Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: fermi de Sousa on July 02, 2008, 08:09:38 AM
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Just a few pics to start the month.
Gladiolus dalenii, not a great shot and the flowers have been ravaged by earth-mites, but a nice blaze of colour in the winter garden.
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And a couple of repeats from last month,
Narcissus "Tarlatan"
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And Grevillea lanigera tumbling down the rocks!
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cheers
fermi
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Fermi, thanks for getting a new page started 8) Hard to grasp that it can be winter and yet you still have Gladiolus flowering!!
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I like this kind of winter, fermi. Keep showing us Australian beauties
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But lots of the South African Gladiolus species are winter-flowering Maggi.
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But lots of the South African Gladiolus species are winter-flowering Maggi.
I know, Lesley, but, would you believe it, here in the home of the Bulb despot, we don't grow any Glads! :-[
Well, that's not exactly true, we did get some corms from Susan Band ;)
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Maggi,
And they're not all big Glads like dalenii..... some are petite little things (I am hoping to post a photo of one if it has opened this morning) and therefore much easier to accommodate in the garden. I love the dalenii although it does tend to wander a little by stolons, but only a little. Can't beat those bright flowers in early winter. It's just finished here. Usually the flowers get toasted off here by heavy frosts, but the virtual absence of any frosts here so far this winter has meant they completed flowering unscathed for a change.
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Hi Maggi,
like Paul said, this glad often gets frosted badly but we've also only had mild frosts so far this winter. G.dalenii is as close as we get to the "Dame Edna" Gladdies here because of the frosts!
Paul,
would love to see some of your winter fowering glads.
Here's another repeat, the red Massonia which has nearly fully opened!
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Does anyone recognise what species it is?
cheers
fermi
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No idea of the species Fermi (isn't M. echinata pink or reddish?) but it's lovely. Hope you're pushing the pollen around every couple of days. ;)
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Fermi,
I do so hope that red Massonia is self fertile...... I'd like to line up for some seed too. It'll be nice to be able to chat with Lesley while waiting in line. ;D
I'll go out and see whether the Gladiolus I was thinking of is already open today or not. I found out the Crocus I mentioned elsewhere as a sieberi cultivar is actually C. rujanensis, so just goes to show that I should read the label before opening my big mouth!! ::)
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Fermi,
Gladiolus maculatus still isn't open. Will photograph once it is.
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Howdy All,
A somewhat tardy posting of pics here for the beginning of July. I've just posted a Crocus rujanensis (I think) pic in the crocus garden thread, and a bunch of Galanthus in the southern hemisphere Galanthus thread, but here's some other stuff.....
The first two are some double hellebores, rather different as you can see. The third is a seedling form my own crossing, a spotted anemone centred variety that I am rather pleased with. Unfortunately there won't be many other pics of seedlings this year as some kind bird has gone through and nipped the majority of the developing flower buds off my double seedling pots. I was NOT pleased when I found the remains this morning, including the butchered remains of the seedling in the pic. ::)
The last couple of Narcissus 'Galligaskins', the first of the yellow hoop petticoat varieties to flower for me this year. It is one of those in the crocus garden (see thread in the crocus section) but I figured I'd put it in here instead of that thread. Or would people like me to put things flowering in that garden together into that thread? Anyway, this particular variety was given to me as 2 small bulbs last year, and by the end of the season was more than 16 bulbs, so I can already count more than 20 flower buds on the clump this year. At this rate it will be filling the basket by the end of this season.
Enjoy.
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Lovely Paul. By the way, it feels like July (winter) in this part of the Northern hemisphere.
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Love the Narcissus Paul - and did I read well, from 2 to 16 bulbs in just one season ???
:o :o
There must be something magic about your new Crocus garden ! ;)
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I can only agree, wonderful pictures, and that second hellebore is stunning!
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Thanks all.
Luc, The multiplication of the Narcissus was in the pot, before the crocus garden was made..... so can't be new garden magic! ;D Just a brilliant grower I guess!! I do have a picture somewhere of the resultant clump of bulbs when I unpotted them for planting in the crocus garden. I can post the pic if you want, just to show what the 2 bulbs looked like at the end of their season?
