Ink & Penstemon

Ongoing June Penstemania with Penstemon venustus.

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:06:05 -0600

Ongoing June Penstemania with Penstemon venustus.

Some Penstemania offerings from Steve Hegji’s most recent...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:18:00 -0600

Some Penstemania offerings from Steve Hegji’s most recent trip to Bluff, Utah and the Abajo Mountains: Penstemon ambiguus (top) and a close look at the fertile bits of Penstemon lentus var albiflorus. P. ambiguus is unusual among Penstemons in that its flowers are actinomorphic, meaning its flowers are radially symmetrical. Only butterflies and moths pollinate this one.

Photo credits: Steve Hegji

Wild

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 21:51:00 -0600

Bad news. There are no more wild spaces. At least that’s what I’ve heard repeated a lot...

Phacelia campanularia in its untweaked glory. Do not adjust your...

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 21:37:55 -0600

Phacelia campanularia in its untweaked glory. Do not adjust your screen.

I ♥ red flowers. This is Monardella macrantha ‘Marian...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:43:00 -0600

I ♥ red flowers.

This is Monardella macrantha ‘Marian Sampson.’ It’s a mat forming plant from the mint family that loves it hot & dry.I’ve got a couple of these in bloom right now in the parkstrip.

A native endemic Penstemon sepalulus (Littlecup Beardtongue)...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 08:35:22 -0600

A native endemic Penstemon sepalulus (Littlecup Beardtongue) growing in my limestone scree. I’ve got about a dozen plants beefing up this year out there.

Found this floating around on my Tumblr dashboard. Thanks to...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:33:00 -0600

Found this floating around on my Tumblr dashboard. Thanks to whomever put up this piece of Echinocereus triglochidiatus love.

One of the reasons I love Penstemon palmeri so much is the...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 08:26:00 -0600

One of the reasons I love Penstemon palmeri so much is the staminode is so furry. It’s a go-to plant for explaining Penstemon’s common name, “Beardtongue.” Penstemon palmeri is also very fragrant and one of my favorites.

Calochortus ‘Superbus’ (but is really C. venustus)I...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:43:00 -0600

Calochortus ~~‘Superbus’~~ (but is really C. venustus)I ordered from Brent & Becky’s Bulbs. If you are growing a dryland garden here, you need lots of Calochortus, or Mariposa lilies. In Utah, the most familiar one is the state flower, Calochortus nuttallii, or what’s called the “Sego Lily.” I understand “Sego” is the the Ute word for the plant. Calochortus bulbs were ground and eaten by several Western First Nation peoples as an important food source.

Agastache occidentalis making its first appearance in the garden...

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 18:16:32 -0600

Agastache occidentalis making its first appearance in the garden this year. Will definitely be saving seed of this one. Those inflorescences are 2” long.

How To Make Your Kids Hate Gardening

Wed, 29 May 2013 13:15:00 -0600

There appears to be a lot of advice out there on ways to make kids want to garden. I’m not...

Dodecatheon pulchellum blooming in the Snake Valley, in western...

Tue, 28 May 2013 12:51:27 -0600

Dodecatheon pulchellum blooming in the Snake Valley, in western Utah. Photo credit Steve Hegji.

More Penstemania! Penstemon virens looking good in the...

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:53:14 -0600

More Penstemania! Penstemon virens looking good in the limestone.

Penstemania round-up from the garden today, clockwise from upper...

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:30:20 -0600

Penstemania round-up from the garden today, clockwise from upper left: Penstemon procerus, Penstemon cyananthus, Penstemon whippleanus, Penstemon eatonii.

More to come.

Wild sweet pea Lathyrus brachycalyx growing in Alpine, Utah this...

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:54:00 -0600

Wild sweet pea Lathyrus brachycalyx growing in Alpine, Utah this weekend. I thought it was L. pauciflorus at first. Thanks for the ID Steve. It was growing all over the sagebrush along the trails.

"A coyote pup was rescued by golf course employees after running into a cactus Tuesday and being..."

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:03:56 -0600

“A coyote pup was rescued by golf course employees after running into a cactus Tuesday and...

Apparently, John Linnell of They Might Be Giants observed a...

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:44:00 -0600

Apparently, John Linnell of They Might Be Giants observed a Hummingbird moth and wrote a song about it called “Bee of the Bird of the Moth.”

Go figure.

On the WRGS tour, there were two interesting critter encounters....

Thu, 09 May 2013 17:14:54 -0600

On the WRGS tour, there were two interesting critter encounters. One member had a black dwarf lionhead bunny loose in his garden. It showed up a couple of years ago and hasn’t left. There’s lots of food (lots of yummy Primulas when I visited) and he has a burrow under the deck against the house which keeps him safe in the winter. The other member had these 3 large tortoises pictured above. They hibernate in this pen in his greenhouse during the winter.

All I have is 5 fish in a Chinese water jar.

Some awesome bonsai from the WRGS tour. Just reinforces my...

Thu, 09 May 2013 17:09:29 -0600

Some awesome bonsai from the WRGS tour. Just reinforces my decision to start to train a quince this year. Wish me luck.

Why I Don't Feel Guilty About Getting Rid of the Lawn When I Still Have Young Children

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:43:56 -0600

Me and my husband have an issue with our lawn attitudes. I want to get rid of the lawn. It is...