FCHS Autumn Show, Victoria Australia, 2010

[fermi de Sousa]

This may take a little time as I took a lot of pics (knowing Maggi's love of Rhododendrons I took a pic of just about every Vireya I could see!).
This was the rather meagre "Rock Garden" section,


The Blue Ribbon in the cutflower section went to a fine selection of Cyclamen hederifolium foliage


In the "Pans and Pots" section a rather exuberant variegated Arabis, perhaps A. ferdinandi-coburgii ??


Only one entry in the "mixed cutflowers"!


But there was a lot more colour elsewhere in the hall, especially with nerines,
This one is named "Crimson-Blue"


This was unnamed but rather pretty


Then there were the massed choirs!


A nice reddish one, probably a N. sarniensis type


A curious changeling called "Kenilworth"


More massing!


More to come, cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Did I mention there were some Vireya Rhododendrons?
"Cara Mia"


R. jasminiflorum


"Uluru" (this is the aboriginal name for what the explorers called "Ayer's Rock")


"Concerto in Brass"


"Bulolo Gold" (I think!)


R. konori








"Coral Seas"


cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

More!
Rhododendron javanicum (?)




"Scarlet Beauty"


"Cara Mia"


"Pacific Showers"


"Red Tuba (or maybe "Juba")


R. aequabile (?)


R. tuba


"Josephine Gordon"


"Penrice"


cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

I'm speechless with pleasure!

[Ragged Robin]

Fermi, thanks for sharing your visit to the FCHS Autumn Show.  The Rhododendron blooms look almost tropical with such lovely rich colours and the shape variation is interesting too especially R. tuba (honeysuckle-like) and R. konori is most unusual 
 

[Lesley Cox]

Well they ARE really tropical Robin, only one, R. lochae venturing as far south as Queensland, the others from SE Asia, I think but the hybrids have taken to cultivation in somewhat cooler climates, likes ducks to water. Even here in Dunedin we have a few gardens where they are grown outdoors in microclimate areas. I had an elderly friend in Timaru who grew a dozen in pots on her sun porch and she said they flowered at almost any time of the year, depending on when she remembered to give them heaps of water. That triggers the growth of buds when then bloom a short time afterwards. As you see, these in Fermi's pics are all blooming in autumn.

[fermi de Sousa]

Thanks, Maggi, Robin and Lesley, here are more!
Some Australian native plants,
Grevillea "Peaches and Cream" won the Blue Ribbon for Shirley Carn.


A suberb Crowea


A selection of Banksias




Another of Shirley's


And a most extraordinary Aristolochia gigantea grown by Murray and Dot Saunders






cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

more WOWS! 

[fermi de Sousa]

Murray and Dot Saunders also got the Blue Ribbon in the "General Exhibits" section with this selection of Vireya Rhodies,


More mixed bunches!








Young Otto didn't enter the "Rock Garden" section but did have some success in the Foral Art, these are his ,




Outside the hall I met a chap named Robert who had his lovely dog with him and I asked if I could send a pic to Miss Lily and he agreed!



cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Shucks! what a cute Australian Westie! I am momentarily distracted from the Vireyas and the figs in Otto's floral art....

[Lesley Cox]

I'm still fixated on the figs and persimmons but I bet Miss Lily will like that lad. He looks like a real bruiser. Or maybe a macho Aussie is too much for a delicately bred Scottish lass?

[johnw]

Thanks for the postings on Vireya Fermi.

Great to see Rhododendron aequabile and R. tuba especially.

johnw

[Maggi Young]

I'm still fixated on the figs and persimmons but I bet Miss Lily will like that lad. He looks like a real bruiser. Or maybe a macho Aussie is too much for a delicately bred Scottish lass?

 I wouldn't worry too much about Miss Lily being able to handle the cute Aussie, Lesley.... yesterday she was inviting a large and very handsome labrador, name of Lloyd into the house  "for coffee" ( yeah, right!) and it was only Poppy standing her ground on the doorstep and seeing him off that preserved Lily's reputation!

[Lesley Cox]

So she's a bit of a naughty lady eh? Remember that song from many years ago called "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane?" She too invited strangers into her house, including many men but it turned out "she's only nine days old!"