Pussy Toes!

I'm amazed that some of our native plants aren't more commonly used in the garden.  I've been watching the silvery mats of Antennaria parvifolia foliage spread slowly with time.  The stems root into the ground, and soon the patch of seedlings will fill in entirely.  It's a nice ground cover for a sunny, well drained spot.  I'm anxious to see it flower.

I had to put the camera down on the irresistibly touchable foliage to get a view from ground level, with Aquilegia canadensis in the background.  I think it would be cool to make a checkerboard lawn with this and turf type tall fescue.  A lot of work, I know, but really cool. 

Ylang Ylang in Bloom



I was wandering in the greenhouse after work, noting all the plants that have been moved out when I spied this surreal blossom.  I had not seen it before, though I've watered the nondescript plants many times.  I snapped a few pictures and began pondering what it might be.  Somehow my mind went to ylang ylang, Cananga odorata.  I didn't notice a strong fragrance, but this is indeed the ylang ylang that is so popular in aromatherapy and perfumery.  I've been pondering why there is such an investment in long, long petals.  Perhaps there are moths with poor eyesight that pollinate it or something.  It's a cool plant, and I'm sure GrayC will be carting it out to the Herb Garden for all to see in coming years as it gets a bit more size on it. 



Large Beardtongue May Day

A few weeds have been creeping into the bed where we are growing some of the plants that we collected in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming in 2010.  I was not being particularly productive in the stuffy confines of the office, so I weeded for an hour or so before I went home.  The bed looks good, thanks in large part to all the attention Brad has given it.  The Penstemon grandiflorus bloomed today, in response to dramatically warmer and more humid weather.  It indeed has the largest flowers of all the penstemons, or beardtongues.  The seed came from a few plants near Oak Park in Whitewood, SD, and our friend Jackie Hoffman helped us collect the bit of seed that was remaining in the pods when we visited in May.  The foliage on this plant is stunning, almost as blue as a good blue spruce, and the flowers are a wonderful lavender shade that harmonizes perfectly with the foliage.  I think this is more glaucous than plants of this species I have seen further east.  Makes sense, since long droughts and low humidity and wind are facts of life where this was collected, and more wax on the leaves means less water loss.  Now we will see how it persists or if it self sows.

Chris Upton of 1003 Gardens fame stopped by as his work day was ending and expressed his admiration for "xeriphytic rosettes" such as those displayed as this plant was making its way through our mild winter.  It's comforting to know that he has an unexplained and deep love for those rosettes the way I have an unexplained and deep love for bulbs! 

Crazy About Locoweed

I remember the family dog, Mandy, coming home after many of her bunny probes acting a little crazy.  We always guessed she had chewed on a little locoweed.  Ingestion can cause livestock and horses to exhibit unusual intoxicated behavior, and some horses can become habituated to it. 

Name aside, the locoweeds are beautiful plants.  I wonder why they aren't grown more often in rock gardens, perennial borders, and prairie plantings.  GrayC, Kevin, and I collected three species in our 2010 travels and they have bloomed heavily this spring.  One of the perils of seed collecting is that you never have the floral characteristics to look at, and mistakes in nomenclature are common.  I've finally sorted these out now that they have flowered.

Oxytropis campestris was the first plant to bloom.  It actually sent up some flower spikes last fall, and bloomed heavily this spring.  the flowers are a pleasant lemon yellow shade that will combine well with spring bulbs, I think.  The calyces are quite hairy, giving the flower spikes a fuzzy appearance that is interesting.

Oxytropis sericea is usually white or light blue.  I had no idea that the seeds we collected in a part of Custer State Park near Blue Bell Lodge would be the rarer light purple-pink form.  It is spicily fragrant, too. 



Oxytropis lambertii is the most variable species, coming in shades of blue, violet, and even cerise.  Our collection from Nebraska is interesting in that the florets start out violet and age to a very attractive shade of blue.  The fragrance is comparable to that of sweet peas.

Of course, we'll have to test these for a longer period of time in a variety of garden situations before passing judgement.