David,
It finally feels like Winter here too..... we've had frosts all week, we've already had more than the 2 in June, and it's only the 5th of July. ::) About time though, as June was just freaky. :o
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Howdy All,
Today's pictures.....
A couple more Helleborus, a pic of the clump of Narcissus 'Galligaskins' which I posted the pic of yesterday, but this time showing the whole clump as it appears presently, and a couple of pics of some [i/]Cyclamen coum[/i], including the near pure white which I shared seed from last year.
Enjoy.
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Your cyclamen are just a bit earlier than mine which are beginning to show a little colour in the buds, still at least a week away yet. We've had heavy snow over the weekend, mostly gone now except in the shady places but still bitterly cold and windy. 7C if we're lucky today and less, taking windchill factor into account.
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Lesley,
Forecast 9'C here the next few days, snow on the mountains around us. We of course are a fair bit further north than you though. ::)
As to the Cyclamen coum..... I've had some out for weeks here now. Most of them have flowers out already, with some being in full flower already while others have just a few. This is in the garden and in pots. Nice to see them. A couple more Eranthis putting up flower buds at the moment too, so they're all very mixed up.
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Paul,
I love that white cyclamen! I hope the seed I got from you lives up to the pic! ;D
We had a meeting on saturday and I got a pic of a friend's Iris "Sindpers" just after she'd packed it away!
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In the garden yesterday we discovered that we aren't the only ones to enjoy the early narcissus,
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The mexican Hawthorn is starting to shed its foliage and fruit
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cheers
fermi
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It's hard to beat Iris x Sindpers at this time of year isn't it?
A very attractive pussycat Fermi.
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Fermi,
Nice to see the "wildlife" is enjoying the flowers as well. ;D Love that iris.
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Raised from seed as Scoliopus bigelovii flowering today in one of the troughs.
It flowered for the first time last year quite early as well .
My other Scoliopus bigelovii have not yet raised their heads above soil level--they normally poke up in September.
Not sure why this one should flower weeks ahead of the others although i've just had a thought --what does S. hallii look like ?....
Had a 'google' but that's of no help.
Anyone got any pics for comparision.Ta
Cheers Dave.
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Hi, Dave, that is indeed S. bigelovii.... see Ian's Bulb Logs for pix of it and S. hallii
http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/190303/log.html
http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2006/030506/log.html
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You know the old saying Dave. "if it LOOKS like Scoliopus bigelovii and WADDLES like Scoliopus bigelovii and QUAKs like Scoliopus bigelovii, it's probably not a duck." :)
Be happy to have an early flowering form.
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Thanks girls.
Maggie----I had searched the forum but did not think to have a peek at Ian's Bulb Log.
Leslie--"quack quack"
Cheers dave
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Lesley,
you forgot to say "and if it smells like a wet dog - it's Scoliopus bigelovii"!
Just a single bloom this year on Narcissus "Tiffany" (at least that's what I got it as!), another of Blanchard's "fabric group".
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And still flowering despite cold weather, frosts and sleet!: Salvia thymoides,
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cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
Both nice. Can't recall having heard of either of them before, or did someone post a pic of 'Tiffany' at one point recently? Very nice, either way.
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Oddly Fermi, because I usually do, I haven't sniffed my Scoliopus. Must remedy that later. But I sure know about the wet dog smell. Our English Springer spaniel leaps into every patch of water he can find, whether the sea, a river or lake or any puddle of dirty water, wherever it may be. Even leaps into the bath or shower if not shut forcibly OUT of the bathroom.
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Just home from town a few minutes ago. Dunedin is wall to wall people at present because of a test match (Tri Nations) between All Blacks and South Africa. For the moment the weather is holding up with an unexpected hot nor'west wind so very mild out at the moment. Due to change to southerly though, this evening. Been trying to book a table somewhere to eat out tonight. Impossible until around 11pm.
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Yesterday my two children and their spouses and 4 of my 5 grandchildren dropped in for food (and I hope to see me as well), in town for Saturday night's big rugby game.
Ben, aged 11, put his head in the fridge as is always his first action when he visits. Now I'm not known as a domestic goddess, but even I was brought up short when he retreated, saying, "Mmmm, that could be useful, home-made penicillin." I spent the rest of the evening cleaning out the refrigerator.
