A poor, fuzzy photo of a Draba sp. from yesterday - the whitish spherical things are buds... spring is getting ready to... errr... spring. (And I would have gone out and gotten a better photo but it's under snow today, LOL!)
Come on, warmer zone folks, whet our appetites with all the things that must already be in bloom for you!
This message was edited Mar 16, 2008 8:59 PM
And buds on a Saxifraga sancta var. macedonica... (Yes, I need to divide it this year and remove the dead center.)
Bulbocodium vernum - should open in a day or two, if we get some sun. Occurs in alpine meadows in the Pyrenees, western and central Alps, and in one locality in Austria (Rix and Phillips, Bulbs).
A new Draba for me is in bloom - not the best photo but hope it gives you some idea.
These are sign of spring in my garden today.
Familiar early spring flower 'Epimedium'.
:)
Cymbidium goeringii .
Wonderful, Galanthophile and Goldenfish! We need to change the name of this to "Flowers!"
Here's all I can contribute, still (though the buds are burgeoning on that first draba, and also starting to show on Draba ventosa):
Bulbocodium vernum
Very nice!
All I have is a tiny little yellow fluff on a draba that looks barely alive.
I couldn't get my new camera to focus on it.
Tam
altagardener,
Your contribution is very nice. Bulbocodium vernum is new to me. Please post your Draba photos sometime.
Anyway, can I continue to post "Flowers" ???
"Jeffersonia dubia"
closeup
Goldenfish - that jeffersonia is so pretty. I've had one for several
years and never managed to see it in bloom. Someday it'll bloom
for me (and I'll wander over to witness it).
Very nice color on the foliage and flowers, Goldenfish. Someday it will look like this pic below. Probably about 15-20 years old, at the MN Arboretum.
Thank you Tammy. I wonder why yours don't bloom because Jeffersonia like
the cool climate. In my garden, many alpains are tired in long hot summer!
Thank you Leftwood for your wonderful photo! I've never seen such a big clump of
Jeffersonia. I'm so surprised!
WOW, Rick that's a glorious plant.
Goldenfish - do they have a short bloom time? Mine is a bit
far from the house so I don't go out there except maybe on the
weekends.
Tam
Lovely, Goldenfish, and what a knockout, Leftwood! Tammy, I was fairly excited to get 2 or 3 flowers (not very long-lived) on each of J. dubia and J. diphylla last year, but now I see I've been aiming low...
I think I would say that an individual dubia flower would last 4-6 days. No concrete evidence to back that up with, but I know for sure it is a LOT longer than J.diphylla (1-2 days).
But I like the foliage.
And the seed pods are cute.
Leftwood,
Thank you for answering the question instead of me. It's my first time to see
J.diphylla. The flower is cute and I'm sorry it has very short bloom time but
you can enjoy wonderful leaves after the bloom! The seed pot is really unique!
I'll try to observe my J.dubia after bloom.
I thiink I like the seed pod almost as much as the flower & folliage.
It looks like a little cookie jar with a lid and everything.
I went looking and no sign of folliage. I wonder if it isn't going to
come up at all this year.
As you know, they are usually pretty early, Tammy. Cause for cocern.
I'm amazed that Bulbocodium survives in Calgary...I can't get them to survive in Newfoundland and we are zone 5b with so much snow, the ground rarely freezes. One small corner of one bed has melted enough that I can see my Gazania linearis died this winter...it survived 2 winters previous. Not sure what killed it this year, but it seems I will have a lot of losses based on what I am seeing so far.
Re. the bulbocodium - well, I guess it's just the dry climate here... "winter wet" and standing water are almost nonexistent. But compared to your area, this climate takes its toll on plants that prefer snow cover and humidity, needless to say. (On that note, I see that our old 'PJM' rhodo appears to be mostly dead this year.)
Hmm, I must try that gazania again.
I've just bought Jeffersonia dubia as it it a plant I've wanted for a while. That huge specimen above is just fantastic!
I have the regular purply flowered form of J. dubia, but a member of our Society has one with the bluest hues I've seen. And somehow it has glistening "sparkles" embedded in the petals. Just heavenly. I have a seedling from her, I hope it's as good.
