August 2013 in the Southern Hemisphere

[rob krejzl]

Marcus,

Ben 'Bler?

Mine are just coming to an end.

[Anthony Darby]

That's not fair Anthony - its 8 degrees here in Hobart (apparent temp 3.4)

Not so warm today with 18^oC. Good job it wasn't wet and windy like the weekend. Scrub that. That was the forecast. We had sunny and warm. Haven't had meaningful rain for a month. Still, next weekend is to be wet again. Promises, promises. I'm fed up with this watering the garden! 

BTW, lovely hoop petticoat in the first pic.

[Maggi Young]

Anthony, you'll never believe this- the Orobanche is finally growing   
I'm tickled pink - it has taken ages ( years!) and I really thought it was never going to happen. I am SO pleased!

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Rob,

Thanks for that - I thought it was but the more I look at them the less convinced I become. I have another beauty, which I will post today, that I really don't know the name of or even if it was named. Anyway I'll put it up.

Meanwhile he is a visitor who is not welcome inside the block but nice to see outside. He got stuck in my next door neighbours chook pen and id a lot of bouncing around trying to work out how to get out! Its a Bennett's Wallaby or Red Necked Wallaby, one of only 3 large macropods that live in Tasmania.

Cheers, Marcus

[Hillview croconut]

Hi again,

Few more:

2 lovely forms of Crocus sieberi ssp sieberi
Crocus sieberi ssp sublimis f. tricolor
Iris retic. "Harmony"
Iris retic "Pauline"
Iris retic. "Pixie"

Cheers, Marcus

[Stephen Vella]

Hi Marcus... very nice retics, that Pauline looks lovely in mass. That colour (looks maroon) unusual for retics?

cheers
Stephen

[Anthony Darby]

Anthony, you'll never believe this- the Orobanche is finally growing   
I'm tickled pink - it has taken ages ( years!) and I really thought it was never going to happen. I am SO pleased!

It should seed itself onto other ivy plants. I notice that there are some on some waste ground a bout a mile from our house. Not an ivy parasite though.

[Lesley Cox]

The first of the the three daff pics Marcus looks very like 'Atlas Gold.' Lucky you to have N. x Susannae

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Lesley,

Yeah they do but they aren't. Rob's right, the first is Ben 'Bler seedling 3/97 from Glenbrook, and the second is a bedraggled clump of Jim Archibald's selection from JCA 805, Julia Jane. I don't have Atlas Gold anymore unfortunately.

Hi Steve, purple is probably the most common colour in wild reticulate. I can barely tell the difference between Pauline and Purple Gem, or Lovely Liza, come to think of it!

Cheers, Marcus

[Lesley Cox]

Re 'Atlas Gold,' I could send you a heap if only I could send you a heap, now!

Thought I'd better get in on the postings of retics so here is 'J S Dijt,' a good potful and beautifully scented in this morning's sun (after the fog cleared).

The second is the square bed around Magnolia 'Ian's Red' which is maybe 2 metres high and a mass of buds, the first glimpse of pink showing today. When we came here this bed was planted with purple petunias but they went quite quickly. I've now covered it with about 3 dozen Cyc. coum in different leaf forms and a dozen small tufts of I. r. 'Harmony.' I'm hoping these will form a complete cover within a couple of years or so. The third is of a small spider's web slung between two buds. It's right in the middle of the picture. Round the edges of the bed are 8 plants (corners and middle of sides) which should either drape or mould over the sides in a while. They include Asteranthera ovata, Linnaea borealis and things of similar habit including the flat cotoneaster, seed of which Mark S sent me a couple of years ago and Microcachrys tetragona.

I've also a good pot but going over now, of what I bought as 'Cantab' but I'm not sure. It is certainly much lighter than say, 'Harmony' and has the right orange signal but this has faded to yellow and the blue is somehow not quite the right shade. I might be able to get a pic of the remains. As well, the tips of the style arms are quite ragged or frilly and I don't remember this from 'Cantab.' It's beautiful, whatever, and in the same packet of bulbs there was a single ring-in which could be 'Violet Beauty,' larger, earlier, and deep violet blue. Not one I've had so I guess that's good.

Since these retic bulbs are part of the annual importation from Dutch wholesalers to local bulb wholesalers, mistakes in their naming are quite common. A few years ago everyone got 'Harmony' when it should have been danfordiae. Not many vars were available this year but I was told that next autumn a full range of forms will be available.

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Lesley,
I got Iris 'Cantab' from Marcus this year and this is the first flower; how does it compare with yours?
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Fermi, I think yours looks right, both for colour and for the style arms which are neatly divided at their tips into two sections. Look at the first of my two and you'll see the same but in the second picture, the style arms are quite raggedy-looking and the orange signals have aged to yellow which in true 'Cantab' they don't do, or not much. Unfortunately I left my original 'Cantab' behind, just didn't have time to collect it but I'm sure this new one is something else. The flowers of the true form tend to be a little thinner in outline too, not quite so robust as the new one. I hope I can get the other again some time.

[Otto Fauser]

Lesley, I just took a photo of my Iris ret. 'Cantab' which I think is the true 'Cantab' .
I like your Hell. 'Flash Gordon' -a similar colour but different foliage Hellebore appeared a few weeks ago here in all the Bunnings Stores labelled 'Anna's Red ' -whichwas named after Anna Pavord  .
also a few more Crocus , including the unusual coloured C. x paulinae - thanks to the generousity of Marcus Harvey .

[fermi de Sousa]

Lesley,
possibly you've got 'Alida' - a pale sport of 'Harmony'.
cheers
fermi

[arillady]

Marcus what is this juno? It is the one near the large patch of Iris planifolia that you saw.
A better photo of the possible oldie N. tazetta 'Lord Channing'. Can someone point me to the daffodil data base please?