What on earth is Rindera?

Rindera lanata in the wild

 Boraginaceae are generally not at the top of most people's favorite plant family lists...That is if you aren't a lover of the steppes. We who belong to the "Steppe cult"* bump the family to the top of our favorites list--the variety and beauty of steppe borages must be seen to be believed...although this little creature belies the reputation the best borages have for flowers of piercing blue color. It's long on something else--namely it's cute as a bunny, don't you think?

Rindera lanata in cultivaton

And here it is in my garden: my OLD garden. I grew it there 35 years ago from seed I purchased from Jim Archibald--who collected it in Turkey. What is so cool about this plant is how it morphs as it grows...

It looks a tad different a week or two earlier than the shot before...but check out how it looks as it emerges from the ground:

I don't know about you, but any plant with a growth ball that wooly would be near the top of my list.

Alas, it did not persist at Eudora, and we couldn't obtain seed in Armenia. Who knows when and if we'll grow this again? I did obtain ANOTHER Rindera a few years ago that actually has showier flowers. Unfortunately, it is enormous. It came to me only as Rindera sp. from my friend John Rembetski...

Rindera sp. ex John Rembetski

Although it lacks the petite wooly charm of its congener, this is a striking plant nontheless. And perennial!

So now you know a little bit more about Rindera: Let me know if you find seed of these (or others!)

And you too can join the Steppe Cult!

Crevice extravaganza in Cheyenne

Crevice garden in front of the Conservatory

There is a truism that it takes a city of a million or more people to support a public botanic garden. Like most truisms, this one fails the test! The Rocky Mountains are FULL of fantastic botanic gardens, some (like Steamboat Springs and Vail) in cities with little over 10,000 residents. I can think of dozens of cities with over a million souls without a botanic garden in America--but Cheyenne's 67,000 citizens support an outstanding institution you should visit (click on that link to find out more). And it boasts a kick-ass crevice garden that brackets the front entrance of a stunning conservatory. That garden is FULL of plant treasure. I blasted through briefly on July 5: here are just a few of the things I found.

Phlox nana 'Perfect Pink'

A truly superior form of possibly the best of all phloxes: why is it the best? It's extremely tough and drought tolerant (grows without irrigation for me). It blooms from spring to fall--so there! That counts for a lot! And despite coming from New Mexico, it thrives in Cheyenne--a city renowned for extreme temperatures, wind and hailstorms!

Eriogonum umbellatum 'Kannah Creek'

This accommodating buckwheat always looks good--but how often is it grown this artistically?

Looking here, you wouldn't guess that there were dozens of plants in full bloom: but the cushions, mats and rockwork almost obviate the need for flowers! Kenton Seth orchestrated much of the construction here as he has at a number of our leading public gardens. The igneous rock--which I believe is mostly a monzonite and granite--is a major departure from most crevice garden rock work.

Acantholimon cf. armenum

Prickly thrifts (my favorite common name for this genus) LOVE this garden: there are many species dotted about--all of them looking very happy.

Pterocephalus depressus

This wonderful groundcover from Morocco--basically an everblooming, prostrate scabiosa--was just coming into peak bloom in midsummer!

Eriogonum umbellatum v. aureum 'Kannah Creek'

More buckwheat: you can't have enough!

Rosa spinossissima

I have never seen the double form of prostrate Scotch rose before. I'm sure that's what this is..

Leontopodium alpinum

A picture perfect Edelweiss

Scutellaria resinosa

The flowering is just finishing--but even the seedheads are attractive on this little known native mint.

A well constructed crevice garden can almost dispense with flowers--the varicolored  mats and buns are so attractive knitting the rocks together!

Teucrium aroanium

I am surprised a plant from the Peloponese in Greece should be so hardy in Cheyenne: I know this doesn't get subzero temps where it comes from! By the way, I have blogged (irritably I should underscore) about this plant before. Click here if you like to read rants.

 

Acantholimon sp.

Yet another Acantholimon...

Acantholimon sp.

And yet another Acantholimon...

Euphorbia spinosa 

I know this looks like a green blob--but it is a lot more than that. This compact mound (mostly restricted to France and Italy) is studded with myriad yellow blooms in Spring. And it is ironclad drought tolerant!                                                                                                                                                

Erigeron sp. 

A miserable picture of a cool Erigeron I found a few days later in the Bighorns--I have got to key it out (I have it in my garden too!)

Arenaria alfacarensis

One of the tighest of all cushion plants--from Spain.

More longer shots of the garden--notice how the phlox is spreading. It likes it here!

Eriogonum jamesii

Our local buckwheat again: it gets much showier in a few weeks...

Allium lusitanicum

This allium has been banned from my garden: I hope it won't be weedy here!

Get a load of that Acantholimon!

Acanthus balcanicus

I would not have expected an acanthus to grow in zone 4 (although the locals would have you think it's Zone -12)

Acantholimon halophilum, Eriogonum kennedyi and Heterotheca jonesii

Three gems jostling with one another...

Monardella macrantha 'Marion Sampson'

I've had several very good gardeners tell me this hard to grow for them...obviously not for Cheyenne!

Kniphofia hirsuta

My favorite dwarf 

Eriogonum jamesii, Heterotheca jonesii and Globularia stygia

Solidago sp.

 Mind you, these photos were taken mid-summer: imagine this garden at the height of spring! Although I have to admit that I find it delightful any time of the year including wintertime! Those cushions, mats, contrasting rocks and the delicious Wyoming light make it a feast for ever season.

Better yet, plan to visit yourself--why not join us next June. I can assure you this meeting will be off the charts!

Pulsatilla albana ssp. armena

I have been fortunate to grow up not far from where pasqueflowers grew abundantly in the wild. And I have seen a half dozen (or more) species growing across Eurasia and the Pacific Northwest--they often create true spectacles when growing in masses--but I have never seen a species growing with such an incredible range of variability in color as I did on May 15 in northeasternmost Armenia on montane steppe. I grow a rather bright yellow form of this very species in my garden--but now I would love to have its full range such as we experienced on this magic day!

This is a diminutive plant--much smaller than P. vulgaris, for instance. Much better suited for growing in rock gardens. I love this pale yellow phase!

They were variable in habit as well--look at these long peduncles!

You can see my fellow flower lovers on the trip behind: we were all bessoten admiring the blooms!

I like this hairy purple one!

I loved seeing distinct forms next to one another. 

Tamar Galstyan taking closeups (she was our local guide and author of the Armenia wildflower book we used).

On and on they went!

Looking at these gives me a pang of regret that spring has slipped by this year--my pasqueflowers are all past seed now except for a few...

But they're still blooming in the mountains--I'd better get up there!