Monday, September 17, 2007

Toad Blue

The subtropical, tender Taiwanese native Tricyrtis lasiocarpa, and it's hybrid offspring Tapei Silk (the latter of which I showed a few days ago), have that lovely amethyst blue color in the flowers that is so gorgeous in the clear fall light. Lasiocarpa is rated at zone 7 by most, and the winter hardiness of Tapei silk for me is still up in the air, but here's a proven survivor that has a touch of blue: this is the well-known Tricyrtis Togen (also spelled Tojen). I believe it gets its slight bluish tint from Tricyrtis formosana, not lasiocarpa; now formosana is only slightly hardier than lasiocarpa, and formosana hybrids overall are about 50-50 in surviving our Iowa winters, but Togen is totally rock hardy. It has large, lovely unspotted flowers that are orchid shading to white in the centers, with a yellow throat. The foliage is also striking in that the leaves are very large for a tricyrtis, and they are less prone to be damaged from hot summer weather (its heat tolerance probably comes from formosana). I could easily be convinced that Togen is one of the best, if not the very best, garden toadies.
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Comments:
Very cool shot! Togen/Tojen gets my vote for the best.
 
IVG,
I like the way they`re in a marching line.
 
I`m sorry about the IVG ref.
My mistake, that after many months, I just realized.
Have a nice evening.
 
MMD... It's VERY hard to choose.

Knuck... That symmetrical look is one I really like, too.

Don
 
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