I decided from Douglas Justice's June 2017 in the Garden | UBC Botanical Garden blog that he must have missed the garden while he was away and was just getting excited about everything. Last month we got one species (Cistus), and this month, so many things to see, including last month's Cistus, which we're expecting to put in an appearance any day. Well, Douglas started with a rose that isn't in bloom yet (he said you can't miss it, but yes you can when it's not blooming. The blog has his nice photo of this). Next to it, though, we're just looking for leaves on the rare Acer pentaphyllum. It's back from the path, and nothing really stands out, except for the ever-so-helpful maple leaf sign in bright red. Next we're to check out the pond. The bistorts (a word I've never heard) are very colourful. Fortunately for me, Douglas originally gave the name as Persicaria bistorta, having copied it from an older posting, and I did have an idea what Persicaria look like, so easily found this, but he says the current name is Bistorta officinalis 'Superba', as it says on the label. The pond area has been reconfigured - I was easily able to walk up to the Diospyros lotus, Persimmon, which I think we were never able to do before, and must be why we have never posted it. It has tiny buds.
Most notable around the pond now are the Rodgersia, two species, both seen in this photo. I didn't find any labels, but if I learned anything from my posting two years ago at 2016 June 8 - June in the Garden: Rodgersia, these are Rodgersia pinnata, with pinkish flowers and pinnate leaves, [edited 2018may10 - now I think these are R. sambucifolia, see Rodgersia sambucifolia] and Rodgersia podophylla with duck-foot leaves. The leaves on the last photo are huge, more than 23cm in diameter. This memorial plaque to Max Foster is quite near the pond. From the Fall issue of Davidsonia, 1971, page 4, at https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/download/pdf/davidsonia/1.0115067/0/1243: Early stages of development of the nursery area. Mr. Max Foster, the contractor responsible for selective clearing of the bush, operating a rock picking machine. There is a photo of him, but he's not really visible.
I almost forgot the cranesbill geraniums. I got off to a bad start with two nice flowers hugging a label for Geranium renardii, but I think that label belongs to the leaves at the bottom left. Around the corner from the main path were these plants that looked the same to me as the one above, with a label saying Geranium himalayense 'Gravetye'. This is Geranium platypetalum.
The Rosa filipes 'Kiftsgate' has a ways to go yet, but it's going to be worth the wait. "Strong climber" is an understatement. It's huge. Rosa x odorata 'Mutabilis' just has some teaser blossoms open. This has the best colours. Through the tunnel, the Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana) has several flowers open.
A few more from yesterday that were mentioned in the blog, on the north side. Here is the revamped Espalier Tree Collection Taylor Plaza is new, with informative signage. In the African section of the Alpine Garden, Kniphofia, red-hot pokers, are in bloom. I see in past years these were posted in August, so they have a long blooming season. I didn't find the tag on this, but it looks like one that was posted one year as a hybrid. This is Moraea spathulata. And Moraea robusta.
The previous postings followed Douglas's blog. But I got distracted. For one thing, the garden's Facebook blogger had a photo mentioning four types of striking, colourful Wisteria adorning the Arbour at the Garden. I noticed the Wisteria last week, but it hadn't occurred to me that there were different species or cultivars. I can't say I feel that I've learned what they are. There are signs, and there are plants that can't read and have a mind of their own. I think this might really be Wisteria floribunda 'Multijuga'. I'm less certain of all the plants that were near the Wisteria floribunda 'Rosea' sign. There was no pink in any of them, though it looks like several of the flowers have dropped, so maybe they have faded to white? And some have purple centres but the rest of the petals are as white as on the all-white flowers. The sign near this said Wisteria sinensis. What I've read says the flowers come out before the leaves, though there were leaves in all the flower photos on those same pages. And two sites said the leaves are elliptical or oval, but the leaves here and on those pages don't look very different to me from the leaves on the W. floribunda. I see on one site that Wisteria floribunda has 15-19 leaflets and Wisteria sinensis has 7-13 leaflets. I could go back and count. The ones above seem to have fewer leaflets - maybe they're W. sinensis? And this was hanging out amidst the Wisteria floribunda 'Violacea Plena', and I know that cultivar name is used for double flowers (I'll show those in the next posting), so it presumably crept in from somewhere. I can't tell if it matches one of the ones above or not.
OK, I know these are Wisteria floribunda 'Violacea Plena', with their double flowers. There are many other vines on this trellis - Campsis, Clematis, Parthenocissus, probably more, not in bloom yet. Here is Clematis patens.
Speaking of vines, here is Tim looking for some material on which to train the new bleeding heart vine, Dactylicapnos scandens, planted under the Taiwania in the Asian Garden While looking for roses in the Asian Garden, I saw this Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum 'Pink Beauty' from some distance away. Yet another plant with a reference to a pink colour in the name, that appears pure white, though in this case, there is the merest hint of pink. Next to the viburnum is a plant I was sure I was supposed to recognize, but no, I've never heard of Neillia thibetica. In the Rosaceae family. Philadelphus delavayi are in bloom. And in the North Garden, the Cornus kousa is sporting flowers thinly edged in pink.
Doing cartwheels in the garden today with Wendy Cutler. So much to see. Iris laevigata 'Royal Cartwheel' Papaver orientale Bletilla striata
The roses were in bloom today, lots of flowers on Rosa x odorata 'Mutabilis'. We didn't notice the Rosa 'Cooperi' next to the shop when we went by, because all the flowers were on the shop side! The last photo shows off the "gleaming, fresh green foliage". From the front of the garden part of the shop, the view of the Clematis montana var. wilsonii was really good as well, and I was surprised to find the back of the shop was right next to the tree, with the flowers right up close.
A few more from June 7. Here is another Kniphofia, couldn't find the label, but yellow flowers, seems unusual. And Castilleja levisecta, golden paintbrush, which will also have yellow flowers, I think might be unusual. It's in the Garry Oak meadow. In the Asian garden, the Lysichiton camtschatcensis is huge, leaves well over a meter long. The label says this is native to far east Russia and Japan. From huge to tiny - this is Dianthus 'Gordie Bentham'. I didn't measure the flowers, but I remember them as being around 1.5cm. I found a posting on some sort of board from 2004 that talks about the name. ... I can explain D. 'Gordon Bentham'. First the name has no standing and the plant under this name is one of the compact species mixed up in the present nomenclature confusion. The late Gordie Bentham lived in Victoria and we were constant plant exchangers, he was particularly renowned for his magnificent conifer collection which he traveled miles to find new additions. His knowledge of dwarf conifers was incredible. He was always on the lookout in Washington and Oregon and California for dwarf conifers but he was not adverse to picking up any plant that caught his eye. I believe it got in the hands of Collin McRae the owner of Horizon Nurseries here in Victoria[originally the nursery was near Duncan also on Vancouver Island]. Another of our great gardeners, Mr. Al Smith of the Blenkinsop Valley, not far away, gave Colin free run of his garden to take all the propagation material he needed, among the cuttings taken was a plant labeled Dianthus "from Gordon Bentham." I tried to get Colin to change the name but it was too late the plant was 'in the trade.' ... Rex Murfitt Victoria. British Columbia CanadaThis is from confusing dianthus
I missed this Castilleja levisecta by a month last year, thought it was going to flower but didn't realize what I was looking for. These flower stalks will elongate (see my photos above), but from what I can tell from internet photos, this is as open as these flowers are going to get.
