Northern Hemisphere August 2010

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Hardly on the lawn every now and then Maggi....

 So, the lawnmower is broken and you must lie there and clip the grass with scissors? 

You seem to know my strong points Maggi.... 

Glad you liked the pix McMark and thanks for the useful information !
I got the Phlox m. last year and it did survive the harsh Winter we had (under some protection) - I hope I can hold it, it's such a striking colour and the flowering (although never in full force) seems to go on forever !
I remember pictures of Arroyo, Mary Maslin, and others in one of my very first AGS bulletins I got somewhere in the late eighties.  I was smitten by them ever since and was ever so pleased to find one last year !

[ranunculus]

Wonderful images, Luc.
I too am so pleased to see 'Mary Maslin' in full flower ... these Mexican phloxes had a brief, but beautiful foray onto the show benches twenty or so years ago, but proved incredibly hard to establish.  I presume they are still grown in the U.K. but seldom, if ever, exhibited now. Appreciate yours whilst you can - it deserves LOTS of photographs!   

[Lesley Cox]

I raised my current Silene hookeri as S. hookeri 'Ingramii Group' as if there were several within a tight definition. The white ssp bolanderi was quite separate. Now, early spring, bolanderi is coming up well and fast while the pink is still underground and I thought maybe had died but a small fingering among the gravel showed the beginnings of new growth.

[Renate Brinkers]

Renate, I never saw a yellow Commelina, only blue... cool!
Might your Ornithogalum candicans actually be Galtonia candicans?

Mark,
I also like the yellow Commelina very much and it grows really good.

Ornithogalum: It is as Maggie said, I had it long years under the name Galtonia and short time ago it was renamed.

[Renate Brinkers]

cool stuff! the impatiens are very nice-- I. omeiana seems very tropical!

renate--i agree commelina is interesting, also chlorophytum--these are tender? do you have any pictures of the plants?

Cohan,
I will take some pictures tomorrow and post it. Both are really interesting plants.

[Renate Brinkers]

Luc,
that´s a wonderful Phlox, never saw such a clear red one.

[cohan]

cool stuff! the impatiens are very nice-- I. omeiana seems very tropical!

renate--i agree commelina is interesting, also chlorophytum--these are tender? do you have any pictures of the plants?

Cohan,
I will take some pictures tomorrow and post it. Both are really interesting plants.

thank-you renate! i'm very interested to see these

[Stephenb]

Suddenly, a number of late summer species are in bloom, but what happened to summer 

1. Tropaeolum tuberosum "Ken Aslet", grown for its edible tubers, one of the Lost Crops of the Incas...
2. Lilium lanciflorum flaviflorum, Monarda fistulosa var menthifolia and Monarda didyma "Adam" (spreading like "wildfire" and will have to be tamed)
3-4. Cacalia atripicifolia (would love to get my hands on the Asian species Cacalia delphiniifolia and C. hastata if anyone has seed - both used as wild gathered edibles in the Far East??)
5. Commelina coelestis alba
6. Allium wallichii

[Gail]

Distinctly un-alpine but it makes me smile - Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Bonjour' which has huge, flamboyant flowers.

[Maggi Young]

holy moly! That is one LARGE flower! How pretty.... love the veins and shading... beautifully shown in your photo, Gail.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

A super(b) flower Gail !!! 

[angie]

Wow Gail, mine haven't even flowered yet and did I hear summer is officially over this week  , oh well l can at least admire your flower

Angie

[Renate Brinkers]

Stephen,

great pictures, especially the Tropaeolum, it has a striking colour. Nice to see that there are more people with Commelina 

[Renate Brinkers]

Gail,
a wonderful Hibiscus. It seems as the flowers are really big.

[Renate Brinkers]

Cohan,

here are some pictures of the Chlorophytum and Commelina, a bit difficult to take good pictures because the plant is more an elegant one with fine branches.
Also some other pics of Commelina variegata and Setrcreasea purpurea `Variegata´, formerly a Tradescantia and sometimes called Setcreasea or Tradescantia pallida `Variegata´ but as I know the name S.purp. `Var.´is valid and S.pallida is an other species.