Here is the first for the year of the gorgeous Narcissus romieuxii `Atlas Gold.' There are going to be hundreds of flowers this year.
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Beautiful, Lesley. Must chase that down one of these years, if it is here in Australia of course? Very nice flower.
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Yes, it is , Paul.
Remind me when you get here!
cheers
fermi
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Cool Fermi. Thanks. I have vague bells ringing somewhere in the back of my head that I actually bought this one year and lost it. I'm guessing Marcus. Or was that 'Treble Chance'? Actually, it may have been that one instead. Thanks for the offer Fermi, I'll definitely take you up on that. Nice to see a good and early strong yellow disk type. Lovely!!
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Some pics taken today.....
The lovely clean double Helleborus 'Mrs Betty Ranicar'. So pristine.
Then a few Narcs...... Narcissus pachybulbus which looks quite large in this pic, actually has flowers around 1cm wide. Flowerheads will get larger (i.e more flowers) as this settles in over the next few years. Narcissus tazetta ssp laticolor is apparently called the "Chinese Sacred Lily", or so I have been told. And lastly, the one I mentioned elsewhere recently because of the name, and I'll always grow it for that at the very least... Narcissus romieuxii ssp albidus var zaianicus forma lutescens has just opened it's first flower for the year. it will end up much paler than this, opening lemon and fading to almost white.
I'll also post a pic of Crocus pestalozzae var caerulea down in my crocus garden thread.
Enjoy!!
P.S. When did I get to 2000 posts? :o I obviously spend WAY too much time up here. ;D
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Congratulations, Paul. More than 2000 posts is cool. So are your wonderful Narcissis. I wish I could grow them in the open garden here, but it's too cold for these delicate creatures
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P.S. When did I get to 2000 posts? I obviously spend WAY too much time up here.
...on July 8th, Paul, but who's counting?!!! :-*
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Beautiful daffodils Paul. Your pictures shows us what we can expect some months later - so we enjoy a never ending season here.
Gerd
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Beautiful daffodils Paul.
I follow the opinion of Gerd
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We were wondering why we'd bothered growing this metre tall Salvia purpurea as the flowers didn't appear to be much.
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Then when we had a broken piece sitting in water inside where it was warm, the actual flowers started to open!
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The first dwarf bearded iris to open is this dark purple one for which I have no name.
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And the first flower open on the rather stunning hoop petticoat daff, Narcissus "Mondieu"
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And, yes, we've had a littlerain over the last few days.
cheers
fermi
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Well I am back posting after a quiet period - I had a computer meltdown so I rebuilt my computer as one does, recovered my files, and last but not least finally remembered my password to log on to the Forum.
First a picture of Helleborus niger ' White Magic ' a favorite in this part of the word flourishing as it does every winter.
Second Cyclamen coum very cheerful at this time of year.
Finally two pictures of a snowdrop that was the first to flower for me this season. I would be grateful if someone could name it for me.
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Well I am back posting after a quiet period - I had a computer meltdown so I rebuilt my computer as one does, recovered my files, and last but not least finally remembered my password to log on to the Forum.
Ah! So that is what you have been doing, David...we thought you had gone into early hibernation! ;)
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Not quite in hibernation yet Maggi, though considering the amount of firewood I am going through at the moment it would possibly be a better option.
A quick wander round my garden this afternoon shows things are moving; Hellebores of course prominent. My own modest collection has its own charm.
First a dark form that my grandmother grew
Second Helleborus foetidus
Third various forms of lividus/ argutifolius;the first two I call lividus and the third came from a seed exchange as viridis which it is not. Apart from being entirely green I presume it is argutifolius.
Fourth the little bulb Iphieon uniflorum
For our Australian friends Grevillea
Hebe speciosa - I cannot get the colour true This appears more red than it actually is.
Eranthis hyemalis has just appeared in the last couple of days.
Not to be out done by anyone in the Northern Hemisphere - a rose
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David,
Could your green Helleborus be H. corsicus? Can't quite see what the leaves look like. Would likely be larger than an argutifolius though. Flowers look about right to my eye, but I'm no expert on them. ::) Nice pics!!
