June 2012 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

First day of winter and appropriately we have winter iris in bloom!
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Also in bloom this morning
Gladiolus dalenii




Narcissus cantabricus foliosus


cheers
fermi

[WimB]

Fermi, wonderful plants. Love the Gladiolus especially!

[fermi de Sousa]

Thanks, Wim,
its main fault is flowering so late that usually the frosts demolish them before they get to really make a show! Only light frosts so far!

On Saturday I went to the FCHS Rock Garden Group meeting and on the way there stopped at Ferntree Gully Market where Geoff Wilson has a stall - here are some of the Massonias he had for sale - M. jasminiflora in flower - just $20 each! - No, I didn't buy any more!!!
cheers
fermi

[jomowi]

Probably not the right thread for this, but the nearest I can find without staring another.  A question for the NZ members.
On a recent holiday in Southern Italy, we travelled through an area which had the largest commercial plantations of kiwi fruits outside of NZ.  What puzzled me was how they harvest them.  The rows were cantilevered out at the top in the shape of a 'Y' with the arms of the 'Y' touching - like this:  YYYYYYYYY.  How therefore do they get down the rows to pick them?  They are not tall enough for a person to stand upright between the rows.  Are they hinged so they can be pulled inwards?  Is harvesting done by hand, or mechanically?  I am intrigued.

[Maggi Young]

I thought I had read that kiwi fruit are harvested by hand and went on a wee search of Youtube ( amzing what one can find there)  This video shows the fruits being harvested by Indian workers in New Zealand :

[jomowi]

Fascinating,  Maggi, but the plantations I saw were different.  The canopy was not horizontal as in the Youtube clip and neither was there open ground underneath with wide open spaces between each trunk.  Indeed there were no thick trunks, but densely packed rows with bushes (rather than trees).  The narrow bushes were clothed to the ground with leaves.  What I did omit to say in my first post was that the arms of the 'Y' formed a wire frame work along which the branches were being trained either side of each row.  So I am still puzzled!

[Senecio 2]

In this country we usually develop growing systems based on practical rather than traditional methods. I understand that overseas this crop is commonly grown alongside other crops and probably adapt structures previously used for other fruits.
The pictures below represent the normal methods used in New Zealand. Often the initial t-bar structures are joined as in the second picture.

[daveyp1970]

In this country we usually develop growing systems based on practical rather than traditional methods. I understand that overseas this crop is commonly grown alongside other crops and probably adapt structures previously used for other fruits.
The pictures below represent the normal methods used in New Zealand. Often the initial t-bar structures are joined as in the second picture.

What a fantastic black and white photo.Lovely image.

[fermi de Sousa]

We went up to Mt Macedon on Saturday - at Stephen Ryan's "Dicksonia Rare Plants Nursery" we saw that his display pots of Tropaeolum brachyceras and T. azureum were in bloom so snapped some pics
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Afterwards we visited Cathy Newing in Macedon and got some pics of the winter treats in her garden: Galanthus sp?, Eranthis hyemalis and Scilla sibrica.
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Some Narcissus in the rock garden yesterday.
The first 2 are the same one - possibly a seedling - from 2 angles, the third is probably 'Nylon' and the fourth is a form of N.romieuxii,
I think!
cheers
fermi

[Rafa]

I think I have to travel in summer to south hemisphere to double the opportunities that I will have in my life to see Narcissi in bloom...

[fermi de Sousa]

I think I have to travel in summer to south hemisphere to double the opportunities that I will have in my life to see Narcissi in bloom...

maybe you could do a lecture tour?
Worth considering!
cheers
fermi

[angie]

On Saturday I went to the FCHS Rock Garden Group meeting and on the way there stopped at Ferntree Gully Market where Geoff Wilson has a stall - here are some of the Massonias he had for sale - M. jasminiflora in flower - just $20 each! - No, I didn't buy any more!!!
cheers
fermi
[/quote]



Angie