Here are English Violets and Aubrieta, both hardy perennials which tend to self-sow where happy, like the rock garden. Aubrieta is easily grown from seed, but little seen in this country. I bought seed many years ago from Chiltern's...a wonderful seed company out of England. The violets are fragrant and will rebloom in the fall. They make a delightful nosegay!
Exquisite!
Kaufmanii tulips are among the earliest bloomers, and tend to multiply.
Before they even begin to flower, some Greigii tulips sport beautifully patterned foliage. Their big, bright flowers only add to the show.
Red Hens and Chicks (Sempervivum tectorum rubra) fill a crevice with color all year long. Many succulents have colorful foliage through the winter and are hardy and xeric. These plants are also called House Leeks, referring to their traditional use as a plant grown on green roofs, a function for which they are admirably suited.
I'm not sure of the identity of this diminutive species tulip. Can anyone help?
Another unidentified shortie. These were probably all purchased from McClure and Zimmerman, so I can figure it out by reading the catalog descriptions. This is where good permanent labels are valuable, or good mapping and organizational skills. I confess, this is part of why I am blogging: to make up for my lack of the above!
Tulipa tarda with Scilla siberica makes a nice combination. Both are from central Asia.
Tulipa saxatalis is from Crete. As you can see, many of these blbs come from dry, rocky places. They appreciate a place that bakes in the summer.
Tulipa clusiana is a tall, graceful beauty native to Iran. Who knew?
We planted quite number of species tulips in the rock gardens at LQ. This charming little one looks like Tulipa fosterana, which originates in Central Asia. The higher elevations of the Southwest US have much in common climatically with that region. We order species tulips from McClure and Zimmerman, since they propagate their bulbs, rather than collecting from the wild. Such collecting can have devastating impacts on wild populations, and we need to avoid purchasing from any company that does it.
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