A fistful of penstemons.

About a month ago, three species of penstemon joined several other seeds in our spare refrigerator, though thankfully none of these require months of cold stratification. Around February 16th I began preparing two pots of Penstemon pinifolius (Pineleaf Penstemon) and one pot of Penstemon whippleanus (Whipple's Penstemon). On February 23rd I added six pots of Penstemon palmeri, commonly known as Palmer's Penstemon, Scented Penstemon, or Pink Wild Snapdragon. Penstemon palmeri will be planted alongside Ipomopsis rubra (Standing Cypress), and these two herbaceous plants will form part of the background for a collection of dwarf conifers, such as Picea pungens 'Globosa' and Thuja occidentalis 'Golden Globe'. I will post a picture once things get planted, but for now that part of the garden is still in preparation.

Since each of these penstemons require about four to eight weeks of cold stratification, they are just about ready to move to a warmer location. I will also begin germinating Ipomopsis rubra around the same time.

Penstemon palmeri. Photo by Stan Shebs.

Ipomopsis rubra by artist Ellis Rowan.

These native species will join several Penstemon 'Delft Blue Riding Hood' purchased last year from our local Lowes. And, since many penstemon species and cultivars seem to grow well in this climate, these will undoubtedly not be the last!

The first day of Spring.

And it was an absolutely beautiful day to be out and about in the garden! Despite an ever-present breeze, the temperature pushed 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Sorbaria sorbifolia (False Spiraea) is beginning to show its crimson feathery leaves, while Prunus salicina 'Toka' (Toka Plum) and Prunus armeniaca 'Moorpark' (Moorpark Apricot) are, thankfully, only starting to show some slight bud-swelling. After all, Colorado is notorious for late-spring frosts cold enough to wipe out an entire blossoming. Since these two trees were only planted last year, I don't expect significant fruiting, but I still don't want a late freeze to knock their buds off. Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star' (Royal Star Magnolia) is still holding large green buds, and I look forward to seeing if it flowers this year. Since it is growing in a cooler microclimate, I expect it to flower at least a bit later than if it were planted on the north side of the garden.

Earlier I wrote that I was uncertain whether or not the Chilopsis linearis seedling had made it through the winter. Apparently it has, a fact that I discovered when I tried to remove some sort of hard cocoon-like concretion (similar to a Megalopyge moth cocoon) from its lower stem - a small bit of the topmost layer of outer bark came off with the concretion, and it was definitely green beneath the outer bark. Since it doesn't look like the wound reached the cambium layer, I doubt the Desert Willow was damaged much by this. I'll just have to keep an eye on it.

Silene regia.

Most of the ferns have yet to reveal themselves, but the evergreen Adiantum venustum (Himalayan Maidenhair Fern) and Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas Fern) look to have come through our harsh winter with only a little foliage damage.

Another plant that seems to have pulled through this winter is Silene regia (Royal Catchfly). They had a hard growing season last year, and I'm hoping that their new location (more consistent moisture, partial sun) will suit them better than the full sun location they were in last summer. Native to the disappearing tallgrass prairie of the American Midwest, this is a species of concern in many parts of the country.

There's still a great deal of work to be done, particularly with hardscaping pathways, dry stream beds, and other structural elements, but the garden has come a long way in the past year.

Acer grandidentatum.

Acer grandidentatum. Photograph by Cory Maylett.

A few days ago I began cold stratifying several Acer grandidentatum seeds. Commonly known as the Bigtooth Maple or Canyon Maple, Acer grandidentatum is closely related to the iconic Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum. Native to the interior western United States, the Bigtooth Maple is far better suited to our climate than many other maples. While not xeric, the Bigtooth Maple is reasonably tolerant of drought and, since it grows in limestone soils, is better suited to our typically alkaline soils. The leaves, though smaller than the impressive leaves of Acer macrophyllum (the Bigleaf Maple, a 50-70 foot monster of a tree native to the Pacific Northwest's boreal rain forests), are beautifully, deeply toothed. I've always liked maples, and I hope to include one or two of specimens of Acer grandidentatum in the garden, at least as space allows.

Acer grandidentatum leaves. Photograph by Cory Maylett.