Poppy seeds for the steppe

Today I spread the last seeds at the steppe roundabout in Lund. Most of the seeds are bought from Jellito Staudensamen in Germany and all arrived earlier this spring except for one item. Papaver croceum 'Wonderland Yellow' or Papaver nudicaule as it's also called, was a rest and came to my post box the other day.

First I mixed the seeds with Vermiculite in a bucket and then I walked around and throwed the mixture all around. I don't know if the poppy will germinate and establish at the calcareous steppe as I never tried it before under this conditions, but that is at least what I hope and expect. Many other seedlings are now emerging in the gravel and especially the Carthusian Pink, Dianthus carthusianorum and Chives, Allium schoenoprasum are abundant just as expected.

The two traffic islands are more densly planted then the roundabout itself.

Most plants are now settled and many tiny seedlings are visable in the gravel

A week later

The Carthusian Pink, Dianthus carthusianorum is now flowering freely

It has gone a week since last shots were discharged. The steppe roundabout is now flowering rather well to been just newly planted, although it of course still has a very thin and sparse appearance. But if you look close into the pictures you'll see that some tiny seedlings already are emerging between the lime stone gravels.   

Today flowering plants include Veronica spicata, Prunella grandiflora, Geranium sanguineum, Geranium 'Tiny Monster', Dianthus carthusianorum, Sedum acre and Knautia macedonica 'Mars Midjet'. The first Achillea filipendulina has also begun to show color and that is much earlier then I expected.

When I am writing this humble lines I can hear the rain drops playing at the window-ledge. Excellent, the small and insignificant, tremolous little seedlings need some water support at the dry steppe.   

Prunella and Veronica side by side by the side of the street

A lot of seedlings are already growing in the gravels

At least some isolated flowers

Slowly, slowly the plants at the Steppe Roundabout in Lund begin to establish in the harsh and inhospitable environment. Yet the planting is irrigated regularly however and that will continue through the summer, but from now decreased to once a week.

Of course the planting still looks very sparse and scanty and it might be difficult for the viewers to cotton on the design idea and appreciate the display. Unfortunately it will take two or three years before the roundabout will show its real character.

Some few plants have at least started to expose their flowers. In order of appearance this is what has happened. Already when planted in April the Aubrieta 'Blaumeise' was set with flowers, followed by Geranium sanguineum 'Max Frei' and the sanguineum-hybrid Geranium 'Tiny Monster'. Then Knautia macedonica 'Mars Midjet' opened its dark red flowers, next Veronica spicata and Prunella grandiflora. This week Dianthus carthusianorum began to bloom.

Planting the steppe roundabout

We are now in the middle of the planting of the steppe roundabout with perennials from Ängsäters Perenner in the vicinity of Stockholm, Vaste plantenkwekerij Jan Spruyt in Oost-Vlaanderen in Belgium and from Rijnbeek en Zoon in Boskoop in Netherlands.

First I walk around and drop the plants on place all over the site, following my planting plan and even more my intuition at that certain moment. As I work very much on mode and feeling when I create a biotope planting I always modify the original plan a lot. To be honest I don't even have a true planting plan, but of course I can't inform my clients about that. In that case I would probably not get any missions at all...

Anyhow, the result will be marvelous! Here are some of the plants used in the steppe planting listed.

Achillea filipendulina

Achnatherum calamagrostis

Allium schoenoprasum

Aster amellus

Dianthus carthusianorum

Eremurus stenophyllus

Geranium sanguineum
Geranium 'Tiny Monster'

Melica ciliata

Paradisea liliastrum

Pennisetum orientale

Perovskia atriplicifolia

Phlomis russeliana
Prunella grandiflora
Sedum acre 

Stipa barbata

Stipa pennata

Stipa ucrainica

Before the planting started

The arrival of the plants

First the perennials are dropped on place in patterns 

The planting starts