May 2010 in the Northern Hemisphere

[cohan]

Angie ,

This kind of Hibiscus are really common here ....they are in near each garden -but I dont know the name.
They are always full of flowers each year ...I will send later a pic
In gardencenters they sell here a other kind of Hibiscus -they are not hardy outside .

Hans

Hibiscus syriaca? Presumably from Syria and quite hardy here. There are a lot of different forms in pinks, lavenders etc. The bigger, flashier ones are tropical and only grow in the far north of NZ.

H syriacus -'rose of sharon' was somewhat popular in toronto (around usda z5, lows to -20Cat least), though not as popular as it deserved to be, since it formed a nice shrub to small tree and flowered in mid-summer when many things in that hot humid yet dry summer would not be looking good..white, pink, and blue/purple forms, all with red centres... not, i think hardy here, but i would absolutely grow them if i were a couple zones warmer..
there were also some other kind of hibiscus grown there which i believe were perennial and hardy but herbaceous (at least in that climate) so they usually only grew a couple feet tall that i saw, but had much larger flowers than syriacus in several colours--very tropical looking, though not tall..
of course, in those fairly long warm summers, it was also quite easy to seasonally grow the tropical hibiscus outdoors to good effect...

[TheOnionMan]

H syriacus -'rose of sharon' was somewhat popular in toronto (around usda z5, lows to -20Cat least), though not as popular as it deserved to be, since it formed a nice shrub to small tree and flowered in mid-summer when many things in that hot humid yet dry summer would not be looking good..white, pink, and blue/purple forms, all with red centres... not, i think hardy here, but i would absolutely grow them if i were a couple zones warmer..
there were also some other kind of hibiscus grown there which i believe were perennial and hardy but herbaceous (at least in that climate) so they usually only grew a couple feet tall that i saw, but had much larger flowers than syriacus in several colours--very tropical looking, though not tall..
of course, in those fairly long warm summers, it was also quite easy to seasonally grow the tropical hibiscus outdoors to good effect...

I grow and work on hybridizing both the shrubby H. syriacus (single-flowered forms) and the herbaceous North American native species and hybrids (H. moscheutos, palustris, coccinea, etc) which sprout late (just beginning to sprout now) and grow to 3-6' (1-2 meters) by late summer depending on variety, flowering with enormous disks that can be 12" across (30 cm) starting in August.  They're not everyone's cup of tea, I find them them to be fun plants, and surprisingly, being from wet habitats, they seem completely drought resistant.  Cohan, I wonder if H. moscheutos would be hardy for you, it grows up into Ontario, but not sure how far up it reaches, so maybe it is just a Zone 5 species.  I upload one photo showing a white hybrid with pink-dot center.

In milder climates, H. syriacus can become a nuisance by seeding around prolifically, even here.  I like the tawny beige star-shaped seed heads that cover the shrubs through the winter, but I do believe every single seed germinates, and they get around all over the place, I think due to the bristly ruff of hairs that encircle each seed.  The flower color lines and possibilities seem rather entrenched in this species, and after 6-7 years of making crosses and growing on many hundreds of seedlings, I will only potentially name one of them, and several other seedlings show odd or unusual characteristics that could be used in further breeding work.  But one thing for sure, a garden full of "hardy hibiscus", both shrubby and herbaceous, is one that comes alive in late summer to autumn.

I upload two photos of the only worthy H. syriacus hybrid seedling to come out of my hybridization efforts so far.  One parent is H. syriacus 'Helene', one of the US National Arboretum hybrids named after Greek gods... this one with white flowers and a deep red eye zone with penetrating rays of color.  The selection is supposedly sterile, but I found that it would indeed make viable seed when crossed late in the season (early fall) when temperatures got cool.  My parent plant of 'Helene' eventually died; of the USNA hybrids it always showed branch and twig kill over winter, thus not the hardiest of the group.  My selected seedling has not shown any tendencies for winter die back, and has very large silvery lilac flowers and similar red-rayed centers.  Thus far, it has set no viable seed, thus likely sterile.