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Hi Paul
You could well be right. It is a very large plant - I will take some more pictures and post I was going to say tomorrow but it already is tomorrow
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Not to be out done by anyone in the Northern Hemisphere - a rose
That is the kind of winter we would like David.
Flowering roses together with Eranthis :D
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Nah, it's only 11pm. Still today! ;D I suppose that you guys over there in NZ should be leaders in innovation, given you're so often living in tomorrow while the rest of us are stuck in today!! ;)
Luit,
There are still roses flowering around the place here too, although not actually in my garden. June was VERY mild, and July has been colder but still hasn't completely knocked the roses. About to prune mine when we get a nice sunny day.
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Is H. corsicus not an old name for H. argutifolius?
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I didn't realise that Lesley. I thought that argutifolius was a somewhat smaller plant than corsicus. Guess I was wrong.
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Paul,
it has been a very mild winter here too, but I'm at a loss to explain why this Paeonia mascula ssp russii thinks it's already spring!
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While visiting a friend in Kyneton, we noticed a fine clematis (?) cirrhosa in flower on her neighbour's fence
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And this morning I snapped a pic of Acis tingitana (syn Leucojum tingitanum) in the rock garden.
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cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
Very nice. Looks like Clematis cirrhosa 'Freckles' by the looks of it. I have Acis tingitana in flower here at the moment as well. Paeonia 'Destiny' has buds, but none of the others have activated yet. It's always very early, but I don't have russoi so now idea what sort of timing it would usually have. All very strange for you timing-wise, just like us. I have Prunus campanulata with flowers open already, at least a month too early.
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Some more winter flowers at our place.
Under the spreading Hardenbergia "Mini-Haha" (which is certainly NOT mini and is no laughing matter) we discovered the "Native Fuchsia", Correa pulchella had come into bloom almost unnoticed!
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The hardenbergia is starting to be trimmed back, despite being in bud.
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In the Shadehouse one of the Cyclamen persicum grown from AGS Seedex as "ex Israel",
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In the rockgarden a small clump of the small flowered Narcissus "Twenty-fiver", one of Rod Barwick's hybrids, I think named for the 25th anniversary of glenbrook Bulb Farm a few years ago.
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I mentioned earlier in reply to Lesley that I'd split up a pot of mixed Narcissus cantabricus seedlings, from Seedex as "var. clusii", but which had produced one flower last year that was "var. petunioides"! Two of the individual pots have produced single leaves and flower buds, one of which is open now.
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Would this represent "var./ssp. monophyllus"?????
Any comments, please.
cheers
fermi
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I don't know Fermi, but the white is certainly beautiful and purer white than any I've had - ever!
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I'd agree with Lesley.... it is a lovely pure white isn't it!? I was quite pleased with 'Camoro' when it flowered for me for the first time this year.... notably much whiter than others I had in the open form, although it opened cream and faded. Yours has a lovely form to it, and if it opened that colour then you've got a winner!! ;D A few of us might line up for offsets one day in the future. :D
I must post a pic of an unlabelled pot I have here. It has a lovely round open form, smaller than many of them but just perfect in flower. Nothing else I have in other pots or in the garden look like it yet, but it may be earlier than others because it was in a pot in quite a warm spot. I don't recall this particular flower before though it might just be I haven't had it flower by itself and therefore become noticeable. ;) Haven't uploaded my pics of it yet and won't until at least tomorrow.
Hmmm... that reminds me I still haven't photographed that basket as requested either. ::)
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Fermi,
Lovely selection of plants. The narcissus is certainly an excellent white. But coincidence, the Acis is also in flower here.
Paddy
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Fermi, it seems to me to fit the description on ssp monophyllus in John Blanchard's book. In any case it's a lovely one.
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Fermi,
Just after a dip in the sea and waking up now - it is Acis autumnalis which is in flower here at present.
Paddy
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Fermi, it seems to me to fit the description on ssp monophyllus in John Blanchard's book. In any case it's a lovely one.
Thank you, David,
I should've looked that up in the first place!
