A fond look back....my garden in 2025

Prunus dulcis

It’s probably a mistake to lead off with his almond. The way I publicize my blog is usually on Facebook or other social media. It helps to have a bright red, orange or maybe vivid blue flower to catch people’s attenntion I’ve noticed. So fleeting has our attention span has shrunk in our doomscrolling world! So I know if you’ve paused here to read this you must be an unusual human being. Anyway, back to this almond: I grew from seed that came from Fritz Kummert, a great gardener from Styria in Austria. He told me he got it from someone in Central Asia – which is odd because I believe almonds are originally from the Mediterranean. What is special about this year is that this bloomed for a very long time without being frosted. That’s unusual for many of our early fruit trees. The very large flowers are pink with a purple heart: now if it only produced lots of nuts for us! We usually just get two or three. But they're tasty!

The Bladder pods are very large genus of yellow Crucifers found throughout the United States, but especially in the West. The rosettes remind me of an Echeveria, but obviously not at all succulent. But really every bit is pretty. The yellow flowers bloom for quite a long time in early to mid spring and transform eventually too big, swollen fruits that give them the rather ugly common name. This one is a rare species from just around Denver. Obviously it’s a good choice to grow in our gardens.  

Like most sensible people, I’ve been very fond of hepaticas ever since I was a child. Oddly, the one that does best for me is from Japan. This was a gift from Rebecca Day Skowron, a dear friend who grows them by the hundred near Parker maybe she grows them by 1000's. I only have one or two, but they give me great pleasure 

Closeup of Hepatica japonica

I’m pretty sure I got my first double flowered blood root around 50 years ago, maybe longer. I grew it at my parents home and had quite a patch which I transplanted to Denver Gardens where eventually we had wide mats 7 or more feet across. Some plants you need to divide every so often, and our plants dwindled at the gardens. I brought a few roots home and day two have been having their ups and downs. But 2025 was a good year for them 

Few plants have given me more delight than glacier lilies. Our native mountain glacier lily grows by the million, but shuns our gardens. The Pacific Northwest species are especially showy – and this is one (from Mark Akimoff and ultimately Diana Rieck) represents hybridization between several West Coast species. I have found that many of these are quite vigorous And they’re taking up more and more spots in my shade garden.  

For some reason, the only wood enemies one finds for sale are blue or double or otherwise strange. Mine is no exception: I believe this is anemone memories ‘ Allenii’. I have seen acres of these blooming and Western Europe, Scandinavian and England. They are invariably white. some  day I’d like to grow a white one. 

I told the story of my childhood infatuation with rock Gardening and a book called the roots of my obsession. One of the plants that populated my childhood rock garden was rock Chris. This is a terrible cliché in the Pacific Northwest in England, where it adores many rockeries. It is about to adore a lot more of mine! 

One can never have enough, love, money or androsaces. I planted this one and a ridiculously hot spot a year before I went to Armenia and found it growing on incredibly hot, dry steppe, along with Onobrychis cornuta. No, if I can only get that incredible pea shrub again My life will be complete! 

Fritillaria pallidiflora

For years I envied how Bob Nold grew this almost to the point of being a weed. I studied the spots where they grew so well for Bob and tried to figure out the equivalent in my yard.  I think I may have found that spot! What a splendid plant!

Daphnes and phlox blending in with one another...

One of my handful of favorite tulips, Tulipa batalinii seems to thrive no matter where I put it.

I grow at least a dozen Solomon's seals. I am not even sure which species this is: they are surprisingly tough and adaptable for me. I want more! 

Lepidium nanum

Few visitors notice (and few care) that I have several tufts of this little treasure from the Great Basin. But it's one of my pride and joys...and gets a lot of attention from me and my more sophisticated visitors. It forms incredibly, almost rock hard cushions in the wild. Mine are pretty authentic!

Pediocactus knowltonii

I know, I know, it's probably just a P. simpsonii with arrested development. It always blooms weeks ahead of its much larger cousin. Some day I want to grow every species of Pediocactus. They won't be easy to track down, however. 

Lewisia pygmaea

My two good friends and nearby gardening neighbors grow this even better than me, which I find a tad annoying.

