Digital Flower Pictures.com Almost daily informative blog about plants, gardening and photography. Written by a professional Estate Gardener from Connecticut. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 81 10076 30 7781

Articles from Digital Flower Pictures.com

Nun's Cap Orchid 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Nun's Cap OrchidPhaius tankervilliae(FAY-ee-us) (tan-kar-VIL-ee-ay)OrchidaceaeThis is an easy to grow Orchid that has actually naturalized in parts of Florida. There seems to be a couple of ways to spell the name so I hope this is right. It is also easy to propagate and can be done so from the old flower stalks. I am really tired this morning as I am slowly getting back into shape. It looks like we are in for some wintry weather and a lot of rain tomorrow and then some more sleet and snow for Wednesday night. Global Warming, huh? Just kidding actually, I am neutral on Global Warming and prefer to let the scientists fight that one out. This does seem to be the coldest Spring I can remember in a long time. I am off to work to see what I can do to clean up after the winter.Here is a picture of the nice looking buds of this Orchid.Synonyms: Nun's Orchid, Chinese Ground Orchid, Red Crane Orchid, Swamp lily, Veiled Nun Orchid ...

Snow Crocus (Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty') 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Snow CrocusCrocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty'(KROH-kus) (kris-ANTH-us)Iridaceae (eye-rid-AY-see-ay)I came across these wonderfully colored Crocuses in the Rock Garden at The NYBG. They aren?t very tall and grow in a tight bunch but I saw them from quite a distance. The orange stamens were an extra treat when the flower is viewed close up. I was happy to see that they were marked with the name because it cuts down on the detective work. This little gem won the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 1993. I have grown ?Lady Killer? Crocus (of the same species) in the garden before and been happy with that so I may try some ?Cream Beauty? this fall. I think I have found with Crocus if you are going to plant them it is best to go big or not to bother. 25 corms or better and then you will get a proper show. I like to scatter them over an area and then plant them where they have landed. I read that Crocuses grows well in containers but I think I will just keep planting them in the ground. This pictur ...

Oriental Paper Bush (Edgeworthia chrysantha) 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Oriental Paper BushEdgeworthia chrysantha (edj-WOR-thee-uh) (pap-ih-RIFF-er-uh)This shrub was growing in the Ladies Border at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and I took this picture last year. You can always get a couple of good pictures of some unusual plants in the Ladies Border. The Bearded Iris collection is there also. It must be a sheltered location as most sources say that this shrub is hardy to USDA Zone 8 and I think the NYBG, in general, is Zone 7. There are a few other plants in the border that I generally wouldn?t consider hardy in NYC. I visited the Ladies Border when I went down to the garden to see the New York City Orchid Show a couple of weeks ago and the Paper Bush looked like it had tried to bloom in January and had been frosted back. Last spring it was blooming beautifully and is a very nice shade of yellow. This shrub belongs to the Thymelaeaceae family which I wasn?t familiar with but includes the Daphnes. The plant gets about 6 feet tall, blooms very ...

Hardy Cyclamen (Cyclamen coum) 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Hardy CyclamenCyclamen coum(SIGH-kla-men) (KOO-um)This plant is unusual early spring bloomer. I like it because it will grow in places a lot of other plants won?t tolerate. I have a fairly large patch growing under my Dwarf Sugar Maple. Nothing else has tried to make it in that area. There is a smaller patch that I have growing in the River Birch Grove. The flowers emerge at same time the silver streaked round foliage does and the color ranges from deep pink to white. For consistent color try and find a named cultivar. It sometimes take awhile for the tubers to get going. As I remember I planted some and then didn?t see them for a year or two and I thought they had malfunctioned. Later I was happy to see a couple popping up and then a few more. I think I have found the key to their cultivation is having well drained soil. This plant falls into the Primrose family, Primulaceae. I am trying to learn more about the plant families and will try and reference them here more this year. The Pr ...

Lenten Rose (Helleborus x nigercors 'Honeyhill Joy') 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Lenten RoseHelleborus x nigercors 'Honeyhill Joy'(hel-eh-BORE-us)Ranunculaceae (ra-nun-kew-LAY-see-ay)I am not going to pretend to know a lot about Helleborus, I find them to be a little confusing. I am going to be doing some more reading on them as they are becoming more and more popular, although they have been in cultivation for a long time. Helleborus are a wonderful and colorful addition to the early spring garden. I love them on the edge of the woodland garden and also have some planted in my early spring garden area. One attribute is there are deer resistant which here in Connecticut and Westchester County, New York is a big thing. My collection of a few different types looked a little ratty this spring but after carefully uncovering them and snipping away the old and tattered foliage they are again making come back. In easy winter years they remain evergreen. ?Honeyhill Joy? was introduced in 2004 and I think I got it last year. It has been a nice plant. I am a little more pa ...

