A hint of the beauty that section ornatae holds was offered in the description and photo of gentiana futtereri - the large flowers coming in all shades of blue with prominent striping will rivet the attention of any garden visitor - blue has that ability to bewitch the viewer. The recent collections from Halda, Jurasek, Pavelka and Holubec have provided over 100 separate collections…
The recent expeditions of Czech seed collectors to China have brought us an explosion of new material that is proving surprisingly growable. Gentians are on everyone's list of desiderata; and, the Chinese species have the added feature of blooming later, which is a reason they are still relatively uncommon in culture. They can still be in bloom when the snows arrive in late September…
One of the best "trends" to hit mainstream gardening is container planting - trough gardening for most of us. Adaptable and accessible to most any situation, troughs can be used as accents to an alpine garden or perennial garden; or, they can be the sole feature with a varied number of sub-themes. Each container represents its own particular ecological/horticultural expression. Using…
This year, I am seeing a spectacular display of bloom in our gardens - partly the result of maturity (both the garden and me), and partly the season we are having, earlier in arrival by ~ 7-10 days and much drier than last year. Dry is not so bad when flowers are considered, as adequate soil moisture and increased light = more energy for the plant. So, ignoring all those wonderful new treats,…
Karen Perkins operates Garden Visions, the nursery that propagates and sells Darrell Probst's collections of Epimedium species and the hybrids he has created. His lecture on searching in China was most enthralling; and, having many of the plants available on the Karen's sales table added more to the obvious interest of the audience. To our great delight,…
Sedum aff. purdyi - For the most part, Sedum purdyi is lumped with S. spathulifolium, and if you go on the Calflora site, the photos confirm this opinion. However, this collection by Ron Ratko and taken in the Siskiyou Mtns. Of Northern California, is exceptional and differs S. spathulifolium in several ways. Described by Ron as growing on loose, shaley outcrops, it forms, "...domed…
There are so many beautiful plants when Spring finally arrives. Clear, bright colours and the incredibly delicate scents awaken the imagination and bring back the primary child. The time is right to strip away all those years of cultural learning and conformity - do something bold. Why not "wallflowers" - everyone disparages the lowly cabbage family, yet many worthy species of draba and…
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The great thrill of rock gardening is the challenge of the new; and while this applies to other types of gardening, in growing alpines there is a greater variety of novelty. It stirs the competitive urge for sure, but in the way of a child learning about the world. It is the expression and application of intellect to know more about the…
One of the delights of late Autumn is seeing the daphne velenovskyi putting forth a few late flowers for the withering hours of the aniline light of November. Most of its leaves have fallen, but this fading burst of life, can make one stop and admire'so different from the gaudy spectacle of May when it's blooms overpower all the new green growth in a robe of pink. Whatever is the…
Adonis is one of those odd genuses of the family ranunculacaea that murkily sits amongst paeonia, anemone, and ranunculus. The only 2 we grow are A. amurensis, a species from Eastern Siberia, and A. vernalis, which has a wide, though limited distribution throughout Europe. Our original plants are from Czech origin seed (Moravia), and produced ~ 50 plants. These have been raised in an…
Eritrichiums are among the most desired of blue-flowering plants; and, many times with many species have I, along with many others, have sought to find one that would actually last in the garden.
I have seen E. nanum growing high in the Big Horns in endless sheets, as if to challenge where earth and sky meet. Seed raising is…
We were doing the usual summer maintenance on our stock and my daughter Esther commented, "...look at all the androsace. You don't need to bother with saxifrages, the variety here is just as good." And so it is. The Chinese collections have doubled or tripled the number of species. Despite their delicate looks, they have proven surprisingly easy to grow. Their beauty is second to none. Two for…
In early April, Josef Halda stayed with us, putting the finishing touches to the lectures he brought for his NARGS North American tour. I have always admired the vertical, cleft formations that are so often seen in Czech trough and alpine gardens and imagined that they must be painstakingly constructed and slow to mature. Regardless, I was interested in knowing the process, and having…
I don't know how Stephanie Ferguson persuaded me to do a tufa planting/trough planting/plant sale for the Calgary Rock and Alpine Garden Society - I must learn to say no. It was a surreal drive across the mid-continent, somewhat like Napoleon's retreat from Moscow - with plants, 600 pots and 16 baskets of rooted cuttings! Three days and 2500 miles we were in Cochrane, AB ready to set…
April, the time for planting is near and with it comes assessment. Gardens change. Trees grow or are removed; the amounts of light and wind are altered. Plants die, or grow so much they subdue and dominate a garden. In nature change is managed by extremes of weather and topography. Storms, ice, fire, snow-melt, flooding and rock slides, grazing'etc. Humans will manage a garden in a…
