Orchideen und andere Raritäten im Reichenbachtal

Im Naturschutzgebiet Reichenbachtal in Königstein-Falkenstein am Hang des Altkönig im schönen Buchen-Fichten-Mischwald blühen auf wasserreichen Lichtungen in diesen Wochen einige besonders schöne botanische Raritäten, Orchideen und andere:

Geflecktes Knabenkraut (Dactylorhiza maculata; Orchidaceae) 

wildes Salomonssiegel, bzw. Quirlblättrige Weißwurz (Polygonatum verticillatum; Convallariaceae)

Weiße Waldhyazinthe (Platanthera bifolia; Orchidaceae) 

nach den Buchen sollst du suchen ...

The Photographic Gardening Diary : Plant Combinations in June

In a shaded border of our garden, beneath the rhododendrons and a red maple, the little Geranium "Tiny Monster" weaves through other plants in summer. It is one of my favourite Geraniums together with G. magnificum and G. himalayense. It goes very well with the dark Heuchera "Purple Palace" in this mauve area. The white flowers below belong to Gillenia trifoliata (in front of Aruncus dioicus). 

Clematis "Perle D'Azur" grows through the red Cotinus coggygria and shows its flowers now. It is much paler than expected, so I am not sure, whether the label was correct, when we bought it. It may have a different name. It is certainly not as blue as the famous one in Sissinghurst Castle Gardens above Lutyens bench, but nevertheless goes nicely with the purple leaves of the smoke bush.

These pink peonies grow in dark dry shade under the large blue cedar tree in thick ivy ground cover, a very unusual place for a peony and not at all the requirements, that catalogues state for them. They may have been planted there together with the cedar tree 100 years ago - the house was built in 1912, the cedar possibly planted not long after. Today the tree towers over the house and has a height of more than 20 m. 

We found the peonies here, when we moved into the house in 2003 and they have been showing year after year albeit with one or two flowers only. We could not move them; their roots are firmly lodged beneath and between the cedar's roots. Paul started feeding them; now they produce more flowers, that still need to be staked (or cut for indoors decoration!), otherwise they flop over, but they have found a perfect spot to elegantly contrast the blue-grey needles of their neighbour and protecting roof, and to brighten up that dry dark green area. It reminds us, that peonies can survive and grow in very dry areas, although they need more sun and a richer soil to produce more flowers. 

This is a yellow-green corner with Phlomis russeliana and Lysimachia punctata in front of a yew hedge interspersed with the odd Carex pendula, which grows everywhere like weed, and some self-sown hellebores. 

Green and white is this combination of hosta and wild strawberries. The latter show their pretty faces in many places in our garden.  

More pictures from my namesake, the poppies: 

Each year it is a surprise, how many of this ruffled opium poppies will show up. In some years, only the pale wild form appears, and without our doing, the next year buds will open to this wildly ruffled version. We have no idea, how to influence this ... we have tried collecting seeds of the ruffled version only and discarded all capsules from plain flowers, but it never works... there is no knowing. Here it grows between Allium christophii. 

This year the rare Himalayan blue poppy, Meconopsis betonicifolia, which likes cold, humid air in summer and grows well in Scotland, produced one flower in our garden - very proud!  In recent years, all plants had been eaten by slugs and snails before they were able to produce any flowers. This year in early spring, we had planted it in a different area, next to Camellia Shiragiku, between ferns and Rodgersia. We will see, whether we can entice it to return next year. If the weather stays cool and wet for the next months, as it is at the moment, the poppy might stay and establish itself for a while, until the next hot summer causes its retreat. 

Tai O

Tai O is a  rural fishing village quite close to Hongkong. Although it is only a short bus ride away from the "The Big Buddha" on Lantau Island, close to the international airport, not too many people go there. 

Tai O fishing village

People live in buildings on stilts above the tide. As people still don't own refrigerators, fish is sold either dried or alive and people go to their local market every day to shop for groceries. The local fish market sells specimens I had never seen before.

 What are these? 

preparations of the local shrimp sauce

Fishing

not only fish. 

a striking likeness to Santa Claus

Tung Chung, at the end of the MTR Tung Chung Line, where the cable car station is located, that takes people to the Big Buddha.

Housing estates in Tung Chung

A cable car leads to the Big Buddha on Lantau Island close to Hongkong Airport.

Back in Hongkong

The Photographic Gardening Diary: Roses, Roses, Roses

After Mme Gregoire Staechelin and Etoile de Hollande,  other roses now have their showtime: 

Abraham Darby 

Abraham Darby growing behind Cotinus coggygria "Royal Purple", also flowering

The Rambling Rector is a huge rambler with a phantastic strong scent at its best on warm evenings. It had been a stunning sight a couple of years ago, but seemed to be dying last year.  Possibly, it had overexerted itself and/or we didn't feed it enough. We had to cut it back severely. This year it has recovered with strength (this year's photos below) and has even sent long branches into the neighboring Camellia Dr Burnside (on the picture below , in June now without flowers), and Cornus mas. In sunshine it is humming with bees. 

Ghislaine de Feligonde is a rose that we only planted three years ago. This year she is flowering profusely for the first time with pretty yellowish-orange flowers and a fine scent. 

Ghislaine de Feligonde with Mutterkraut (Tanacetum parthenium). 

Pink Sidonie with her asymmetric flowers in curls and a sweet soapy scent: 

Sidonie makes a large heap of a bush. Here she is combined with Alliums and Centranthus ruber in front of the huge leaves of the Federmohn Macleya cordata. 

Souvenir de la Malmaison next to a white Geranium 

Charles de Mills

All roses in our garden have some scent - I don't think it makes sense to grow roses without scent. It is too disappointing, if you put your nose into a beautiful rose and she does not give anything back.

More roses here: 

Ferrara and her new friends in Hörstein

Ferrara has befriended two young Trakehner stallions:

They follow her around and practice neck biting as stallions do ...

She knows how to keep them under control 

And tries to impress them ...

Wow, is she tall!  And fast! ...

this is, how it is done!

good companions, and still babies ...

more here: