I'll start with the lupine at Ray and Tudi Smith's. Ray says they started with five plants, which have now spread across the front of the house in a glorious display. The Lupine this year seemed to truly appreciate the extra moisture we had last winter and spring, as even the wild Lupine on the Bison Range and areas north were in full blooom and covered the hillsides.
The Ice Plant shown here was growing in a garden near Arlee. Supposedly hardy to Zone 4 it seems to do better if it goes into winter somewhat on the dry side.
This variegated Honeysuckle, 'Harlequin' is growing in my garden. It has been somewhat slow to establish and is not as vigorous as some species but the multicolored foliage and flowers are equally beautiful and make the small show more easily appreciable. "Easily established" and "vigorous" is plant broker (sellers) code for a plant that grows really fast and takes over a large area of your garden before you know it, and is often hard to get rid of. This honeysuckle doesn't seem to be like the japanese varieties and is native to high altitude areas of Utah.
Frittilaria bulgarica shows up as foliage and then suddenly the flower stems appear. This clump started as just three bulbs and two years later is filling in quite nicely and much more rapidly than I had expected.
Euonymous turkistanica is slowly being discovered by Missoula gardeners. While not as robust and full as its cousin the Burning Bush, Euonymous alata, it nevertheless has excellent fall foliage colors, but the neon pink earring-like flowers make it an unusual garden attraction.
This Peach-leafed Campanula inhabits Beth's garden in the upper Grant Creek area. The flowers also come in white and occasionally an almost pink shade. It tends to be somewhat sloppy and haphazard in its growth habit but this one shows what it is like when it grows tall and erect as it is supposed to. If it were not so willing to seed and become a weed it would be a most desirable garden plant. Deer do browse it so it has to be kept where they can't get to it.
This Bronze Friendly Thistle, or maybe it is Friendly Bronze Thistle, I"ve lost the tag, was a find at a Helena nursery. It needs a place in my garden that will show off the foliage and unusual and long lasting flowers since it is not a particularly large plant. Even at ground level in the middle of my grass it still attracts attention. So far I haven't had seen seedlings.
I ran across this picture taken last fall on a trip to Great Falls and recognized it as a preview of what is soon to come, if our recent chilly mornings are any indication. It is looking north from the area just past Ovando on Highway 200.
