Hepatica americana pink
It’s that time of year when I wish each day would linger so that we can enjoy all the jewels of springtime that are popping up day by day.  I’m so busy outside that I’ve not kept up with recording all the flowers coming into bloom right now.  The spring ephemerals are always at the top of my enjoyment list.  Many of them are small, transitory, and wonderfully beautiful.  Hepaticas come to mind with their small hairy leaves and colorful stamens.
Hepatica japonica purple
Hepatica japonica red and white
But there are many competitors for my eye.  Here are a few that have come in the last few weeks.
Chionodoxa forbesii ‘Blue Giant’
Chionodoxa forbesii ‘Pink Giant’
Pulsatilla grandis
Primula allionii ‘Wharfefdale Ling’
Geum reptans
This is a new plant grown from seed obtained from the Scottish Rock Garden Club seed exchange last year.
Corydalis kusnetzovii x C.solida ‘Cherry Lady’
A new addition from Augis Bulbs last summer.
Corydalis solida ‘Beth Evans’
Erythronium dens-canis ‘Rose Queen’
Jeffersonia diphylla
Sanguinaria canadensis ‘Multiplex’
Arisaema ringens
Anemone blanda ‘Violet Star’
Spring Beauty ‘Clatonia virginica’
Fessia hohenackeri (note the stamens)
A favorite combo – Chionodoxa and Anemone blanda
Of course, even in springtime the greenhouse is contributing it’s part.
Ferraria ferrariola
Moraea sp. MM 03-04a blue
Tritonia ‘Bermuda Sands’
Scilla peruviana
A wonderful plant. Â I have some outside as well and last year they managed to flower.
Paradisea lusitanica
This comes on a 3 1/2 foot stalk. Â I’m going to try putting it outside this year. Â It’s marginally hardy in our area and it would be wonderful if it succeeds.
And then lastly the greenhouse provided a lot of color to the house
Clivia in the Entryway
A Higher State (Steppe to Alpine)
Steamboat Lake and Mule’s Ears (Wyethia mollis)
We just returned last week from a spectacular trip to Colorado that was focused on the North American Rock Garden Society‘s (NARGS) annual meeting.  The theme was ‘A Higher State — Steppe to Alpine’ and it was in two locations, the Denver Botanic Garden and Steamboat Springs over 5 days.  It had been a while since we had been to Colorado, so we met with friends and family in Boulder and Golden beforehand.  I’ll try to give a brief overview of what was a wonderful and relaxing exploration of mountain wildflowers.
Hiking just outside of Boulder we encountered this lovely Calochortus.
Calochortus gunnisonii
The NARGS meeting began at the Denver Botanic Garden where we got a personalized tour of the rock gardens by Mike Kintgen who oversees the Alpine collection.
Mike Kintgen at DBG
Their garden features a crevice garden which has been established for several years now (long enough to see several successful cushions)
Crevice garden at the DBG
They manage to grow the wonderful Devil’s Claw that we first saw in the Dolomites last year.
Physoplexis comosa in a trough at DBG
The Denver Botanic Gardens are not to be missed if you are in Denver. Â In this season they have a spectacular display of Foxtail Lilies.
Through the looking glass
A Sea of Foxtail lilies
On our way to Steamboat Springs we stopped at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail which has newly constructed tufa wall for optimum planting of tiny alpines.
New Tufa bed at Vail
And the outside part of the gardens is quite nice as well.
Betty Ford Alpine Garden
In Steamboat Springs we visited local gardens including the Yampa River Botanic Park which right along the Yampa River in a very pretty setting.  They have built a stunning crevice garden there.
Crevice Garden at the Yampa River Botanic Park
Another view of the Crevice Garden
Panorama of the Crevice Garden at the Yampa River Botanic Park
I fell in love with a little Stachys planted in one of the crevice locations.
Stachys lavandulafolia
We also took several hikes in the trails surrounding Steamboat Springs.  We drove out through countryside that really summed up what steppes are all about.
