Primula 'Elizabeth Killelay': flowers

Primula, known in English as "primroses" and in French as primevère, is a genus of herbaceous perennials native to the northern Hemisphere, as well as mountains in Ethiopia and southeast Asia, and temperate South America.

This cultivar, 'Elizabeth Killelay', has very dark red-black petals edged in white. (The flowers are actually double but I guess this specimen hasn't reached that stage of development yet.} It was on display at Toronto Botanical Garden at Canada Blooms.

Canada Blooms 2008

I went to Canada Blooms for the first time this year. I was hoping to see unusual new varieties, but almost all the exhibitors stuck with a handful of species, I guess because they were best able to survive being in the convention centre--tulips, daffodills, crocuses, gerbera daisies, Himalayan birch (why not a native birch?), etc.

I was intrigued to see this exhibitor (some national wildlife charity, I should have written it down) got their dried flowers from Almonte! (Almonte is my hometown, in eastern Ontario.)

Floral arrangement, 'Generation Gap', by Nancy Wahorn, won 2nd prize in this category, and also the Helen Chochran Novice Award--Design. Plants include Pleomele reflexa variegate, Amaranthus viridis, Strelitzia.

Photos of individual plants at Canada Blooms have their own entries.

Stipa tenuissima

Stipa tenuissima known in English as "angel hair", "Mexican feather grass", "Mexican needle grass", "ponytails", or "silky thread grass", and in French as cheveux d'ange, is a perennial native to parts of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Not surprisingly, it is not hardy in Toronto.

These beautiful clumps of Mexican feather grass dancing in the breeze were growing at Toronto Botanical Garden.

Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red': flowers

Penstemon digitalis, known in English as smooth penstemon, foxglove penstemon, or foxglove beardtongue and in French as penstémon digitalis is a perennial native to eastern North America. Like foxglove, smooth penstemon bears tall spires of nodding flowers. This photo does not do justice to the striking cultivar Husker Red, which has dark red stems contrasting beautifully with the white blossoms. This gorgeous specimen was photographed at Toronto Botanical Garden.

Aquilegia canadensis: flowers and seed pods

Aquilegia canadensis (known in English as wild columbine, red columbine, or Canada columbine and in French as ancolie du Canada or gants de Notre-Dame is a short-lived herbaceous perennial native to southeastern Canada and northeastern United States. Like most columbines, its flowers have five long spurs. This is my favourite wildflower, in part because it is one of the few red flowers found in the Canadian wilderness.

I photographed this pretty clump of wild columbine at Toronto Botanical Garden in late June. Columbine blooms in the spring so I was pleasantly surprised to see there were still some blooms left, as well as the brown seedpods.

Heuchera 'Bressingham Hybrid': flowers

Heuchera, known in English as "coral bells", "alum root", or by the genus name, and in French as heuchère, is a genus of perennials native to North America. They are grown for their delicate spires of bell shaped flowers, or increasingly for their foliage; many interesting new cultivars are available. I love the dainty red flowers on this cultivar.

Viola 'Sorbet Coconut Duet': flowers

Viola hybrids are small annuals grown for their flowers, which are like small pansies. Like pansies, violas are available in a wide range of colours: purple, yellow, blue, mauve, pink, rusty red, orange, and white.

Although violas self-sow, the offspring will often have different-coloured flowers.