April 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere

[art600]

Phlox 'Crackerjack' is a douglasii cultivar, and the first of yours Art, looks very like the subulata var 'Scarlet Flame.' P. douglasii is smaller, neater, more compact than subulata which grows in a very flamboyant and abandoned way.

I will take a close up of the flowers.  I remember buying a very small potful from someone who shows regulalryl at AGS National Shows - and wins - so would think it is correct.  However...

Even with a close-up of the flowers it will not become a P. douglasii, Arthur
I agree for at least 80 % with Lesley about Scarlet Flame, though there is a newer one which is more in the trade nowadays. Have to find the name??

Whatever it is - I like it very much.  A splash of colour that is not too OTT 

[JPB]

Aquilegia laramiensis...the flower is just 2 cm wide
Pulsatilla vulgaris ssp. gotlandica
Gladiolus illyricus, collected in SE Spain

[meanie]

The first single flower fully open on my Allium christophii. For me this is the king of the Alliums, but the proportions of each individual flower make them a beauty in their own right.

[krisderaeymaeker]

Two Edraianthus at their best in our tufagarden. The first : Edraianthus montenegrinus
The second : Edraianthus serpyllifolius. 

[Maggi Young]

Kris, what a show... the buds are just growing here - lovely to see these beauties.... it must be almost summer!

[krisderaeymaeker]

Between the crevices in the tufarocks : Helichrysum sessilioides .Under our gardenconditions this is a better flowering genus as H. milfordae ...

[Lesley Cox]

Arthur, back on page 12 of this thread, alpinelover showed two pics of P. douglasii 'Pink Buttons.' This var is almost identical to 'Crackerjack' except that the colour is a really strong, even harsh red, enough to hurt your eyes almost. The petals of 'Crackerjack' are slightly more rounded too but the habit of the two, is identical. In your red, you can already see the new growths poking through the flower mass, and this is typical of P. subulata as it blooms. I'm quite sure it isn't 'Crackerjack,' a colour once you've seen, you will never forget.

[krisderaeymaeker]

For the first time I planted this Calceolaria in the garden...I must wait another winter to have the results .....

For the first time in flower : seedlings of Pulsatilla campanella.

[krisderaeymaeker]

Kris, what a show... the buds are just growing here - lovely to see these beauties.... it must be almost summer!

Thank you Maggi , montenegrinus is always early here ...This one show his flowers in april .   

[krisderaeymaeker]

There is so much now ....
Orchis purpurea - Oxalis 'Ute' - Dianthus microlepis - Campanula oreadum   - Lewisia rediviva 

[Lvandelft]

Lvandelft - it's an annual to the best of my knowledge. I tried to get seeds in 2009, but everywhere had sold out. So I ordered these late 2009 so as not to miss out again. Supposed to come true from seed, so shouldn't have a problem next year.

Thanks for this information!

[Lesley Cox]

Arthur, sorry to keep on about this, but now I think about it, your "not too OTT" comment says it all for me. 'Crackerjack' is decidedly OTT in its colour but such a great colour and in reasonably small quantities, so that one's eyesight doesn't suffer too much. I find it is best set off by others like P. bifida or the soft blue/lavender shades.

[David Nicholson]

From the garden today:-

Allium karataviense. I got this in 2007 and it does look like I shall have two next year.

[Hoy]

Here's one of the many flowers inthe garden that make my day!
Cardamine waldsteinii - one of the best in the genus!

[meanie]

Davids Allium karataviense looks rather special - love the colour particularly.