Cranesbill

Cranesbill a.k.a.Wild Geranium (Geranium erianthum) showers the sides of the trails up Mt. Roberts.

For more fantastic flowers from around the world visit Today’s Flowers.

Young Porcupine

A young porcupine and his mother (not pictured) nibble on clover blossoms on the University of Alaska Southeast campus.

Mossy Saxifrage

Mossy Saxifrage does very well in Juneau (Zone 7) and makes an excellent rock garden plant.

I’m beginning to wonder if my Saxifrage plants like their location a little too much, they’re starting to dwarf the bleeding hearts with 12 to 15 inch stems. I notice a couple of them have brown centers about the size of a golf ball, which tells me it’s time to divide and conquer. This gives me some time between now and next spring to find a place for transplants or some friends and neighbors who would like some plants.

A few of my Saxifrage plants have finished blooming so I best find my clipper and pull up some ground. The seedpods that form can also be planted. I made the mistake of not tidying up a few of these plants one summer and ended up with a million leg, spider looking blob of slim (very wet summer that year). Unfortunately that meant they starting coming in the paths and yard since I forgot to remove the seedpods. Once I trim the flowers back, to the base of the plants, they look like nice little, mossy evergreens.

Common Name: Mossy Saxifrage

Scientific Name: Saxifraga

Plant Type: Perennial

Flower Color: Pink, Red, White

Height: 6 to 9 inches

Width: 1 foot

Sunlight: Partial Sun, Shade

Climate: Zones 6, 7, 8, and 9

If you would like to see more flowers from around the world, visit Today's Flowers.

Annual Planting

Remember the greenhouse I photographed on March 15, 2010? Well, after Carol Ackerson (a crew leader with the CBJ Parks and Landscaping) and her crew meticulously cared for the annuals at the CBJ greenhouse and cold frames, they are now ready to be planted. Carol designs a grid in the soil before she begins transplanting the flowers into one of the many planters around Juneau.

Globeflowers

     Since it rained moose and bear for most of yesterday and I’m dealing with a bad cold, I decided to photograph the bouquet of Globeflowers (Trollius europaeus) sitting in our kitchen window. I picked them a week ago on Mother’s Day. I wasn’t sure they would bloom this year since I only transplanted them this spring.

     Globeflowers do extremely well in southeast Alaska with our abundant source of moisture (a.k.a. rain). They will bloom throughout the summer as long as they are not allowed to dry out. I learned the hard way, and they ended up dieing back by mid June because I didn’t water them daily when we had dry spells.

     This little bouquet has definitely added some sunshine to my very blah day. Oh, did I mention that today (Sunday) the weather has come full circle and we have beautiful blue sky?
If you would like to see more flowers from around the world visit Today’s Flowers.

Marsh Marigold

Marsh Marigolds

Common Name: Marsh Marigold
Scientific Name: Caltha palustris
Family: Buttercup, Crowfoot/Ranunculaccae
Habitat: Marshes, Streams, and occasionally around Lakes
Bloom Time: Early May to Late June (depending on how early spring arrives)
Edibility: Early spring greens are edible when fully cooked. This requires cooking the young leaves in 2-3 changes of water until barely tender. I like them cut in small pieces and drizzled with vinegar. They should only be eaten in small quantities.

Warning: NEVER eat the leaves raw. The mature leaves contain a toxic chemical called ranunculin.

Spring Perennials

Now that the temperature has warmed up in Juneau and the surrounding area, the spring perennials are adding a splash of color.

If you would like to see more flowers from around the world, visit the other participates atToday's Flowers.

Salmonberry Blossoms

The Salmonberries (Rubus spectabilis) are blooming all around Juneau and the surrounding area. Hopefully, with all the blossoms I’m seeing we’ll have a good crop. I can’t wait to pick the berries in late July and August to make jelly. We’ve tried raspberry/rhubarb jelly, which was wonderful, so this year I want to try salmonberry/rhubarb too.


If you would like to see more flowers from around the world, just visit the Today’s Flowers link.

Feels like Spring

Since El Nino is pushing the colder weather south, it’s feeling like spring here in Juneau.