Tough question. Depending on the sources, Acer buddiensis, aka Acer buddies, is also mentioned as Acer palensis, the latter being a bit outdated, and I confess I have a preference for it, though I've never addressed anyone with "hey buddy", or "hey, pal", mec... <LOL>
"Natural" companions : these self-sow in the jungle. Campanula persicifolia. Most of them are blue, but the first one to show is white : I have another species, I got it from my late father who died 30 years ago, and each year, some bloom : My pinguicula 'Tina' is a companion for my bonsai. You can see that it's going to bloom, she's had a banquet of gnats, huh huh...
Blue Campanula : PS : I don't know why, or what it shows, but I often associate things with music, or songs. "Une campanule" is also the term for a small bell, the kind attached to the neck of goats or mules. There's atraditional song that begins "Petites campanules qui tintez au cou des mules..." You can guess what "cou" became in our version when we were kids. <LOL>
There's one species of wild orchids that come back every year, a good excuse for not mowing this part of the garden, Orchis bouc. And there's also one or two Ophrys apifera that flower now and then : They're actually companions to the local maples species that can grow in a calcareous soil...
Mentha corsica has definitely settled in. As the name indicates, it's from Corsica, and around the Mediterranean sea. I now find it in many of my pots. The flowers and probably the seeds are so tiny that I think it's because of the wind. It likes a warm, mostly shaded place ; it's used in cuisine in Corsica from what I've read. No wonder, just a small amount is very fragrant. It's become an ubiquitous companion for most of my trees. And a very nice "kusamono" for bonsai. The roots are not invading like much larger mints, they seem to reproduce mainly from seeds. If anyone's interested, I can send you some in late spring/early summer.
Wow, that's really nice. Maybe you can send me some next time we send? :) (I did triage on pentaphyllums, all the larger ones now come from you. About a 50% loss rate on the first year seedlings though. Will post elsewhere.) Glad you revived the thread as I've been meaning to post Feverfew. It's a marvelously good "cottage garden" plant, seeds everywhere and makes lovely little white flowers. A lot like chamomile, but don't make tea with it. If you have to eat it -- for migraines -- the best way is supposed to be with bread and butter. It does taste nasty.
I am of the opinion that JM's in containers grow best with companion plants growing in the same pot. Obviously you have to weed out the vigorous weeds but small species seem to be able to co-exist well. Lots of violets in many of my pots. Also looking at planting more early spring bulbs in the containers, they do most of their growing before the maples leaf out so no competition at all and would help to use up any excess moisture in early spring.
Callistemon - bottlebrush I’ll get a better photo when my other ones flower, this one took a battering with wind and torrential rain soon as it popped
A response to stress ?... I "heard" that when some plants are stressed, esp. because of drought, they take their last energy to produce flowers, hence possible seeds, so that when they die there's still a chance they can reproduce. Is there anything true about that, or is it a legend ?...
what you say makes perfect sense..only one has flowered of about 30 Hellebores.. it’s a smaller flower than usual and the flowers don’t appear to have stamens like normal..all very strange..I think you’re right it’s a stress reaction..although the plant looks perfectly healthy
I think I have (very occasionally) seen hellebores do this before. If the plant looks healthy then "confused" might be a better descriptor of the plant's state than "stressed". We all get confused from time to time, especially when we are stressed... at least I do...
My Pinguicula 'Tina' is flowering for the second time this year. It's the only carnivorous plant I've been able to keep for some 10 years. It fares well inside the house (here, no more than 19-20° in winter) and divides itself so I've given some of its siblings to friends. Even in winter, without the flowers, the light green is nice to see. The only trick is to make sure the mix is always damp, and NO fertilizer ! May 21st : Today (you can see the rest of its meals in the bottom left of the 1st pic) :
After a couple of decent rains in the last few weks the Cyclamen hederifolium have woken up for the autumn display. The ground is still fairly dry as can be seen by the lack of weeds after the drought: One of the bigger tubers: Not traditionally thought of as buddies, but seem to have found some middle ground where both are happy:
Mine too are beginning to show, but they're not as spectacular as yours. The big tuber is particularly impressive.
Lots of cyclamen going here now. I think it's a great "buddy". Not sure about the toms though! lol How about this, buddy or enemy? It was supposed to be Viburnum x bodantense, but I fear it might be Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia... Any ideas?
I'd say Parthenocissus quinquefolia : it's rather common, I even found a self-sown seedling in one of my pots. This one is a cutting from a street plantation : The autumn colours are spectacular. It can make a nice "accent plant" for bonsai :
Yes, they are gorgeous in autumn. But they chew up walls, and strangle anything else they get their mitts on. If that's what it is, I don't think it's a buddy. :(
Quite true. But in a small pot, they're a pretty sight. If you put it at the edge of a table and turn it from time to time, it's a nice decoration in autumn...
Wow, pretty far from actual Viburnum x bodnantense which is an absolute beauty. Looks like Virginia creeper to me also. I have the idea that some smaller species of cyclamen might prove to be ideal companions for potted maples, planted in the container along with them. Cyclamen hederifolium is too strong growing for this purpose, except with very young plants, as the tubers eventually get to the size of dinner plates. Planted some seeds for three different species last autumn but so far no germination, at least nothing visible above ground. I have an inkling that they initially form underground tubers and leaves do not appear until the second season; I hope that is true and I will see some life soon...
This maple has many lower leaves and twigs so makes for a close buddy of the Cyclamen planted around its base.
I like this Sambucas Sutherland - a complementary, hello/ green/sone variegation deciduous shrub. This is a tiny one from a diy store
