April 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Knud]

It is interesting to follow the the various phases of spring through all the nice pictures posted here. It really brings out the difference a few weeks to a month make at this time of year. My contribution today is Heloniopsis orientalis (possibly v. breviscapa), which is blooming about four weeks later than in a normal year, and it has never has so many (frost?) damaged leaves before. It has been "at it" for about a week now, and, if this weather continues, will go on blooming for quite a while. The flowers open, or at least show colour, when they are still among the leaves, and the flower stalk continues to grow to about twice the length on the picture.

Knud

[Miriam]

Two native plants are in flower in my garden:
Salvia indica and Cerinthe palaestina (both were grown from seeds, salvia indica flowered a year after germination).

[meanie]

Lovely Salvia Miriam, but the Cerinthe is just fantastic! I've only ever seen C.purpurascens before.

[Miriam]

Thanks, I will try to collect seeds 

[meanie]

C.purpurascens self seeds prolifically here in the UK - I'm sure yours should do just as well for you there.

[johngennard]

In the alpine house to-day.

CLEMATIS MARMORARIA

CLEMATIS CARTMANII 'JOE'

[Lesley Cox]

Somehow Anemonella sounds so much more exciting and choice than Thalictrum.

A wonderful patch of Heloniopsis Knud. I found a small green mist of seedlings round my (much smaller) plant a few days ago. Compensation for missing the seed before it fell. There are a few quite a distance away as well, the result of breezes I suppose.

[meanie]

Had a really good day today.
First off, my Hermodactylus flowered.
Then this evening after the sun had gone down, the first blooms opened on my Clerodendrum ugandense.

[Knud]

Lesley,
Thank you, it seems happy in its spot and keeps on increasing. I'm envious of your green mist, though. Do you know if it is self-fertile, or do I need to get another plant to get seed? In the five or so years I have had this plant I have only found 2 seedlings. That was the year after I bought so I suspect it was fertilized at the nursery.

Knud

[Natalia]

Today blossomed in my garden...

[ArnoldT]

Opening today.

[Graham Catlow]

Unknown Red Camellia

Graham

Your unknown red Camellia from a few posts back looks like C. 'Freedom Bell' to me.

Thanks Tony- it certainly does. I am trying to contact the person I got it from for a correct ID.

[Lesley Cox]

Knud, my Heloniopsis must be self fertile as it is the only one I have. It is a relatively new plant but when I had it previously, also a single plant, it always set seed which I sometimes was able to harvest but more often it just drifted away before I realized the capsules had dehisced. I lost it a few years ago after several years of bad summer drought.

we've had a wet and mostly miserable summer this year so I suppose that has helped the seed germination. The Asiatic gentianas have bigger-than-ever flowers and some seed at last (though I'm almost frightened to mention it in case something goes wrong) on Gent. depressa. I hope at last to be able to fulfil the promises I made for this. It was hand-pollinated though.

[annew]

Glad to see spring is arriving with you, Natalia.

[Maggi Young]

Yes,  Natalia, good to see the season beginning to change for you.



A while ago there was some discussion of whether or not some plants gave off heat to melt their way through the snow ---- looking at the little gaps round Nataliaai's snowdrops you would certainly think that, wouldn't you?