# Plants From My Garden



## parvi_17 (Apr 29, 2010)

This year I'd like to share some pictures of my garden plants with everyone. I'll start with an introduction:

I have a small urban garden on a little lot about 15 minutes out of downtown, in which I can fit only a limited number of plants. But I have managed to cram in about 200 varieties of perennials and maybe 15 or 20 trees and shrubs. I've lived on this property for most of my life, and the garden was originally taken care of by my grandma. When she moved out it kind of went to Hell for a couple years because my mom is too busy with work to take care of a garden. About 10 years ago I slowly started working on the yard so that I could have places to plant my Cyps, and before long I started collecting other perennials and expanding the garden. To this day the garden remains simply a series of plots where I plant the plants I have collected... I've tried to landscape tastefully but I'm just not very good at it. As a result I won't be posting pictures of the gardens, but of the individual plants within them. I know many of you live in warm areas and grow all sorts of neat stuff, so you may not be impressed at all by my plants, but many of my plants are uncommon in my region so I treasure them. At any rate, I hope you enjoy my amateur photography! 

Today I'll start with the first plant to bloom in my garden this year, which also happens to be one of my favorites. It's _Aquilegia jonesii_, commonly called Jones' columbine. I LOVE columbines and whenever I see a neat species I pick it up. This plant is particularly rare in my area. It is an alpine species that just forms a little cushion of blue leaves, which is topped with violet flowers in the spring. It's no more than 2" tall and maybe 4" wide. This plant has been planted here for 4 years now. It didn't bloom in 2008 or 2009, so this single flower is the first I've seen on it since the first time it bloomed in 2007. On that occasion it probably produced about 10 blooms. Not really sure why it's having troubles blooming now; hopefully this is the start of a trend of improvement.

Here are a couple photos:









There will be more in bloom in the next few days - Tulipa tarda, Tulipa pulchella and Lewisia tweedyi are in bud.


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## KyushuCalanthe (Apr 29, 2010)

Keep em coming Joe! Love the little columbine. Do you grow it in scree? In this hot climate I can get away with a few alpines if I use pure gravel in deep pots.


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## parvi_17 (Apr 29, 2010)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> Keep em coming Joe! Love the little columbine. Do you grow it in scree? In this hot climate I can get away with a few alpines if I use pure gravel in deep pots.



I'm assuming what I did is basically a scree: I replaced the heavy garden soil that existed there with a lighter compost, and mixed in tons of sand and gravel. Then I topped it with limestone. What you see in the picture is dead leaves covering the limestone. The pH when I planted was about 7.5, but it may have dropped by now; in fact, maybe that's what's causing the lack of flowers? Perhaps I should check.

I grow a number of alpines in this section of the garden, but I'm still building my collection of them.


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## biothanasis (Apr 29, 2010)

Cute little bloom!!! I want to try and make a collection with small plants growing on rocks...! There are many interesting local species that grow like this...! 

200 varieties...!! WOW!!! I am waiting for photos!!!!!!


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## parvi_17 (Apr 29, 2010)

biothanasis said:


> Cute little bloom!!! I want to try and make a collection with small plants growing on rocks...! There are many interesting local species that grow like this...!
> 
> 200 varieties...!! WOW!!! I am waiting for photos!!!!!!



Lol no one would believe I have that many with how ugly my yard looks... but it's true! There will be plenty of pictures. The plants are slow to start in my area; the majority of them bloom in June and July (although some of the coolest ones bloom in May). I don't grow a lot of early flowering bulbs either, which makes my garden even slower to start.


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## biothanasis (Apr 29, 2010)

parvi_17 said:


> Lol no one would believe I have that many with how ugly my yard looks... but it's true! There will be plenty of pictures. The plants are slow to start in my area; the majority of them bloom in June and July (although some of the coolest ones bloom in May). I don't grow a lot of early flowering bulbs either, which makes my garden even slower to start.



Oh, ok...! I (we) can wait!!! Many alpines tend to flower in mid - late summer...!!! I suggest you take before and during flowering photos. It is very interesting to see the progress...!


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## SlipperFan (Apr 29, 2010)

That's sweet, Joe -- I think the plant itself is good enough to grow just for the foliage. The flower is a bonus.

Keep the photos coming, please.


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## parvi_17 (Apr 29, 2010)

biothanasis said:


> Oh, ok...! I (we) can wait!!! Many alpines tend to flower in mid - late summer...!!! I suggest you take before and during flowering photos. It is very interesting to see the progress...!



Oh, I wasn't talking just about alpines, but about all my perennials. The alpines only make up about 1/4 of my perennial collection, maybe less than that.


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## parvi_17 (Apr 29, 2010)

SlipperFan said:


> That's sweet, Joe -- I think the plant itself is good enough to grow just for the foliage. The flower is a bonus.
> 
> Keep the photos coming, please.



I was going to say the same thing, actually - I love the foliage on this plant. All columbines have nice leaves, but this one beats them all, I think.


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## Lanmark (Apr 29, 2010)

That's a particularly nice species of Columbine!


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## Kevin (Apr 30, 2010)

You have Columbine flowering now!?? To compare, do you also have _A. canadensis_? Those bloom in June here. You should get some crocus (the native ones) too - they are in bloom now. _Tulipa tarda_ is blooming here for us now, too.


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## parvi_17 (Apr 30, 2010)

Kevin said:


> You have Columbine flowering now!?? To compare, do you also have _A. canadensis_? Those bloom in June here. You should get some crocus (the native ones) too - they are in bloom now. _Tulipa tarda_ is blooming here for us now, too.



A. jonesii is the only species that flowers at this time of the year in my garden. I have other species (including canadensis) that flower late May to June.

I had a Pulsatilla patens, but it died for some reason. I'm planning on getting more of them this year. I have some other Pulsatilla species, which will bloom in the next 2 weeks. P. vulgaris is among them, which is blooming in other gardens around here, but mine are a little later.

I don't grow true Crocus (the bulbs). Don't have much interest in them.


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## smartie2000 (Apr 30, 2010)

its not easy keeping that perfect yard! Awesome that you already have things blooming. (my tulips haven't bloomed yet)


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## parvi_17 (Apr 30, 2010)

smartie2000 said:


> its not easy keeping that perfect yard! Awesome that you already have things blooming. (my tulips haven't bloomed yet)



You said it! Things are a little earlier this year because the weather was decent this month. I don't get blooms in April every year; I look at other peoples' gardens and see stuff blooming in April and I'm always very envious. My garden is a bit cooler, with less sun in most areas than a lot of gardens, so things take longer to get going. I also, like I say, don't really grow spring bulbs so I lack the tulips, daffodils, etc. (with the exception of species tulips, which I love).


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## etex (Apr 30, 2010)

Very pretty blue columbine and awesome foliage! Have never seen this one before.
I love species tulips,too.
Please keep the pics coming!


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## parvi_17 (May 4, 2010)

Well I won't be posting more garden pics for at least a few days... we just got a dumping of around 4" of snow last night and it's been continuing on and off today. That's the way it goes around here... about a week and a half or two weeks ago it was sunny and 26C/79F! Unfortunately the plants do get stressed from these kinds of weather extremes... hence it can be difficult and extremely frustrating to garden here!

