Lovely Little Species Tulips

I came home this afternoon to be pleasantly suprised by the opened flowers of one of the species tulips in the rock garden.

This is Tulipa humilis var. violacea (a.k.a. Tulipa pulchella 'Violacea'), with a yellow base. It is a Division 15 tulip. I have had these for two years now and I think there are a few more now than what I started with, though this particular tulip is said to multiply slowly.

I notice that the Dave's Garden PlantFiles page has someone growing these in Chugiak, Alaska (USDA zone 3b, not too far from Anchorage). Considering that our climate is rated colder than that of Anchorage, I conclude that these are a very hardy little tulip. My tulips are planted on a slope in the rock garden. They live in well-drained soil which gets full sun nearly all day.

Here are some seedlings of ornamental Alliums, growing from seedheads I spread last fall.

I'm not sure if these are from the "Gladiator" or "Purple Sensation" Alliums though, since these two bulb varieties are planted next to each other. I have no idea what seedlings from these plants might turn out like. Has anyone ever tried growing these from seed?

Bergenia cordifolia is a fantastic evergreen perennial that looks none the worse for wear after a long winter. If I had to landscape a commercial property, I'd definitely include some of these versatile and easy perennials. They do well in sun or shade, regular soil, and don't require too much water. In a few weeks, they should be putting up their stalks of pink flowers. I put some bark mulch around mine, making this whole area nearly maintenance-free.