Virtual Garden Tour 2000-2021

Discussion in 'How's It Growing?' started by Margot, May 15, 2020.

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  1. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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    @Nik

    That is interesting to see your blue flower - did you plant it?

    We have wild native « Idaho Blue eye grass » on our rural place in the BC Okanagan (same south-flowing river valley north of Wenatchee WA)

    (We spell Okanagan a vowel differently than our Washington State neighbours)

    It is a common wild flower in areas with snow that melts in spring — amidst bunch grass and Ponderosa pines — tho is disturbed by human activity as well as range cattle
    Sisyrinchium idahoense - Wikipedia
    ———-
    E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of BC
     
  2. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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    @Nik
    Do you know name of your pink magenta rhodo?

    And name of your fern?

    Are your rock outcrops granite?

    They are beautiful

    Are the outcrops typical of your state ... i have seen similar in Quebec / Ontario

    I imagine all part of same glacial event (the Adirondacks / Laurentians / Canadian Shield)

    Les Laurentides

    I remember reading somewhere a long time ago ( on paper, no less!) that the region exhibits some of the oldest rocks on planet yet they form some of our youngest mountain ranges — i forget thé exact contrasting facts

    Laurentian Mountains - Wikipedia

    Disclaimer - I am not a geologist !
     
  3. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    Good morning, it was a bit damp in my garden when going outside a few minutes ago, so I thought a few photos of whites and a near black of my Fagus sylvatica Black Swan leaves for the thread today would be nice. From left to right are, Convolvulus white, Clematis Guernsey cream seed head and Lily Pixie.
    Convolvulus cneorum white or silver bush 251.JPG Clematis Guernsey cream seed head 253.JPG Lily Pixie 253.JPG Fagus sylvatica Black swan 255.JPG
     
  4. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

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    Things have been so hectic lately that I haven't had a chance to go through any photos I've taken until this morning. And thanks to Margot's idea of starting this virtual garden tour last year I "borrowed it" and have been busy setting up galleries on Smugmug for members of an exotic plant society to invite other members to tour their gardens. This is the second year we are doing this and it's been such a hit that it will continue even after Covid...thumb's up again Margot!
    And now that the weather is kind of iffy I can post some photos of my own gardens...

    Ornamental onion (1 meter tall)
    Itoh peony
    Strawberries are producing already - this variety has a taste of pineapple
    Cranberries
    Climbing blueberry (not palatable)
    Ornamental onion (only 0.3 meters tall)
    St. Bernard's lily
    Kiwi 'Arctic Beauty' - fruit will be ready soon
    Salvia - obviously the plant thinks it's cooler because the white is now showing
     

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  5. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    Well done P and Margot for her suggestion about a virtual garden tour.
    There have been some good things that have come out of the last 15 months and this is definatly one of them.
    I hope your Exotic plant society garden tours goes from strength to strength, I'm sure it will.
    Really enjoyed your photos today P, as I always do.

    D
     
  6. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

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    I just came inside from working in the "Garden" - thought it would be a good day because its not that hot out - and cleaning up the beds so that I could plant my latest acquisition - a tiger fig. But while doing so I was pleasantly surprised to notice my Mojave prickly pear looked ready to open. I worked for 2 hours in there and during that time watched the bud open (my husband suggested I should have taken my camera to get some time lapse photos...now I wish I had). I also tried to clean the cactus garden without much luck so now I'm picking spines from various parts of my body...

    First image is Mojave prickly pear taken on June 3 (it looked similar this morning but fuller with a hint of color)
    Second image is when I finally decided to go get my camera
    Third image is when I finished working in the Garden (the sun has now gone behind the clouds and the bud seems to have stalled)
    Fourth image is firecracker flowers (finishing up now)
    Fifth image is my new tiger fig

    Last image I'm looking for a name to the plant that I stole from next door - the house has been empty for over a year (the owner passed away at the start of the pandemic) and has finally been sold (it is scheduled to come down at some point) . I did go over with the son's permission in February and removed some plants but now that the warm weather is here there are so many other plants that have come up....I might just have to make a night visit.
     

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  7. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Lysimachia vulgaris?
    Lysimachia vulgaris - Wikipedia:
     
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  8. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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    I am very impressed - makes me long for old days in Tucson

    Prickly pear is the flat one, correct?

    A friend gave me some broken (tho whole oval shape) pieces and said leave them out and they’ll grow roots from where one “oval” joins other oval.

    Any suggestions?

    Also - QUESTION - is the adopted plant from your neighbor the yellow one?

    If it is what I think it is (name escapes me) - you don’t want it (well, more correctly, I wouldn’t want it)

    It spreads enthusiastically - rather like letting mint get a start in your garden. That’s my experience fwiw.

