January 2008 in the Southern Hemisphere

[grannysmith]

Her funeral was a lovely tribute to a great and generous lady. Bird song playing and heaps of flowers picked from her friends gardens. Judging by comments made, she will live on in the things she so generously shared with everyone. There were many happy memories of her shared yesterday. I miss her already!   but I can see her everytime I walk around my garden.

[Maggi Young]

Dear Marj, yes,  you have lost a wonderful friend but I am so glad that you have all those great memories to enjoy. Plant gift memories are almost as evocative as scent memories, so to combine the two should mean lots of happy thoughts.   

[kaydale]

It is terrific, though, Lesley, that Essie was able to share her knowledge with all sorts of people over the years, and even to be in contact at her advanced age, with bright young things like yourself, who can carry on her enthusiasm well into "new" century.

Very true Maggie, I was lucky enough to go around her garden with her a year or so ago and a few 'pieces' were generously given.  She was always enthusiastic about gardening, evertime I talked to her I learnt new things. 
Lesley

[Lesley Cox]

See these two Bulb Logs to see what Ian has to say about Albuca shawii
http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2004/190804/log.html
http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2005/310805/log.html 

Just for the record, we have a South African botanist/taxonamist living and working here in NZ, name of Fanie (NOT Fannie) venter. He pronounces the specific name of the Albuca as sharvii (sharv ee eye) not shawii (as in David and Carol) ee eye.

[Paul T]

I'm sorry to here that Essie has gone.  I never met her, unfortunately living far too far from Tasmania, but would have loved to have done so given all I had heard of her.

[Lesley Cox]

 
I expect that Essie's memory will be toasted at the NZAGS Study weekend, where many of her friends and admirers are gathered at present in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Yes Maggi, I assure you the southern Forumists, those able to be present, did indeed toast Essie, several times and in several different liquid media. We shan't forget her.

[Lesley Cox]

I arrived home from Lincoln 90 mins ago and am starting to catch up on emails. There were over 400 in my Inbox, about 250 from the Galanthus January 2008 thread alone.  No further comment is needed, I think.

I've promised Otto that I'll send personal messages to Thomas (Hubi), Paul (T) and Tim (O) but those will wait until morning when I have a little more time.

A great weekend though, Ian's and Finn's talks were brilliant - two thoroughly nice men who will be very welcome here any time they can come back.

Good field trip to Mt Hutt and hopefully some pics tomorrow or very soon. Susan I think has a pic of the southern Forumists, with Ian but I had stupidly left my camera in my room and didn't have time to get it.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Yes, the white fever has taken a VERY firm grip here in the SRGC forum since Galanthus was assigned it's own special place here.  Not entirely sure that is a good thing, as it leads to much gnashing of teeth in frustration here over unavailability of superior cultivars!! 

[David Nicholson]

Nice to have you back Lesley, it's been quiet without you

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

Been slack in not posting any pics of late...... so here's a few things in flower at the moment or very recently (Sorry, doubt any of these could be called Alpine's!).

I can't for the life of me remember the name of the first thing.  Cute flowers though, and I think it is chinese.  Sort of little shrubby thing to about 3 or 4 feet which more or less dies back each year.  Has divided leaves.  The closeup of the flower is furry and rather cute.  Thanks to Rob, have now updated the name of this as Incarvillea arguta.  Thanks Rob!

The Dahlia was most likely bought as potted colour.  I like to get new dwarf dahlias to pop into the garden.  They're seeding around the area and I keep getting new colours.  This one is the best of the dwarf double flowered forms with dark leaves.

The Eucomis starts the season with lovely dark purple leaves.  The flowers are actually pinker than in the picture.

There are a couple of other pics to show some other flowering things at the moment, and the last pic was from a visit to the National Botanic Gardens here in Canberra last week.  The misters were on to increase the humidity and keep it cooler.  The fog effect was rather nice and it even came out OK in the pics.

More pics later.

[rob krejzl]

Would Incarvillea arjuta jog your memory Paul?

[Paul T]

Thanks for the ID Rob.  Its appreciated.  The incarvillea definitely matches.    The species name didn't ring any bells, but checking the references it certainly looks like I. arguta would be the one.  For some reason I always get a blank whenever I try to think of the name of it.  It's doing really well this year, around the 4 feet tall or so, and I have been asked by a couple of people what it is...... I just end up looking blank and telling them I can't remember.  I really must write a tag for it so I can go and look at it when asked!!

Thanks again. 

[Lesley Cox]

Paul's plant which could be incarvillea arguta isn't at all like mine. Sorry no pic, it's in survival mode at present, very dry. But mine sprawls on the ground, quite prostrate. The flowers are a deeper pink and the trumpet tends to be narrower and tubular. When it recovers I'll try to remember to photograph it.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Mine can flop about a bit, but the stems definitely tend towards upright.  I can take a side pic of one of the flowers if that is a help in ID? Anything else I can photograph to help?

Here's some other photos of stuff in flower at the moment....

Firstly a couple of Liliums.... first off the good old faithful tigerlily and then one called 'Mimosa Star' which flowers around 8 feet tall every year.  Then a Salvia I bought the other day.... one of those which hs a basal rosette and then flower stems coming up from there. 

Sinningia tubiflora I just love, although I know that at least one person here didn't approve of me growing it when I posted a pic of it on a list a few years ago, because I was growing it is less than ideal conditions.  The flowers are in pairs and in this case there are 6 on the flower stem.  A rather lovely Gesneriad!! 

And lastly a lovely stinky aroid..... Typhonium brownii.  Next dormancy I really must send one of these to Ian as I had threatened to do last season.  Maggi would SO enjoy that!! 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Nice pix Paul  - your colourful images of high Summer contrast strongly with our today's gusty winds, dark clouds and forecasts of frost and snow for the coming days... after the mild January we had, emerging Crocus, Iris, etc... might get a battering.... 

Thanks for keeping our hopes high.