May 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere

[cohan]

Cohan;

Very healthy looking plant! It does stay like that all thru summer, or at least it does here in Norway. No idea about other requirements, but it seems happy here in my wet garden, so maybe avoid keeping it too dry?

Both of you: Did the Corydalis seed germinate? If not there's plenty more, and judging by the amount of seedlings popping up I'll have to collect them or the entire border will turn blue!

Tks, for the input on the Tarax, Stephen also.. from this and a comment from McMark on NARGS forum, sounds like I better keep it moist! I put it in a gravelly loamy/clay soil in a pot, and it seems fine.. may put a saucer under to keep it moist till it goes in ground eventually

Corys have come up nicely--starting several weeks ago or more, in quite chilly weather, thanks! If you have seed to get rid of, I'd happily take more, want to try some naturalising, but if there are other takers, no urgency 

On a related note, I think I am finally seeing some action on a pot of Trillium seed sown in fall '09!

[fredg]

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe this is Scilla bifolia.


Edit

I think it looks like Scilla litardierei.

I checked my records and you are absolutely correct Gunilla   

Scilla litardierei it is

[Gunilla]

I think it looks like Scilla litardierei.

[Knud]

Love the wedding cake tree! Wish it was a little bit hardier, had to settle for C. alternifolia here.

I too liked the Cornus controversa Christine showed, a very nice tree. Is it specifically the variegata that is not hardy to zone 7, or controversa generally? We have a few three year old seedlings of "plain" controversa that have spent the last two quite cold winters (minimum -15C, but a long cold period) outside in small pots, and they are still fine.

Knud

[Lesley Cox]

Arisaema, you musn't judge any Ran semiverticillatus you may get by how mine behaves. After all, there have been a couple shown in flower either on the (old?) Forum or at AGS shows. Mine is a big plant now with up to a dozen noses but I am sure it is the cold, or lack of it which is the problem. To start with, it comes up far too early in late winter instead of late October/November as it does in the wild. And it grows into a looser plant than those we've seen in the AGS Bulletin. If it were possible I would pass it along to someone with a really cold, snow covered winter but as its roots must now fill the quite large trough, that's not an option. I could divide it of course but that could be fatal to the whole lot and I think it would be impossible to dig. I'd have to smash the trough off from around it.

[ranunculus]

Arisaema, you musn't judge any Ran semiverticillatus you may get by how mine behaves. After all, there have been a couple shown in flower either on the (old?) Forum or at AGS shows. Mine is a big plant now with up to a dozen noses but I am sure it is the cold, or lack of it which is the problem. To start with, it comes up far too early in late winter instead of late October/November as it does in the wild. And it grows into a looser plant than those we've seen in the AGS Bulletin. If it were possible I would pass it along to someone with a really cold, snow covered winter but as its roots must now fill the quite large trough, that's not an option. I could divide it of course but that could be fatal to the whole lot and I think it would be impossible to dig. I'd have to smash the trough off from around it.

Patience my dear Lesley, patience!!!  So worth the wait!   

[Olga Bondareva]

Some shoots of flowering now.

My selection of Epimedium colchicum 'Toplenoe moloko' (Baked Milk)


Phlox kelseyi with unknown phlox


Townsendia leptotes


Pulsatilla vulgaris Perlen Glocke


Spring flowering beds

[arisaema]

I too liked the Cornus controversa Christine showed, a very nice tree. Is it specifically the variegata that is not hardy to zone 7, or controversa generally? We have a few three year old seedlings of "plain" controversa that have spent the last two quite cold winters (minimum -15C, but a long cold period) outside in small pots, and they are still fine.

The variegated form is supposedly a (Swedish/Norwegian) zone or two more tender, H1/2 compared to H2/3 for the plain species. It shouldn't matter for you in tropical Stavanger, but I wasn't tempted to try it here in H2/3 with the last winter fresh in memory, C. alternifolia 'Argentea' was the safer bet.

Lesley;

To be honest I'm not sure my climate would suit it either, probably a little too wet and cold? That said, if I do come across fresh seeds again I'll probably give in to temptation...

Ranunculus;

How many years are we talking about here?

Olga;

Stunning pictures as always! I really like that pale form of Epimedium colchicum.

[Hoy]

Olga, your garden looks terrific! And lovely plants too


Here are a selection of peonies flowering in my garden now. Many are seedlings without a name.

Paeonia lutea ludlowii - aiming for the roof, almost 4m tall!

   


Paeonia mlokosewitschii. In the cool weather we have now, the flowers stay like this for a couple weeks.

 


Paeonia Rockii group. From seed several years ago. This year it is 40+ buds.  

   


Unnamed peonies.

         

[Hoy]

. . . and some non-peonies

One of the many unnamed anemones -




And an unnamed Arisaema

      



This shrub is always very floriferous at this time of the year - Enkianthus campanulatus 'Palibini'

      

[ArnoldT]

Clematis integrifolia

[ChrisB]

isn't it amazing the range of things in flower in the northern hemisphere at this time, depending on where one lives?  My C. integrifolia will not be in bloom for ages yet, and my epimedium flowers have all gone over now except for one.  Lovely paeonies too!  Wow.

[johnw]

Spring flowering beds

Olga  - Is that a bamboo I see in the right rear of this photo? I'd be interested in the name.  It's seems to have had a rough time but no doubt will re-grow from the roots.  A lovely garden you have.


johnw

[Olga Bondareva]

John
That Bamboo at the left rear of the photo is Sasa tsuboana. It has grown at my garden about 7 years. Now it's really big plant with 1.5 m diameter. Sometimes it loose it's leaves after low snow winters. But re-grow. I like very much song of it's leaves in summer, it rustles at the wind. 

johnw, Hoy, arisaema, thank you!

[ArnoldT]

Russian Medlar