THREE ROCK GARDEN TOURS AT THE NARGS ANNUAL MEETING IN ANN ARBOR

PULSATILLA BLOSSOMS TRY TO STEAL THE SHOW IN THE AMAZING  ROCK GARDEN OF JACQUES AND ANDREA URDA THOMPSON IN YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN – PART OF THE NORTH AMERICAN ROCK GARDEN SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING GARDEN TOUR

I am still recovering from last weeks jam-packed trip out to Michigan where the North American Rock Garden Society held its annual meeting, hosted by the Great Lakes chapter. I’ve been to about 7 of these annual meetings and study weekends, and I can confidently say that this one succeeded spectacularly.  As the current president of NARGS, I could easily be a little opinionated, but it would be no exaggeration to say that this particular event was flawless – perfect spring weather which encouraged some of the finest alpines and woodland plants into peak bloom just in time for a couple of hundred plant geeks, and I really don’t need to say that after the winter we all survived, was nothing more than a miracle in itself!

THE ROCK WORK IN JACQUES GARDEN WAS INSPIRATIONAL – SO NATURAL AND COMPLEMENTARY TO THE INTERESTING PLANT MATERIAL. A MOUNTAIN MEADOW AT LAKE-LEVEL!

Being my first trip to Michigan, I was looking forward to driving out from New England, even though the drive would take two days and take me through much of Ontario, Canada. I felt that I needed the time to get my thoughts together for the board meeting which preceded the event, and to relax a bit ( yes, sometimes, driving can relax me, although it took the rental of a big, new Dodge Ram pick-up and a few hundred miles of white Trillium grandiflorum, the grandeur of Niagra Falls and the magnificent spring woodlands and fruit orchards of the Great Lakes region. I should mention that this event coincided with the spring migration of warblers and songbirds – the East Coast deciduous forest was alive and singing in so many ways – why would I ever want to fly in a cramped plane?

TUFA ROCK IS A LIMESTONE ROCK CHERISHED BY ROCK AND ALPINE GARDENERS, AND THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY HAS SOME OF THE FINEST PIECES AVAILABLE. WE ALL ADMIRED THIS ONE – SINCE A PIECE THE SIZE OF A LOAF OF BREAD SELLS FOR ABOUT $25. THIS BEAST WAS AWESOME!

MY GUESS IS THAT THIS CLUMP WAS OF POLYGONATUM KINGIANUM, A RARE CHINESE POLYGONATUM WHICH HAS ORANGE BLOSSOMS AND TALL, 6 FOOT STEMS OR MORE. THE YELLOW FLOWER IS THE SINGLE FORM OF ANEMONE RANUNCULOIDES.

ANEMONE RANUNCULOIDES AS A DOUBLE FORM – IF ONLY MINE GREW AS NICELY AS THIS! A SPREADING WOODLANDER, THIS DOUBLE FORM MADE IT ONTO MY EVER-GROWING WISH LIST.

WE SWOONED OVER THIS MASSIVE COLONY OF ANEMONE  X. LIPSIENSIS ‘PALIDA’ , A CROSS BETWEEN A. RANUNCULOIDES AND A. NEMEROSA WHICH NOW OFFICIALLY TOPS MY MUST-GET LIST OF EARLY SPRING BULBS!

I HATE TO ADMIT THAT MY TRILLIUM ID IS WEAK – BUT THIS BEAUTY(MAYBE TRILLIUM CHLOROPETALUM – BUT PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CORRECT ME) INSPIRED ME TO BUY MANY SPECIES WHILE VISITING LOCAL NURSERIES IN THE AREA. ONE CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY TRILLIUM.

JANET LEARNS HOW TO SPLIT ROCK AND MAKE A STONE TROUGH AT A WORKSHOP THAT JACQUES HELD FOR NARGS MEMBERS.

JACQUES BEDS FROM A DISTANCE COMBINE TREES, DWARF SHRUBS, WOODLANDERS, PERENNIALS AND ALPINES ALONG WITH GRAVEL MULCH – THIS IS ONE LOOK I AM GOING TO COPY.

I NEVER CAPTURED THE NAME OF THIS BEARDED IRIS, BUT WHO CARES, IT’S JUST AS NICE WITHOUT  LABEL.

I NEVER IDENTIFIED THIS ARIL IRIS IN THE GARDEN OF DON AND MARY LAFOND, BUT MY GUESS IS THAT IT MIGHT BE IRIS ARILBRED ‘OYEZ’. WHO CARES, IT’S GORGEOUS.

IRIS ARE NOTORIUS FOR BEING SHY WHEN A GARDEN TOUR IS SCHEDULED A YEAR IN ADVANCE, BUT THIS PAST WEEKEND PROVED THAT TIMING SOMETIMES ACTUALLY PLAYS OUT. THE MANY IRIS WE SAW WERE IN PEAK BLOOM.

THIS TINY IRIS WAS INDEED, TINY.  NAME ANYONE??? I KNOW I PUT IT IN MY IPHONE, BUT NOW I CANNOT FIND IT.

ALLIUM VICTORIALIS VAR. PLATYPHYLLUM, THE VICTORY ONION MADE IT INTO MANY OF OUR NOTEBOOKS AS ONE PLANT TO TRACK DOWN FOR OUR OWN GARDENS. IT WAS GROWING IN THE GARDEN OF BEV AND BOB WALTERS.

THE WALTERS’GARDEN FEATURED BOTH WATER AND THIS INCREDIBLE CREVICE GARDEN.

THE CURRENT TREND OF CREVICE GARDENING WENT TO AN ENTIRELY NEW LEVEL WIT THIS ONE IN THE GARDEN OF TONY AND SUSAN REZNICEK. NOT THAT ANY OF US EXPECTED ANYTHING LESS FROM TONY REZNICEK ( HE IS ALSO THE CURATOR AND ASST. DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HERBARIUM.

GUEST SPEAKER, NURSERYMAN GER VAN DEN BEUKEN FROM THE NETHERLANDS, TAKES A PORTRAIT OF A SPECIES TULIP IN TONY REZNECEK’S GARDEN.

SUPERB TRILLIUMS WERE EVERYWHERE, IN ALL FO THE GARDENS.

TRILLIUM SPECIES WERE IN FULL FORCE – FAR TOO MANY TO NAME

I NEED TO TRACK DOWN THIS TRILLIUM SPECIES, UNDERSTATED YET A NICE CLUMPER.

FRITILLARIA PALLIDIFLORA – IN DON LAFOND’S GARDEN – NOW YOU KNOW WHY FOLKS ORDER THIS ONE EARLY, AS IT ALWAYS SELLS OUT IN THE SPRING DUTCH BULB CATALOGS.

THIS METAL TROUGH IN DON LAFOND’S GARDEN DEMONSTRATES HOW GREAT DESIGN AND CREATIVITY CAN BE USED TO CREATE AUTHENTIC LOOKING TROUGHS EVEN WITHOUT HYPERTUFA. DON’S ENTIRE GARDEN REMINDED ME OF DISNEY IMAGINEERING PROJECTS – PERFECTLY CURATED AND CLEVER.

MY FAVORITE PLANT OF ALL? THIS SUPER RARE JAPANESE WOODLAND PLANT PTERIDOPHYLLUM RACEMOSUM SEEMS TO COMBINE THE LOOK OF A SMALL FERN WITH A CARDAMINE, BUT IT IS ACTUALLY IN THE POPPY FAMILY. THIS SPECIMEN IN TONY REZNECEK’S GARDEN IS 8 YEARS OLD.