Here is a view of the front yard from my living room window... it's a good thing I have today and tomorrow off! I work at a garden center during the summer, and it wouldn't have been pretty as much of my job is conducted outside!


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## smartie2000 (May 4, 2010)

rfhsjiofsdiofjsf! so much snow! like 1/3ft of it. 
I noticed my early blooming tulips (Tulipa Ancilla) recently, looks like they are gone...


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## KyushuCalanthe (May 4, 2010)

HOLY SMOKES!!! That's crazy...


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## parvi_17 (May 4, 2010)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> HOLY SMOKES!!! That's crazy...



LOL I knew someone would get a kick out of that... It's pretty much expected around here though. We're used to our crappy climate. An interesting note for those who live in paradise - I believe our annual last expected frost date here is May 13th, and traditionally we plant new annuals and perennials on the Victoria Day long weekend (May 22-24 this year), because _usually_ by that time the weather is not only nice, but stays nice (last year I think we had a snowstorm around that time, and a week later it was 25C/77F outside!).


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## SlipperFan (May 4, 2010)

Yuck! But then, this weekend we are supposed to have near-freezing lows. Double yuck!


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## cnycharles (May 4, 2010)

hey, that stop sign in the picture is in english! no french, there? it was over 80F here two nights ago and like dot says, we may get snow soon.


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## parvi_17 (May 4, 2010)

cnycharles said:


> hey, that stop sign in the picture is in english! no french, there? it was over 80F here two nights ago and like dot says, we may get snow soon.



:rollhappy: Quebec is the only province in Canada that has French signs (Ontario might have a few, never been there). Next to no one speaks French in the West.


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## Kevin (May 4, 2010)

cnycharles said:


> hey, that stop sign in the picture is in english! no french, there? it was over 80F here two nights ago and like dot says, we may get snow soon.



All Federal signs across the country are (or at least should be) in both English and French. Provincially, like Joe said, French is not really spoken outside of Quebec, although New Brunswick is bilingual too.

We're getting tons of rain here, but no snow - yet! It might be coming soon, though.


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## parvi_17 (May 4, 2010)

Kevin said:


> All Federal signs across the country are (or at least should be) in both English and French. Provincially, like Joe said, French is not really spoken outside of Quebec, although New Brunswick is bilingual too.
> 
> We're getting tons of rain here, but no snow - yet! It might be coming soon, though.



Yes, everything at the federal level has to be, by law, in both. But stop signs, advertisements, news and media, etc. is all English here in Alberta.


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## Lanmark (May 5, 2010)

parvi_17 said:


> :rollhappy: Quebec is the only province in Canada that has French signs (Ontario might have a few, never been there). Next to no one speaks French in the West.



Some cities in Ontario (such as Sault Ste Marie) used to have many non-federal signs in French, but I don't know about out where _traverse des bourgots_. Everything changes, but _c’est tiguidou_...le sigh.


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## parvi_17 (May 11, 2010)

With that snow now melted and the ground and air warm again, things are more or less back on track in the garden. Time for an update!

One of my favorite woodland wildflowers is bloodroot, _Sanguinaria canadensis_. I have both the regular and the double form, the latter pictured here. My regular form is planted in a cooler spot so it emerges later. This is called _Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex_ 'Plena'. It used to be a rare collectors' item but has recently become more available commercially, albeit at a slightly higher price than the regular form, and it is still not as common. It is, however, much more charming; it looks like a little waterlily flower to me. This plant I've had for about 3 years now. It seems to be getting smaller each year and I may have to get another one in case it disappears. The shoots do kind of appear erratically, often at quite a distance from each other, so I may be surprised in a week, but right now there's just the one shoot, with a flower the size of a quarter (much smaller than it should be).





Next up is _Lewisia tweedyi_. Lewisias may be my favorite rock garden plants. This species has proven to be a real winner in my garden; too bad it's so rare in my area. There are hundreds of buds on this plant, and the first few flowers are just opening up now (I'll post another photo when they are all open). The photo is a little overexposed; the flowers are a lovely soft peach color. I am amazed that the plant reached this size in only 3 years. You'll see what I mean when I post a photo of the whole thing!





The buds on my _Tulipa pulchella_ were a little damaged by the frost and snow, but they opened nonetheless:





I have some _Muscari americana_ growing in my rock garden. Not the most exciting thing in the world, but they're pretty and easy to grow:





And finally, I spotted this little violet, similar to a Johnny jump-up, growing in my rock garden. It's a diminutive plant, with a big, beautiful flower. No idea what it is though:





There will, of course, be many more photos to follow!


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## SlipperFan (May 11, 2010)

Don't you just love Spring?!


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## KyushuCalanthe (May 11, 2010)

Hey Joe, good to see the garden is back on track after all the cold and snow. I really like that Lewisia and can't wait to see more pics of it. Interesting about the bloodroot going into decline. Perhaps you are at the cold limit it can withstand. I have just the opposite problem, I'm at the warmth limit! I'm glad to say my modest clump is slowly expanding each year though. Also fascinating are the T. pulchella - I grow them here as well (zone 9!) and you can grow them too - very temperature indifferent species! Lastly, that little violet is darling! It is amazing just how widespread and diverse these plants are.


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## parvi_17 (May 11, 2010)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> Hey Joe, good to see the garden is back on track after all the cold and snow. I really like that Lewisia and can't wait to see more pics of it. Interesting about the bloodroot going into decline. Perhaps you are at the cold limit it can withstand. I have just the opposite problem, I'm at the warmth limit! I'm glad to say my modest clump is slowly expanding each year though. Also fascinating are the T. pulchella - I grow them here as well (zone 9!) and you can grow them too - very temperature indifferent species! Lastly, that little violet is darling! It is amazing just how widespread and diverse these plants are.



You may be right about the bloodroot. I never mulch it; maybe if I did it would do better. I should note though, that the regular form (as of last year) actually increases in size. Perhaps the double form is known only from a warmer part of its range?


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## KyushuCalanthe (May 11, 2010)

parvi_17 said:


> You may be right about the bloodroot. I never mulch it; maybe if I did it would do better. I should note though, that the regular form (as of last year) actually increases in size. Perhaps the double form is known only from a warmer part of its range?



Hmmm, maybe. They are found naturally quite far south, even to the panhandle of Florida, so it may indeed be a deep south form. Something to research!


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## Kevin (May 11, 2010)

Bloodroot does have a large range, however it is native to parts of Manitoba that has a climate zone equal to or less than Edmonton. There is only one species in the genus, and the double form is just a form of the species, so it should be just as hardy, although it could be a bit trickier since it is a different variety (kind of like albas are sometimes more finicky than regular forms of species). You say the regular form does well for you - try planting both of them together. Did you get this one from FTF? I wonder if it still needs to adjust from coming from a zone 9 to your zone 3.