Steppes near North Park
Just along the side of the road we saw beautiful Lewisia and Shooting Stars.
Lewisia rediviva
A sea of Shooting Stars
Shooting Star (Dodecahedron puchellum)
One stop near a trailhead into the Zirkel Wilderness area produced a bevy of these very small Ladyslipper Orchids
Ladyslipper Orchid (Cypripedium fasciculatum)
We stayed a few days past the conference and on the last day of hiking we walked up a ridge near the Rabbit Ears pass area. Â The views were excellent, but it was remarkable how you had to pay close attention to see that the hillside was covered with wildflower treasures.
Windy Ridge rich with wild flowers, especially Glacier Lilies, Lewisia, and Larkspur.
Erythroniums galore
Glacier Lily (Erythronium grandiflorum)
Lewisia pygmaea
Lewisia pygmaea (White form?)
Delphinium nuttallianum
And a final sighting on this ridge was a very nice ground orchid.
Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata)
All in all, a wonderful trip, with a suitcase full of tiny treasures brought back to Maryland from the plant sales at the conference. Â My thanks to Laporte Avenue Nursery and Sunscapes Rare Plant Nursery.
Also, I should mention that the Denver Botanic Garden has published a very nice book on this region of the world (and similar) entitled ‘Steppes: The Plants and Ecology of the World’s Semi-arid Regions‘. Â Check it out…
Why Alpines Inspire
A sea of buttercups
We’ve been back a little more than a week now from a wonderful exploration of the Dolomites with Greentours. Â We spent our days walking through meadows or scrambling up rocky cliffs finding hundreds of species of wildflowers in bloom.
Botanizing in the Dolomites
The whole experience was a reminder of why alpines are so captivating for gardeners all over the world. Â Their relatively short growing season and difficult exposed conditions has produced adaptations characterized by rapid abundant flowering from compact plants that are often nestled in or on rocks where many other plants cannot grow. Â Of course it doesn’t hurt that the scenery is glorious whenever you take the time to look up from the plants.
The trick is to learn where to look for the different species. Â Meadows are often filled with various small ground orchids in the same way we would expect to see dandelions in Maryland. Â Potentilla, Sage, Thyme, and Ranunculus are abundant.
Meadows filled with flowers
Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii)
Dactylorhiza majalis
Bird’s Nest Orchid (Neottia nidus-avis)
Orobanche gracilis (Growing parasitically on Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculata)
The interplay with the rocks mean that you often seek out rocks in a field to see what has colonized the rocks. Â Of course Saxifrages are particularly good at this.
Saxifraga paniculata
Saxifraga paniculata hugs the rocks
But in between you find other treasures like the famous Edelweiss.
delweiss (Leontopodium alpinum) amid Bird’s Foot Trefoil and other smaller flowers
The Rampions were a particular favorite of mine.  The Round-headed Rampion was found in many locations.
Round-headed Rampion (Phyteuma obiculare)
And on three occasions we came upon the famous Devil’s Claw in flower. Â This alpine flower is found only in Italy, Austria, and Slovenia and we were fortunate to actually be there when it was flowering.
Devil’s Claw (Physoplexis comosa)
The Physoplexis seemed happiest when growing on a cliff face. Â It immediately produced a question in our group which apparently has been a serious question for botanists. Â Namely, how does the Devil’s Claw get pollinated?
Another particularly beautiful flower, like the Rampions, is also in the Campanula family.
Bearded Bellflower (Campanula barbata)
Mostly we explored the areas around the mountain passes, but we also got to higher elevations on two occasions. Â One I wrote about on the previous posting and the other was on the next to the last day when we took a ski lift up to the shoulder of Marmolada at 8500 ft. Â The ground at the top is all scree below the snowline and at first you would conclude there is nothing gowing there.
Barren looking landscape on Marmolada at 8500 ft.
But on closer inspection you see that many things thrive in the scree.