Paddy,
lucky you being able to go for a dip in the sea when you want to! I would've been a bit surprised if you also had Acis tingitana in flower now, but Acis autumnalis is such a wonderful little bulb and does put in an early appearance even here - when it gets a bit of summer watering. We could try a bit of pollen swapping if we were really organised!
I'd agree with Lesley.... it is a lovely pure white isn't it!? I was quite pleased with 'Camoro' when it flowered for me for the first time this year.... notably much whiter than others I had in the open form, although it opened cream and faded.
Hi Paul,
I had "Camoro" flower a bit earlier here, but it was decimated by earth-mite as it was outside in the garden. I've actually used pollen from this white hoop on a flower of N. romieuxii "Julia Jane", so it should be close to the same cross ( narcissus CAntabricus MOnophyllus x n. ROmieuxii) if this is Narc. cantabricus monophyllus. Where's the despot when you need 'im????
cheers
fermi
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Despot is in Edinburgh recording radio programme, Fermi!
I think you will get nice babies from that cross 8)
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Fermi,
Sea swimming is excellent at present with a great spot within easy reach of us here, guaranteed 15+ feet of water into which to plunge even at the lowest tide. Swells at about 6 feet today so getting back onto the ladder and steps to exit water was challenging.
I've never done any of this pollen swapping - actually don't want any pollen - but would be very willling to follow your instructions and send on pollen to you if required...but, why not just a few bulbs in the post? (the hollowed out book to avoid the Australian guardians of plant purity!)
Paddy
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Fermi,
but, why not just a few bulbs in the post? (the hollowed out book to avoid the Australian guardians of plant purity!)
Paddy
That is NOT a smart idea!!!!!
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why not just a few bulbs in the post? (the hollowed out book to avoid the Australian guardians of plant purity!)
Wasn't that trilliums to NZ? ;D
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Paddy,
They X-ray (or equivalent) packages coming into Australia, so they'd likely find it even if you did do it that way. Despite us moaning about our quarantine, it really is there for a good purpose. We don't have a number of pests and diseases here that are overseas, so it really is worth it. While it is a pain (and expensive) to bring them in through quarantine bulbs CAN be brought in.... just much easier to bring in seed instead. I don't think that pollen/stamens could come in legally as they would be regarded as green material I think? Not something I've thought about before.
No, I'm not trying to hassle you about your comment, just explaining why it actually IS necessary for us to stick to it. it really is important. It doesn't stop me from legally bringing in seed all the time, and certainly won't in the future. ;D Just means I have to wait a bit longer for flowers, and can't actually bring named cultivars in. ::)
And as to the bulbs in books...... I think Rob was right and there were Trilliums sent to various places in NZ at one stage, and we have a couple of shows here in Aus on border security as well which have showed the same techniques used for everything from drugs to illegal "natural" chinese medicines, plant material, guns, etc. Having seen on those shows just how obvious that type of concealment is on their scanners you need to come up with something a bit more devious if you're going to try it!! :P ;D Yes quarantine, if you're out there watching I AM joking!! ;)
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They X-ray (or equivalent) packages coming into Australia, so they'd likely find it even if you did do it that way.
Hasn't stopped people from trying of course. There was a case some years ago of a Tasmanian nurseryman who should have known better, but still tried to bring things back on their person after a trip to South America; very embarassing when they were caught. The thing I particularly remember from the Trillium/NZ case was that the packages were accompanied by a note which said "as promised" - which must have made it very difficult for the recipient. If anyone ever decides to send me some contraband through the mail I hope that they'd make sure the authorities know it is an unsolicited gift ::).
I have sent pollen to someone overseas without any trouble in the past.
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why not just a few bulbs in the post? (the hollowed out book to avoid the Australian guardians of plant purity!)
Wasn't that trilliums to NZ? ;D
It was indeed Rob with both NZers and Americans on Customs' hit list as a result. Utterly stupid to try to smuggle in so obvious a way, let alone the ethics of smuggling in the first place.
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Lesley and Paul,
Just joking!!!!!
