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This Iris was first described in March, 2018. Here is the original description link: https://web.archive.org/web/20... Scroll down to page 22.

This is a unique Reticulata type Iris in that it reproduces via seeds and bulbs forming at the end of Stolons. Very rarely it will produce daughter bulbs without stolons. (personal communication with Alan McMurtrie)

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Seems to me this species listing should properly reflect all forms of it:
clausa var. clausa
clausa var. normalis
clausa var. stolonifera
All three are in cultivation with the most common one being var. clausa.

Pieter

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According to Gentry, var eborispina has terminal spines between 10-20 cm long. Plants with terminal spines shorter than this are probably nevadensis or simply utahensis ssp.

https://mojave.lv/field-notes/...

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Lisa Vinzant hybrid
Seed parent - 'Winnie the Pooh'
Pollen parent - 'Domino'
A nice small Neoregelia forming a 7"- 8" rosette of red leaves with yellow spots producing offsets on 2"- 3" stolons.
Best coloration achieved with a few hours of early morning or late evening sun.

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In some regions, the Carrotwood tree is considered invasive because it can outcompete native vegetation and disrupt ecosystems.
https://qooplants.com/carrotwo...

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Coral Sunset is fantastic, nothing like I have ever seen in peonies. After a severe cold winter in which I had to cover the plant several times because it starts growing earlier than other peonies Coral Sunset is beautiful and it has spread so much in just a few years that it makes an impressive clump, if only it could bloom all summer, sigh.

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I am going to try overwintering a few artichokes this year using the basket method and using a waterproof tarp. That may be the key addition:
Zones 6 to 7: After the last harvest, cut the plants down to 12 to 18 inches. Cover with organic mulch: leaves, straw, compost, and then cover the pile with a large basket. Mound more leaves and straw over the basket and cover everything with a waterproof tarp.

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Miniature Lupine is a native to the west coast found throughout California to British Columbia. It is nitrogen-fixing and a boon to pollinators in addition to being a cute tiny plant.

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A. decorum is a variable species. The diameter of the rosette can range from 1.5 to 4 inches. Colors can be variable from clone to clone, and depending on sun exposure. Plants grown in the shade are usually a dark green color, but in full sun they can range from a reddish orange to bronze color. This plant is commonly confused with two of its close relatives, A. haworthii and A. leucoblepharum.
It is known to form hybrids with A. canariense and A. castello-paive.

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This smallish hybrid is usually sold under the apparently invalid species name Agave pumila. It is a dimorphic plant, with a compact, offsetting juvenile version to a few inches wide (for several years) and a spreading adult version to about 2 feet wide. Apparently one can hasten this conversion by putting potted plants in the ground.

Gentry treated pumila as a species but also considered the parentage of Agave lechuguilla (originally and currently spelled as lecheguilla) x Agave victoriae-reginae (compact form). The leaf underside strongly suggests the former parentage, despite what the CoL and the data above indicate (scabra=asperrima in the mix).

If the CoL is right that pumila = asperrima x nickelsiae (which I doubt) then Agave x pumila would be a synonym for Agave x nigra (one form of which is known in the trade as 'Sharkskin'), a very different looking plant without this odd dimorphic form.

In any case pumila was apparently collected in the 19th century and described on the basis of a Kew plant obtained from a Dutch trader, of unknown geographic origin. It was never found in nature (at least at the time of Gentry's writing).

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Curious that 'Freedom Is Not Free' is registered as a Tet but apparently crossed to 'Wild Rose Fandango', a Dip, to create a dip child 'Lily Farm Arachnid Orbiter'. I will note that the hybridizer had FINF listed as a Tet on his website in 2020

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C. Skotak hybrid
Seed parent - N. carolinae x N. 'Fireball'
Pollen parent - N. mcwilliamsii
'Zacate' has a slight upright 17" nearly spineless rosette of light green creamy striped leaves that will slightly blush pink in strong light. Will produce a red center at flowering.
Offsets are produced on 5"-6" stolons.

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Spiny South American ball cactus with yellow flowers.