    EDIT - thank you to W Cutler for ID above - that’s the one

    If you really like yellow or like a memory of your neighbor etc - I would put it in a very sturdy pot ... treat it like mint in terms of spreading and taking over (I don’t know if it’s edible)
     
  9. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

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    Correct, prickly pear are usually flatter, although some will develop almost barrel shaped pads especially if given enough water to fatten up. Easiest way to propagate cactus is to plant the pad ("the whole oval shape") in the soil about a quarter to half way and wait for it to sprout roots. Don't over water.

    As for the "adopted" plant (I like that better than stolen...) it is the yellow one. And currently it's in a pot so that in the fall I can rearrange an area and make it into another bed where this can grow and spread. Although it doesn't seem to spread that much in her yard (just one small patch, always) - she never was much for tending her garden so had ones that could take abuse. She had been living in the house since the early 50's so some of her plants go way back, long before the trendy cultivars came out, so some of the plants looking interesting.
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2021
  10. Margot

    Margot Renowned Contributor 10 Years

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    I have Opuntia fragilis (Brittle prickly-pear cactus) blooming right now - finally lots and lots of buds after many years growing large enough. It is native here on the hillside where I live. The species name 'fragilis' refers to the fact that the pads break off very easily. I often find them rooting in the neighbourhood of the original plants - they root from any part that is in touch with the soil, not just the junction of pads.

    E-Flora BC Atlas Page

    opuntia fragilis 06-2021.JPG
     
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  11. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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    That’s an interesting point you make about old style garden plants

    Sounds like a moonlight foray is in your future :)

    Then again, the bobcat backhoe might wake up the neighbourhood
     
  12. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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    I realized that I had joined this forum 7 yrs ago (one dog year?) as of yesterday

    I wonder
    A. How I found the forum
    B. What my first question (post) was

    It’s enjoyable and informative all ‘round

    Today I have a tour of PINK & SCENTED

    Various roses incl rugosa and names I have lost tags for

    And one growing carefully thru a Rhodo (I think it’s Christmas Cheer)

    And Kolkwitzia - @pmurphy was just typing about old gardens - well this old timer is likely 40 plus yrs old and the bees and hummers love it ... I wouldn’t plant it on purpose today unless I had a huge space of lilacs and rhodos etc - it is messy over any parked cars and patios.

    What else - a comparison in a single picture of Johnson’s Blue vs Brookside geraniums (can’t tell, right?)

    MORE pink with a couple of maples - the pink fades over the summer - it is a shared view in our neighborhood and the guardian of the tree calls it « Eskimo Sunset » (I know the various topics that could arise)

    Next to the aforementioned maple is a lovely honeysuckle - scented - and it succeeds another perfumed vine - clematis armandii

    The white turning in to pink is hydrangea Blushing Bride - which had only ONE blossom last year 2020 - so I left that brave one to dry and meet its friends in 2021. Why not anthropomorphise :)

    Photos in random order below -

    1. Blushing bride starts ivory white and turns to rusty pink

    2. Thé maples and honeysuckle and hydrangea etc with massively tall Douglas firs and some red cedars in background

    3. Coleus I bought AND planted same day!

    4/5/6 - very scented roses - one making a cozy space with rhodo

    7. Kolkwitzia

    8. Collage includes a dogwood called Arctic Fire
    ÉDIT to add: the rhodo is in bloom now in shade area - it’s either Lord Roberts or Marie Fortie (aka Marie Fortier)

    9. Johnson’s Blue next to Brookside - can’t tell diff
     

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  13. Margot

    Margot Renowned Contributor 10 Years

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    HELP! They're taking my computer away tomorrow morning! I must quickly post these pictures while I can. (My mother didn't call me melodramatic for no reason.)

    1. Starting to love my garden after 15 years hard work.
    2. Iris missouriensis (I think) with Thymus praecox.
    3. Iris tenax - a native of Oregon aka Tough-leaf Iris
    4. Cordyline australis - @wendy Cutler identified this for me a couple of years ago when it bloomed for the first time ever. I don't remember it smelling bad then in 2019 but boy-oh-boy does it smell awful this year!
    5. Opuntia fragilis - flowers more than compensate for all the finger pricks.
    6. Allium accuminatum (Hooker's Onion) native to the area and, in my opinion, much more beautiful than Allium cernuum (Nodding onion)
    7. Dianthus arenarius - alpine
    8. Rhododendron 'Gomer Waterer', finally back in good health after many years languishing
    9. Linnaea borealis - fragrant, circumboreal native plant beloved of Carl Linnaeus.
    10. New foliage on Rhododendron 'Tara Too'.
    11. Rhododendron 'Firestorm'
    12. Rhododendron 'Mrs. T.H. Lowinsky'
    13. Rhododendron 'Holden's Solar Flare'
    14. New-born fawn


    Starting to love my garden 06-2021.JPG Iris and thyme 06-2021.JPG Iris tenax 06-2021.JPG Cordyline 06-2021.JPG opuntia fragilis 06-2021.JPG Allium acuminatum 06-2021.JPG Dianthus arenarius 06-2021.JPG R. 'Gomer Waterer' 06-2021.JPG Linnaea borealis 06-2021.JPG R. 'Tara Too' foliage.JPG R. 'Firestorm' 06-021.JPG R. 'Mrs. T.H. Lowinsky’ in Margot's garden.JPG R. 'Holden's Solar Flare' 05-2021.JPG New born fawn 06-2021.jpg
     
