Crevice Gardening ......in defence of rock.....

[astragalus]

I agree, Ebbie.  It gets woody very quickly as it gets older and here, large sections of the older plants will die off in the spring.  But it makes a tremendous amount of seed and every year I will find a few seedlings from the left-over seed I didn't collect.

[David Nicholson]

Penstemon nitidus looks to be lovely little plant Anne and not one that seems to be freely available in the UK.

[Lori S.]

Penstemon nitidus looks to be lovely little plant Anne and not one that seems to be freely available in the UK.

I having been sending seed for it to the seedex since I joined, so keep an eye out for it!

[David Nicholson]

Thanks for that Lori, will do.

[ebbie]

Today in the crevice garden:
-Carduncellus rhaponticoides
-Thymus richardii ssp. nitidus 'Peter Davis'

[astragalus]

The Carduncellus is beautiful.  Where did you get the seed?

[ebbie]

The Carduncellus never makes seeds here. My plant was grown from "Wurzelschnittlingen" (sorry, I don't know the English word. I mean pieces of the root). That should work without problems.

[ranunculus]

The Carduncellus never makes seeds here. My plant was grown from "Wurzelschnittlingen" (sorry, I don't know the English word. I mean pieces of the root). That should work without problems.

Root cuttings, Ebbie.

[ebbie]

Oh yes -  root cuttings. Very simple. Thanks Cliff.

[David Nicholson]

Pictured today in my nearest equivalent of a crevice bed:-

Scutellaria indica
Erigeron chrysopsidis 'Grand Ridge'

[astragalus]

Love the erigeron, David, but I wasn't very good at getting it to stay permanently.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

I have the same experience, Anne - I've tried it a number of times and couldn't ever keep it any longer than 2 or 3 years... I was wondering if it is short lived ??

[Lvandelft]

Today in the crevice garden:
-Carduncellus rhaponticoides

Ebbie, Carduncellus are wonderful plants. The plant you showed is probably Carduncellus pinnatus, which is flowering here too. The (in my eyes) real C. rhaponticoides I have never seen the last ? 30 years when I lost it somehow. I know that Eugen Schleipfer has sold the plant you showed under this name several years ago.
Here a pic. from an old dia of the original Carduncellus rhaponticoides.

[David Nicholson]

I have the same experience, Anne - I've tried it a number of times and couldn't ever keep it any longer than 2 or 3 years... I was wondering if it is short lived ??

In his "Alpine Plants of North America" Graham Nicholls says it is prone to sudden collapse and his have never lasted more than 3/4 years. He says it is easy from cuttings though.

[ebbie]

Ebbie, Carduncellus are wonderful plants. The plant you showed is probably Carduncellus pinnatus, which is flowering here too. The (in my eyes) real C. rhaponticoides I have never seen the last ? 30 years when I lost it somehow. I know that Eugen Schleipfer has sold the plant you showed under this name several years ago.
Here a pic. from an old dia of the original Carduncellus rhaponticoides.

Thank you Luit. You are right. It is certainly the prickly and feathered Carduncellus pinnatus (maybe forma acaulis). It is also true that the plant I purchased from Eugen Schleipfer years ago.