FIRST FLOWERS ALMOST SUMMER 2015

Jeff, wish I could help you out. (Beyond Opuntia...) Best I can recall, I picked up a pad from a sidewalk, brought it home, and rooted it. If you're considering growing, I can give further description (height, spread etc) and share a pad to root.

thanks David..going for the labels and marker now...

What a beautiful selection of blooms you have, Sequoia. I particularly like the Nepeta. We can supply you with a couple of the skullcap if you would like some.

When the NBC bloomed the first time, we only had the one, and the blooms were white. I don't recall how long after that we got the second one and both have tags that say "NBC from Gita." Both have been fixtures in the dining room for at least a couple of years and look to be about the same size. David posted pictures of them back when we had seed trays sitting below them early in the year. Don't know if it was the same one that bloomed again or not, and we definitely don't do anything special to them.

That poor in-the-ground Begonia, SSG.

My experience with begonias is hit or miss. I find them a little fussy. But if you want to dig and pot that one, ssg, I think it can rebound, given what it likes.

Yes, it's very glossy. Thank you for the ID!

I do think the begonia would rebound but I'm out of space for shade containers. All of my shade is taken up by in-ground plants already.

Please let me know fi you're going to be at Yehudith's and would like to give these begonias a new home! I have three that are planted in the ground.

I would definitely like some different varieties of skullcap from you guys. I got a couple at the fall swap but they didn't come back this spring.

I just have an interested in cacti that grow in our region. I have a Grizzly Bear prickly pear. It was purchased from Geoscapes Nursery out WY I think. When it came it had 4 paddles (it grows upright like a shrub). Now it has maybe 18 or so. This year it doubled in size, so hopefully next year it will bloom for the first time. We'll see. It's the centerpiece for my xeric garden.

Sounds like you're having great success with that Grizzly Bear! We'll supply you with more of the skullcap.

sally--
That "Red Epi" you have blooming would be the one I call #1--or Ackermanii.

I gave them the #1 and #2 labels based on which of the two bloomed first and second.

1--Here is #2---NOID. The "spectacular" one....2013

2 & 3--The ONLY bloom I ever had on the Ric Rac cactus. June, 2006.

4--The "Red Epi" (Ackermanii) from June, 2010

5--A night shot of Epi #2 (same as 1st picture).

This message was edited Jun 15, 2015 10:03 AM

My 2 Epis were sent to me by "kachinagirl" from Modesto, CA
in August, 2005. Just small sections...A NEW experience for me...

1--Epis #1 and #2 just arrived and re-potted.

2--Not sure where the Ric Rac cactus came from--but , as you can see above,
it had grown and bloomed in 2007. So--I must have had it before that--
Maybe also in 2005 or 2006.

G.

Those are so pretty G!

Thanks Pat :-)

This message was edited Jun 15, 2015 11:15 AM

Couch day here, Joyanna is under the weather and I think I've caught the edge of it. So I'm really enjoying all the lovely photos!

Here's a Siberian Iris that's blooming now, perfect match for the nearby spiderwort. Both their tags have gone missing, so i'd have to dig for IDs. I adjusted this photo to get the red-violet color correct, at least to my eye. I'll have to try again to get a true-color image.

Jill, that Iris looks orange on my monitor. Ha ha, just kidding. It IS a nice red-violet color, very pretty.

I walked out the door this morning and noticed a beautiful lily had popped open over night. It's supposed to be a 'Royal Sunset' but I think it looks more like their 'Trogon'. I got it from B & D Lilies. I also snapped this a photo of our 'annual' dianthus back for another round this year. It just looked so cool with all the different colors on the same plant.

That is a very cool dianthus, Sequoia. I hope it keeps coming back.

ric rac cactus for those who want Latin
http://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Selenicereus&species=anthonyanus

I was looking for a possible on the pink Epi, someone has entered hundreds of hybrid Epis in Plantfiles and no pictures. That will have to remain 'Gita's Pink Epi"

This message was edited Jun 15, 2015 9:07 PM

This is the first of my pond plants to bloom: Saururus Cernuus (Lizard's Tail)
I was glad to see the flower; I wasn't sure there would be enough sun there.

