Starting with the smallest, we have Eric La Fountaine to thank for telling us about the Kalmia buxifolia, with its sweet red buds before the white flowers open. There are three of these in the same area in USA area of the Alpine Garden, one of which still has mostly buds, so if you hurry you can see it at its prettiest. Nadia posted Prunus prostrata two years ago, but I'd forgot all about it. From the Mediterranean. I don't believe I will ever recognize a Deutzia, though Nadia has pointed them out from the beginning. This one is Deutzia gracilis 'Nikko', in the North Garden, says garden origin. The next two are trees. Nadia was complaining about how Halesia blooms for so long that it always has spent flowers and doesn't look really nice, and then we found this Halesia tetaptera var. monticola 'Arnold Pink', which has flowers that almost have the colour of spent flowers but manages to look charming. Nadia noticed the flowers on the Ginkgo biloba right away - male catkins. Peonies can be really pushy when it comes to getting noticed. Here is Paeonia delavayi and two Paeonia rockii. There is a bee in the third photo too.
Babiana sp. nova, small beautiful Iris family flower from South Africa. What so special about it? This plant is not first year in our garden but it is first long-expected bloom, we know that from Brent Hine, curator of Alpine garden. Alpine garden through the fence Everybody pays attention to bright flowers? but this time is for unnoticeable oak flowers too.Just couple of Asian garden oaks near entrance, Quercus acuta and Quercus phillyraeoides
