Garden List 2014 Update: May 25

Here's my updated Garden List for the plant collections I've made (and successfully identified...) since my last post! It's amazing to see the diversity we have in our back yard.

Jen's Garden List 2014: 
28. Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)*: read all about garlic mustard HERE.
27. Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis): read all about lungworts HERE.
26. Common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)*: read all about dandelions HERE and HERE.
25. Fortune's spindle (Euonymus fortunei)*
24. Violet lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor 'La Grave')*
23. Northern blue violet (Viola septentrionalis)
22. Creeping wood-sorrel (Oxalis corniculata)*
21. Bleeding hearts (Lamprocapnos spectabilis): read all about bleeding hearts HERE.
20. Field pansy (Viola kitaibeliana)
19. Moss phlox (Phlox subulata): read all about moss phlox HERE and HERE.
18. Mountain rock cress (Arabis alpina subsp. caucasica)*
17. Norway spruce (Picea abies)*: read all about the Norway spruce HERE and HERE.
16. Tulips, at least 2 different unknown varieties (Tulipa sp.): read all about tulips HERE.
15. Hyacinths, at least 3 different unknown varieties (Hyacinthus orientalis): read all about hyacinths HERE.
14. Daffodils, 2 different unknown varieties (Narcissus sp.): read all about daffodils HERE in my blog post about plants of the Chinese New Year.
13. Judas ear (Auricula americana; a fungus)
12. Common violet (Viola papiliomacea or Viola sororia)*
11. English violet (Viola odorata)*
10. Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)*
9. Eastern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis): read all about the Eastern white-cedar HERE.
8. Corn speedwell (Veronica arvensis)*
7. Wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
6. Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis): read all about the Eastern hemlock HERE.
5. Siberian or wood squill (Scilla siberica)*
4. Variegated lesser or dwarf periwinkle (Vinca minor 'Agenteovariegata')*
3. Purple lesser or dwarf periwinkle (Vinca minor 'Atropurpurea')*
2. Bigleaf periwinkle, greater periwinkle (Vinca major)*
1. Hoary/hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta)*

Mountain rock cress (Arabis alpina subsp. caucasica) in the front garden

Lungwort flowers (Pulmonaria officinalis) that change colour according to pH of the soil. Unfortunately, all of the flowers turn purple when dry :(

Bleeding hearts (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) flowers. This is one of my favourite pictures; I took it in a dark corner of the garden and the flash washed everything but the plant out. Because it was getting dark, it looks pitch-black out. 

Moss phlox in the garden (Phlox subulata); there's also another cultivar that's commonly planted that has magenta flowers instead of light purple flowers.

To love and to cherish

Species name: Lamprocapnos spectabilis

Common name: Bleeding hearts

Location: Ontario

Bleeding hearts are some of my favourite flowers because they’re a great example of flower shape variation in the plant kingdom. I took this picture in my back yard, where they were growing along a steep slope that most rainwater entering the back yard runs down. They can tolerate soil that’s occasionally very wet as long as the soil drains well. Like all really odd-looking, showy plants in Southern Canada, bleeding hearts are native to Asia and were brought over to North America to be used as ornamental plants. While their flowers are extremely convoluted and most insects find it difficult to reach the nectaries of the flowers, these plants are remarkably successful at reproducing. This implies that they have found at least one insect partner that helps them cross-pollinate. Growing this plant where you are likely to come into contact with it is not recommended if you have sensitive skin; it contains a chemical that can cause rash, itchiness and general discomfort. This plant also has a white variety, but it's significantly less spectacular when flowering than the pink version.