May 2012 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

As Lesley has said it is May!
And it feels like winter today - so much for the Indian Summer
Can we post pics again? Yay!
Oxalis palmifrons


Crocus ochroleucus


cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

That's a great flowering for Ox. palmifrons Fermi. You know how many flowers are on my two big pots, don't you? Same as always in spite of baking some bulbs in a black bag on the windowsill.

[fermi de Sousa]

Lesley,
this is the first year that I've had more than one flower open at a time!
But I may regret planting this one in the garden as it has a propensity to propagate! I hope I can keep it from infiltrating the neighbouring beds.
cheers
fermi

[Anthony Darby]

We had 24^oC last week (though not on the 25^th of April), so this week is a bit of a shock with 16^oC, even though it's, brilliant sunshine today Might have to look for my socks and long trousers?

Actually, ANZAC day was sunny as James got frazzled on Maraetai Beach that day.

[Lesley Cox]

Auckland to have 15C today according to the radio, Dunedin 16C. But a touch of frost this morning, remaining tomato plants a bit blackened.

I've decided that lightweight merino is a better thermal than polypropylene. Fits better too.

[Anthony Darby]

We had a heck of a ground frost on the football pitches nearby this morning! Went up to 19^oC as I was reading Jeffrey Deaver in T-shirt and shorts in the garden this afternoon.

[Rogan]

While in the garden yesterday I was distracted by my one-and-only Crocus species flowering cheerfully in its pot - I'm a proud pappy! (Perhaps I should grow more...  ):

Massonia jasminiflora, a pustulated form; not in flower but looking very striking indeed - the flowers are great too:

[fermi de Sousa]

Nice foliage on those Massonias and a sweet crocus, Rogan.
We had the first flower on a mauve form of Crocus cancellatus grown from NARGS Sdx 2004 - it may've flowered in the last year or two when we weren't watching!

cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Magnificent Massonia foliage Rogan. Looking forward to the flowers now.

Today Adonis vernalis (SRGC) and Iris reticulata coll Iran (AGS are starting to germinate. I'm hoping for one of those reticulata forms which are so special on that thread, some with almost no foliage at bloom time and maybe different colouring from the common cultivated types. I've lost small plants of the Adonis a couple of times, so hoping for better things there too.

[Anthony Darby]

Magnificent Massonia foliage Rogan. Looking forward to the flowers now.

I have some seedlings

[Rogan]

I have this rather odd-looking gesneriad, Paliavana prasinata in bloom at the moment; it forms a rather large gangly shrub approximately 2 metres high with large velvety leaves. The flowers have no scent and produce copious quantities of sweet sticky nectar which drips off the front of the flower - fascinating   

[fermi de Sousa]

Wow, Rogan!
Some people would go batty about this gesneriad!
 
cheers
fermi

[Rogan]

Yeah Fermi, it is purported to be bat pollinated - I wonder how they (the bats) locate the cryptic flowers in the dark as there is no discernable scent, to the human nose anyway... echo location?