Rock midgets

Mimulus rupicola

So its a blessing and a curse that I am driven to make a scientific experiment out of everything I possibly can in this world...if you harken back to a year ago I did a three part series on my adventure to death valley to find one of the rarest monkey flowers around.



Last year I was so excited to get seed I kind of rushed them into production. Trying lots of different soil mixes, but the results were the same. A few flowers then death without any seed set.

So this year I set about to experiment with them a bit. Enter a large piece of pumice that probably blew off the top of Mt. Mazama. Drill some holes fill it with a gritty soil mix and top dress the plants with aquarium grade crushed coral.


If you know the geological history of it, death valley was once an inland sea. I figured a little salt wouldn't hurt a plant from death valley... after all the entire valley floor is composed of salt and borax. And the calcium component of the coral seemed logical.
Anyway, the rock midget is said to grow on drippy limestone cliffs...so I let the hose trickle over the rock every once in awhile...I'm pleased with the results. This looks much more like the plant I always coveted from pictures

Hot sunny and very in Oregon like here now.

Cheers,

Mark

Cactus weather

Pediocactus simpsonii var. Nigrispinus.

I bought this tiny little golf ball sized plant at a NARGs winter study weekend probably 7 years ago...its approaching softball sized proportions now and has bloomed for many years. There is something so satisfying in seeing a ball cactus blooming in western Oregon. Usually home to perpetual dampness, rain and fog. Its 78 now, I'm seated by my wonderful specimen of p. Rockii enjoying the heavenly scent and looking forward to a weekend in the upper 80,s......too early to call it a draught but check back in august and I will update.

Cheers,

Mark

All apologies

I got called out for calling peonia brownii an ugly duckling.... so here I am apologizing for that.



Just for reference here is another herbaceous peony that I got from Jane...I think this may have been a Halda collection.... I think it starts with an M......anyone?

Highs in the 80's next week.

Cheers,

Mark

Color schemes

Anemone 'petrovac' and a little super fragrant narcissus I lost the name on...anyway, just thought it was a good color combination.

Dry and 61 today.

Cheers,

Mark

Evolution

Fritillaria verticillata

I've heard that the frittilarys with tendrils have evolved to grow up through shrubs as an adaptive protection from grazing. I'm trying to figure out which shrub this would most likely grow up through. I've read it ranges through central asia, into Siberia and china....anyone want to throw out some shrub suggestions?

Gale force winds and rain coming down in buckets. Sucks cause the orchard just started blooming and all the bees are snuggled in the hive drinking honey.

Cheers,

Mark

Messing with my breeding program

This little guys back is so loaded with fritillaria pollen he can barely fly.



Fritillaria latakiensis

So I have no monograph and a Google search didn't turn up much on chromosome counts for the genus....but I put a whole lot of f. Recurva pollen on this thing just for fun. The growth habit, flower morphology and bloom timing are crazy congruent so we shall see!!!

Pouring like a mutha again in the valley. Supposed to do it all weekend too. Temps in the 50's and not much differential.

Cheers,

Mark

Goldilicks

Fritillaria glauca "goldilocks"

You all should have figured out by now that I put food on the table by either growing it, or on the occasion that I have to buy it, I pay for it with money I earned from planting native plants for the municipal capital city of Oregon. Its kinda refreshing when I get to play with native plants that aren't strict Willamette valley riparian or wetlands species. So this little goldilocks comes from one of my favorite regions, southern Oregon. I spent a lot if time backpacking the kalmiopsis wilderness and siskiyou mts. The flora is really unique in that region .

The first real rain we've had in awhile came down pretty good today and now its blow in up a gale here in the hills. Fickle spring weather.

Cheers,
Mark