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## parvi_17 (May 11, 2010)

Kevin said:


> Bloodroot does have a large range, however it is native to parts of Manitoba that has a climate zone equal to or less than Edmonton. There is only one species in the genus, and the double form is just a form of the species, so it should be just as hardy, although it could be a bit trickier since it is a different variety (kind of like albas are sometimes more finicky than regular forms of species). You say the regular form does well for you - try planting both of them together. Did you get this one from FTF? I wonder if it still needs to adjust from coming from a zone 9 to your zone 3.



Well no what I meant was that if the double form only comes from a certain locality which is a warmer climate than this one, it will have evolved to grow under those conditions as opposed to the wide range of climates the regular form grows in. But I have no idea where this form comes from, so it's really just a wild theory. I do agree that it *should* be just as hardy, I'm just speculating here. It may also just be more finicky as you suggest.

Both of my plants - the regular and the double - are from Hole's. No idea who their supplier is but I doubt it's Thimble Farms.


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## parvi_17 (May 14, 2010)

*More photos...*

This is my one and only daffodil, though I quite like it. My grandma planted it before I could walk, and it has stayed in this spot undisturbed ever since. I've tried to grow daffodils all over the yard and they just never do well, but this one comes up reliably every year and flowers, even though it's in half shade. It does flower late because of the shade though.





_Epimedium x rubrum_, commonly called red bishop's hat or red barrenwort, is one of my favorite perennials. It has these tiny red flowers with yellow centers, and leaves edged in red, which turn almost completely red in the fall. What a great plant. The flowers are very tiny so the photo is rough, but I couldn't omit it.





The _Lewisia tweedyi_ is coming along, but still has many buds to open. Most of them have only opened on one side of the plant (the sunny side). For scale, the plant is about 18" (45cm) in diameter.





_Primula cortusoides_, pink woodland primrose, is one of only a couple primroses in my garden. Everyone should have one of these vigorous, easy growing plants in their gardens. I grow this in almost full sun, despite its preference for shade. It would probably do better in shade.





The next photo is just apple blossoms. My mom planted two apple trees (along with a variety of other fruit) when I was a little tyke so I could enjoy the fruit and learn about nature and where our food comes from. I love apple blossoms; they're pretty and wonderfully fragrant.





And now for a couple plants blooming in my coldframe, waiting to be planted. First, _Iris cristata_, crested iris:





And _Androsace sarmentosa_ 'Chumbyi', rock jasmine. Great fragrance on this neat little plant!


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## smartie2000 (May 15, 2010)

I have never had success with daffodils outdoors here, so nice job!

I am headed out to Hole's Garden Centre tomorrow  I wish to get a peony.
And if I am really lucky maybe I will find a hardy chrysanthemum. I planted some in my childhood that were cold hardy to Edmonton, I moved to a new house and I have never seen a hardy cultivar again since  If I remember correctly it was Chrysanthemum 'Coral' (it was so long ago some part of the name could be missing) and I bought it from a grocery store


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## parvi_17 (May 15, 2010)

smartie2000 said:


> I have never had success with daffodils outdoors here, so nice job!
> 
> I am headed out to Hole's Garden Centre tomorrow
> I wish to get a peony.
> And if I am really lucky maybe I will find a hardy chrysanthemum. I planted some in my childhood that were cold hardy to Edmonton, I have never seen that cultivar again since



What you need is one of the morden chrysanthemums (_Dendranthemum x morifolium_). The two most common cultivars are 'Dreamweaver' and 'Suncatcher'. Those do really well for me, though I have to replace them every 3 years (short-lived?).

I've already been to Hole's 4 times this year . I also work at Greenland, so yeah... I buy a lot of plants .


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## JeanLux (May 15, 2010)

Very nice!!! I esp. like the Iris!!! Jean


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## KyushuCalanthe (May 15, 2010)

The Lewisia is to die for, really one of "those" plants! Love the little primrose too - so cute. I too love Epimediums and even though there is a great selection here in Japan I have yet to grow any  Maybe this year. Do you think the I. cristata can survive you winters OK?


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## parvi_17 (May 15, 2010)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> Do you think the I. cristata can survive you winters OK?



Yep - they're grown here all the time.


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## goldenrose (May 17, 2010)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> The Lewisia is to die for, really one of "those" plants!


:clap: :drool: my favorite!!! :drool: :clap:


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## biothanasis (May 17, 2010)

VEry nice flowers!!!


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## parvi_17 (May 17, 2010)

A few more from today...

_Pulsatilla vulgaris_ subsp. _grandis_ 'Papageno', a unique pasqueflower:





_Papaver nudicaule_, Iceland poppy:





And an updated pic of the _Lewisia tweedyi_:


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## parvi_17 (May 17, 2010)

Here's a bonus from my coldframe:

_Coryphantha vivipara_, pincushion cactus. This is a native of the southern part of Alberta. I am a strong believer that anyone who lives in a semi-arid climate, as I do, should grow native cacti. They're unique, beautiful, and easy to grow! I have another one of these growing in my garden (you can see it on the lower right in the latest Lewisia photo). This one is a lot bigger though, which is why I bought it. The one in the garden hasn't flowered for me yet.


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## cnycharles (May 17, 2010)

cacti in canada?! learn something new every day! nice pictures!


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## Kevin (May 17, 2010)

parvi_17 said:


> I am a strong believer that anyone who lives in a semi-arid climate, as I do, should grow native cacti.



Edmonton is semi-arid? I have tried cacti, but haven't got any to bloom. Haven't found the native ones for sale anywhere. To further your point, I believe that more people should use any native plants in their gardens. I like any native plants really, but especially the tall-grass prairie plants, since they are native to where I live. If grown in the right conditions, native plants usually require little maintenance and little water. No one waters or maintains them in the wild, so why in your yard? Cacti are great, and I would like to get more. Are there just two species native to Alberta, or more? What do you have yours planted in?


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## parvi_17 (May 17, 2010)

Kevin said:


> Edmonton is semi-arid? I have tried cacti, but haven't got any to bloom. Haven't found the native ones for sale anywhere. To further your point, I believe that more people should use any native plants in their gardens. I like any native plants really, but especially the tall-grass prairie plants, since they are native to where I live. If grown in the right conditions, native plants usually require little maintenance and little water. No one waters or maintains them in the wild, so why in your yard? Cacti are great, and I would like to get more. Are there just two species native to Alberta, or more? What do you have yours planted in?



Yes, I read somewhere that we are semi-arid. You can't really tell by the landscape; they base it on the amount of annual precip which is quite low. The summers here are incredibly hot and dry, so it certainly can feel like a desert! We don't have cacti up here though - they're down in the Drumheller area, where areas of the landscape look like Nevada. However, the native cacti do grow well here.

I know of three native cactus species in Alberta. Besides this one, there is _Opuntia polyacantha_ and _O. fragilis_. There may be more than that. I have all three of these in my garden; you can see my O. fragilis in some of the Lewisia photos (in the background).

I agree that native plants, period, should be used in gardens more often. I have a number of them in my garden, and continue to expand my collection each year.


