Yellow Loosestrife

This is yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia punctata). Picture taken May 26, 2009, at Purdue Horticulture Gardens.

Link to Lysimachia punctata:

Next to the clump of Lysimachia stands a Douglas fir tree (Pseudotsuga menziesii).

Link to another Douglas fir tree on the Purdue campus:

Foxglove

This is foxglove (Digitalis purpurea). It's at the Marsteller St. bank at Hort Gardens. Picture taken May 27, 2009. Butterflies were visiting these flowers but I didn't manage to get a good picture of it.

Link to Digitalis purpurea:

Link to Wikipedia article on Digitalis purpurea:

Unintentional flowers

Some of the flowers you find at the Hort Gardens came in on their own. They weren't planted but still they are worth consideration. This is Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis), a common weed in Lafayette. Find it growing in the garden near Marsteller St. Picture taken May 18, 2009.

Link to Dame's Rocket:



The plant pictured above is butterweed (Packera glabella). This butterweed is growing outside the northeast corner of the greenhouse building, in the area where some ornamental grasses are planted. Picture taken May 18, 2009.

Link to butterweed:

The plant pictured below is one of the wild mustards, and it is very common around Lafayette. It is Sinapis arvensis. You can find it growing near the west door of the Horticulture Building. This picture was taken May 9, 2009, by now most of the flowers have gone to seed, but today you can still see a bit of yellow.

Link to Sinapis (same as the butterweed post):

Rodgersia pinnata

Find this Rodgersia pinnata outside the north glass wall of the greenhouses.

Picture taken May 18, 2009.

Link to Rodgersia pinnnata:

Artimesia ludoviciana 'Valerie Finnis'

Find this planted along Marsteller St., it's also known as white sagebrush. Picture taken May 16, 2009.

Link to Artemisia ludoviciana 'Valerie Finnis':

Link to Wikipedia article on Artemisia ludoviciana:

Dwarf lilac

This dwarf lilac (Syringa patula 'Miss Kim') is in back of the horticulture building. It seems to bloom a little bit later than the regular lilacs (Syringa vulgaris). Picture taken May 13, 2009.

Link to dwarf lilac:

Pyrenean crane's bill

This is the commercially available geranium cultivar marketed as 'Wargrave's Pink'. Whether it is Geranium endressii or a hybrid Geranium x oxonianum (endressii x versicolor) I am not going to stress over that, I want to get the next picture on the blog. Somebody else figure it out. Picture taken May 12, 2009.

Link to Geranium endressii:

Umbrella magnolia

This umbrella magnolia tree (Magnolia tripetala) has a few of its big flowers showing. Pictures taken May 18, 2009.

Link to native magnolias of Indiana (this is a PDF file):

Link to Magnolia tripetala:

Orris Root

This Orris Root (Iris pallida var. 'Variegata') can be found in Purdue Hort Gardens along Marsteller St. Orris root is also planted close to the brick wall part of the greenhouses. These pictures were taken May 14, 2009.

Link to Iris pallida 'Variegata':

Link to Iris pallida:

Link to orris root:

Oriental Poppy

These oriental poppies are planted along Marsteller St. Picture taken May 14, 2009.

Link to oriental poppy:

Tulip trees are now blooming

The tulip trees are blooming. This is the tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) at Purdue Horticulture Gardens, near Marsteller Street.

This picture was taken May 12, 2009.

Link to previous post on this tulip tree:

Fruiting Heads of Pasque Flower

The purple pasque flowers pictured in the earlier post have turned into the fruiting heads. This picture was taken May 9, 2009.

Link to the April 21 post on pasque flower:

Penstemon

Link to Penstemon digitalis "Husker Red":

Picture taken May 9, 2009.

Amsonia

This amsonia is on the east side of the Horticulture Building.

Link to Amsonia hubrichtii:

Pictures taken May 9, 2009.

Columbine

The columbine is blooming at Purdue Horticulture Gardens.

Aquilegia canadensis is our columbine native to Indiana. It's not terribly common, but a real treat when you do find it in the wild. A beautiful plant especially in a natural setting amongst the ferns and rocks and waterfalls of Shades State Park.

Link to Aquilegia canadensis:

Link to Aquilegia canadensis:

A closer look at the Aquilegia canadensis. These columbines are in front of the greenhouse building.

Aquilegia caerulea is native to the Rocky Mountain area.

Link to Aquilegia caerulea:


Another view of the Aquilegia caerulea.

These pictures were taken May 6, 2009.

Aronia arbutifolia

This small tree with white flowers is a red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia). It is on the Marsteller St. side of the Horticulture building, next to the juneberry tree that was pictured in the April 23 post. These pictures were taken May 4, 2009.

Link to Aronia arbutifolia:

Link to Aronia arbutifolia:

Link to Aronia:

Tree Peony

The tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) is blooming. Find it about equidistant from the Horticulture building back door, the greenhouse front door, and Marsteller Street.

Link to Paeonia suffruticosa:

Link to Paeonia suffruticosa on Flora of China:

A closer picture of the tree peony blossom.



Next to the tree peony is a Double Fernleaf Peony (Paeonia tenuifolia), also blooming.

Link to Paeonia tenuifolia:

These three peony pictures were taken at the Purdue Horticultural Gardens May 3, 2009.

Link to Wikipedia on Peony:

Fothergilla

Fothergilla has a striking look to it, with the white pincushion flower clusters. The showiness of the flowers is due to the white stamens, there aren't any petals. There are a couple Large Fothergillas (Fothergilla major) guarding the entrance to the Horticulture greenhouses.

The Fothergilla major in the picture above is at the front door of the greenhouses.

The other Fothergilla major at the front door of the greenhouse.

Link to Fothergilla major:


Some plants are easy to identify. This dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii) is in the Purdue Discovery Park area. The flower is getting old, notice the dropped stamens scattered on the ground.


Another view of the dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii) around the Discovery Park buildings. They planted a lot of this here. This is not too far from the Horticulture Gardens, about three blocks west past Russell St. and Intramural Drive.

These pictures were taken May 1, 2009.

Link to dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii):

Evergreen candytuft

Evergreen candytuft (Iberis sempervirens). At Purdue Horticulture Gardens. This is about in the center of the garden. Picture taken May 1, 2009.

Link to Iberis sempervirens:

Sempervirens is Latin for "always green". Several plants are named sempervirens.

Link to sempervirens:

Lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina)

Lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina). You can find this along Marsteller St., at Purdue Horticulture Gardens. Picture taken April 30, 2009.

Link to Stachys byzantina:

Flowering Dogwood

This flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) isn't actually in the Horticulture Gardens, but it's close by. Find it on a short walk from the Horticulture Building. Walk west down the Horticulture Mall past the new food science building and across the street to the Ag & Bio Engineering Building. This tree is at the northeast entrance to the building.

Technically the flowers are at the center of the four white bracts.

Even better than this is to take a walk in the woods where dogwoods and redbuds are blooming here and there, wouldn't be spring in the woods without them.

This picture was taken April 27, 2009.

Link to Cornus florida: