Friday, October 3, 2014

Friday, September 28, 2012

Exochorda racemosa

Pearlbush (Exochorda racemosa), at Purdue Horticulture Gardens.  You can find this bush near the southeast corner of the Horticulture building.  Exochorda is blanketed with white flowers in the spring, reminds me of the look of Vanhoutte Spirea, another spring flowering shrub that's more commonly planted around here.

Picture taken Sept. 22, 2012.

Link to Exochorda racemosa:

Link to Exochorda racemosa:

Link to Exochorda racemosa:

Link to previous post on Vanhoutte Spirea:


Thursday, July 12, 2012

Henry's Lily


Henry's Lily, or Lilium henryi, at Purdue Horticulture Gardens.  Picture taken July 6, 2012.

Link to Lilium henryi:

Link to Lilium henryi:

Monday, July 9, 2012

Hybrid Flowering Tobacco

Another drought tolerant plant, this is Nicotiana x sanderae 'Crimson Bedder'.  It's a hybrid of Nicotiana alata and Nicotiana forgetiana.  Picture taken July 2, 2012.

Link to Nicotiana x sanderae:

Link to Nicotiana:

Globe amaranth

Globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa 'Qis Purple').  Globe amaranth is drought tolerant and it's growing well here this unusually dry summer.  Picture taken July 2, 2012.


Link to previous post on globe amaranth:

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Purple Stem Joe-pye Weed


 This Purple Stem Joe-pye Weed is just beginning to flower.  A native Indiana plant. 


Once having the botanical name Eupatorium fistulosum, the most current name is Eutrochium fistulosum.

Pictures taken July 4, 2012

Link to Eutrochium fistulosum:

Link to Eutrochium fistulosum:

Monday, June 18, 2012

Eryngium


Eryngium planum ‘Blue Glitter’.  The common name is Flat Sea Holly.

Link to Eryngium planum:


A closer look at the Eryngium planum, attracting a few soldier beetles.  I noticed a few postings around the internet suggesting that this plant stinks like cat poop.   So I went back to this plant to check it out.  Yes, it really does smell like cat poop up close.  That is probably what makes it attractive to insects.



Another species of Eryngium in the gardens, planted fairly close to the first one, this is Eryngium zabelii ‘Big Blue’.  The common name for Eryngium zabelii is also Sea Holly.   One might think Eryngium is some kind of a thistle but they are not related to thistle at all.   Rather surprisingly they are part of the Apiaceae, the carrot family.



Also in these gardens you can find our native Eryngium, this is Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium).  Eryngium yuccifolium is a distinctive plant of prairie habitats.


All pictures were taken June 7, 2012 at Purdue Horticulture Gardens.