Clock Vine (Thunbergia mysorensis) 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Clock VineThunbergia mysorensis(thun-BER-jee-uh) (my-sor-EN-sis)Acanthaceae (ah-kanth-AY-see-ay)Synonyms: Hexacentris mysorensisI have been admiring this vine at the New York Botanical Garden for several years and during my recent trip it was flowering more than I had ever seen it. Getting a picture has been tough and this is the best I came up with. This native of India grows both in subtropical and tropical regions. This one is of course growing indoors. The flowers are very detailed and are attractive to Hummingbirds. The Clock Vine is in the Acanthaceae family. I have linked to a full-length Encyclopedia Britannica Article, which should be available to non-subscribers too.There is a new Hardiness Map in town and that is sure to stir up some trouble. Since this is a press release I don?t think that they will mind my posting it in full.New Arborday.org Hardiness Zone Map Reflects Warmer ClimateLatest hardiness zones, based on most current temperature data available, suggest up-to-da ...

Buttercup Winterhazel (Corylopsis pauciflora) 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Buttercup WinterhazelCorylopsis pauciflora(kor-uh-LOP-sis) (PAW-ki-flor-uh)HamamelidaceaeNow is the time of the year that the Winter Hazel become a standout in the garden. It is one of the few things blooming around here. I have tried it a few times and met with less than success but I still enjoy seeing it, I may try again because its failure was probably my fault. Sometimes if a plant doesn?t work out I never try it again and that is not the best way to approach it. I think I end up missing out on some plants because I am wary of the results. This plant is a star performer early in the spring and then it fades into the background. It has a graceful shape that shouldn?t really pruned because then it starts growing at odd angles. Since it is such an early bloomer planting it in a sheltered location is probably a wise course of action. It can tolerate a light shade and looks good on the edge of the woods. I have seen it planted in masses and as a single specimen, both with good results. ...

Queen's Wreath (Petrea volubilis) 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Queen's WreathPetrea volubilis(PEE-tree-uh) (vol-OO-BIL-iss)Verbenaceae (ver-be-NAY-see-ay)I saw this lovely tropical vine in Florida. It was quite large, probably 30 or 40 feet and it was covered with these blooms, which on close inspection are quite detailed. Hardy to Zone 10, and I guess that leaves out most of the United States, it can also be grown indoors. I think the NYBG has a specimen of it growing inside the Conservatory. It likes full sun and from what I have read it about it its bloom time is a spectacular show if a little short lived. It is a native of Central America and Mexico. It is also known as Tropical Wisteria and I could see where the comparison had been drawn. Since the leaves are abrasive when touched Sandpaper Vine is another common name.The fact that I am still speaking of tropical plants here speaks volumes about our spring here in Connecticut. Cold days and even colder nights have added up to not many flowers. I did see some stuff starting to come out yester ...

Early Spiketail (Stachyurus praecox 'Rubriflora') 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Early SpiketailStachyurus praecox 'Rubriflora'(stak-EE-yoor-us) (pray-koks)StachyuraceaeLast Saturday as previously posted I went to Wave Hill Gardens and the New York Botanical Garden. They are quite close in distance but quite a bit different in feel to the gardens. Both are world-class plant collections and it was quite a treat to see both gardens in one day. I have been posting photos from Wave Hill all week so I thought I would change it up a bit and use a picture from the Ladies Border at the NYBG. My photographs came out pretty well and I think I would call it a successful afternoon. I learned a few more plants that?s for sure.This plant was a new one on me. Apparently it is not cultivated much in American gardens. The first picture is ?Rubriflora? and it did present a much redder appearance than ?Magpie?. Theses plants were located in a shady end of the border. It looked like it got only a couple hours of sun. The ?Magpie? was in more sun. I don?t really know what the leaves ...