Purple saxifrage (saxifraga oppositifolia)
Vitaliana primuliflora
Saxifraga androsace
Especially prevalent was the Round-leaved Pennycress which seemingly colonizes every spot where someone else is not…
Thlapsi rotundifolium
Dolomitic Joy
King of the Alps (Eritrichium nanum)
We are experiencing a wonderful surplus of wildflowers this week on a tour of Dolomites with Greentours. Â I hadn’t intended on reporting on this journey until we returned home but today was such a wonderful experience I just had to share some of what we have been seeing. Â Every day has been a discovery of new plants that we had never seen, with hundreds of species recorded so far, but today was just over the top for anyone interested in alpines.
We spent the day walking at over 7000 feet looking over majestic scenery and crawling up crags to get close to cushions of alpine plants or walking next to meadows where flowers and butterflies were abundant. Â I’m just going to share a few of the images at this point to give a sampling of what we are seeing but for anyone who is interested Greentours does a phenomenal job of giving you a rich and thorough exploration of the landscape. Â We’re on the trail from about 9 to 5 every day and each day seems to exceed the last in wonderful experiences. Â I expect to provide a more complete sampling of the wildflowers in the future but this is a sampling of today’s encounters.
View into Austria
Silene exscapa
Geum montanum
Alpine Toadflax (Linaria alpina)
Phyteuma hemisphaericum
Alpine Poppy (Papaver aurantiacum)
Juncus jacquinii
Pedicularis verticillata
Soldanella minima
Ranunculus glacialis
Vitaliana primuliflora
Potentilla nitida
Potentilla nitida detail (note the green stamens)
Saxifraga paniculata on rock outcropping
Last, but not least, we have encountered a number of Gentians and several have the stunning blue color that Gentians are famous for. Â It seems appropriate to begin with the blue Eritrichium and end with a Gentian.
Gentiana brachyphylla
Amidst the Rain
I returned this afternoon from another short trip with the rain coming in spurts for the rest of the afternoon. Â We had had a bird bath full of rain while I was gone and the Hepatica and Shooting Stars that we planted in the woods this past weekend seem to be doing fine. Â What I did find in the front yard were some Fritillaria that seemed to be enjoying the rain.
Fritillaria meleagris
I also noticed quite a number of flowers appearing on the little Rue Anemone.
Anemonella thalictroides (Rue Anemone)
And the violet version of the Chilean Crocus has finally shown it’s face.
Chilean Crocus (Tecophilaea cyanocrocus v. violaceae)
In between rain showers I also went down into the woods to check on the Bellworts.
Large Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflorum)
I keep being nervous the deer will find these little beauties, but so far, so good.
While in the woods I discovered a particularly nice set of daffodils growing next to the old bench.
Narcissus by the old bench
As it turns out these are tazetas that are not even supposed to be hardy here.
Narcissus 'Grand Soleil d'Or'
Usually these are grown in the south or for forcing.
Here’s my harvest from the walk through the daffodils that are coming in right now.
The Daily Pickings
We bring in a batch like this every other day and there are still many more outside.
The Special Atmosphere of a Place
This month’s Picture This challenge from Gardening Gone Wild is to illustrate the Genius Loci — The Special Atmosphere of a Place.  The judge, Andrea Jones, asks that we share our special place in a photograph that illustrates why it’s special.
We’ve been fortunate to see many of the great garden scenes that she illustrates with her pictures. Â And while I have pictures from our tours in the U.S. and abroad, I thought it would be more appropriate to stick closer to home. Â When we moved here the pasture that we inherited had no trees at all. Â There was a small patch of woods that were entirely Scotch Pines that have long since died off. Â All the landscape that we have was created slowly over 36 years and so there are a lot of aspects of our hill on Ball Rd that our special to me. Â But I notice in reviewing our photos that one area stands out in recent years. Â Behind the garage is a hillside that drops off into pasture in front of a line of tall White Pines that were planted during our first spring here.
Daffodils on Hillside
This is where we see the Daffodils in the springtime. Â It’s also where the wildflowers are planted for the summertime.
Hillside Wildflowers
It’s where we have put two bright red adirondack chairs as a place to have a glass of wine as the day winds down. Â Often there is a sunset to be seen from this hillside.
