Haut Chitelet Alpine Garden (France)

[cohan]

Well, it's now around midwinter here in France, days become longer, but spring in the mountains is still far away.
On this sunny sunday morning, I made a little walk in my archives, and found some garden plants pics from the previous years.


2- Androsace vitaliana
Or whatever name it will be given...A fairy in late may, when the grey carpet gets covered with hundreds of little golden flowers. The plant may look less showy after that in summer, but this generous flowering for 2 weeks in spring is well worth waiting. It grows rapidly here, and divisions are made every year. Never seen seed on it, I'll try hand pollination next spring.

3- Androsace laggeri
From the Pyrenees, perhaps the loveliest of the carnea group, with its fine leaves, light and fragile flowers.


6- Primula juliae
Also from the Caucasus. A creeping primula which appreciates cool, damp, and rather shade conditions


10- Silene acaulis Frances ( I think)
As i read, a natural form from the shetlands or the feroes islands. Foliage is very thight and of a very light green, one could think the plant is lacking nutrients. The flowers are also of the palest pink. A beautiful alternative to the sometimes flashy pink of the common silene acaulis.

Every single one is a gem! even if I pick a favourite, I can't pick less than 3-- the yellow Androsace just because its an atypical colour for the genus, the very gentle woodsy looking Primula, and the pale Silene, because I like pale pinks..but all wonderful and very nicely shot..

[Lori S.]

even if I pick a favourite, I can't pick less than 3-- the yellow Androsace just because its an atypical colour for the genus...

Probably part of the reason it was reclassified to Vitaliana primuliflora.  It's easy to grow here, if you are interested in trying it, Cohan.

Lovely pictures, Phillippe.  They put me in mind of spring... and it's incredible to see (from some other threads, that is) that spring starts in January in some parts of the world.  Unimaginable!

[cohan]

even if I pick a favourite, I can't pick less than 3-- the yellow Androsace just because its an atypical colour for the genus...

Probably part of the reason it was reclassified to Vitaliana primuliflora.  It's easy to grow here, if you are interested in trying it, Cohan.

Lovely pictures, Phillippe.  They put me in mind of spring... and it's incredible to see (from some other threads, that is) that spring starts in January in some parts of the world.  Unimaginable!

Thanks for the tip, Lori, I will definitely watch for it!
Re:spring, I have been thinking the same thing! The earliest signs I will see will be among cacti on my windowsill, should be one or two by the end of the month....

[Philippe]

Lovely pictures, Phillippe.  They put me in mind of spring... and it's incredible to see (from some other threads, that is) that spring starts in January in some parts of the world.  Unimaginable!

No Lori, those pics aren't recent, but from previous flowering seasons!
I would really worry if these plants were already in flower at that time of the year here.
I just felt like sharing spring sights, waiting for it to come in few months 

[Lori S.]

Yes, I understood that they were not recent, and that it is still very much winter there (as it is here!)   Nice pix.

[cohan]

Lovely pictures, Phillippe.  They put me in mind of spring... and it's incredible to see (from some other threads, that is) that spring starts in January in some parts of the world.  Unimaginable!

No Lori, those pics aren't recent, but from previous flowering seasons!
I would really worry if these plants were already in flower at that time of the year here.
I just felt like sharing spring sights, waiting for it to come in few months 

We need all the encouragement we can get at this time!

[Philippe]

Forced to stay at home, with a bad cold hanging around, nothing new at this time of the year
So I prepared another batch of pics of the garden. This time, these are more general views of some parts of it, no plants or flowers close up.
Of course the following shots are from previous growing seasons, as the garden is again/still under deep snow at present time.

1. Mid september. Once august has passed away, the rapidly decrease of night temperatures boosts the colour change of some of the shrubs and small trees we have. Especialy in the asiatic part of the garden. So the japanese rockery always draws attention in first, with the lovely yellow/orange/red/green display of Enkianthus, Prunus, Acer, Betula, the deciduous rhododendron, and so on. Here on the pic enkianthus perulatus ( So on pic 7). Even some of the herbaceous japanese alpines and/or perennials get sometimes unexpected splendid colours ( geum pentapetalum, aruncus dioicus var tenuifolius, patrinia, some of the aconitums). Japanese mountains must be a w-o-n-d-e-r-l-a-n-d in fall. ONe of the things I should absolutely see with my own eyes at least once in my life.

2. A new European Alps bed that was made for 3 years. Lots of things to see in it, with the gentiana kochiana/primula farinosa/ clusiana/hirsuta, draba aizoides, adonis vernalis, dryas octopetala, in early spring at mid may, followed by linaria alpina, campanula alpestris, campanulas caespitosa/cochleariifolia, primula auricula, erinus alpinus, silene alpestris when summer comes.

3. Near the garden entrance, the trough sector, where there is always a lot of work, or more exactly where there SHOULD always be much to do...Renewing the older ones that are slowly going in several parts, planting out, planting in, creating new ones, improving the display, and so on...I'll do my best to be able to show some of them more closely in the forum this year...

4. Again in the European Alps part, with small cushions of vitaliana and artemisia in the middle foreground.

5. The japanese pond in summer. Lots of foliage, few flowers...The iris setosa at their best, some primula japonica and that was it! Ligularias and tricyrtis to come later in the season.
This part was partly renewed last fall, with new plantations, but we're still looking for more japanese moutains/alpines plants to complete the bed.

