Since the Virtual Garden Tour thread started with a comment "We gardeners have more time than ever to work on our gardens", I'm starting this thread for plants we're enjoying that are not there through any effort of our own - either ones in the neighbourhood or in public gardens or maybe friends' yards. My first selection of plants all happen to be white. This is Viburnum plicatum 'Summer Snowflake'. It has no label, so I might not be right about the cultivar, but it fits the description in Douglas Justice's May 2020 in the Neighbourhood - UBC Botanical Garden blog. I don't remember seeing a white Tradescantia virginiana, or maybe it's called Tradescantia Andersoniana Group. It was very striking right there on the corner. I think this is a guerilla planting, not an official Green Streets planting. Arthur Lee Jacobson has a very interesting article on spiderworts: Article - Spiderwort by Arthur Lee Jacobson [Edited: but this is Libertia, see Ron B's comment below] I posted this Rhododendron 'Martha Isaacson' for ID last year when my neighbour asked me about it; she reported yesterday that it's starting to bloom. It's outside the Parks Board office at the end of my street.
Are you thinking of plants that were not deliberately planted but that have shown up on their own? We used to call such plants 'volunteers'.
Margot, that's not what I meant. Maybe we could do a thread on vounteers. I was thinking about all the wonderful things growing because of other people's efforts.
I think photos of plants growing because of other people's efforts should be included in the Virtual Garden Tour thread rather than a separate but similar thread. We have seen several examples of already: Acerholic's recently posted pictures from along his walk by the River Itchen in Hampshire Discussion of Davidia involucrata which has extended beyond home gardens pmurphy's mention about a Ficus aspera she donated the tree to the Bloedel conservatory Eric la Fountaine's circle plantings I believe setting up a parallel thread would dilute both.
I was trying to do the opposite, Margot. I don't think we want a whole forum for a single thread, like a one-tune wonder, so thought of this as a way to branch out the forum a bit. We're not trying to compete with Maple's Cheering Ourselves Up with their 1600 postings in one thread. And pmurphy grew that plant herself, and Eric La Fountaine might be tending that boulevard garden. I thought of that thread for showing off your hard work and brilliant selections, and this one for appreciating things we see out and about, as I titled it. I don't think it really matters what content goes in what thread.
Thank you, Ron! I have not heard of Libertia. Local garden centre Phoenix Perennials carries Libertia formosa with a photo, is supposed to grow 12 -24 feet; they have no current photo of L. grandiflora, which should have leaves half as long, so maybe the former. I see that at Libertia chilensis Formosa Group | New Zealand satin flower Formosa Group/RHS Gardening, it's Libertia chilensis Formosa Group.
We took the dog to Everett Crowley Park today and I decided to take my camera. Due to the history of this park - it was previously a landfill but was allowed to become reforested for recreational purposes - the plants growing within it may or may not be native so I welcome all help in attaching names. Just a couple of notes: The weeping willow is actually about half a dozen young "trees" that grew from a log left when the old tree was cut down. The last picture really intrigued me because I've never seen a white poppy growing here before and if I could mark the plant I would try to gather seeds from it.
Unfortunately the photo was taken with a zoom and what you don't see are the blackberries and stinging nettle that surround this patch :)
Vine maple Common hawthorn (most likely) Black locust Pacific willow (probably) Ninebark Mock orange Red twig dogwood Black locust Golden chain Yellow flag Salmon berry Bittersweet nightshade Golden weeping willow (if twigs are in fact quite yellow)
Yellow I'm getting behind on my photos. I photographed this Asphodeline lutea in Stanley Park at the lower rose garden shortly after one came up for ID, so I didn't have to work at figuring it out. I know I've posted it at UBCBG, but remembering it is something else for me. Photos are from May 22. Walking back home along Lost Lagoon, I passed these lovely Iris pseudacorus, yellow flag, yellow iris, or water flag. I assumed that the Parks Board planted these for the swans to nest among (where are the swans?), but I see that they are invasive here, so maybe not, or maybe the plants are kept under control. Here is an article from 2016: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/hsbc-stanley-park-watershed-cleanup-1.3680057. There is an answer to where the swans are too - there were 70; in 2016 there were 3 and they were moved to an unspecified location: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/lost-lagoon-swans-1.3738136. Near the irises are some Ranunculus acris. Here is a nice planting of the yellow irises at the Bayshore Hotel, a few blocks from Stanley Park. These are from May 29.
