February 2009 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

Still at Otto's place:
The Cyclamen purpurascens are still in bloom



And the Cyclamen hederifolium are starting,

This one is growing behind a rather devastated Rhododendron forrestii ssp repens

It didn't much like the 46C it was subjected to last week!

I told Otto I didn't think I should post these pics to the Forum as it might make Maggi cry to see how the Rhodo is suffering!
To cheer you up here is a cheerful clump of colchicum!




cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Finally from Otto's:
a pretty clump of Dianthus campestris,



the last of the Stylidium graminifolium,


And a few flowers left on Tulbaghia comminsii



While over in the Alpine House, the first flower on Acis rosea (syn Leucojum roseum)


Back at our place the Crassula falcata is now in full bloom

And also in the shadehouse a plant of Commelina elegans puts forth a succession of fleeting blooms,

And a couple of campanulas, C. isophylla (blue)

and C. cashmeriana,

cheers
fermi

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thanks for the pix Fermi !
Summer seems to be moving along...   
We don't mind... it brings our Spring closer every day ! 

[Lesley Cox]

Very nice pics thanks, Fermi and Otto. I hope you are both enjoying some cooler weather. When I go out in the morning now the air has a distinctly autumnal feeling. Maples and rowans are beginning to colour already though the bigger oaks and beech trees are still in hard summer colour. The white fruit look good on the chocolate leaves of Sorbus koehneana.

I'm thinking the first of Otto's gentians is not really sino-ornata, too pale and the foliage very light green and lax. I'd be surprised if "true" sino-ornata is anywhere around now, down here at least, so many people and nurseries have hybridised intentionally or otherwise, usually based on the original 'Drake's Strain.' Nowadays I give the whole lot the "lumped" name of Asian hybrids, or sino-ornata types. I have them in deep blues (from Ian McNaughton's seed when he was in NZ), mid blues and pale to extremely pale shades and of course a number of different whites. They're all lovely though.

[Paul T]

Great pics Fermi.  Just catching up with this topic.  SOOOOooooo much added since I last had a look around here at the forums..... no idea when I'll ever catch up, but I'll try to at least keep up with the Southern Hemisphere topics as I can. 

As to flowering here in my garden.... Dahlias, Cannas, Roses, Liliums just finishing, Platycodon, Salvias, Dianthus of assorted types, Campanula carpatica 'Pearl Deep Blue' (great small one that I had never seen before spring when I bought it), Cyclamen (purpurascens, intaminatum, hederifolium, cilicicum), Amaryllis beladonna (although a dreadful year for flowers of those this year in my garden), Nerine species are sending up buds, Lagerstromia indica (some finishing, anothe still in bud), Clematis..... sounds like a lot but it is mostly bits and pieces here and there rather than a good display.  Still not bad for this time of year I think, particularly with the warm weather we had a couple of weeks ago.  The last fortnight has been almost unnaturally cool for February, but pretty much no rain to speak of, unlike the flooding a few hours north of here.  We missed out on the rain yet again.   

But..... we haven't had any major fires in this area this year as yet, and hopefully it stays that way.  Seeing the fires in Victoria is bringing a lot of trauma to those who lived through the awful fires that hit Canberra in January a few years ago (400+ houses lost, but only 4 lives thankfully).  Over 200 lives lost in Victoria now confirmed, and they've just found more remains in some houses that were declared clear.... so they're now going through and checking all the houses again before demolition can take place.  Even 600km north of there as we are.... we still have had smoke in the air here quite regularly in the last few weeks, and the temperatures are heating up again this week as well.  I feel awful for those firefighters who still haven't really had a break even with the cooler weather, as they just can't get the last of the fires under control.  And we lost a firefighter from here in Canberra too, who went down to help with the Victorian fires and was killed when a tree fell on the truck.  Such a dreadful thing that so many of these fires were deliberately lit as well.

OK, I've rabbited on enough for now.  Sorry to break the lovely peace and quiet you've had without me the last few weeks. 

[fermi de Sousa]

I'm thinking the first of Otto's gentians is not really sino-ornata, too pale and the foliage very light green and lax. I'd be surprised if "true" sino-ornata is anywhere around now, down here at least, so many people and nurseries have hybridised intentionally or otherwise, usually based on the original 'Drake's Strain.' Nowadays I give the whole lot the "lumped" name of Asian hybrids, or sino-ornata types. I have them in deep blues (from Ian McNaughton's seed when he was in NZ), mid blues and pale to extremely pale shades and of course a number of different whites. They're all lovely though.

Of course, Lesley, you are right! Otto reminded me that he told me that it was a hybrid but I forgot to write it down.
Paul,
nice of you to re-join us! You're definitely ahead of us this time if you already have Amaryllis in flower, only a few stems just starting to arise in our garden though I have seen some in OPG (other people's gardens). I know what you mean about catching up on the Forum! I got back to work today and there were 3 pages of "Unread threads"! thanks goodness for tea-breaks!
cheers
fermi