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## smartie2000 (May 18, 2010)

Iceland poppies are a good care free and continuously blooming perennial to have! I grew some from seed and they keep coming back. And nice sharp photo too


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## parvi_17 (May 18, 2010)

smartie2000 said:


> Iceland poppies are a good care free and continuously blooming perennial to have! I grew some from seed and they keep coming back. And nice sharp photo too



I agree! These have been in my garden since I was little (my mom and grandma planted them). They have persisted for all these years, though I remember having different colors years ago and they are now all orange. Because I'm not a big fan of poppies, I haven't bothered getting any more.


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## parvi_17 (May 25, 2010)

Today is the first chance I've had in the past week or so to take more photos, as it's been cold and rainy. 

First off, _Incarvillea delavayi_, garden gloxinia. This is almost unheard of in my region, but it's a very cool plant. It's sitting outside of my coldframe waiting to be planted. As most websites list it as hardy to zone 5, I doubt it will survive here for long, but I'm gonna try! I don't have the space to store it over the winter because of my aroids, tender Cyps, Bletilla, Pleione, etc. 





Next up is a yellow cultivar of _Iris pumila_, dwarf bearded iris. I don't know what it's called, because I bought it at a flea market years ago and it was unlabeled. It's one of my favorite plants, and not just because of the pretty flowers. This started out maybe 5 years ago as a fairly small plant in a 6" pot. It spread into this giant clump very quickly and I've divided it twice since I planted it, and given pieces away. I now have a nice row of clumps at the front of one of my flower beds, and they all originated from that one plant. These reliably bloom in mid to late May, at least a week ahead of the standard bearded irises.





Solomon's seal, _Polygonatum commutatum_, is another one of my favorite perennials. This particular plant I bought about 3 or 4 years ago at a garage sale, and it has now formed a nice clump. These are so aesthetically pleasing - I just cant get enough of those arching stems! That's my half-dead weeping juniper in the background .





A yellow flower of Iceland poppy, _Papaver nudicaule_. I think I mentioned before that these have been in the garden since I was a toddler. They seem to be short-lived, but they self-seed so readily that they never disappear. However, the white flowered ones have been absent for many years.





The classic pasqueflower, _Pulsatilla vulgaris_. Love that royal purple! The fluffy seedheads provide nice interest afterwards as well. Mine isn't as nice as some, I suspect because I have it in some shade.





I LOVE peonies, and I especially love the species. This is _Paeonia brownii_. It has a lovely fragrance. It's a shorter plant, about 18" tall, and it forms a dense clump of dark green, finely cut leaves. Very nice plant for rock gardens. I might take another photo when it has multiple flowers open. The species peonies bloom a couple weeks earlier than the hybrids. This one will soon be followed by _P. anomala_, and possibly _P. tenuifolia_ 'Plena', if the latter decides to bloom - the bud looks like it may be aborted. It's a new planting as of last year, and they take 2-3 years (or more) to settle in.

Notice the ant on the anthers! Those guys sure love peonies too! People always tell me they don't want peonies because of the ants; to that I say "You're insane!".





A really unique and uncommon thyme is juniper thyme, _Thymus neiceffii_. As the name suggests, the leaves look like juniper needles. Love the pink flowers and the aroma too. 





Lily-of-the-valley, _Convallaria majalis_, is one of the most overused garden plants, but I do like it. The flowers have a gorgeous fragrance, and this plant is very hard to kill. I planted a pink one somewhere...





And now, for a special sneak preview of some of my earlier Cyps!

Cyp. Emil (parviflorum x calceolus). This went from a single shoot in 2007 to five shoots and three flowers in 2008, to two shoots and one flower in 2009, to three shoots and two buds this year. Hoping for a full rebound next year!





Cyp. Aki Pastel (macranthos x pubescens). This had a single shoot and no flower last year. This year it has 3 shoots and one bud. Can't wait to see what it looks like! I'm hoping for an almost pure white, like many of the pics on the Net.





Cyp. Sebastian (parviflorum x montanum). This was a single shoot with one flower last year too. But it does seem to be tougher than montanum, and the flower looks a lot like x andrewsii. I still like montanum better though...





That's all for now, folks!


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## Leo Schordje (May 25, 2010)

Can't wait for the Cyps. THanks


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## SlipperFan (May 25, 2010)

I'm going to have to look for juniper thyme!

About peonies, I've always heard that if your peonies don't have ants, they won't open. Anyone know if that's true?


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## parvi_17 (May 25, 2010)

SlipperFan said:


> About peonies, I've always heard that if your peonies don't have ants, they won't open. Anyone know if that's true?



I've never heard that before. I don't see how it could be true though... doesn't make much sense to me. Of course, I've never seen a peony without ants! :rollhappy:


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## KyushuCalanthe (May 26, 2010)

Indeed, please don't forget to post shots of the Cyps in flower!


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## Orchidzrule (May 29, 2010)

SlipperFan said:


> About peonies, I've always heard that if your peonies don't have ants, they won't open. Anyone know if that's true?





parvi_17 said:


> I've never heard that before. I don't see how it could be true though... doesn't make much sense to me. Of course, I've never seen a peony without ants! :rollhappy:



I *think* I know where this belief originated. If a bud fails to develop for some reason (be it frost, fungal or other disease, insufficient moisture or humidity, or something else), then there won't be any of the sweet exudate, so typical of peony flowers, produced and therefore such a bud won't attract ants. So, I think the belief is back asswards--peonies that fail to bloom don't attract the ants!


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## parvi_17 (May 30, 2010)

Orchidzrule said:


> I *think* I know where this belief originated. If a bud fails to develop for some reason (be it frost, fungal or other disease, insufficient moisture or humidity, or something else), then there won't be any of the sweet exudate, so typical of peony flowers, produced and therefore such a bud won't attract ants. So, I think the belief is back asswards--peonies that fail to bloom don't attract the ants!



Makes sense to me!


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## SlipperFan (May 30, 2010)

Me, too. Is it possible that the ants, by eating the sweet sticky stuff, help open the flowers?


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## parvi_17 (May 31, 2010)

*Update*

I'd like to correct myself first off - the peony I posted before is actually _P. broteroi_, not _P. brownii_. 

If you've read Yoyo_Jo's thread "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas", you know that Alberta recently had a bit of snow. Well that's melted now (we only got a little here, maybe 1cm at my place), and it's slowly warming up again. I have a couple more photos from the garden today...

Another variety of dwarf bearded iris (_I. pumila_), this one is a really gorgeous, powder blue color. The photo turned out slightly more violet than the true color. In person it's absolutely stunning, and I've never seen another dwarf bearded iris with this color. I paid through the nose for this one (like $25 or something, twice or more what I'd normally pay), and it was worth it! Unfortunately I don't know the name of it - it had no tag. This was a find at a little family operated greenhouse in the middle of nowhere last year, where there was not much of a selection but a few gems hidden here and there. Sometimes you can find the nicest stuff in the most unexpected places!





I had to throw in a pic of my lilac bush (_Syringa vulgaris_). A classic shrub with a classic fragrance. These are probably long finished blooming in most areas of the States and Europe.





_Iris pseudacorus_, yellow flag, is a North American species of iris that grows in bogs. This whitish cream cultivar, 'Alba', is something I had never seen before. I picked it up at work last week.