Foxgloves and roses in my neighbourhood These are all in my 'hood. The Digitalis purpurea 'Campanulata', with the single large flower at the top, is one I have not seen since many years ago at the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. I have thought of it often since then, was delighted to see this. This apartment building garden also had some of the more commonly grown Digitalis purpurea (4th photo). Here are some pretty roses, no names and I'm not asking. This house is very well-known in the neighbourhood, is always a little over-the-top in planting, but the owner is very proud of his plantings and lots of people stop to chat with him. I was pleased to be given a tour of his back garden one year. He has a lot of unusual plants, but doesn't pay much attention to their names. I really like this yellow rose that ages white. Here is a rose and clematis combo I found attractive, different location. Near me is an intersection swale built by the city, but the planting is part of the Green Streets program, with a local resident committing to take care of it. The city provides some of the plants. This one includes a nice double-flowered Rosa rugosa.
After admiring your beautiful photos, Wendy, and those pmurphy is taking with her husband's new camera, I think it's time for me to invest in a better lens if not a whole new camera. You may be interested to know that the single flower atop the foxglove is an example pelorism Pelorism - Wikipedia, a phenomenon that not infrequently affects foxgloves. I researched it a few years ago when I found one in my garden.
Thank you, Margot. It's interesting to see that it occurs in other plants as well. I hope I start seeing some, so I can work on learning the word.
Here are two from my rhododendron hunt in Stanley Park. I have trouble staying focused, even more so when I'm late getting back home. I found another little group of Digitalis purpurea 'Campanulata', with the peloric flower. This one was huge in relation to the size of the other flowers - I didn't measure it, but I'd guess it was around 7 cm across. In Stanley Park. I think the habit of this looks like Cornus alternifolia 'Variegata', pagoda dogwood. Both this species and C. controversa are supposed to have alternate branching, and this has opposite branching like all the rest of the dogwoods. I don't know if that means the ID is wrong or not. [Edited] See Ron B's reply below - there's a reason why the branching is opposite - it's not C. alternifolia, rather is C. kousa, possible cultivar 'Snowboy'.
Just one photo from two blocks from my place. This is Morton Park, a triangular area about the length of half a block. Zantedeschia aethiopica, calla lilies. They have been looking this good for over a week. I used to have the view in the distance until a new building finally went up right in line with the view. Now I have half the view, better than I was expecting.
My wife's favourite in our garden, but not with those beautiful views. Started our day off with a smile; Thankyou Wendy. D
Here are some flowers from today on my way to Stanley Park and back. First up are Phlomis russeliana, in the Lamiaceae family. I posted ones like this for ID one year, learned that this type of inflorescence called "verticillaster", which you can read about here: Plant Materials & Usage: Verticillaster While in the park, I saw this lovely rose climbing a deodar cedar - I've been looking at this for a week - the flower photos are from June 5. Based on what I wrote when I posted Rosa filipes from UBCBG - that it's mostly hairless and without prickles and leaves have generally 5 leaflets, that's what I have named this. On the way out of the park, I passed a Kalmia latifolia at its best stage, with open flowers but still a lot of dark buds. I usually stop to look at this Magnolia wilsonii, only today decided I had to photograph it when there was a car parked right underneath it. It had to be done today though. The third photo is way out of focus, yet it works just well enough to show all the hairs on the leaf petiole and midrib on the villous (smoothly hairy) leaf underside. Those hairs, and the drooping flowers, distinguish it from Oyama magnolia. Down the block is a Salvia 'Hot Lips'. I'm not sure why the calyces and the bee are more in focus than the flowers. Neat pleated calyces. I promise, last photo of the Digitalis purpurea 'Campanulata', the group I originally photographed, with even more of the peloric flowers. I'm just trying to use that term enough that I might learn it. It's not working so far. At least I know where to find it.
Rosa filipes would not be my go to choice for this one. Various technical characters used to distinguish multiple different Synstylae from one another are presented here, in the pertinent part of the key (and in the linked to species descriptions): www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=128746
Thank you! Of course, everything seems easier when I think there are only two possibilities. Did you get R. transmorrisonenis? Rosa transmorrisonensis in Flora of China @ efloras.org I had a jump from 9, styles shorter than stamens, bypassing R. filipes entirely. Or, where did you notice that filipes didn't fit?