This plant, formerly known as Parodia (Notocactus) schlosseri (after the guy who collected it in Uruguay, Hugo Schlosser), was apparently described as Echinocactus erubescens a few decades before that point, so the older name takes priority. According to Hunt it is apparently not a species but a hybrid of P. (N.) mammulosa with another Parodia. It belongs with a few plants that are closely related to P. (N.) scopa.

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Neoregelia 'Tossed Salad'
Harvey Bullis hybrid
Seed parent - 'Dexter's Pride'
Pollen parent - 'Fantastic Gardens'
Good coloration achieved with good morning and late afternoon sun conditions. Midday and early afternoon Summer sun should be avoided as leaves will burn.

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C. Skotak hybrid
Seed parent - carolinae Variegated x Hannibal Lecter
Pollen parent - Tiger Cub
Rosette 8" - 10" producing pups on 2"-3" stolons.
Leaf coloration - Broad white central vertical stripe barred with dark reddish purple horizontal banding on both sides.
Needs strong sun conditions to bring out the great horizontal banding coloration.

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Each year, we plant seed potatoes ... a range of varieties, from fingerlings to early, mid or late season. Being in a cold climate / short summer, late season potato choices are rare. But despite having grown many different varieties, each year we always try several 'new' (to us) to see what happens.

Fingerling 'Magic Molly' was a 'new to us' variety for the summer of 2023, and we planted the minimum seed potato quantity we could order (either .5 or 1 lb.). This potato was one of our (2) best producers in 2023 (which turned out to be a very poor year for many others).

Magic Molly increased tenfold over what we had started with (I do keep record each year of pounds planted / pounds harvested). It also tastes great, cooks superbly, and holds its deep purple flesh even after cooking (which the kids love - who knew kids would think purple potatoes are super cool?).

And being a fingerling, the size is perfect for many recipes - from soups and stews to home fries or potato salad, this is an excellent potato. So for 2024, we have upped the order on Magic Molly and we'll be planting quite a bit larger quantity this year.

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I've had a Burford for decades. It gets berries all over, was really loaded this winter, but no birds have eaten them even now in April. I'm disappointed - passively feeding birds is something I value in the garden.
Insects do love holly flowers though.

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I am of two minds about this plant. On one hand, the scent is absolutely amazing, wafting through the garden sweet, plus it blooms later in the summer, which is rare for a bush. That, plus the small height suggests it be used near walkways or entrances where the scent can be appreciated.
HOWEVER, it attracts more yellowjackets, paper wasps, and other stinging insects than any other plant I have grown, even compared to other 'pollinator magnets'. Perhaps this is due to the later bloom time? In any case, it is a hum of activity, but somewhat threatening activity that suggests it should not be near a walkway or patio.
Additionally, it leafs out very late in spring, leaving an unsightly dead-looking clump of twigs in an otherwise booming spring garden.
Otherwise, it does well in our difficult alkaline clay soil, and humid midwest climate, thriving without particular care.
I have not grown other cultivars or the species, but am tempted to try to find a taller one, which could be planted a distance where the positive aspects could be appreciated without so much attention on the downsides.

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Chunky bluish white Echeveria with dense rosettes and understated reddish flowers. A really nice, full-looking plant with strong color. Apparent final size is about 10 inches if offsets are removed. Best color and form in strong light (like essentially all glaucous Echeverias).

A Frank Reinelt hybrid. Parentage often mistakenly given as E. cante (subrigida) x E. desmetiana 'Subsessilis'. Most likely it is colorata x desmetiana, judging by the shape of the flowers and the thickness of the leaves. Not uncommon in cultivation. Propagated from leaves or offsets.

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Gray-green to bluish gray cactus with markedly tuberculate stems, whitish flowers, red fruit (at maturity). Shrubby habit to a few feet tall, stems to 2-2.5 inches wide. 1 central spine, 2-5 grayish radial spines. Nocturnal flowers near stem tips persist into daytime.

Strong colors and unusually tuberculate stems make this an attractive plant in cultivation. New spines are intense red, glaucous stems are bright in strong light.

From the Mexican states of Guerrero, Morelos, Puebla and México.

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