In the coldframe, _Dodecatheon dentatum_, dentate shooting star, is blooming. This uncommon species is one of my favorites. It's already almost done blooming; it took me forever to get in there and photograph it. My other shooting stars in the garden are just starting to bloom.


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## Lanmark (May 31, 2010)

I love irises. They were my grandmother's favorite. She had massive quantities of them.


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## jewel (May 31, 2010)

does the purple iris smell of grapes?


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## parvi_17 (May 31, 2010)

jewel said:


> does the purple iris smell of grapes?



No - it has the same faint smell that I've detected on all my irises, which is hard to desribe but is unique to irises.


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## KyushuCalanthe (May 31, 2010)

Snow in May just ain't my bag...so enjoy! Love the shooting star. Here in southern Japan you don't see many lilacs, but one neighbor has a tree - it finished flowering about 6 weeks ago :rollhappy:


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## parvi_17 (May 31, 2010)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> Snow in May just ain't my bag...so enjoy!



Trust me, I don't enjoy it . I can't see myself staying here for long after I'm done school.


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## parvi_17 (Jun 3, 2010)

A couple of my Cyps are now in bloom... check out my new thread in the Cyp section to see them (I will post it right after this) .

For today's update...

A semi-albinistic form of _Iris versicolor_, blue flag iris. Or at least, that's what the tag says...





And here's the regular form of blue flag. This is the floral emblem of Quebec. The iris was dubbed the "fleur-de-Louis" by the French king Louis VII. It is now called the fleur-de-lis, and its symbol is on the Quebec flag. Because blue flag is an iris and is native to Quebec, it makes the perfect floral emblem for that province of Canada.





_Aquilegia flabellata_, Japanese fan columbine, is next. This is a dwarf species with a nice mound of foliage and very pretty blue flowers. The inside (I think it's called the corona) is cream, but you can't see it because the flowers are nodding. The leaves of my dead yucca I haven't pulled out yet are partially obstructing the view .


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jun 3, 2010)

Come on Joe! You don't like freezing to death most of the year! :rollhappy: No offense to die hard Canadians....

A little Japanese plant wandered into your garden - nice chunky flowers for a columbine. You just can't beat blue flag iris, gorgeous flowers!


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## goldenrose (Jun 4, 2010)

:clap::clap::clap: Lovely!
I have a dwarf columbine, *I love it*! In fact I'd love more, does yours self seed? Has anyone tried propagating from a seed pod or could they be sterile?


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## parvi_17 (Jun 4, 2010)

goldenrose said:


> :clap::clap::clap: Lovely!
> I have a dwarf columbine, *I love it*! In fact I'd love more, does yours self seed? Has anyone tried propagating from a seed pod or could they be sterile?



They do self-seed, and some columbines in my garden are surrounded by lots of little seedlings, some of which are now flowering. 

The flowers almost always become seed capsules if you don't snip off the ovaries after the petals fall off. If you harvest the capsules in the fall (when they're dry), you can store the seeds dry until February and then sow them. They require a 4-6 week cold-moist stratification period before they will germinate.


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## SlipperFan (Jun 4, 2010)

I have Columbines all over my garden, also. But they are the tall kind, not cute little ones like yours.


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## goldenrose (Jun 6, 2010)

parvi_17 said:


> .....The flowers almost always become seed capsules if you don't snip off the ovaries after the petals fall off. If you harvest the capsules in the fall (when they're dry), you can store the seeds dry until February and then sow them. They require a 4-6 week cold-moist stratification period before they will germinate.


Thanks Joe, that's the info I was looking for, I'll give it a try! My little guy has been planted along side a sidewalk for years & although there's plent of room in the bed, I've never had babies pop up. Hmmm ... sterile???? or need some help?
My big guys self seed all the time.


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## parvi_17 (Jun 6, 2010)

goldenrose said:


> Thanks Joe, that's the info I was looking for, I'll give it a try! My little guy has been planted along side a sidewalk for years & although there's plent of room in the bed, I've never had babies pop up. Hmmm ... sterile???? or need some help?
> My big guys self seed all the time.



Do you get seed capsules? If you do, why don't you try seeding them yourself? As long as they get stratified they should germinate.


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## goldenrose (Jun 8, 2010)

Pods/capsules - one and the same? Some have turned brown now, I snipped one off & opened it up & little black seeds! I would think I could plant them now or does it take till fall for them to dry?


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## parvi_17 (Jun 8, 2010)

goldenrose said:


> Pods/capsules - one and the same? Some have turned brown now, I snipped one off & opened it up & little black seeds! I would think I could plant them now or does it take till fall for them to dry?



Yes pods and capsules are the same thing (at least as far as I know - I use them interchangeably). If the capsule is dry and has opened at the tips, just sprinkle the seeds in your garden. That's the easiest way to do it. They should germinate next spring.


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## parvi_17 (Jun 8, 2010)

Time for another update...

I'm quite proud of my modest Iris collection. The tall bearded (_Iris germanica_) varieties are starting to bloom now. This first one I thought was 'Stairway to Heaven', but it is too white. It looks like 'Immortality' but with a slight blue tinge.





Here is 'Immortality', a nice pure white. It's not 100% open yet, but it's probably going to rain for the next several days so I won't be out taking more pictures for a while.





A lousy shot of wild columbine, _Aquilegia canadensis_. It was hard to get at!





Saline shooting star, _Dodecatheon pulchellum_, is a species native to my area. It is often found growing with Cyp. parviflorum var. pubescens, and that's who it grows with in my garden.





This late-blooming tulip is the only hybrid tulip blooming for me this year (it reliably does, unlike the others). I don't remember what it's called, but I love it!





My old faithful alpine columbine, _Aquilegia alpina_. I bought this at Wal-mart of all places, mislabelled as a pink variety, almost 10 years ago now. It is now surrounded by seedlings, many of which are flowering.





At the base of the alpine columbine is _Myosotis sylvatica_, forget-me-not. I got a small piece from my neighbour a few years ago, and the bloody thing has spread like crazy! It is borderline a weed, but it's pretty when in bloom.


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## JeanLux (Jun 9, 2010)

you really have some beautiful Iris!!! Jean


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## smartie2000 (Jun 9, 2010)

that tulip is very unique! I wish that you knew the cultivar


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## parvi_17 (Jun 9, 2010)

smartie2000 said:


> that tulip is very unique! I wish that you knew the cultivar



I looked it up - it's called 'Spring Green'.


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jun 9, 2010)

Cool! Nice fat flower on the alpina.


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## SlipperFan (Jun 9, 2010)

More lovlies.


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## parvi_17 (Jun 16, 2010)

*Update*

Quite a few photos to post today. Here we go...

_Iris germanica_ 'Picasso Moon'. This has HUGE flowers! Great fragrance, too.





An unknown cultivar of _Iris germanica_, flowers still opening:





This next one is relatively famous in western Canada. It's _Lilium philadelphicum_, western wood lily. Native to Alberta, and the floral emblem of Saskatchewan. These are not all that easy to grow. When you get it right though, they form clumps fast! Very showy little lily. They supposedly grow to 3 feet tall when fully mature, but mine have never grown taller than 18". I've never seen them in the wild before - they're more rare than yellow lady's slipper! I'll post another photo when all the buds are open.