Works for me!

Yes--I already knew the "Selenicerius Anthonyanus" name---
but thanks for the reminder....
I have a lot of "real" names for a lot of my plants. They are all on little
slips of paper that I keep stacked on the left side of my monitor.
I also have some of them stashed in a big, fat folder--just all kinds
of things accumulated there...more slips of paper.....

G,

Picked this pink Hellebore up from the gift table at Muddy's swap.

It is blooming! Not much--but about 3 blooms. Weird time of year, though.

Huh. I didn't even know that ric rac cactus flowered! I guess I need to start watching out for evening blooms.

Gita, I could never keep track of all of my plants and labels (especially with cats/squirrels digging up the tags), so I finally started an online plant list at ATP. It's so convenient!

One of my favorite parts is that I can place a plant in the "want" category if someone posts a pretty flower picture in the forums. And I can access this "want" list from my phone, so when I'm at the nursery, I can check to see if something on my list is on sale.

I still use the DG Journal, I try to go to Plantfiles and find the plant, then use the Add to journal link.

SSG - Essentially all plants bloom, exceptions being conifers, ferns, mosses, green algae and liverworts.

First day Liles here. Happy Returns

Houstonia longifolia a tiny plant from David

"Hey Hank, time for breakfast"
"Coming. Just admiring the sedum!"

Sally, bring your gnomes for a visit next time you come over.

Hahaha, Sally, cute. Nice to see someone REALLY embrace the garden gnomes, they are so often neglected or even ridiculed (never by me though). :)

That Houstonia longifolia is very pretty Sally.

1. It surprises me everytime I see the creeping Jenny bloom.

2. Astilbe and Japanese painted fern.

3. Pink coreopsis seedling mixed in with Zagreb.

4. Calla lilies. Fully hardy for me! But they don't multiply for me at all.

5. Dimension lily.

I love that lily SSG. I believe the pink flower in your 3rd pic is a dianthus seedling?

1--My Astilbe (from HD) is now in full bloom.
All of you that also got this one--should also be enjoying it...
David--you should have a pile of these. SS--you too...

2--This is my Baptesia--year #5. Growing--but no blooms so far.

3--Anyone know what this is? It has been 'growing" in this spot for a couple of years.
seems i remember planting something here??? Now it is going to bloom...
I will post it on the "Plant ID" too.

4--Here is the top of it with a cluster of buds. Any ID? I will die if it is a weed!

5--COLEUP!!!! Are these seedlings of tropical Milkweed?? I know I
seeded some in this pot to sprout. If it is--I wish i had more....

Sally, the photos and the dialog with the garden gnomes always gives me a chuckle.

Gita, it was me, not David and Pat, who got a whole bunch of the Astilbe 'Visions' from you last year. I got 14 of them. They started to bloom a few days ago - really pretty and a bit later than the other Astilbe cultivars that I have, prolonging the Astilbe extravaganza.

Sequoia, the lily 'Dimensions' that you liked in SSG's post was one of the lilies several of us got in a group buy. I thought from the catalog that it would be a dark purple, but it is actually a dark red/maroon. Really striking, but feels out of place in my gardens - just like that orange/red azalea that I gave you at the spring swap. If you want, I can give you the clump of lily 'Dimensions' at the fall swap - I think there are 5.

SS--

On your comment re the Ric Rac blooming---It is not an Epi
that blooms at night. None of mine are. They all bloom in the daytime
and the blooms last about 3-4 days.

Just for fun--here is how you can tell (at least on my Epi #2) that
a bloom is coming...I noticed this when I had the big bloom flush of it.

1--There is a reddish/pinkish "vein" that emanates from the main vein
if the frond. Then--it starts as a tight bud where it exits, grows out in a tight bud
and soon opens as the bloom. I don't know if they all do this??

