Hortlandia purchases

I went to the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon's spring plant sale last weekend, now called Hortlandia.  I didn't take photos there but if you want to see some you can look at Scott's.

I bought a really cute plant called a Mouse Plant, Arisarum proboscideum, the blossoms' little "tails" sticking up out of the arrow-shaped foliage.   The flowers have the shape of an Aroid, like Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and are possibly even carnivorous.     I hope I can find the right place to put it, I have had good success with some plants that grow well in the wet part if the year then go dormant when it is hot and dry.

I bought another plant in this category, Primula sieboldii "Ice Princess", with snowflake-like blossoms with a purple reverse.   They are quite popular in Japan.   The tricky part will be keeping them moist enough, but with good drainage, but they will go dormant in summer.  They are supposed to increase.

Now some plants I am more comfortable with, needing less water, Aquilegia canadensis, which is a native with yellow and red flowers.   I grew a similar native, A. formosa, from seed last year, but don't know if I can expect it to bloom this year, so I couldn't resist a bigger plant of similar colors.  

I have a Saxifrage I really enjoy that has spread into a mat and blooms like airy fairy wands every spring, x urbium "London's Pride", a great grower that is a dream to transplant, I just stick a rosette into a new spot and it grows.   So I bought a really cute little Saxifrage kolenatiana "Foster's Red"-

And finally, I got a Geum coccineum "Cookie", which has rather small flowers in a peach color, one of my favorite flower colors, reminding me of sunsets.   I also like it in wall paint.

 I was working on a Geum collection last year, with seed-grown G. "Mrs. Bradshaw" a fantastic bright red that blooms a long time, and the medicinal and edible G. urbanum, with roots that have a clove scent and taste.   I haven't tried them yet.   This year I am growing G. "Lady Stratheden" with a double yellow flower, and G. "Blazing Sunset", below,  the same bright red as "Mrs. Bradshaw" but larger and more double, which have rather rangy foliage compared to "Cookie."  One I would like to get someday is "Mango Lassi", peach with some red overtones and button center.

 That's the problem with flower shows, so many choices and so many temptations to indulge in plants that may or may not make it in the garden.  Here's hoping...

Hannah