_Delosperma congestum_, ice plant. These are not technically hardy in my area, but this one has done very well over the past 3 years in my garden. I really like it.





I think this is an alpine species of _Lychnis_ (campion); I lost the tag. It could also be a _Silene_. Very pretty rock garden plant though.





Another unknwon cultivar of _Iris germanica_. Everyone in the city has these for some reason. I didn't plant them; they were here when we moved in 18 years ago.


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## cnycharles (Jun 16, 2010)

nice pictures! ... think waterproof camera body!  I headed up to the tug hill region last night because it was the day between rainstorms, unfortunately the orchids there aren't advanced two weeks, actually right on time. there were tons of tall, dark blue some lighter purple and some pinkish white-flowered ones growing right along the dirt road. I don't know what varieties or escapes they might be, but they were pretty


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## smartie2000 (Jun 17, 2010)

Guess what, I own that unknown cultivar of Iris germanica! 
it propagates like crazy! I got a piece from a friend when I was young and I still have chunks of it that I brought over to my current house.


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## parvi_17 (Jun 17, 2010)

smartie2000 said:


> Guess what, I own that unknown cultivar of Iris germanica!
> it propagates like crazy! I got a piece from a friend when I was young at my old house. I still have chunks of it that I brought over to my new house.



Which one - the yellow and burgundy one or the white and purple one??


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## smartie2000 (Jun 17, 2010)

the purple and white one


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## parvi_17 (Jun 17, 2010)

smartie2000 said:


> the purple and white one



It must be a really old cultivar, because everyone has it and it's not available at nurseries. It's pretty though, and you're right - it grows quickly and yields lots of divisions.


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jun 17, 2010)

parvi_17 said:


> This next one is relatively famous in western Canada. It's _Lilium philadelphicum_, western wood lily. Native to Alberta, and the floral emblem of Saskatchewan. These are not all that easy to grow. When you get it right though, they form clumps fast! Very showy little lily. They supposedly grow to 3 feet tall when fully mature, but mine have never grown taller than 18". I've never seen them in the wild before - they're more rare than yellow lady's slipper! I'll post another photo when all the buds are open.



I didn't realize these occurred that far north and west. It's a pretty common species in the northeastern US in dry fields and roadsides. All the plants I've seen were no more than 18" and many much shorter, so I'd say that a three foot specimen would be exceptional. It is for sure a lovely thing and congrats on growing it so nicely.

Here's the distribution map from eFloras: http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=8366&flora_id=1 Pretty darn widespread!


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## parvi_17 (Jun 17, 2010)

KyushuCalanthe said:


> I didn't realize these occurred that far north and west. It's a pretty common species in the northeastern US in dry fields and roadsides. All the plants I've seen were no more than 18" and many much shorter, so I'd say that a three foot specimen would be exceptional. It is for sure a lovely thing and congrats on growing it so nicely.
> 
> Here's the distribution map from eFloras: http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=8366&flora_id=1 Pretty darn widespread!



It has really been overpicked/overcollected here. Native plant enthusiasts treasure it as much as they do orchids. It's amazing that we have a native lily that easily matches or even beats many of the garden cultivars! The specimen I posted is orange, but I have others that are quite red too.


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## Yoyo_Jo (Jun 17, 2010)

parvi_17 said:


> It must be a really old cultivar, because everyone has it and it's not available at nurseries. It's pretty though, and you're right - it grows quickly and yields lots of divisions.



I have it too - from a gardening friend. 

Joe, I'm really enjoying the tour of your gardens - everything is lovely.


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## parvi_17 (Jun 17, 2010)

Yoyo_Jo said:


> I have it too - from a gardening friend.
> 
> Joe, I'm really enjoying the tour of your gardens - everything is lovely.



Thank you!  One of these days I'll get it so there aren't a ton of weeds in the background!


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## parvi_17 (Jun 22, 2010)

A few more today...

_Iris sibirica_, Siberian iris. Forms beautiful clumps after a few years.





A gorgeous bearded iris with an unreal copper color (the photo doesn't do it justice). I don't know the name.





_Centaurea dealbata_, pink cornflower. Such an easy plant to grow, and very pretty!





_Allium christophii_, star-of-Persia. Really cool plant.


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## smartie2000 (Jun 22, 2010)

I need one of those purple Allium plants! They would work well in any garden

Your bronze iris is gorgeous!


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## SlipperFan (Jun 22, 2010)

More lovelies!


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## biothanasis (Jun 22, 2010)

great flowers!!!


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jun 22, 2010)

Pretty irises, but I like the onion!


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## parvi_17 (Jun 22, 2010)

smartie2000 said:


> I need one of those purple Allium plants! They would work well in any garden
> 
> Your bronze iris is gorgeous!



Thank you! I should try to get a better photo of the iris.

I have grown a number of Alliums in my garden; not all of the available ones are all that hardy. I've found that 'Purple Sensation' is short-lived, and A. uniflora and A. giganteum are a little tender (probably zone 4). A. christophii does seem to be a good one though. Another good one is A. caeruleum, and A. cernuum is a pretty native species.


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## parvi_17 (Jun 22, 2010)

A few more...

My grandma planted columbines when I was little, and a few years ago I noticed the last surviving one struggling under my large ***** willow (which my grandma also grew from a cutting she took from a wild plant). I moved it to a brighter spot, and it has flowered every year since. I love the peach sepals.





Here's another photo of my bronze/copper iris. The sun makes it look quite red, but it really is a fantastic bronzy copper color.





Another copper colored flower is Paeonia x 'Kopper Kettle', an Itoh hybrid. I bought this as a 'Bartzella' a few years ago (it was a mislabelled seedling). It grew a bit bigger each year, and is flowering for the first time this year. Love it! I'll still have to get a real Bartzella though! The flower looks pink in the photo, but it is quite coppery, with a hint of pink. I'll have to get another photo when the sun is behind the clouds or something.


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## Jorch (Jun 22, 2010)

Gorgeous plants! The copper iris is on my wishlist now :rollhappy:


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## smartie2000 (Jun 23, 2010)

:clap::clap:that peony I love!!!


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## parvi_17 (Jul 2, 2010)

*Update*

I haven't had a lot of time lately to take photos. I managed to get a few this morning as I start work late today.

First up is _Paeonia lactiflora_ 'Moon of Nippon'. This is one of my favorite Japanese lactiflora peonies (and I like the Japanese ones the best), and I don't see it very often. The flowers are very big and sweetly fragrant. It's also a very vigorous grower.





_Corydalis flexuosa_ 'Blue Panda' is a very uncommon plant here. I have a small Corydalis collection which I am trying to expand. The native species are annuals or biennials, and the non-native perennials are tender and a little tricky to grow. I do have two native species in my garden, which re-seed each year. Some seedlings are popping up, so hopefully I'll see some flowers. This one, of course, is one of the non-native perennials. The flowers of this plant are small, dainty, and difficult to photograph. They are a true cobalt blue. Around here, it must be grown in a cool spot in the garden - they detest the summer heat. They need constant moisture. Even if they're babied they often go dormant in midsummer, but they sometimes reappear and flower again in the fall.