I am well aware of your import restrictions on plant material and wouldn't dream of any attempt of trying to get round them. As you say, they are there for very good reasons and I respect these - anyway, it stops you having all the good plants of the planet. You have enough of the highly desirable ones by nature that there would be no living with you if you had all the rest as well. Must leave you with something to want from life otherwise life in the southern hemisphere would be just too perfect for us in the north to bear looking at.
And, Lesley, you have cake shops as well! Not sure that you deserve all these riches.
Paddy
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Paddy,
If it was perfect here it wouldn't be quite so warm in winter. Makes growing the alpines somewhat difficult at my place. I should move to Tasmania though if I really want to do that I guess. More rain down there too (which is the biggest single problem for me with gardening at the moment...... getting drier and drier!) ::) :'(
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Hi everyone,
A couple more double Helleborus in flower at the moment, including a lovely form on a pale pink and a new spotted pink that I purchased recently. Beautiful!!
The Lupin is a species I can never recall the name of. Beautiful true blue flowers, although they come out a bit purply in the pic. Fuzzy silvered foliage as well. I had 2 seedlings come up but the darn blackbirds dug one of them out and it never recovered. I hope it sets seed this year and some more come back next year. ::)
Narcissus bulbocodium 'Galligaskins' I have posted down in the crocus garden thread as well, but thought I should put it in here as well. Yes I know there are a couple of dying flowers on it, but I just wanted to show how floriferous it is. Was one or two bulbs a year ago when given to me, and there are now 28 flowers or buds, and more still emerging I would hazard. Very impressive!!
Prunus mume pendula is still in flower for me. Lovely colour and perfume and I just love it. Not long now before it gets massacred back to a small ball at the top to start it's regrowing for the year. Seems drastic but it does make a much better display each year, and it doesn't get too wide and hit the neighbours driveway that way.
9am 26/07/08 - changed 'Galligaskins' to bulbocodium from romieuxii after I must have had brain freeze while typing. Got it right in the crocus garden thread though. Must have been thinking about 'Julia Jane' at the time and got the wrong species type. ::)
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An Australian friend who was very recently in England and Scotland, was utterly blown away and astounded by the new plants and superior forms of plants that you in the north have, and that we will never see. I believe one eventually attains an age when "wanting" stops but I'm afraid I haven't reach it yet.
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Paul, I think your lupin is L. texensis, an annual unfortunately, with quite glorious colour and downy foliage. I had it for a few years but it was always a struggle to get a couple of seeds in order to have it the next year. It gave up after a while.
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Thanks Lesley. That sounds like it. Yes, annual only, and sets few seeds. That was why I was so pleased that I had 2 plants coming along this year, until the blackbirds dug one out. :'(
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Definitely move to Tassie Paul, that way we can meet ;) If it is any inducement we have had just over 8 1/2 inches for July (plus a bit of snow thrown in for fun)
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It's been a while since I've posted photos but we went around and took a heap of photos of Amarlie's hellebore seedlings, most flowering for the first time and decided to show a few of our favourite ones.
Hope you like them,
Lesley
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Lesley,
All lovely. That green one with the picotee edging is fascinating, as is that stripey one with the larger anemone petals. All very nice.
Thanks for posting.
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Lovely Hellebores, Paul and Lesley.
We've had some frosty mornings lately and you can see the remaining moisture on the flowers.
The first flowers open on a row of a lemon "hoop", which I think is "Smarple", one of Rod Barwick's hybrids.
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Then the bright yellow "Atlas Gold", which I think Lesley showed recently.
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And a flower on "Camoro" which survived the onslaught of the earth-mites!
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Also in the rock garden and looking a mite smaller than the one in the shaded area, is Galanthus "Green Outer Tips"
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cheers
fermi
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Your narcissus are a little ahead of ours down here, they are lovely photos. It gives me hope that spring is around the corner. Most things are still dormant down here,
Lesley
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Just one little bod here today. Narcissus hedraeanthus. You can judge how tall it is from the fact the 3 flowers are just lapping at the edge of the pot. The holes are not from chewing, but from continuous rain. And yes, it's STILL raining (2 weeks now) but I've stopped complaining, having seen the devastation to homes, roads and landscape which has happened in the North Island over recent days. We are getting just the edge of this dreadful weather. But as you can see, the wet is putting a layer of moss over everything.
