 1.5 or even 2cms wide. Black when ripe and very luscious.

[Paul T]

Mmmmmm..... boysenberry ripple ice cream!!