_Rosa_ 'John Cabot'. I do not like Prairie hardy roses like this one. Those of you who live in the States or warmer parts of Canada probably never grow these types of roses, which have small flowers that look okay as they open, but look like crap after a couple days. They are also usually not fragrant. I have an English rose called Falstaff which I will show when the new buds open - the first flowers evaded my camera lens.





_Paeonia lactiflora_ 'Sarah Bernhardt', a classic double. These were among the few plants that existed in my yard when we moved here 18 years ago. Who knows how old they are. I have had to replace one out of seven plants as it died of old age. The others have yet to show signs of decline. These large, ball-shaped flowers smell like roses.





My martagon liles are starting to bloom now. These are all greatly underused in my region. They are very hardy, and are among the few lilies that do well in shade. The only drawback is they hate being disturbed, and usually take a break from blooming for a year after being moved. But, who wants to move plants around constantly anyway?

First up is L. x 'Lois Hole', a cross with unspotted yellow flowers with white backsides. Unique and beautiful. This is a vigorous grower, named for the late Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta Lois Hole, who was also the owner and co-founder of a large local and well-known nursery called Hole's Greenhouses and Gardens, and the author of a series of best-selling gardening books.





A close-up of a flower of _L. x dalhansonii_, a cross between _L. martagon_ var. _dalmaticum_ and _L. hansonii_. This is the most common martagon cross in my area, and the most vigorous one I have grown. It form clumps quickly, and the flowers smell a bit like cinnamon.





_Allium caeruleum_, one of my favorite blue flowers. The flower clusters are small, but very showy. These plants have naturalized in my garden.


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## Jorch (Jul 2, 2010)

Gorgeous garden! Love the "Moon of Nippon". Gotta find one (or similar one) for my mom next year


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## Kevin (Jul 2, 2010)

I didn't know there was a martagon named after Lois Hole. Where did you get it?


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## parvi_17 (Jul 2, 2010)

Kevin said:


> I didn't know there was a martagon named after Lois Hole. Where did you get it?



Hole's.


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## smartie2000 (Jul 2, 2010)

I love the tree peony!
Do you give it winter protection even though it is a mature plant?

I just bought two tree peonies for container planting. I will be putting it into my garage for dormancy. I can't get the one I put into the ground to grow well.


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## parvi_17 (Jul 2, 2010)

smartie2000 said:


> I love the tree peony!
> Do you give it winter protection even though it is a mature plant?
> 
> I just bought two tree peonies for container planting. I will be putting it into my garage for dormancy. I can't get the one I put into the ground to grow well.



What tree peony? I only posted two lactiflora (herbaceous) peonies. I tried a tree peony a few years ago and it died. I've been meaning to try again but haven't got to it. I have a few Itoh peonies (herbaceous x tree) and find that they are much hardier, but just as beautiful.


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## smartie2000 (Jul 2, 2010)

oh!! i c

I got a Paeonia suffruticosa 'Houki' and a 'Koukamon' 
'Houki' I bought because I got lucky and found a small blooming size one, there was a bud but it blasted. But a bud hints that it is ready.

I put it into a huge plastic tree pot and then put that into a Chinese ceramic container.

Your white peony 'Moon of Nippon' resembles that of a japanese tree peony, haha easier to keep those than a tree peony.

I believe the Japanese started breeding for lower flower petals at some point, after the imported plants from China. The Chinese ones are larger with many petals. Tree peonies are hard to come by and I have never seen one in bloom. Maybe eventually I will find a Chinese cultivar and not Japanese ones.

I also have a old and big herbaceous peony, but it is a noid. It is a deep pink.
Next year I will have some labelled young peonies bloom. I made the mistake of planting a herbaceous one too deep.


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## Kevin (Jul 2, 2010)

parvi_17 said:


> Hole's.



I hadn't heard of that one before, so I thought it was quite rare or new. I thought maybe you ordered it from a specialty place.


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## parvi_17 (Jul 2, 2010)

Kevin said:


> I hadn't heard of that one before, so I thought it was quite rare or new. I thought maybe you ordered it from a specialty place.



Hole's is the only place I know of where you can get it. It came out about 4 years ago I think, but I couldn't get one until last year as they sold out very quickly each year. This is its second year in my garden.


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## smartie2000 (Jul 4, 2010)

I need to find a yellow peony eventually. I don't think there are very many, and I bet they would be valuable. Your Paeonia x 'Kopper Kettle' has some warmer, part yellow tones. I am jealous


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## parvi_17 (Jul 4, 2010)

smartie2000 said:


> I need to find a yellow peony eventually. I don't think there are very many, and I bet they would be valuable. Your Paeonia x 'Kopper Kettle' has some warmer, part yellow tones. I am jealous



They are definitely uncommon. If my Kopper Kettle would have been a Bartzella like it was supposed to be, it would have been a double/semi-double yellow. Bartzella is probably the best yellow peony you can get. I have an Itoh called 'Going Bananas' that is a semi-double yellow. I bought it in flower earlier this season, but didn't take a photo. Another one you can get is _P. mlokosewitchsii_, often called "molly the witch". It is a single yellow species. Quite rare, but you can get it if you know where . It's not the hardiest or easiest peony to grow, though. I haven't bought one of them yet, but I will soon enough! 

The flowers on that Kopper Kettle, btw, are now showing much more yellow. I'll try to remember to take another photo tomorrow.


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## parvi_17 (Jul 8, 2010)

Alright, for today's update:

_Opuntia polyacantha_, plains prickly pear cactus. Native to southern Alberta. This plant is a no-brainer must-have for anyone who lives in a drier climate. It needs no care whatsoever and looks really cool! The flowers are followed by edible berries which I have never tasted.





More martagon lilies:

'Mrs. R.O. Backhouse'





The species _L. martagon_





_L. martagon f. album_





'Attiwaw'





As these are all planted together in a large mass planting, when you walk by them their perfume is delightful.


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jul 8, 2010)

Great set of lilies Joe. I love 'Mrs. R.O. Backhouse' - what an odd name!


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## smartie2000 (Jul 9, 2010)

Aweet collection! I love them all, esp. 'Mrs. R.O. Backhouse'. I have a good collection of lilies, but none like the ones with downward facing blooms. 
All mine are asianic lilies. These are more north american?


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## parvi_17 (Jul 9, 2010)

smartie2000 said:


> Aweet collection! I love them all, esp. 'Mrs. R.O. Backhouse'. I have a good collection of lilies, but none like the ones with downward facing blooms.
> All mine are asianic lilies. These are more north american?



The martagon lilies are derived from European and Asian species, including Ll. martagon, hansonii, tsingtauense, medeoloides, and distichum. They are very hardy plants that do better in part shade than in sun, and prefer a moderately moist soil. They form large clumps eventually with little special care/maintenance. They just don't like to be disturbed. As they start blooming in late June usually, by planting them with other lilies (Asiatics, Orientals, etc.) you can have lilies blooming almost the whole summer! My Asiatics, at least, will not start blooming for another week or so (by which time the martagons will be nearing the end of their season), and the Orientals and trumpets will start in about 3 weeks, lasting well into August.