2 & 3--This was in July, 2011. When it bloomed so beautifully..
I had NEVER before seen it bloom. I was blown away!

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BTW--Any broken off pieces of this Epi root very quickly and grow pretty fast.
I have a few rooted starts. Anyone want one?I'll put your name on it.!

Yes! You have to bring it in for the winter--and, YES!--it grows large and sprawled
and can get very heavy. Also--very ugly. Nothing to get excited about
when it comes to looks--until you see it bloom. Just warning you......

4--You need to plant it in a sturdy HB that has WIRE HANGERS!
It can get VERY heavy and lopsided- need a serious hook to hang it from.
See what I mean?

5---This is Epi #1 (Ackermanii) from June, 2012.
It has a more "orderly" growth habit. It bloomed so prettily--covered in blooms.
Will see what this year brings.........both Epis are newly re-growing...

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OK! I just wanted to let you see what this Epi thing is all about. For me!

Go to the Orchid cactus Forum and you will get your fill!
"Orchid man" is the GURU htere.

Sure Terri, I'll give them a good home. I don't have a color scheme so any color goes :-) I planted that azalea over the weekend so it should be happy. It always amazes me how wimpy rhodie and azalea roots look when you pull them up or plant them. It's weird to me that all those tiny roots sustain such large plants.

Gita, I only got about 3 of the 'Vision' astilbe and have posted the pictures a couple of times. I like how this shade of pink just pops in the shade. Paler pinks tend to get lost in my shade.

Good to know the ric rac blooms during the day! I must have read that wrong somewhere.

Seq, you're right! It's a dianthus that I grew from seed a couple of years ago. It didn't do well for me but it still keeps popping up.

I started with 5 of those Dimension lilies and they've multiplied very nicely. They were from ADR so really cheap, too! Around $1 per bulb, I believe. It's not quite the dark purple/almost black I'd hoped for, but still a nice pop of color. They're going to look great in your yard.

Gita, your mystery plant looks like a Milkweed to me.

1 - Rudbeckia 'Indian Summer' is starting to bloom.

2 - a bee enjoying the Butterfly Weed. I'm glad the bees like it, because there are next to no butterflies in my yard.

Spigela marilandica - my minuscule plant, my other plant is lost in the garden somewhere
Anthemis from Catmint
Veronica - intrepid warrior as it is survived last year being over grown by monarda
Geranium 'Orkney Cherry'
Scutellaria 'Dark Violet'

Muddy, is your Rudbeckia perennial for you? I haven't been able to get them to come back.

Scrophularia macrantha
Butterfly weed
Asiatic lily Arbatax

Some Rudbeckias perform as annuals, some are biennials, some are short-lived perennials, and some are very perennial. Choose your species/cultivar carefully.

That Scrophularia macrantha is an interesting plant; I like its common name, Redbirds in a tree...very descriptive!

Two of my 3 Rudbeckia 'Indian Summer' made it through the winter; maybe I didn't mulch the deceased one as well.

Sequoia, your Spigelia marilandica will probably look great next year, especially if it self-seeds and multiplies.

That's what I hope my one penstemon barbatus coccineus 'Fireworks' does. It didn't flower at all last year because I took too long to move it to a sunnier spot.

Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' falls into the very perennial category for me; it spreads far faster than I'd like. On the other hand, it's easy to dig up and move to spots where I need filler plants.

Edited to say that I really don't know whether the Rudbeckia 'Indian Summer' are holdovers from last year; they could be the results of self-seeding. The year before last, I sowed seeds in March and they were blooming by summer.

This message was edited Jun 16, 2015 9:11 PM

Muddy---

If it is a Milkweed--it has been growing there now for 3 years.
This is the 1st year i will see the flowers. I guess we will see what kind it is soon...

Jeff and Muddy--could you PLEASE try to add common names to
all the beautiful pictures you post????
I would really like to know what you are talking about.

Just make the effort--David does! Thank you. Gita