Plants, trees and nature photos

Witch hazel fall colors

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:55:00 +0000

Hamamelis × intermedia (H. japonica × H. mollis)

After the rain - TS Hanna

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:54:00 +0000

Silene maritima, Robin White Breast calyces

Flowering Purslane

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:44:00 +0000

We have tons of weedy Purslane growing in our yard. They have very small yellow flowers, grow vigorously and are a pest. I was surprised to see flowering Purslane sold in a local nursery. I have to grudgingly admit these are quite pretty. I guess I need to change my thinking that they are Portulacas rather than the weedy association I have when I see the word Purslane.

Scarlet Red Malope

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:33:00 +0000

Malopes are closely related to Althaea, Abutilon, Gossypium, Kitaibelia, Malva and Sidalcea. They are all in the Malvacea family which also includes, cocoa, cotton, okra, baobab and durian the stinky but delicious Southeast Asian fruit.

We planted annual wildflower seeds to cover a newly created bank and the malope was included in the mixture.

Hibiscus trionum, Flower-of-an-Hour

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:14:00 +0000

A weed but a nice weed so we let it grow. Funny but it only grows in our yard. I never see them in the neighbors' weed filled beds or in other waste areas. The flower is short lived - only a day but the plant has numerous buds so several are blooming at any one day. The flower is small not more than a couple of inches in diameter.

The two bottom pictures are of the seedpod which is as interesting as the flower in my opinion.

2 poppies

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:28:00 +0000

This is a field poppy we bought in a wild flower seed mix. Of the original flowers in the mix this is the only one that reseeded every year for 5 years.

The first of the California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) to bloom this year. Of the two flowers blooming now they both look like the common yellow orange California poppies despite my buying a mixed color 'Thai Silk' seed packet. I guess the crenelated folding of the petals is supposed to resemble silk cloth?

Styrax japonicus

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:06:00 +0000

Japanese Snowbell

Kalmia latifolia, Mountain laurel

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:21:00 +0000

Alpine Pink?

Here's a nice site with pictures of many different cultivars of Kalmia.

Lupine Russell hybrid, Lupinus polyphyllus 'Russell'

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:51:00 +0000

Geranium hybrids 'Jolly Bee'?

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 01:15:00 +0000

We were at the local Lowes store and I spotted these wilted perennial geraninums. I bought all three on the display table and I'm glad I did - they have been blooming prolifically ever since I planted them several weeks ago. I scooped up some water from one of the fountain displays :) to revive the plants - I wish they took better care of the plants they sell. I think they are 'Jolly Bee's but I can't be sure because there was no name tags or labels.

Penstemon Navigator series

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 01:36:00 +0000

This is a carefree perennial dwarf Penstemon which grows very vigorously. We bought many at a $.50 clearance sale to see if they would rebloom which they did. It bloomed very nicely last year and are really putting on a show this year having grown to 2 to 5 times their original size.

Dwarf Japanese Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum 'humile'

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Tue, 27 May 2008 16:37:00 +0000

I bought this tiny Solomon's Seal 'humile' (for humility?) at our Master Gardner's sale last year. I thought I lost it because it was slow in appearing this spring but it came back with great vigor and has spread at least 2 times it's original size. The plant is about 8" tall. Chris of Digital Flower Pictures told me they were very hardy even if planted in shade and would spread and eventually cover a large area so I may use it as a ground cover under some birches.

Acer Japonicum 'Otaki'

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Tue, 20 May 2008 19:09:00 +0000

This maple is different from the ones we normally call Japanese maple, the Acer Palmatums. It belongs with the other A. Japonicums such as the 'Full Moon' and 'Mai Kujaku' (dancing peacock) maples from Japan. Though not quite a beautiful as either of the ones mentioned above, it is vigorous and handsome in it's own right.

The deer have eaten the new shoots of my 'Full Moon' maple so it's barely surviving and browsed the 'Mai Kujaku' so heavily it died. But the 'Otaki' remains unmolested. I don't know if the rough textured leaves make it less palatable or if it's just lucky happenstance they missed it but the little foot tall tree I bought as a 1 year graft has grown to more than 5 feet tall in 3 years.

Johnny Jump-Ups

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:40:00 +0000

These volunteer Johnnys are exceptionally robust this year. The evenly spaced rain kept everything moist during the winter so even if we are below average in rainfall this year the plants held up much better than with drenching rains followed by no rain for a couple of weeks.

Sedum kamtschaticum var. floriferum ‘Weihenstepharis Gold’

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:31:00 +0000

Gold flowered sedum

Sun and Star

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:59:00 +0000

Unknown mushroom, probably a bolete and fallen Yoshino cherry sepal.

Anemone 'Sylvestris'

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:01:00 +0000

Snowdrop windflower. Tiny but one of the first anemones to bloom in spring.

Inner Beauty

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:25:00 +0000

Unknown tulip.

Narcissus, Daffodil, Jonquil for wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:18:00 +0000

Fritillaria uva-vulpis

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:50:00 +0000

A native of Turkey, Iraq and Iran. The bells are downfacing so they are not showy but a small interesting plant nonetheless.

Flowers of Maple Acer Japonicum 'O Taki', alt. 'Odaki'

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:26:00 +0000

Acer Japonicum are commonly included with Japanese maples which are Acer plamatum but the leaves differ significantly.

PJM Rhododendron with Gold tips

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:28:00 +0000

The PJMs are blooming now. I noticed these because the tips of the stamens appear to be almost metallic gold. Please click on the photo to enlarge so you can clearly see the golden tips.

Lupine leaf with trapped water drop

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 01:33:00 +0000

Hellebore exposed

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:42:00 +0000

Buds of the flowering quince, Chaenomeles

noreply@blogger.com (Ki) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:45:00 +0000