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!

Snapshot June 1, 2024 (Garden Conservancy Tour)

Echinocereus x roetteri

Erigeron ursinus

Aethionema grandiflorum

Delphinium exaltatum

Delphinium exaltatum

Delphinium exaltatum

Delphinium trolllifolium

Polygonatum sp. (Omei Shan)

Townsendia parryi

Penstemon x rupicola

Minuartia stellata

Aquilegia saximontana

Heuhera hallii & Telesonix jamesii

Telesonix jamesii

Orostachys minus and Genista lydia

Onoco-bred Iris

Allium nigrum

Gilia subnuda

Cylindropuntia 'Pinkie'

Cylindropuntia 'Pinkie'

Campanula topaliana

Anthemis cretica

Lithops sp. 

Townsendia parryi

Gilia capitata

Iris tectorum

Penstemon albidus

Geranium phaeum

Maianthemum (Smilacina) racemosa

Daphne alpina and Achillea x kellereri

Papaver rupifragum (double flowered)

Melittis melissophyllum

Iris siberica (dwf)

Dicentra formosa (white flowered)

Melampodium leucanthum

Gazania linearis and Scutellaria alpina

Delosperma nubigenum (Halda coll.)

Crevice garden

Dianthus cv.

Salvia nutans

Salvia nutans

Dictamnus albus

Eriogonum umbellatum v. aureum 'Kannah Creek'

Paeonia peregrina

Aquilegia coerulea 

Geranium x cantabrigense 'Biokovo'

Campanula portenshlagiana 

Dictamnus angustifolius (white fl.)

Erodium manescavii

Aethionema grandiflorum and Aquilegia barnebyi

Anthemis marschalliana

Thalictrum tuberosum

Iberis taurica 

Papaver rupifragum (double fl.)

Alyssum oxycarpum

Dianthus cf. lumnitzeri

Aquilegia alpina

Clematis hexapetala

Echinocereus rigidissimus (Peloncillo mountains)

Clematis crispa

Paeonia peregrina

Papaver orientale 'Beauty of Livermere'

Unknown tall bearded iris (Kelly Norris, where are you when I need you?)

Salvia ringens

Centaurea (Psephellus) simplicicaulis 

Geranium saxatile

Geranium saxatile

Verbascum bombyciferum

Geranium phaeum

Vancouveria chrysantha

Daphne alpina 

Daphne oleioides

Thalictrum tuberosum

Cyanchum ascyrifolium

Clematis hexapetala

Dianthus cf. lumnitzeri

Iris siberica 

Clematis integrifolia 'Mongolian Bells'

Alyssum markgraffii

Dictamnus albus

Penstemon grandiflorus

Sphaeralcea coccinea

Thymus kotschyanus

Amsonia illustris

Allium 'Mars'

Tulipa sprengeri

Stachys citrina

Verbascum x 'Letitia'

Glaucium flavum

Aquilegia rockii

Echinocereus weedinii (and interloper)

Echinocereus weedinii

Nigella damascena

Aquilegia alpina

Eriogonum umbellatum v. porteri

Gladiolus italicus

Daphne dominii