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Sploshing around yesterday I was thrilled and very surprised to see Gymnospermium albertii, a first flowering. I hadn't expected it for a couple of years or so early in the season.
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I'm sorry Lesley, but I have to ask.... what is the "rain" thing you refer to? ??? ::) ;)
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Lesley,
two absolute gems! :o I'm very envious!
Here's a pic I took yesterday of one of the Narcissus romieuxii seedlings out of "Julia Jane", a nice creamy colour, but not as flat as JJ!
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It's in a pot as it's part of the "plant Stall" that we're running at our September Talks in Melbourne. We're having two international speakers - both from New Zealand, one of whom is the Forum's own Lesley Cox!
cheers
fermi
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Paul,
Rain -a) the condensed moisture of the atmosphere falling visibly as drops.
b) the falling of such drops.
Would you like some? Maybe you wouldn't like it in the quantities we have here. I know it is helping our hydro lakes (we hope) but enough is enough. We would be quite happy to start blowing some towards the Tasman Sea - stand by! ;D
Susan, soaked from having spent 2 hours clearing ditches which were full of autumn leaves.
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Susan,
We could do with it, even the amounts you've been having. We desperately need some good dam refilling and water-table regeneration. We had an inch or stuff falling frmo the sky last week, and even with a full inch it didn't add anything to our water supply, as it all soaked in so readily. Even now things are drying out again, like we'd never had it. Probably a lot to do with all the winds we're having as well. ::)
Thanks for your kind offer though, and we are standing by for receipt! ;)
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You need a good fall to soak in and then another really good fall to fill the dams. The worst part here is the mist which has come down. Makes it all very depressing.
Susan
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Just as Susan says. I thought you would have been getting some too Paul, though from the nightly weather maps it does seem the storms are originating in the Tasman, somewhere off Queensland. Quite literally, we've not had such a long period without sun, for years - as far back as I remember! But I lie. We did have 10 mins yesterday, enough to open my latest reticulate iris (see that page). Not enough for the crocuses though. :'(
Our big storage tank which has been on the verge of empty for months (had to buy water) is now overflowing. Coromandel Peninsula on the east coast of the North Island, had 500mm (HALF A METRE) of rain last night! We in the south are getting off quite lightly but it's going on for so long. Almost English weather. ;D
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two international speakers - both from New Zealand, one of whom is the Forum's own Lesley Cox!
fermi
Oh Hell!
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What's the matter Lesley. We're looking forward to hearing (and meeting) you?
Rain-wise.... we've had half the average rainfall each month (or less) the last 4 months, but July was a little better I think. Still nothing like "average" unfortunately. We need well above average rainfall for a few months, but they're talking about it as a 50% chance, i.e they have no real idea. Said that for autumn we had a 65% chance of above average rain, and we got less than half the average, so can't really believe the forecasts anyway. ::)
Fermi,
Great pics. More of the hoop petticoat daffs opening here at the moment, plus crocuses etc. All very cool. I'd love to see more of yours though. If there is anything there particularly special for the coming sale you're more than welcome to put it aside for me for when I arrive. I am hoping/expecting to take a few bought plants home with me!! (which is probably the understatement of the century! ;D)
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Lesley,
I'm here feeling miserable today as it has rained continuously since last night and I can't get out to garden, swim or even walk the dog but you have given me two bright spots in the day - first, the beautiful plants and secondly to hear that someone is getting even more rain than we are here. I know it's terrible but you know human nature; when we see someone who is in a worse position than ourselves we don't feel quite as bad.
At least you water tanks have filled up. That's good but that Gymnospermum is simply outstanding. A real beauty!
Paddy
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Thanks you Paddy. Glad to have cheered your day. A case of schadenfreude again? The Gymnospermium is certainly a delight but should have been MUCH better in that I started with 25 seeds then 25 seedlings. After a year I gave some away to others but still had 15. Just the one left now. Most of the others didn't come through last year. Don't know why. I had hoped to do serious hand/cross pollinating as seed is apparently the only way to propagate it. The one on its own may not produce any, let alone all the washing it's getting, though the flowers being pendant, the pollen seems dry