The Schachen season got off to a good start weather-wise, the first 3 weeks we had sunny days with thunderstorms most evenings. Good gardening weather as we didn't need to water and could be outside every day working. Since last weekend the weather has turned colder and just over a week ago we had hail. Luckily, there wasn't much damage. Some of the lilies had petals knocked off and plants with large leaves, such as Adenostyles and Gentiana lutea, had holes punched into their leaves. At the moment we have 7 different species of Lily in flower as well as 2 different Nomocharis. The scent as one goes by the caucasus plant beds is intoxicating with 6 clumps of Lilium kessilringianum in full flower and the first flowers of Lilium monadelphum open.

Lilium kesselringianum

In the early 1920's Herr Kesselring worked for a few years on the Schachen after his family fled St. Petersburg. It's unclear though whether it was Hr. Kesselring senior, after whom the Lily is named, or his son.

The following photos are of Nomocharis saluensis, which I received from Ian Christie as young plants a couple of years ago.

Staying with the Lilies. A photo of Lilium bulbiferum, the German name is Fire Lily which seems an appropriate description of the strikingly orange flowers. This Lily prodoces small bulbs at the leaf nodes and they roll off and root where they fall. They don't grow in clumps but form trails down the slope, making for an attractive display when in flower.

Lilium jankae has been the harbringer of snow for the last 4 years. This year we were spared the snow, instead it hailed! But as I mentioned earlier, the hail stones didn't do too much damage this time.

One of the Lesotho plants which flowered this yearin Munich for the first time is now in flower on the Schachen, Zaluzianskya oreophila. The flowers open at dusk which is when I go out to pollinate as it is most probably a monocarp and I don't know whether our moths will do the job. The photo of the open flowers was taken in Munich.

I find the closed buds are also attractive but most of our visitors will most probably feel cheated that it flowers only when the garden is closed.

Meconopsis, as always, have been a delight when in flower. The seedlings of Mec. henrici , grown from seed collected last year, had similarities to Mec. quintuplinervia growing nearby. So this year I isolated the plants, still from original stock, when they flowered. We did have problems with visitors lifting the netting to photograph the plants and letting flies in, but I hope that the seed will be true. Meconopsis racemosa flowered for the first time on the Schachen. I ordered the seed from one of the seed exchanges and although it is garden material it seems to be true.

Meconopsis x cookei 'Old Rose'  is sending up more flower spikes. It increases at the same fast pace as Meconopsis quintuplinervia, one of the parents.

Time is running out as my train leaves in an hour and I aim to be back on the Schachen by 9pm tonight. The lack of an internet connection on the Schachen has meant that there have been fewer dairy entries this season as I have only 2 free weekends out of 8.

Anyway, a few more pictures taken over the space of the last 3 weeks.

Primula secundiflora

Campanula pulla which is a weed in the garden.

Gymnadenia conopsea together with a young sapling of Pinus cembra.

Lotus corniculatus which is flowering in the meadows as well as in the Garden. It has very sharp points on the end of it's long thin seed capsules. We remove the old flower heads as it's a terrible to have in the cushions.

A favourite of mine from North America - Mertensia ciliata.

The next contribution will be in three weeks time.