6. From Asia into the spontaneous part of the garden, with a misty fall morning in the nearly situated peat-bog area. Sorbus aucuparia as its best, with branches full of the adorable red berries.

7. Yes, again enkianthus perulatus, which shows incredible colours, in particular when the weather is grey and foggy. It's such a shame it doesn't do so here at lower altitudes ( unfortunately as with most of the other fall-coloured shrubs or trees) , where the transition between summer and fall is very much too long and too kind. It's just turning a dirty reddish brown, before loosing the leaves.

8. In the Pyrenees part. A big one, with comparatively few species. It's just hard to find alpine plants really restricted to the Pyrenees ( it's by far much easier for the Alps). There are plenty of it, of course, what makes the pyrenean flora so interessant, but most are under protection, and we get very few new material. Nor did I never hear of anybody collecting seed there. Yet we have fortunately some lovely plants to see, lilium pyrenaicum, senecio leucophyllus, ramonda pyrenaica, saxifraga longifolia (more or less "true"...), potentilla alchemilloides, adonis pyrenaica, gentiana burseri...

9. Another view of the pyrenean part, with the stunning fall colour of nothofagus antarctica in background, situated in the south hemisphere bed, next to the Pyrenees. A nothofagus which is having a very hard life upthere, as it often partially breaks down during the very snowy winters, the wood being much too fragile to support the weight of snow. Nevertheless, it goes in its 45ies

10. And to finish, here at the meetpoint between Asia and Europe. China left on the pic with the generous blossom of gentiana sino-ornata ( which often "goes to waste" under the firsts snows of winter), wheras we have the Vosges on the right. Such a pleasure to travel around the world so easily .
As you can see on the pic, the right side is quite empty, because renewed last fall.
Check out the little green pine which grows surrounded by grass in the middle-left. This was the very first plantation of the garden, as it was opened in 1967 ( PINUS mugo), wheras the yellow LARIX kaempferi on the right background is already probably more than 40 years old (  young tree plantation, not from seed).
Don't know if it comes so clear through this only pic, but it gives perhaps an idea of the limitated growth of vegetation at this relatively low altitude, due to the harsh climate.

I hope you've enjoyed this little tour in my paradise. There will be more pictures to come, of course!

[ranunculus]

Beautiful images, Philippe ... many thanks for posting.

[Hoy]

Paradise de luxe, Philippe!

[Paddy Tobin]

Lovely photographs, Philippe, and a wonderful place to work.

Although you posted photographs of many beautiful flowers it is Linaria alpina which takes my fancy. I imagine it as a funny little flower.

Paddy

[cohan]

Very nice, thanks!

[Yann]

Stunning shots, merci!

[Philippe]

Hi!

Blue, as the constant grey outside could make me feel these last days, but also blue as the colour of the pics which are following. I'm so happy we are now getting fast toward the end of winter. "Transhumance" is planned in about 8 weeks, hoping the firsts gentianas will be on time to welcome us as we'll get up there.

1 Corydalis cashmeriana. The well known

2 Cyananthus microphyllus. Well, not that pure blue but a pleasant late himalayan flowering

3 Delphinium tatsienense. I'm not very keen on delphiniums, although there are some of them really pretty, but also very difficult to grow or at least almost impossible to get. This one is one of my preferred, if not the one I prefer for the moment. Tiny, fragile looking, with incredible blue flower late in the summer.

4 Eryngium alpinum. It is/was in great need of protection in the wild, but here, cultivated in the garden, it seems to feel right at home and shows sometimes a clear tendency to conquer the space, wherever the soil is rich and quite wet.

5 Gentiana farreri. The perfect fall-messenger, which makes the end of the summer season and the approach of winter feel somehow easier

6 Gentiana kochiana. ON the other side, this one opens the new growth season with the first mild days of spring, Some sun is required to get the flower well opened. With our cloudy and rainy weather, it gets sometimes difficult to have the possibility to enjoy fully the deep blue flowers more than for a few days. But there are always some hurried flowers to open in late fall, during some late warmth spell, whereas the other flowerbuds just begin to point at that time, preparing for the winter rest under snow.
It really prefers a quite heavy but drained soil, with plenty of "food" and a relative constant amount of humidity within. The roots just can't anchor well in a lighter soil which dries out quicker, and the plant just starves in this case.

7 Gentiana verna. Still trying to make it simply past the leaves-stage... I was given this exemplar on the pic in perfect health, already at flowering stage. So I'll see this year how it will  have enjoyed - or not- its new home.

8 Iris latifolia. Another not really blue one, nevertheless with a quite attractive colour and foliage, from the Pyrenees.

9 Jasione laevis. A plant mainly for the scree, where it can spread around with underground offshoots, without suffering too much competition from more vigourous plants.

10 Meconopsis betonicifolia. No need to introduce it. Best seen with overcast or, even better, foggy weather

[Lesley Cox]

Lovely to feel THESE blues Philippe. I'm blue too, just packing seed of Gentiana prolata for the seed lists.

[cohan]

Wonderful set of blues, Philippe!
Spring must be there now? at least in Nancy....