Northern hemisphere June 2010

[johnw]

Love it or hate it Primula 'Francisca Darts' is in flower here.

johnw

[Roma]

I bought this Scutellaria laetoviolacea from Aberconway Nursery's stall at the SRGC Discussion Weekend last October in a tiny pot.  First it was a lovely foliage plant, then was attractive in bud - reminded me of the sea dragons ( seahorse relatives ) I have seen in wildlife films.
Now it is flowering magnificently  

[Diane Clement]

I bought this Scutellaria laetoviolacea from Aberconway Nursery's stall at the SRGC Discussion Weekend last October in a tiny pot.  First it was a lovely foliage plant, then was attractive in bud - reminded me of the sea dragons ( seahorse relatives ) I have seen in wildlife films.  Now it is flowering magnificently   

I see that Keith and Rachel Lever won a Certificate of Merit with it at the AGS Summer show south a couple of weeks ago, picture of their plant is here:

http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/discussion/atshows//Summer+Show+South+/406/?page=2

[Lesley Cox]

Thank you Maggi, 'Grace Seabrook' it was. I'd been thinking seaward but know that wasn't right. She looked wonderful with the violet of the clematis (my favourite) sprawling over her Not a planned combo, the clematis' pole had collapsed!

[TheOnionMan]

I bought this Scutellaria laetoviolacea from Aberconway Nursery's stall at the SRGC Discussion Weekend last October in a tiny pot.  First it was a lovely foliage plant, then was attractive in bud - reminded me of the sea dragons ( seahorse relatives ) I have seen in wildlife films.
Now it is flowering magnificently  

Roma, that's one sharp looking Scutellaria.  The foliage reminds me of some of the new leaf color forms of hybrid heuchera, and the flowers are outstanding.

[Lesley Cox]

Love it or hate it Primula 'Francisca Darts' is in flower here.

johnw

Mark McD will be very surprised to hear that I love it.

[TheOnionMan]

Love it or hate it Primula 'Francisca Darts' is in flower here.

johnw

Mark McM will be very surprised to hear that I love it.

I am indeed surprised 

But that is what I love about gardening, it is so personal and deeply satisfying.  And don't forget, one's taste can change.  There was a time when I truly disliked spiky things like Agave and Yucca, items worshiped by North American gardeners who fancy such dryland things, but "I've come around" to seeing their beauty.  One day, I was given a gift by a garden visitor, Saruma henryi, that odd monotypic genus whose name is an anagram for Asarum, to which it is related.  I had seen this in gardens, and thought it unremarkable at best, dowdy and ugly at its worst.  But, this dang thing has "grown on me", I've come to admire it considerably, and when grown in good soil and given good light and space to become a "specimen", it is rather fetching.  But I find that it remains one of those "love it or hate it" plants for many gardeners.

As to Primula 'Francisca Darts', never heard of it before, but it is certainly an intriguing color combo.  I'd have to see the whole plant, leaves and all, to pass judgement. The colors are Chrysosplenium-esque, so I'm rather drawn to it.

[johnw]

Mark - I guess it is actually Primula 'Francisca' and possibly erroneously as 'Francesca'.  Named after the great BC plantswoman Francisca Darts.  I am surprised you like it Lesley!

Mark the leaves are quite unremarkable and perhaps that's why a nurseryman threw it on the compost heap, Francisca rescued it.

johnw

[KentGardener]

A couple of things catching my attention in the garden this weekend.

Dactylorhiza grandis ex Sissinghurst
Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy'
Epipactis gigantea

[Zdenek]

Here is the second and last batch of my June photos:

Androsace bulleyana
Aster natalensis (syn. Felicia rosulata)
Convolvulus cantabricus
Dianthus pavonius
Heteropappus goulimyi
Incarvillea delavayi Alba
Meconopsis paniculata
Saponaria pulvinaris
Sedum pilosum

[cohan]

john--great colour on the eucomis!

zdenek--lots of treats--really nice red androsace!

[Lesley Cox]

Zdenek, I'm very pleased to see your plant of Saponaria pulvinaris as it was lumped together on the SRGC and AGS seed lists this year with pumilio, as if they were the same thing, and I knew they were not. I wanted to apply for pulvinaris which I used to have in a trough, but didn't, in case I got pumilio, which I had donated. Really nice to see the real thing.

[Lesley Cox]

Yes, I DO like the P. 'Francisa Dart' perhaps due to the colour as much as anything else. I like green flowers. I wonder if she would cross with this below, to produce a race of greenery-yallery seedlings (especially as I see FD is pin-eyed and mine is thrum-eyed). This is in NZ (erroneously), as P. rockii. Originally it was distributed as P. "wockii" and I can find no reference for that plant but it is obviously Section Vernales while rockii is Bullatae. Someone has compared the names, and since rockii is yellow, has thought "oh yes, it must be rockii." But it isn't. This plant flowers with all the others from Vernales and will cross readily with yellow polyanthus. The seedlings are very fragrant, tend toward the polys in flower but have the crinkly foliage.

[johnw]

to produce a race of greenery-yallery seedlings (especially as I see FD is pin-eyed and mine is thrum-eyed). This is in NZ (erroneously), as P. rockii. Originally it was distributed as P. "wockii"

Lesley

Send on the pollen and I will do the dirty work.

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

I'll try but it isn't in flower yet, maybe Aug/Sept. Better if mine flowered before yours as I could store the pollen.