December 2015 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Parsla]

Hi Robert,

Normally the hottest weather here is in January and February.

44 degrees in December is definitely a few standard deviations above the mean. Even for the later months  We do usually get runs of hot days in the high 30s in December though.

The hottest I recall here was 47 degrees in early February 5 or 6 years ago, when Kinglake and areas only a few km from here burned to a cinder.

The winds we have had last few years seem more intense than any I recall from childhood..

Like you, I feel everything looks very tired in Autumn and once the leaves fall in a short lived blaze of glory can't wait to tidy all the beds, prune and rake, and set the stage for next season.  As the plants establish they seem more resistant to the extremes. The maples only singed superficially this year. Two years ago under slightly less extreme conditions all the leaves browned and crisped.

I have not yet learnt that excellent lesson. It's all too new and exciting to not try ones heart's desire.
It will come with experience, and after many disappointments,  I'm sure.

You are very kind, thank you for noticing our Southern Hemisphere plants.
Jacqui.

[Anthony Darby]

Anthony, my late brother (he died in 1956 aged just 21, of pneumonia I think but caused by muscular dystrophy, Duchennes' syndrome) even though he was young, collected Peter Scott's paintings. All prints of course but I'll never forget the wonderful depictions of birds, especially sea birds and the British marshes and wetlands. It was probably those which first introduced me to the world of natural history. I wonder what happened to them all, about a dozen i suppose. I was just 13 when he died.

Sad to hear about your brother Lesley. I have a signed print of Peter Scott's - ducks, of course. He signed many prints for sale, so they are not too expensive. I also have a collection of his books, some of which are signed. His war record was amazing. He was a motor torpedo boat commander, but twice hitched a lift in a Halifax bomber as a passenger on his days off!

[Robert]

Jacqui,

I very much appreciate the additional weather information. I have kept detailed weather records since I was in the 7th grade i.e. 50 years, or more. Personally, I find the weather very fascinating and for me it keys into gardening perfectly.

Your summertime weather seems a bit more extreme than at our farm here in the Sierra Nevada foothills. 43 C is the all time high temperature that I have recorded here at the farm. The all time high temperature for Placerville, a nearby town, is also 43 C. Their weather records go back to the 1880's.

It is warmer in the nearby Sacramento Valley than here at the farm, especially the northern Sacramento Valley. The cities of Redding and Red Bluff are notorious for their summertime heat. Redding, especially, is surrounded on 3 sides by high mountains (Mt Shasta, 14,000+ feet (4,267 meters) towers not far to the north). Down slope northerly winds heat by compression creating ungodly hot conditions, similar to the conditions you have described. In the Redding area 44 C is not unusual most summers. I do not know what the all time high temperature is, however I am sure that it is close to 49 C. I have been in Redding when it was 48 C and that was not the all time record.

Getting back to your garden.......

I am very impressed at the variety of plants that you grow in your garden under that I consider as extreme conditions. I will certainly pay attention to your postings and those of others that have similar weather conditions. When winter arrives in your area I am sure that I will have questions as to your weather at that time.

Thank you so very much for offering the weather information and all the photographs from your garden. 

It warmed to 54 F (12 C) yesterday, however snow is expected Thursday. Also, we have had 75mm of rain the last two days and are back to average precipitation to-date. Maybe our drought will end. 

[Parsla]

Dear all,

Its settling in to be a long hot summer here. A lightning strike in the hot windy conditions over Christmas was responsible for devastating fires in the Otway Ranges along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria; over a hundred houses lost - thankful no lives so far. The area is a favourite for summer holidays and retirees. The fires are expected to continue to throw out hot spots over the summer, leading to a fraught season. We are all very grateful to the firemen and state emergency services for their dedication.

Lovely cooling rain yesterday - quite a lot of it - but temperature expected to climb back to 40 here by Thursday.

As a consequence the garden is singed and scorched - a quick reconnaissance yesterday after the heat left me rather dejected. A contrast to some of the beautiful photos showing in the Northern hemisphere. And snowstorms!

A few offerings - little flowering now.

1. An agapanthus hybrid bred locally "Queen Mum". The fat leaves form a much more compact rosette than is common, the flower stems can be well over a metre high and the base of each white floret is splashed with blue. Looking onto the street - this part of the garden is known as "Sahara".
2. Close up of a large flower head.
3. The tall feathery flower stems of Artemisia "Guihzo" add a delicacy to the shade beds
4. Underneath, alyssium and fragraria (thank you Otto) add a splash of colour.
5. Kirengsholmia palmata is surviving the heat better than expected. Quite small plants as yet.

[Anthony Darby]

Two flowering completely out of season. Acis autumnalis, which started a few weeks ago, and Crocus serotinus I spotted today.

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Anthony,
we sometimes get a few precocious flowers on the acis before the late summer heat burns them off and then it flowers again when it cools off!
Currently we have a few liliums and rain-lilies in flower (posted elsewhere as well).
Orient-Pet Hybrid Lilium 'Gluhwein'
Habranthus tubispathus in its yellow/orange and its "Salmon pink" forms
cheers
fermi

[Parsla]

Hi Fermi, your south american bulbs seem just the thing in the summer heat

Another warm one - 35 deg and not yet levelled out.
Not, thank goodness, a scorcher.