Variegated Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum ?Orido nishiki?) 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Variegated Japanese MapleAcer palmatum ?Orido nishiki?(AY-ser) (pahl-MAY-tum)Aceraceae (ay-ser-AY-see-ay)This is one of my favorite Japanese Maples. This one was growing in a pot at Wave Hill Gardens in the Bronx. It is hardy in Connecticut as I have one in the ground in New Canaan and that has turned into quite a handsome tree. Japanese Maples grow very well in containers. I had two in big pots for about 10 years and they grew beautifully. A couple of years ago I decided to plant them in the ground and they have been doing well ever since. It is easier to keep them small when growing them in containers. This is a quite vigorous cultivar in the ground but Wave Hill?s container specimen was perfectly pruned and shaped which is hard to do in the garden. My tree, which hasn?t even thought about opening up its leaves yet, is about 10 feet tall and it planted on the side of an elevated wooden deck. This allows the foliage to kind of poke through the railing and it gives a nice effect. All l ...

Species Tulip (Tulipa humilis) 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Species TulipTulipa humilis var. pulchella Albocaerula Oculata Group(TOO-li-puh) (HEW-mil-is)LiliaceaeThis flower just increased my love for Specie Tulips. Everything about it was pretty much perfect, even if its name is a mouthful. Here is a good web page for information about Botanical Tulips. Whenever someone asks for a tulip planting I always try and include a few separate groups of the Specie Tulips. They are reliably perennial and they seem slightly less palatable to the deer then the showier hybrids. I am not saying deer don?t eat these flowers but I have seen them leave them alone. I took this photograph in the Rock Garden at the NYBG. It is a really amazing place and if you are after some pictures you can usually find something of interest there. The garden is closed November-March. I am not sure what the beginner photography class thought of the guy laying on this stomach taking a picture of a 3 inch high Tulip but it was worth it. If I hadn?t wanted to get a picture of it I ...

Saucer Magnolia Buds 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Saucer Magnolia BudsMagnolia x soulangianaThese pictures are both Saucer Magnolias. The white one is ?Pristine? which has a white lily-shaped flower and a nice fragrance. I am in Santa Fe, New Mexico until Monday so the next update won't be till Tuesday. ...

Maybe somebody can help identify this flower. I t... 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Maybe somebody can help identify this flower. I took this picture on the Key West, Florida garden tour. It was growing on a fence and looked like a vigorous vine. The color was superb and it had some nice details on close inspection. If nobody knows it I will post it over on the UBC Plant Forums, as I haven?t seen one that stumped them yet. I am back from Santa Fe and will again, hopefully, be updating this site on a regular basis. The celebration of my Mother?s life was both a great party and a bittersweet sad affair. We had a circle of sharing where everyone spoke of memories and impressions and right in the middle of it a flower delivery came. It was the most beautiful white Roses and purple Iris. While it was probably just good timing, to me it symbolized her joining us. Santa Fe is a place I have visited many times. Not only did my Mother live there but my sister and her husband own the Hypnotherapy Academy. I had never been there this time of the year, however. I am always amazed ...

Texas Nipple Cactus (Mammillaria prolifera) 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Texas Nipple CactusMammillaria prolifera(mam-mil-AR-ee-uh) (pro-LEEF-er-uh)This Cactus was blooming at Wave Hill, this time in the Conservatory. It was in about 14 inch pot and it was loaded with flowers. It also looked very spiny. This one was quite attractive with the mix of the red fruits and the pale yellow flowers. I wouldn?t say that Wave Hill has a huge Cactus collection, far from it, but they do have a nice collection of the smaller growing varieties. The 300 species of Mammillaria range from the Southwestern United States, Mexico and the Caribbean Islands. There are a few species native to South America also. There seem to be several sub-species under this particular name. There are 2,000 to 3,000 known Cactus species and according to Wikipedia they range in size from ?the tallest, Pachycereus pringlei, with a maximum recorded height of 19.2 meters and the smallest, Blossfeldia liliputiana, only about 1 cm diameter at maturity?. I found the Wikipedia page on Cactus interesti ... Texas

Oxalis palmifrons 1969-12-31 17:59:59 Oxalis palmifrons(oks-AL-iss)OxalidaceaeThis was growing in the Alpine House at Wave Hill. It looked to me to be a fantastic ground cover. I found several references on the web but didn?t find the usual flood of information you get with most plants. There wasn't a common name that I could find. I was looking for a picture of the flower but couldn?t find one. I did find someone who had put a flower from a another species of Oxalis and photographed it. It looked real and that is first time I had seen someone do that and I am glad he owned up to it later. I guess you can see anything if you are on the Internet long enough. This plant does not bloom every much. It was growing in a very small pot and I had to take the picture at the angle I did because I didn?t want to include any of the clay pot (I did manage to get a little of the rim in there). The plant itself looked to about 1 inch tall so it was a real ground hugger. This Oxalis is a native of South Africa and can be used in rockerie ...