Red Chairs at Sunset
The pasture provides extended interest with the various grasses that grow up over the season interlaced with wildflowers.
Orchard Grass
But this special place also creates it’s own atmosphere come wintertime. Â The Red Chairs against the snow with the White Pines in the background presents a holiday atmosphere that shows that gardens are not limited to the time of flowers.
The photo that seemed to me to best capture this special place came after a snowstorm just as the light was fading from the day and this is my submission for the February Gardening Gone Wild Challenge.
Late Afternoon Light
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day for November 2010
The fall leaves dominate the backyard and flowers are scarce
Well this November Bloom Day finds us with a limited number of flowers and a powerful number of brilliant fall leaves. Â We have had an extended sunny autumn with many of the plants making a comeback as they (falsely) assume that the cold weather will never get any worse than the 28 degrees that we’ve seen now and then this fall. Â It’s been altogether a great time for fall bulb planting (all completed this week), garden chores (never complete), and photography.
The few flowers that let us still claim this as bloom day are the Gallardia, some random snapdragons, a few bedraggled salvia, and some very nice little Calendula.
Gallardia grandiflora 'Arizona Sun'
There are a few other sources of flowers besides the perennials though. Â In the pasture the dandelions have had a rebirth and I’ve also seen the Yellow Toadflax showing it’s cute little butter and eggs flowers.
Yellow Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris)
Another plant that persists in flowering beyond all reasonable expectations is the Loropetalum. Â I first saw this plant in a posting from Les at A Tidewater Gardener. Â It has already grown rapidly from 1 gallon plant this spring to a fairly decent sized shrub with pretty fuschia flowers that have strap-like petals. Â The question will be how it survives our winters. Â Stay tuned…
Loropetalum
Strap-like flowers on the Loropetalum
One other source of flowers are the plants we’ve brought inside in pots. Â A particularly lovely violet shade is on the bougainvillea which is happily flowering (or what passes for flowering on a bougainvillea) in the basement.
Violet Bougainvillea
The various grasses have yielded their seed heads, some more colorful than others. Â I couldn’t help noticing the fine scale of the pink muhly grass since Beth has brought several stalks into the house.
Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)
But the real color of the season is the leaves. Â Everywhere you look there are various shades of leaves doing their thing. Â The gigantic Red Maple in the backyard has turned a vivid yellow this year. Â And it contrasts nicely with the other maples.
Red Maple with yellow fall leaves
Depending upon the light in the morning or evening the outline of the Japanese Maple leaves against the sky can also be quite artistic.
Japanese maple leaves in outline
The japanese maple leaves are also quite persistent as we move toward winter.
Speaking of persistency, one of my favorite trees in the forest is the American Beech. Â The leaves turn from golden to a warm brown shade and last well into the winter.
Beech leaves
Although they stand out even in a mixed forest, if you can find them in a grove setting it can be perfectly wonderful. Â We have one such grove along one of the trails at the Worthington Farm, a part of the Monocacy National Park. Â It is a delightful, almost mythic place, at any time of year. Â But in the fall it really comes alive with golden yellow-brown. Â Seek such a grove out and treasure it.
American Beech (Fagus grandiflora) in forest grove
Go to May Dreams Gardens for other Garden Bloggers Bloom Day posts…
What a Difference a Year Makes
Wildflowers on the hill
Last year I planted a mix of wildflowers from Wildseed Farms in several places around the property. Â In particular I put down a patch on the hill leading down to the pasture. Â The notion was a wild garden with little upkeep and care. Â The results were everything that I could have hoped. Â A distribution of flowers came forth with a variety of colors and blooming periods. Â Â The latest Gardening Gone Wild Picture This Photo Contest for July has as a theme the Intent of the Gardener. The above photo of a wild palette of colors is my submission.
Now in the second year, with the heat and lack of water, the results from just leaving the flowers in place has been very limited.
Wildflower patch in the second year
Come to think of it, I need to go water the garden (again)…