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## parvi_17 (Jul 12, 2010)

Some more pics, taken this morning (it is overcast, so some photos didn't turn out that great):

_Lilium_ 'Landini' is the first of my Asiatic lilies to bloom this year. It is one of the darkest reds available. Asiatics are the most reliable lilies for garden cultivation in my area. They are very hardy, and tolerate a wide variety of soil conditions, as well as brief periods of drought. 





One of several specimens of _Allium cernuum_, nodding onion, growing in my garden. It's not the showiest Allium, but as a native species it is very easy to grow, and I like it.





Some unknown cultivar of _Delphinium_ I got at a plant exchange. I think it might be a variety from the New Millennium series. This is the first year I haven't had problems with Delphinium worm, which usually ruins my plants before they start blooming. I was considering removing all the Delphiniums from my garden because of it.





_Hemerocallis_ 'Siloam Double Classic'. This is currently my favorite daylily. The flowers are sweetly fragrant. It's also a Trophytaker Daylily (marketed by Valleybrook Gardens/Heritage Perennials here). Enough said!





This is a rose my Grandma planted when I was a little guy. I don't know what variety it is. It blooms very profusely though! However, I'm just not a big fan of semi-double roses.





_Corydalis_ 'Berry Exciting' is what I call a "perfect" plant - it creates its own color contrast between flowers and foliage.





A crappy photo of _Corydalis sempervirens_, or pink corydalis, a native species of my area. If this is a perennial, it's a very short-lived one. I bought a big one last year, and it seeded, but did not come back this year. Now these little seedlings are popping up and starting to flower. As they are much smaller than the mother plant was, I'm thinking they must be at least biennial. Certainly very pretty though!





_Corydalis aurea_, golden corydalis, is another native species, and like _C. sempervirens_ it is an annual or biennial. The original mother plant was rescued from the same place and on the same "mission" as my _Amerorchis rotundifolia_, and it did not come back the following year but self seeded prolifically, and the seedlings then seeded as well. I now have these plants growing across my garden, and I really like them. None of them have ever reached the huge size of the original plant though...





I will post more photos later on, when I have more time.


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jul 12, 2010)

The Corydalis are some of my favorites - long since past flowering here though. That dephinium is a beauty too!


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## SlipperFan (Jul 12, 2010)

I have the last one -- I was told it's common name is yellow bleeding heart. It spreads like mad!


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## parvi_17 (Jul 12, 2010)

SlipperFan said:


> I have the last one -- I was told it's common name is yellow bleeding heart. It spreads like mad!



The Corydalis are very closely related to bleeding hearts, but true bleeding hearts are of the genus _Dicentra_. These certainly do spread if you let them seed! As of yet they haven't become a huge problem for me - I have far worse weed problems to worry about...


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## parvi_17 (Jul 13, 2010)

More photos from yesterday...

The first flower on my _Incarvillea olgae_:





_Aster conspicuus_, showy aster. This is a native species, one of several native Aster species in my garden. It flowers very profusely from midsummer until frost, and so far has proven not to be a spreader. I love it!





_Penstemon hirsutus_ var. _pygmaeus_ is a trailing species with very pretty flowers. I thought this one had died (it emerged late), so I bought a huge new one this year. I hope to have them trailing over rocks in my rock garden.





_Hemerocallis fulva_, orange daylily, is a plant that everyone and their dog has around here. It is an introduced species from Europe, and can prove to be a bit of a nuissance spreader. It's also inferior to today's commercially available daylily cultivars. I have removed many of these plants from my garden, but have retained a few. They are among the very few plants that existed here when we moved in 18 years ago.





The flowers of a hens and chicks (_Sempervivum_ sp.). Many people actually remove the flowers, but I like them.





And now for some foliage pics. 

First is my Korean maple (_Acer pseudosieboldianum_), which I just planted this June. It has similar foliage and growth habit to Japanese maple (_A. palmatum_), but is hardier, though still only borderline hardy in my region. The leaves turn red and burnt orange in fall.





Here's a contrast created by the foliage of silver mound sage (_Artemisia schmidtiana_, left) and Goldilocks elder (_Sambucus racemosa_ 'Goldilocks', right). The sage has to be sheared back in the summer to retain its neat, rounded shape, or else it goes bare in the center. The elder is a really neat little shrub that can be pruned for a bonsai effect. The leaves look like dissected/cutleaf Japanese maple (_Acer palmatum_ f. _dissectum_), but this shrub is actually hardy in my region.





Another hardy shrub with a Japanese maple effect is Black Lace elder (_Sambucus nigra_ 'Eva'). I say "hardy", but it actually almost dies back to the ground here most winters, if it's not in a really protected location. However, it comes back from the ground, and usually gets about 4-5 feet tall by the end of the season. It's one of my favorite shrubs.


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## SlipperFan (Jul 13, 2010)

Nice foliage contrasts. You must have a beautiful garden!

I'm glad the Corydalis spreads like mad -- the foliage is pretty, and the plant is quite small, so it make a lovely filler plant.


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## parvi_17 (Jul 13, 2010)

SlipperFan said:


> Nice foliage contrasts. You must have a beautiful garden!
> 
> I'm glad the Corydalis spreads like mad -- the foliage is pretty, and the plant is quite small, so it make a lovely filler plant.



Well the majority of the garden was not planned but is rather a collection of individual plants placed wherever they would grow (like an English garden). Some of the newer plantings were done with some purpose, giving them deliberate contrasts in colors and textures, and also some flow. Only one bed (the one with the sage and elders) do I consider acceptable. I'll show a picture of it when the Ligularia start blooming. The rest of the garden I'm still working on. As I only live on a little city lot, with 200 varieties of perennials crammed into the space, you can imagine the garden is quite busy, as most of those varieties are represented by only a single plant. It's not a big, wide open space with plants spread out tastefully, it's a small space with a ton of plants crammed in close together. I also have an ongoing war with weeds, which I am having a difficult time winning because much of the ground is recently dug and the neighbors (and nearby construction sites) do not control their weeds.

So... the garden looks great when I show pictures of individual plants maybe, but if I were to post pics of the whole garden, it would be horrifying.

I agree with you on the Corydalis. If they were the only "weeds" I had to control, I'd be a happy man.


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## biothanasis (Jul 15, 2010)

Great pictures!


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## parvi_17 (Jul 20, 2010)

Some Asiatic lilies in bloom this week...

L. 'Orange Electric'





'Latvia'





'Orange Pixie'





'Cappuccino'





'Red Classic'





'Cancun'





'Mount Duckling'


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## Kevin (Jul 20, 2010)

Nice. My Lativa just finished.


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## SlipperFan (Jul 20, 2010)

Wonderful lilies. I especially like Orange Electric.


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## Leo Schordje (Jul 22, 2010)

Love the photos. I really like the trailing penstemmon. The photos of the natives give me some ideas for my weed choked garden. I need to make plan. Thanks


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## jewel (Jul 23, 2010)

wonderful! my Latvia finished like a month ago and has since gone dormant, also your pic helped me put a name on it, thanks!


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