Flowering now- July 2009

[Stephenb]

1) Crambe maritima, looking very broccoli-ish, starting to bloom.

Lori: Surprised to see that you can cultivate Sea Kale in Alberta! One of my favourite edimentals (edible ornamentals), beautiful when established and covered in flowers! I have one that is now about 27 years old and still produces every spring. Here it is in flower a week ago:

[Paddy Tobin]

Re eucryphia: The two plants shown are very young, only planted 18 months ago approximately and are now about 1 metre high. They have come through the harshest winter weather we have had in many years without any damage whatsoever. I expect they will gradually grow to 5 or more metres.

I also grow E. x nymansay, E. 'Rostrevor', E. 'Mount Usher', E. 'Ballerina', E. lucida 'Pink Cloud'  and another whose name I haven't as it was given to me as a gift. The oldest of these, E. x nymansay,  is now over twenty years in the garden, is 5 - 6 metres high, flowers in August usually and has never had any damage from frost or weather.

They are good garden plants. I have never had to prune or do anything else to them over the years and they flower reliably and profusely year on year.

The pink flowers are a nice addition.

Paddy

[Paul T]

Paddy,

Yeah for southern hemisphere plants!!    Go leatherwoods!! 

[Paddy Tobin]

Paul,

I can certainly recommend them. They are excellent plants here - unlike the eucalyptus!!! My son is in the process of removing one from his garden. It was there when he purchased the house and it completely out of scale and unsuitable for the small space. They enjoy our generous rainfall but there is the danger that after growing at an enormous rate they become unstable on the roots.

Paddy

[Sinchets]

Flowering now:
Dianthus amurensis- Inever did understand why this was marketted as 'Siberian Blues' and a big play about the flowers being the "closest thing to blue" you could get in a Dianthus. It's a beautiful plant without the hype.
Achillea millefolium 'Summer Berries' - guarding the front gate.
Hosta venusta (?)- a dwarf Hosta bought a long, long time ago from Raemoir Garden Centre, Banchory- it is spread around here by the voles disturbing the soil.
Penstemon rydbergii- second flowering, after some recent storms, in a shady border

[Ragged Robin]

Re eucryphia: Thanks for giving more information Paddy

[cohan]

Achillea millefolium 'Summer Berries' - guarding the front gate.

nice achillea--a genus i really like, and hoping ot get some more--miniatures and pink flowers are hign on my list; i picked up  a nice bright yellow form with silver foliage this spring, still in a pot, but blooming away.. my intention is to plant it with some red foliage penstemons--'husker's red' i think...

[Tony Willis]

Paddy thanks for the info on the eucryphia. We have a lost name one which has been in the garden several years and is slowly growing

Here is Deinathe caerulea in flower at the moment

[Ragged Robin]

Wonderful coloured Achillea, Simon, I love the level heads and they look great against the backdrop.  Lovely Dianthus - I expect the light changes the impression of the colour during the day and by evening it would look quite different.....the little hosta is really sweet - so voles do have some good points don't they?

[Lesley Cox]

I have a pink eucryphia called 'Carousel' but very small and not flowered yet. All the Eucryphias have that certain something that says "Class" plants, very choice and special. I love them all. Especially valued too in that they are autumn flowering.

[johnw]

All the Eucryphias have that certain something that says "Class" plants, very choice and special.

Here, that something also says "Winter-Damaged" plants.  

johnw

[Sinchets]

The Achillea is a bit aggressive, but a great plant in dry soil- sun or part shade. It's been a good seller here, but only in flower, otherwise people are suspicious we are trying to sell a common garden weed 
The Hosta is interesting- I really wasn't sure if it would take to the heat here- but the voles 'divided' them for us, and they are now coming up in lots of places.

[Lori S.]

Simon, I've always been puzzled by the hoopla (or should I say advertising) over that Dianthus amurensis cultivar/selection (whatever it is)!  Achillea millefolium is rather aggressive no matter where, it seems!  So many of the interesting colours have the habit of fading to less attractive beiges, too.

Stephen, what a venerable old plant you have - amazing.

[Sinchets]

Simon, I've always been puzzled by the hoopla (or should I say advertising) over that Dianthus amurensis cultivar/selection (whatever it is)!  Achillea millefolium is rather aggressive no matter where, it seems!  So many of the interesting colours have the habit of fading to less attractive beiges, too.

The standard off-white Achillea millefoilum is native here too-we are planning on letting 'Summer Berries' "escape" into the meadow to see how fast it moves through it by runner or by seed. 

[pehe]

First signs of autumn!
(But let us enjoy summer while it is here)

My first autumn flowers: Colchicum parnassicum and flowerbuds of Scilla intermedia.


Poul