Flowering now- July 2009

[Paul T]

Brian,

Fantastic Iris dichotoma.  I love the flower markings.  Wow. 

Paul,

Thanks for the extra info.  I read the 15'C and cancelled out any chance of growing it here, until I read your note at the bottom.  I was trying to work out why I deciduous climber would have a 15'C minimum up until that point.  Very nice.

Thanks again.

[Rodger Whitlock]

In flower today: Nierembergia rivularis

In 1991, Don Elick was a speaker at the Western Winter Study Weekend held in Victoria that year. I was fortunate to host him, and we had many interesting discussions on a wide range of topics, not only horticulture. He commented on the cracks due to serious settling of my concrete patio and suggested that they'd best be utilized for such plants as demanded such conditions. Did I have any nierembergia? As it happened, I had bought a pot of it a year or two earlier and planted it out, so yes, I did. We proceeded to gather some of the stringy rhizomes and drop them into the patio cracks, then backfilled with sand.

Now, nearly 20 years later, the Nierembergia continues to thrive in those cracks with no attention, while the original plant in the open garden has long since disappeared.

The photo includes the remains of faded flowers. Though this nierembergia flowers all summer long, to look its best, you must remove the faded flowers every few days, or you get the rather ugly corpses of flowers depicted.

I don't know what makes this location so favorable to the nierembergia, but rather suspect it's the cool, deep root run it gets under the concrete, plus protection from excessive winter wet.

[fermi de Sousa]

In flower: Cichorium spinosum

Rodger,
that spiny chicory is a stunner. How long has it taken to flower? Does it set seed?
I also love the Nierembergia which I'm trying in a similar situation - between rocks around a small pond.
cheers
fermi

[Rodger Whitlock]

In flower: Cichorium spinosum

that spiny chicory is a stunner. How long has it taken to flower? Does it set seed?

I only acquired it this spring, from Wrightman Alpines in Ontario. I was rather surprised that it flowered so soon, but it must enjoy the conditions I'm giving it (rich soil, lots of water, and brilliant sun). The flowers are fugitive, opening in the morning and fading as the sun goes down.

No idea if it will set seed, but if it does you may be sure I'll try to collect it for the exchanges.

I've always like the idea of these small, spiny subshrubs from the Mediterranean, but they don't seem to be all that common. In the same shipment I got Satureia spinosa and Catanache caespitosa, to join a plant of Ptilotrichium spinosum I already had.

The ptilotrichium approaches cactus levels of spininess. The flower heads are where the spines occur, very thin, pointed affairs with quite sharp points - as I discovered when I deadheaded mine. Definitely a plant to be a little wary of.

[Lori S.]

The huge flowerheads on Crambe cordifolia...

[pehe]

It is raining a lot here so the humid part of the garden have great days.
Can anyone help with a name of the last of them?

Poul

 Hortensia.jpg
 Roscoea auriculata var beesiana.jpg
 Roscoea humeana.jpg
 Forgotten name.jpg = Houttuynia cordata ..... probably  'Chameleon'

[pehe]

There are some pretty flowers in rest of the garden too. Not so rare but nice anyway.
The last two from the green house.

Poul

 Crocosmia Lucifer.jpg
 Tulbaghia violacea.jpg
 Arum italicum.jpg
 Hesperantha baurii.jpg
 Scilla intermedia.jpg

[Gerdk]

Can anyone help with a name of the last of them?
Poul

Houttunia cordata - perhaps the cultivar ' Chameleon ' -

Nice Scilla in your last post!

Gerd

[Maggi Young]

Your garden must be looking very good with all these plants, Poul.

I agree with Gerd: Houttuynia cordata ..... probably  'Chameleon'

[olegKon]

Some things today
1,2 Ranunculus
3.Adenofora liliacina
4.Veratrum nigrum

[Paddy Tobin]

Oleg,

Love the veratrum. V. viride does well here and I must get the dark one at some stage.

Rodger, some plants certainly live their lives in what seem to us the most unpromising conditions. Amazing to have it growing so well for twenty years.

Poul, Houttonia certainly - a plant which I would consider a weed here as it travels without restrictions and gets to be a pest but nice nonetheless.

Lori, crambe is looking splendid, great plant, great presence.

Lovely run of photographs everybody. Enjoyed them.

Paddy

[PaulM]

Here are some more photographs of flowers here with me in Sweden:

1) Lathyrus chilensis
2) Leuzea rhapontica
3) Linanthus "dylanae" ( probably L. grandiflorus)
4) Linum dolomiticum
5) Lonicera involucrata flowers
6) Lonicera involucrata  fruits
7) Monarda bradburiana
I've always been fascinated with thistles and especially Onopordums, which I've collected half a dozen species of in Turkey. Here the common Scotch Thistle- Onopordum acanthium, which I think is used for a wide variety of thistle species, maybe some Scotsman can tell me which one it was being placed around the camps as protection from sneaky Vikings?
9) Onopordum boissieri- is fairly shory ( about 1m ) and gets purple colored bracts during-after flowering almost like Eryngium leavenworthii.
10) Close up of the flower of Onopordum boissieri

[Lori S.]

Nice plants, everyone!  Paul, it looks like you have quite a few of our underused native plants - Lonicera involucrata is almost completely overlooked here - glad to see you are appreciating it!  What is the habit of Lathyrus chilensis - bushy, vining?

[PaulM]

Dear Lori,
             the Lathyrus chilensis is vining and grows againt a south facing wall. I like your Crambe cordifolia. It's an imposing plant. I grew Crambe orientalis for a few years, and I am currently waiting for Crambe kotschyana to reach flowering size.
I like the Lonicera involucrata and saw a lot of it when I was in Banff and in the Colorado Rockies.

Here are some more Onopordum pictures. Onopordum bracteatum is by far the spiniest of the Onopordums I've been growing, and I think it's the most beautiful too. The flowers haven't quite opened yet, but I have a few pictures of the stem and also of a still unidentified Onopordum from the Lake Egirdir area of Turkey.

1) Onopordum bracteatum
2) Onopordum bracteatum- gloves needed to handle
3) Onopordum sp the whole plant is about 2,5m tall and quite wide
4) Onopordum sp bud
5) Onopordum sp flower

and a few others

6) Palafoxia sphacelata
7) Papaver sp- any suggestions of what it could be would be appreciated. Looking at The E-flora Flora of China it could be P. nudicaule var. aquilegioides as the fruit capsule is glabrous, Comments still appreciated.
Close up of the flower of the above species
9) The leaves of above.
10) Penstemon triflorus is still flowering and is showing some variety between flowers.

[Maggi Young]

more great pix, Paul!
Yesterday, I was looking at some shrubs in a municipal planting.... they were cut very hard back a few months ago and are only now beginning to look good again.... saw a shrub flowering which I didn't remember seeing there before.... couldn't think WHAT is was..... you've solved the question.... Lonicera involucrata!