Stomatium sp.

A strange genus of night blooming mesembs: there are a lot of species, and I've grown quite a few in my day. Some day I will blog extensively about them...

Echinocereus knippelianus

We grew this hedgehog cactus for many years at DBG. And now I have one of my own! I think I need a few more.

Echinocereus weedinii

Named for Jim Weedin, a fine botanist and wonderful gentleman who was president of our cactus club after a "treasurer" left our records in shambles, and the club in jeopardy. Jim spent countless hours cleaning up the mess, and is no longer an active member. But I'm glad to have this to remind me of him.

Echinocereus rubrispinus

 

Woody Minnich thinks this would be hardy for me: I have me doots. Love it enough to keep it in a pot. 

Echinocereus viereckii v. morricalii

From high altitudes in the Sierra Madre Oriental--not far from E. koenigii, I must root some cuttings and try it in the garden.

Tulipa sprengeri

The last tulip to bloom. I has spread all over my garden. A good problem to have!

Orostachys minus

I can never have enough duncecaps. Chinese pagodas, or whatever you want to call them. This genus seems to thrive in almost any corner of North America. I have a half dozen or so taxa: not enough!

Daphne oleioides

I have admired this on many mountains in Greece and Turkey. I've grown several distinctive forms. It's an insuffiently appreciated gem. I think I must grow a few more next year! It sets generous seed I often forget to collect before some other creature gets them.

Vancouveria planipetala

I'm glad I got a picture of this: it may have perished later this year. I don't remember seeing it this fall. Since this generally grows only in Zone8 in nature. I grow its yellow congener well, but the common V. hexandra, which should be easy, shuns me.

Pimpinella major 'Rosea'

I have grown more and more fond of this tough little number that comes back strong each year: I must remember to collect seed and grow more of it! It blooms for weeks in late Spring and early Summer.

Acantholimon saxifragiforme foreground, Saponaria caespitosa behind

And the cactus is the Kimble County form of Echinocereus reichenbachii-- three plants I wouldn't want to do without. Too bad pink isn't fashionable for the time being!

Androsace taurica

My champion pot of this rock jasmine gives me no end of pleasure. Just sits outside our front door month in, month out, year in year out.

Corydalis paczoskii

One of a dozen or more Corydalis that I grow. I wish I grew them all! I've been warned this one is a thug--so I put it in a tough spot. Not grown thuggish, YET....I've seen a few corydalis get out of hand in my life.

Iris hyrcana

It's come back two years now. I hope it will do so forever! A very early bloomer.

Erythronium caucasicum

I was lucky to find this on our expedition to Georgia--and we even collected seed (not sure if any of it germinated). I've been lucky to find a few of these mail order--and they're the first Erythroniums to bloom by weeks! Oh, to have these spread and prosper....I am a dreamer.

Colchicum filifolium

The late great Lee Raden (former president of NARGS and also a major force of the Philadelphia flower show for decades) gave me a pot of these decades ago. They have been spreading--stoloniferously I think--and now make a pretty impressive patch that blooms for weeks in March. A gift that goes on giving!

Narcissus asturiensis

Sandy Snyder--perhaps my dearest friend--had dozens of these seeding in her buffalograss. Mike Kintgen rescued a few (this was one) when she sold her house. It's been a half dozen years and it comes back strong each year.

Paeonia cf. mlokosewitchii

I obtained this as Molly the Witch years ago. Not sure if it is the real thing or a hybrid. Love it anyway! Now if I only had P. wendelboi!

Pinellia pedatisecta

This is apparently an ineradicable weed in Maritime climates. My dear friend Keith Funk, who has a shady area in his dazzling garden he keeps moister than I do has it spreading a bit too much. It has admittedly spread a bit in my garden--but not to excess. Yet. I admired it growing on Confucius grave in Qu Fu, Shandong. It will take a lot for me to get rid of it.

Echinocereus 'Panayoti'

My friend Hans Graf of Kakteengarten which I have blogged about many years ago.  He named this plant for me years ago: apparently i was tissue-cultured and am for sale for about 15Euro. We all have a price, apparently and mind isn't very dear! Oh well--but it's very seasonable! Merry Christmas!