Very little in bloom here, other than a few roses, salvias and various agapanthus. Small pools of blue and white dotted around the garden like Chinese porcelain. The more delicate of the hydrangeas are very burnt, although the quercifolias seem to be thriving.

Just a couple I'm pleased with - both originally supplied by Lynn McGough.

1. The near black form of Roscoea scillifolia - really needs to be moved out of its too-tiny pot.
2. Delicate green branching and white florets characterise the flowerheads of Aralia racemosa in the shade garden.

Jacqui.

[Lesley Cox]

That's a VERY dark roscoea Jacqui. Someone in the UK sent me some seed recently under that name and as black form. I hope it's like yours. He also sent 12 plump seeds (well they are after an overnight soak) of the white form of Jeffersonia dubia. 

I've had a few days away (wedding, a wonderful event, in the event.)  but came home to find rabbits have taken over entirely. There were 4 or 5 when I went including a pitch black one, but 8 on the back lawn when I pulled up my car, including 3 pitch blacks, and some huge browns. I think the surrounding populations have moved in for the holidays.

Lovely to hear from Otto last night.

A happy New Year to everyone on this thread and the whole Forum too. Some rain would be good (but only for us in the south), and some sun and drying out for those poor souls in Yorkshire and elsewhere in the UK. Truly the climate around the world has gone haywire. How can anyone possibly deny climate change?

[Maggi Young]

So pleased to here you managed, even with your broken fingers, to make it to the wedding, Lesley- that's  been really good news - the bunny explosion is not so good at all.  Hope you get some respite from that soon.

 Weather here  dark wet and windy - quite horrible - but  a fine lunch has been enjoyed - which always helps - and now we're having a cuppa - with chocs!!   Thanks!!

[Lesley Cox]

Yes Maggi, the wedding was wonderful all round, weather was warm and perfect, the wedding breakfast was superb (actually Christmas dinner, everything supplied and or cooked by Barbara's family and other guests. and though there were about 60 children there, not a word out of place or a single squabble all the very long day. The members of John's (my) family numbered 12 and all the rest were Barbara's aunts, uncles, cousins and friends of both of course. Barbara wore a beautiful, long and strapless gown, white with black detailing, and also black Doc Marten boots with hand painted roses on their sides. A "different" lady in some respects but I love her dearly.

My daughter Susan, down from Tauranga and with her partner and two grown up boys, is into tattoos in a big way, which I don't like but in her early 40s, I can't do much about that. However, in the spring when I told her about the little daffodil which I am having registered as 'Susan Cox,' she wanted both bulbs (later in the summer) and some photos. so I sent those and lo and behold, on her arm, entwined in something of a climbing nature, there was a new one, green and yellow, of Narcissus 'Susan Cox.' She said no-one could understand why she'd have a daffodil on her arm! It was beautifully done, perfectly proportioned and the petals all at the exact angle.

[fermi de Sousa]

...in the spring when I told her about the little daffodil which I am having registered as 'Susan Cox,' she wanted both bulbs (later in the summer) and some photos. so I sent those and lo and behold, on her arm, entwined in something of a climbing nature, there was a new one, green and yellow, of Narcissus 'Susan Cox.' She said no-one could understand why she'd have a daffodil on her arm! It was beautifully done, perfectly proportioned and the petals all at the exact angle.

Hi Lesley,
I hope you got a pic you can share!
Glad to know you wouldn't let something like a fractured bone stop you from getting to the wedding!
Despite the heat, there are a few things worth photographing this morning before leaving for work:
O-T hybrid Lilium 'Mr Cas'
Habranthus robustus seedling ex 'Russell Manning'
Lobelia triconocaulis - such a lovely name that just trips off the tongue....then stumbles into a doorjamb and lands flat on its back! (this "forest lobelia" was an impulse purchase last year which did not survive long, even in our shadehouse, but a single seedling sprouted recently and is now in flower!)
cheers
fermi

[Parsla]

Lesley it would be lovely to see a photo of Narcissus 'Susan Cox' if you have one to hand.

I was interested that some of your ferrel bunnies are black. Ours are all mud coloured, and voracious feeders. I both empathise and sympathise with you. Do you think they have interbred with pet rabbits, or was it always so in nz?

While I have fenced off the back (although a nasty wee critter is still getting in of late),  the front is fair game and one is limited in what one can plant there. Sahara is perfect for crocuses (according to Marcus) and freesias thrive  (very little else will grow there), but they are chewed off in no time.  Thank goodness they show little interest in narcissus and bluebells.

And yes, the Roscoea really is that black.  I hope yours is also, as it's such a pretty one.
Most envious of the Jeffersonia.

Jacqui.

May I ask, do you soak the seeds outright or use damp paper? I  haven't quite got the hang of the best way to do things.

[Maggi Young]

Re Narcissus 'Susan Cox'  - see photos from Lesley, and from Anne Wright, here:
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=9980.msg264015#msg264015 - for some details about the plant.

Lesley's pic repeated here :


http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11474.msg296176#msg296176
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=12889.msg326567#msg326567

 

[Anthony Darby]

Re Narcissus 'Susan Cox'  - see photos from Lesley, and from Anne Wright, here:
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=9980.msg264015#msg264015 - for some details about the plant.

Lesley's pic repeated here :
(Attachment Link)

http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11474.msg296176#msg296176
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=12889.msg326567#msg326567

 

What a beautiful narcissus.