[gote]

My Lysischitons are not (yet) very impressive but they are the first to flower at the lakeside.
Dicentra cucullaria has become a near weed in my garden. It seems that the rice grains spread in mysterious ways. Usually it does not flower much - perhaps it needs more light??
The wild Anemone nemorosa flower very well this year they nearly overwhelm the Trillium grandiflorums in their midst.
The various special varieties have fared less well except 'virescens'.
My experience is that pink nemorosas usually are under stress so it is natural that this one which I moved from the forest some years ago is nicely pink this year.
Ranuncloides semiplena, however, does very well.
A friend helped me to get a Heloniopsis orientalis supposedly varigeated from Crug Farm last year. It is not variegated but light pink - much better. Thank you again!
And last a wild 'weed' but a beauty Oxalis acetocella (If you do not like them - eat them  )
Cheers
Göte

[Olga Bondareva]

gote
I see I live at south country.  It strange most of plants you show finished blooming here.

Gentiana dinarica


Aquilegia laramiensis


Omphalodes lojkae


Daphne julia Apple Blossom

[Olga Bondareva]

Atragene sibirica


Different Pulsatilla vulgaris Papageno






Spontaneous garden hybrid of Primula elatior

[TheOnionMan]

Göte, Dicentra cuccularia is a near weed here too, but it does flower very well and makes beautiful clumps that redeem its aggressive spreading habits.  In the first photo, I show the base of a plant going dormant, where the clustered red bulbs (rhizome scales, whatever they are technically) rise to the surface and easily spread around.  I often dig these, then replant a few inches deep, to "reset" them into a location wanted.  Since they are so ephemeral, I don't get overly worried by their appearance.  In the photo, the stems going off camera are Trillium vaseyi, and I spy several 2-yr seedlings at the base.

I like Oxalis acetosella, finally determined that is what I have, but in a particularly good deep rose pink form.  Maybe we should exchange seed color forms?

[Giles]

Paeonia peregrina
Magnolia laevifolia
Pimelea prostrata
Lilium mackliniae (dark form)
Magnolia 'Touch of Pink'

[Gail]

I like the look of Magnolia laevifolia Giles and it's said to be lime tolerant?  Is it scented?

[Giles]

Magnolia laevifolia is something of a 'wonder plant', Gail.
It's easy from fresh seed (that hasn't been dried), flowers within 2 yrs of sowing, is fully frost hardy and is lime tolerant.
No fragrance, though (Sorry).

[cohan]

lots of good stuff today!

mark--i remembered kristl having H moscheutos on her list, so i checked to see what hardiness rating she gave it: currently she lists H moscheutos ssp palustris, and rates it zone 4, while mentioning that it survived some -40C/F winters--i presume that was in her ontario garden; worth trying sometime, you never know..of course its not just about minimum temps--i have a cooler and shorter summer than kristl did in ontario...

göte--great to see those swathes of woodland plants-love the nemorosas, and Oxalis is really nice..

olga--some beauties as usual, esp like the Atragene and Aquilegia

[Maggi Young]

Magnolia laevifolia is something of a 'wonder plant', Gail.
It's easy from fresh seed (that hasn't been dried), flowers within 2 yrs of sowing, is fully frost hardy and is lime tolerant.
No fragrance, though (Sorry).

I remembered this old thread: michelia yunnanensis seeds.....

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4213.0


 I've read that this plant is said to have lightly, but pleasantly, scented flowers..... perhaps yours need  to mature, Giles, or have sunnier weather?

I am very impressed at the time from seed to flower...... also, if it its lime tolerant rather than lime -loving, would it like life in slightly acidic Aberdeen, does anyone think??

[Lesley Cox]

Have you had a sniff at Pimelea prostrata Giles? It should smell of wild honey. Honey with a sort of tussocky/earthy/cat's pee smell and typical of much of NZ's high country when a soft, warm wind is blowing.

[gote]

Göte, Dicentra cuccularia is a near weed here too, but it does flower very well and makes beautiful clumps that redeem its aggressive spreading habits.   Since they are so ephemeral, I don't get overly worried by their appearance.  In the photo, the stems going off camera are Trillium vaseyi, and I spy several 2-yr seedlings at the base.

Problem is that the early leaf is not unlike some forms of Corydalis turtschaninowii so I get confused when weeding.
Have written separately about Oxalis
Göte

[gote]

gote
I see I live at south country.  It strange most of plants you show finished blooming here.

It looks that way. I assume that my spring is colder than yours even if your mid-winter is colder than mine. Your pics are beautiful as always. I think you told us what camera you use but can you repeat I am thinking of upgrading.
Regards
Göte
   

[gote]

Magnolia laevifolia
Lilium mackliniae (dark form)

I will put Magnolia laevifolia on my look out for seed list. Hoping that frost hardy means frost hardy here 
The flower shape of the lilium looks unusual to me. Will it open to be more bowl shaped?
Göte