Flowering Now - June 2009

[Lesley Cox]

Luc,

So what sort of habit DOES it have?  

I like the 'Ragged Robin' dahlia too, perhaps because of that very "bad hair day" look it has. I have so many myself.

Paul, think Phyllis Diller on an even worse hair day.

[Magnar]

From today:

Penstemon sp wild collected seeds from Utha. Received as P. opianthus, but in my opinion that cant ce correct. Any idea which penstemon it might be? Anyhow it's a fantastic sight at the moment.

Delphinium brunonianum,, ca 30 cm tall.

Castilleja rhexifolia.

[Sinchets]

That's a lovely pale form of D.brunonianum, Magnar. Much paler than I have had before. A real shame it always transmutes in D.'tatsienense' 
Not sure about the Penstemon- maybe something like P.fruticosus. Though it is  a stunner. Lori may have a better idea.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Can't help you with the ID Magnar, but the Pentstemon looks fabulous...  funny, but I had never associated Utah with Norway..

[Ragged Robin]

Lovely pictures, Robin!  I wonder which verbascum that is?  (I really like verbascums, an interest for which I pay dues, i. e. much weeding out of multitudes of verbascum seedlings!)

1) Wonderfully bizarre colouration on Canna 'TropiCanna'
2) Helenium hoopesii (a southerly Great Plains native), which should have been blooming a month ago, with Salvia pratensis.
3) A beautiful thug, Phalaris arundinacea 'Feesey's Form' (which I have confined within a cut-off pot)
4) Rosa primula... not the best show this year; in better shows, it forms cylinders of flowers around the stem - interesting that it's hardy here.
5)  Salix x boydii, and Salix retusa.
6) Spiraea triloba
7) Rosa spinosissima
8 ) Echium russicum.

Lori, I love the two Rosa's and would love to grow either one here but note that you say that Rosa primula is questionably hardy    Is the Rosa spinosissima? 

The 'Thug' I used to grow backed by a yew hedge in dappled shade of a copper beech by the edge if a pond - each blade and head stood out perfectly and was very dramatic.

I'm afraid I have no knowledge of the wild Verbascum here and am struggling generally with identifying plants (No site detailed enough that I can find on the internet - however thought I could do the research and make a local site for other non natives here - lovely photos available from people visiting but no ID  )  Still here is the whole Verbascum plant in case anyone has an idea of which one it is    Much admiration for your HUGE knowledge of wild plants.

[Sinchets]

Robin, it could be Verbascum phlomoides- or at least that would be a good place to start looking for pics online to compare it with
We have a similar one here that grew unexpectedly in a bulb frame.- it is flowering just now.

[Ragged Robin]

Robin, it could be Verbascum phlomoides- or at least that would be a good place to start looking for pics online to compare it with
We have a similar one here that grew unexpectedly in a bulb frame.- it is flowering just now.

The flower looks rather different, though, Simon - with definite petals as in posting 380 photo 01  - what do you think?  Thanks for helping to ID it 

[Sinchets]

Sorry, Robin- I didn't mean we have the same species, just that this one was flowering for me now. Mine is less wooly leaved than yours seems and you are right the petals overlap. Out of interest how big in diameter are the flowers on yours?

[Sinchets]

Flowering now:
Incarvillea olgae (?) bought originally from a members' stand at and AGS show
Eryngium planum
3 Nepetas, of which I am not sure of names. They could be a mix of various ones I have had in the past, or hybrids of these. Sorry about the quality- but hopefully it is possible to see the lip shape etc..

[Lori S.]

Lori, I love the two Rosa's and would love to grow either one here but note that you say that Rosa primula is questionably hardy    Is the Rosa spinosissima? 

Robin, with my comment about R. primula ("interesting that is is hardy here"), I just meant that this climate (chinooks, unreliable snow, very dry) is difficult on woody plants, and when trying something that is not commonly grown here, it is always a pleasant surprise to find that it can survive without winter damage.  So, really, I think it is very hardy, as is R. spinosissima... I hope that's helpful, although I'm sure others here could advise better on how they may do in your conditions.   
(Re. my "knowledge" about wild plants, thank you so much for the compliment, Robin, undeserved though it is!  I'm trying to learn, slowly, painfully, at any rate.  I'm chagrined to realize how little I know compared to the assemblage of experts here! Wow!)

[David Nicholson]

Here's Anomatheca laxa 'Joan Evans' (or maybe it's a Freesia these days?) that Chris Boulby sent me bulbils of probably in 2008. Do you remember Chris, the first lot you sent were crushed in the post and you sent me some more?

I have two pots and one of them I'm going to try outside in a south(ish) facing rock bed I'm making as I've so enjoyed the summer flowering rock beds that Simon and Luc and others have posted this year.

Sorry about the quality of picture two.

[Sinchets]

Good on ya, David. You never know until you try. 

[Darren]

Lovely pictures everyone. It is wonderful that this forum attracts members from all over the world and we can share knowledge of our local plants with those trying to grow them as imports. On this note - thank you Paul for your comments on the Diplarrhena. Thanks also for the offers of help with the Mac.

I've had good germination of something alleged to be Dephinum brunonianum (exchange seed) this year Magnar. Even though it possibly won't be the real thing I hope it is as nice as your plant is.

Lori - Thanks for the Salix pictures. I love these little willowsw. This week's heatwave has scorched my S. herbacea badly but then it is a polar species really. It will probably recover. I'd like the monograph on the genus but it is probably full of the big trees which, whilst interesting, are impractical in a suburban garden! Bonsai perhaps?

[gote]

Lori, I love the two Rosa's and would love to grow either one here but note that you say that Rosa primula is questionably hardy    Is the Rosa spinosissima? 

Robin, with my comment about R. primula ("interesting that is is hardy here"), I just meant that this climate (chinooks, unreliable snow, very dry) is difficult on woody plants, and when trying something that is not commonly grown here, it is always a pleasant surprise to find that it can survive without winter damage.  So, really, I think it is very hardy, as is R. spinosissima... I hope that's helpful, although I'm sure others here could advise better on how they may do in your conditions.   
(Re. my "knowledge" about wild plants, thank you so much for the compliment, Robin, undeserved though it is!  I'm trying to learn, slowly, painfully, at any rate.  I'm chagrined to realize how little I know compared to the assemblage of experts here! Wow!)

Rosa spinosissima and its relaticves are very hardy and will take -30°C
The first pic is spinosissima v pimpinellifolia a low (less than 1 m) pink semi-double.
The best hybrid is an old Finnish one called 'Poppius' (exceeds 2m in my place)That is the one to the right.
The one to the left is 'Frühlingsduft' also very hardy.
Göte 

[Ragged Robin]

Sorry, Robin- I didn't mean we have the same species, just that this one was flowering for me now. Mine is less wooly leaved than yours seems and you are right the petals overlap. Out of interest how big in diameter are the flowers on yours?

About 5cm when open wide