Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Wildflower Wednesday May 2012

 The third Wednesday of the month brings us the Wildflower Wednesday meme. Gail at Clay and Limestone shares this day on her blogsite. Go there and share you natives with others who strive to bring more natives into our gardens.
 Callirhoe alcaeoides - Pale Poppy Mallow. I scavenged these beauties above in  a vacant industrial lot next to my work, a former Kansas prairie. Initially they were just a small rosette such as the photo below.

 Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger'-Tiger Eyes Sumac. This variety was originally found as a mutation in a cultivated nursery from R. typhina ‘Laciniata’. Although not native to Kansas this variety grows under the same growing conditions as the native varieties seen throughout our native areas. This plant was added to my hell strip last fall.
 Rumex crispus  L-Curly Dock. Ok, most people would classify it as a weed. (especially one of my neighbors), its the tall plant in the back ground. I wrestling with this one because it really likes this fertile area and has reached 5'. My original reasoning was to use the maroon seed heads as winter interest against the tawny foliage of the tall switchgrass.One probably would have done the trick, but like a glutton I dug three. ha. Found in the same lot.

Future gladness. Present gladness. Delphinium carolinianum  Walt.  subsp. virescens  (Nutt. ) Brooks-Prairie Larkspur. I wrote a blog post about this one last spring. Recovery and Recovery II. And yes I will try to recover some seed. Can't wait for this one to flower. And last but not least....the Milkweed!
Ascelpias incarnta-Swamp Milkweed

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

A Pink Bloom Day-May 2013

 Spring has finally arrived fully in this part of the flint hills of Kansas . After many days of ice, cold rain, snow and cool windy conditions recently, it has been unusual to actually see some warm weather. Pinks and blues are predominate in the garden. Also this spring brings a few new trial plants to the native praire garden which I'll discuss or cuss in future posts.
 Rock Soapwort-Saponaria ocymoides stands out below on the corner hell strip. I first noticed Soapwort when I lived in Colorado Springs and spottied it trailing over a retaining wall near Garden of the Gods. Originally this plant was started from seed and this is it's third spring. As you can see part of the plant never reaches the street as many people rub it off when they turn too sharp (free pruning). The blue blooms belong to Salvia x sylvestris 'Rapsody in Blue'. The light pink bloom belongs to Fragrant Persian Stonecress-Aethionema schistosum. This plant was started over three years ago from a 2" pot purchased from High Country Gardens (which I was happy to see regrouping and open once again).

 In part of the cottage garden Salvia nemorosa(?) blooms with Candytuft-Iberis sepervirens and is bordered by Achillea foilage, Stachys b. Lambs Ear, aand Artemisia (Powis Castle).
Image below: Salvia 'Rapsody in Blue', and Persian Stonecress-Aethionema schistosum with Mexican Feathergrass-Nasella tenuissima.
Closing with Iris siberica 'Caesar's Brother'