May 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere

[ashley]

I didn't realise that spring came so late to southern Alberta Cohan.  Lovely to see these early plants again, and what a great picture of the pulsatilla

Here lupins are flaunting their rich colours and musky scent.  Something's raiding them, maybe bumblebees after nectar.

[ashley]

Some others out now:

A lost label; could it be Dianthus 'La Bourboule'?
Dicentra 'Burning Hearts'    great depth of colour and contrast with the blue foliage
Rogersia   usually grown for its foliage but the flowers are interesting too
Thalictrum aquilegifolium

[cohan]

Thanks, Ashley!
Although we are about the 1/3 mark from south to north, we consider this 'Central' Alberta    also, our nearness to the foothills alters the climate-- tends to be a cooler summer than places farther east..
Finally, though, all of my spring flowers so far are in a bed which is in a late spot to melt, and is then bathed in icey meltwater from elsewhere for a while longer! I have other places that are free of snow weeks sooner, so I will be trying some plantings in other spots!
Wild flowers, however, are just as late here-- first to bloom are Petasites, starting in early May or late April, and then Caltha ...

[Lesley Cox]

Luit, was your Raoulia tenuicaulis from a NZ source? I ask because you seem to have a nice little Craspedia coming up through the mat.

Ashley,does your Dicentra 'Burning Hearts' set seed? My 'Ivory Hearts' does and it comes true. Looks exactly like yours in flower and foliage except for flower colour of course. Maybe we could swap sometime?

[meanie]

Two more contributions;
The first is Asphodeline lutea, which was bought in the end of season sales last year.
The second is growing in my conservatory (so probably a little inappropriate here), Aeschynanthus "Mona Lisa". I lost a few flower buds early on as I misjudged the watering/warm weather combination. The plant likes a regular misting, with the growing medium being allowed to almost dry out between good soakings.

[cohan]

Glowing colours, meanie!

Ashley/Lesley--I think I saw that Dicentra available locally recently, at a big box store! But in a large pot (by my standards--rarely buy anything over 4inches!) didn't have money with me..may live to regret that...lol

[meanie]

A couple of the thuggish Campanulas as they continue in their quest for world domination!
Both very common, but the first, C.glomerata is probably my favourite of them all.
I have a couple of clumps of the second, C.persicifolia, and one will have to go! The clump against the west fence now stands at over four feet tall.

[Hoy]

I remember my grandma had huge areas of lupins! Very nice, Ashley
I tried Dicentra 'Burning Hearts' in a bed but it disappeared - rotted, don't know why. Other Dicentras do very well.
When I was a kid I remember picking Campanula persicifolia in the open woodland where we often had our weekend walks.

In my garden there are the bigger plants dominating: Diphylleia sinensis and on a drier spot Asphodelus albus with a strange twist this year.

      


. . . and some smaller ones - Calceolaria biflora.

[cohan]

Trond, I have some Diphylleia seeds sown, I wonder if they will decide to come up this year?..lol

[Hoy]

Trond, I have some Diphylleia seeds sown, I wonder if they will decide to come up this year?..lol

Hope they will! You are sure birds or rodents haven't eaten the seeds?

[WimB]

Cohan, nice to see spring is starting in your part of the world too.
Ashley, love all those colours.

Here are some things which are flowering here now:

Darlingtonia californica is showing it's first new pitchers
Heuchera x brizoides 'Pruhoniciana Alba' and Dicentra eximia in flower
Papaver orientale 'Salmon Pink'
Pinguicula grandiflora var. rosea
Polygonatum cirrhifolium 'Red Form'
Primula japonica 'Miller's Crimson'
Sarracenia flava 'Heavily veined form' x oreophila is showing very good colour in it's new pitchers.
Sarracenia minor's first pitcher of the year
Sarracenia purpurea subsp purpurea
and Vancouveria hexandra chrysantha (thanks to Nicole for the correction)

[Luc Gilgemyn]

A mix of things flowering here over the past few weeks :

1) Allium karataviense henrikii
2) Allium karataviense "Ivory Queen"
3) Aethionema capitatum
4) Dianthus haematocalyx v. pindicola
5) Dianthus "La Bourboule"
6) Dianthus "Pudsey Prize" - nearly lost it last summer but it recovered ! 
7) Eriogonum umbellatum in bud
8 ) Helianthemum canum balcanicum - still very small and new in my garden but looking very promising ! 
9) Oxalis "Sheffield Swan"
10) Oxalis "Hewswell Knight"

[Brian Ellis]

What a feast of lovely plants from Belgium

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Some more :

1) Paederata bonarata
2) Penstemon rupicola "Ruby"
3) Phlox hoodii
4) Phlox sileniflora "Tiny Buggles"
5) Saponaria "Bressingham Pink"
6) Silene hookeri ssp ingramii
7) Veronica austriaca
8 ) Veronica "Blue sheen"
9) Veronica liwanensis
10) Scutellaria indica japonica

[fleurbleue]

I thought Vancouveria hexandra had white flowers Wim, perhaps yours is chrysantha ?