Northern hemisphere June 2010

[Stephenb]

Today's haul:

1-2 Rubus arcticus x stellarcticus coming into bloom
3 Aquilegia flabellata, I think
4-5 After 5 years, this was the total crop of my Wasabi (Wasabia japonica) - has very particular requirements..
6 Lomatium nudicaule (the easiest species?)
7-8 Lomatium utriculatum (this has never flowered - would you have guessed it was in the same genus as the last one?)
9-10 Viola canadensis - as I said in another thread this flowered last year pretty well all summer last year.

[johnw]

My neighbor's Wisteria has been pruned as a tree.  Every shoot that emerges is pinched back to 1 set of leaves and now it flowers every year after one very long wait.  Might anyone hazard a guess to the variety?

johnw

John,

looks like a Wisteria floribunda.

http://biodiversity.georgetown.edu/images/Wisteria-floribunda-Macrobotrys-030505-5s.jpg

I thought it might be Macrobotrys with such long racemes.  Thanks

johnw

[johnw]

Grevillea rosmarinifolia perhaps?    But outside in Nova Scotia ?.... has Philip been overdosing on the optimism pills?

Maggi - Ken tells me the Grevillea is 'Canberra Gem'.  When in doubt ask the obvious!

johnw

[johnw]

A few Nomocharis in flower as well as Lilium macklinae #3 & Lilium pyrenaicum #6.

Awaiting 2 inches of rain.

johnw

[Maggi Young]

Grevillea rosmarinifolia perhaps?    But outside in Nova Scotia ?.... has Philip been overdosing on the optimism pills?

Maggi - Ken tells me the Grevillea is 'Canberra Gem'.  When in doubt ask the obvious!

johnw

Well, yes, that answer was found close enough, was it not!

It's a rosmarinifolius hybrid, I learn.....
http://www.anbg.gov.au/acra/descriptions/acc092.html

[Stephenb]

and...

1. Trillium grandiflorum
2. Primula veris (Cowslip), also a wild flower in this area, but has a local distribution, one of my favourites and a sign of warmer days to come (but not too warm, I hope...)
3. Hylomecon japonicum¨
4. Trillium camschatcense and Cardamine pentaphyllos
5. Trillium camschatcense

[Lori S.]

More...
1) Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow'; when the bloom is fresh, the plant is still pretty sparse, but it fills in later.
2) Iris timofejewii
3) Arisaema triphyllum
4) Globularia
5) Helleborus 'Red Mountain'

And I found - and squashed - a couple of these critters yesterday (5)... very interesting, as I'd never even seen one (lily beetle, that is) before last year.

[Kimjy]

A few Nomocharis in flower as well as Lilium macklinae #3 & Lilium pyrenaicum #6.

Awaiting 2 inches of rain.

johnw

Wish I could grow Nomocharis like that - not cold enough here I think !! My Lilium pyrenaicum are not open yet - will hopefully come out by the end of the week or next, and looking good this year.

[Lori S.]

First flowers, finally, on Dracocephalum palmatum from seed a few years ago... ridiculously overisized, considering the leaves are 5mm across in the widest dimension!

[cohan]

First flowers, finally, on Dracocephalum palmatum from seed a few years ago... ridiculously overisized considering the leaves are 5mm across, the widest dimension!

congrats! i  have about 2 tiny seedlings of a draco from holubec(or was it pavelka? i'd have to look it up..) that look like they may not be much bigger vegetatively than yours!
great colour on the euphorbia above!
and--are those the dread lily beetles? some folks on coldzone yahoo group have been freaking out about them.....

[Lori S.]

The draco, pictured above, is very nice even without flowers... totally evergreen.  Glad it's finally started to bloom though!  Which are you growing, Cohan?  I also started D. heterophyllum (gorgeous plant), foetidum, and poulsenii (absolutely minute leaves!) from Pavelka and Holubec.

Yes, it's lily beetle... one was in a martagon that was rather chewed up; the other was nearby.  I saw/killed 4 last year.  What a shame, as lilies were such effortless, pest-free, essentially bullet-proof plants up until now.

[cohan]

The draco, pictured above, is very nice even without flowers... totally evergreen.  Glad it's finally started to bloom though!  Which are you growing, Cohan?  I also started D. heterophyllum (gorgeous plant), foetidum, and poulsenii (absolutely minute leaves!) from Pavelka and Holubec.

Yes, it's lily beetle... one was in a martagon that was rather chewed up; the other was nearby.  I saw/killed 4 last year.  What a shame, as lilies were such effortless, pest-free, essentially bullet-proof plants up until now.

its poulsenii--i just checked, there are actually 3 seedlings...lol..i guess i need to start getting these things outside, its just been so darn cold at night..they are in for a shock.....

sorry about the beetles i wonder if they will make it out here to the bush...not that i have many lilies--guess i wont be buying any as plants..can they hitch with dormant bulbs? they'd have quite a trip to get here garden by garden...

[Lori S.]

can they hitch with dormant bulbs? they'd have quite a trip to get here garden by garden...

I expect they could, as the adults overwinter in the soil.  (The larvae also pupate in the soil in the summer, then emerge as adults in late summer.)  I imagine the bulb trade is likely how they got to North America in the first place, and very likely how they are getting further and further west.  At least the adults don't fly... do they?  I haven't read that they do, at any rate.

[TheOnionMan]

First flowers, finally, on Dracocephalum palmatum from seed a few years ago... ridiculously overisized, considering the leaves are 5mm across in the widest dimension!

Lori, that's an awesome Draco.  I had this one as a seedling plant in the garden for a couple years, from one of the Czech sources, then the promising plant died one winter, so it is great to see what it looks like in flower... love the oversized flower.  Congratulations.

Regarding lily beetle, you have my condolences.  Cohan, you are justified in being careful buying liliaceous plants; about 10 years ago I bought one of those great big showy overbred lilies for my wife who likes big flowered stuff that "you can see" as she says, and that was the start of lily beetle in my yard. Ever since then it has been a constant battle with lily beetle, and i n spite of daily picking and destroying, there is no end to them... and I don't even have any lilies now, just Frits, which lily beetles will ravage.  Wish I had been more careful.  If I could do it over again, I would only grow such things from seed again.

Addenda:  I wasn't even watching, forgot that this was my 1000th SRGC post, what a gas-bag I am ;-)

[Lori S.]

I wasn't even watching, forgot that this was my 1000th SRGC post

Well, congrats are in order to you then!    Thanks for all your contributions!