  14. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    Glad you did Margot, they are lovely photos and what a wonderful garden you have. So just enjoy it, away from that computer screen until we see you back in a few days.
    D
     
  15. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    I thought a few Hostas and ferns from my garden this morning. It's still early and so everything is looking quite fresh before the heat arrives.
    They are fern Dragon tails, Hosta White Feather flowers, Hosta Midas touch, fern Ursula red, Hosta Guacamole, fern Metalicum, Hosta flavocircinales and Hosta Hands up.
    Dragon tails 257.JPG Hosta White feather 256.JPG Midas touch 257.JPG Ursulas red 257.JPG Guacamole 257.JPG Metalicum 257.JPG Flavocircinales 257.JPG Hands up 257.JPG
     
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  16. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    That Hosta 'Hands Up' is pretty cute. If I hadn't given up on hostas, I'd seek that for my balcony. But I'm sticking with the "figure out what you can grow and grow lots of it" maxim, except for the "grow lots of it" part.
     
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  17. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    My little Dragon tails was for your benefit Wendy, as you said I hadn't posted it before.
    Glad you liked Hands up, we do aswell.
     
  18. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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    Today we have a mixed « trug » of garden tour - from a couple of diff places west of the « Cascades » (mtn range) and also «Coast Range »

    And a new mom from our Okanagan wild garden (dry side of the aforementioned mtn ranges)

    Lots of photos so pls bear with me -

    1. Rhodo « wine & roses » (I turned a leaf over for the photo)

    2. Western tiger swallowtail enjoying kolkwitzia today (as much as I would like to rid this small coast garden of that big messy shrub - the bees and hummers and butterflies love it)

    E-Fauna BC: Advanced Search Page

    3. Chief of Rodent Control posing next to Esk Sunset and rugosa rose and hydrangea

    4. My FAV maple (dare I say that here!) native Acer circinatum with a Ville de Lyon clematis —- i don’t bother pruning because I like a more rustic natural look - and it just grows up and puts its face in the sun Clematis Ville de Lyon - Clearview Horticultural Products

    5. A lovely scented rose getting cozy with some Christmas Cheer at coast garden (rhodo)

    6. Another rose - I think with a French type of name (Gallic ??) that has a glorious heady scent and expires quickly esp with the recent hail and rain etc. I call the blue flower a campanula - correct?

    I know for some people it’s invasive - here it is fine.

    ————
    7. a special treat from this morning - Manning Park native rhododendrons en route to job in another health region - a rare sight in Canada (Mt Elphinstone near Sechelt has some too)

    And - a new mum in the Okanagan ponderosa pines and many wildflowers incl fritalleria etc

    Good night flora & fauna (fawna :)
     

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  19. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    Today my Sambucas nigra 'Black Lace' was looking it's best. Lovely dark leaves and so many pink flowers.
    I also wanted to add my new and very young Hosta 'Curly Fries' for Wendy and Georgia. It arrived today BTW.
    Sambuca Black lace 270.JPG Sambuca Black lace 271.JPG Hosta Curly fries 270.JPG Hosta Curly fries 271.JPG Hosta Curly fries 272.JPG
     
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  20. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    And already planted, with its new label, almost bigger than the plant. I visited "mine" yesterday - the flower is up but not open at all yet.
     
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  21. Acerholic

    Acerholic Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout Maple Society

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    I look Forward to seeing your flower very soon Wendy.
     
  22. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

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    I smelled funny things in my gardens yesterday...

    Chinese chestnut - smells like old sweat.
    I always thought these trees were wind pollinated but apparently not so I researched again and found even the experts are unsure. They are also recommending 2 different cultivars as they are supposedly self-sterile.

    Dragon's claw arum - smells like rotting flesh.
    I saw it yesterday morning but it didn't look like it would open for another day or so and then yesterday afternoon I noticed the odor while moving some plants.

    And then when I finished working I thought I'd take some photos and actually walked past the cactus garden twice before noticing my opuntia was starting to flower (this plant this has about 2 dozen blossoms on it). I guess all it took was 1 day of heat to kick-start some plants...
     

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  23. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Thanks for posting that. There are some near me but hidden a bit - I didn't know it was time to start looking for them, but they're in shade, so should be later. It's a longer out-of-the-way walk for me to see the ones over past the Stanley Park Rose Garden, good to know it's time soon to start checking them out.
     
  24. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

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    FYI, my second smaller one opened this morning - it's only 1m tall, the one in the photo is about 1.5m
     
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  25. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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    Good afternoon — does anyone still have a Rhododendron in decent bloom?

    If yes - name of rhodo?

    Location (approx for your privacy)

    Just curious -
    I was thinking again about the native ones in Manning Park out now - magical!
     

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