January 2008 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

Before Otto gets onto the "Moan, Moan.." thread to complain that I've neglected my duties, I'd better post these pics for him which he asked me to do before X'mas!
Allium mirum, grown from seed from Paul Furse in the 1960s.


Calochortus venustus (pink)




Dactylorhiza elata clump


Iris juncea, a yellow xiphium from Spain, seldom seen




A Nomocharis hybrid


Two forms of Calochortus superbus, one with white background


and one with a mauve background


And finally, Iris chrysographes "Black Knight" which is much darker in real life!


cheers
fermi
on behalf of Otto Fauser

[Maggi Young]

What a super selection, thank you, both Otto and Fermi!
 
I am due Otto yet more thanks, and apologies, since I have not been in contact to thank him for the super calendar he sent with some of the most gorgeous photos of the Tasmanian Wilderness. It was too kind of you, Otto , very much appreciated.

[Paddy Tobin]

An excellent selection of plants, Fermi & Otto, Very nice indeed.

The Iris Chrysographes is difficult to photograph as it reflects light so much and consequently gives a lighter appearance than it actually has. I have a dark form in the garden, not named, grown from seed collected in China a few years ago. A good garden plant.

Paddy

[ranunculus]

Super shots.  Many thanks sirs.

[Lvandelft]

Fermi and Otto, for most of them we can only dream of in our gardens!
Thank you

[David Nicholson]

Otto, you grow some beautiful plants, thank you for sharing them with us, and thanks to Fermie for doing the technical bit.

[dominique]

Splendid pics, thank you Otto and Fermi. I am particularly sensible to the beauty of Allium mirum. if seeds, no problem to swap ..... !

[fermi de Sousa]

Not much to offer from the Rock garden at the moment, but here's the Ismene which I also posted last year.


I didn't think it was going to return but it's in a bed that gets watered over the summer and in the space of weeks it has come up and come into bloom.

A quiet "star" in the Rock garden is a shrubby scutellaria, S.suffruticosa, I think,




Not the best photography when you're running late for work and don't want to get down on hands and knees in workgear! Likewise for the next one, the mystery teucrium which I grw from NARGS Seed labelled "Salvia caespitosa" (and I note that it came through last year's NARGS Sdx as well!).



Any ideas from anyone about which teucrium it might be?
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

No idea about its name Fermi, but quite cute. The little Scutellaria is too, or (s)cute, maybe.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Super pix everyone !
That Allium mirum looks brilliant !!!!

[mark smyth]

that is some selection from the boys and girls down under

I got excited at Christmas because a cousin got a job in Australia - asked if he would be interested to go by his employer - and I thought if I save hard ... alas he was so good at doing whatever he's been sent to new post in Hong Kong

[Maggi Young]

Hello, Friends,
 A question just received from Stan Grainger in New Zealand...... I thought you folks were better qualified than I to make suggestions for the care of these plants, so all help gratefully received.....

"Here in NZ we are going through the early summer drought when all the early spring plants are heavy with seed and have lost their charm, eg. arenaria, asperula, aethonema, acquilegia, chieranthus, dianthus, draba, lewisia, nierembergia, oenothera, oxalis, plox, ptilotrichium, saponaria, vitaliana ,veronica etc etc. What do you suggest the best treatment to ensure their strong seasonal return: complete shearing off or such?
 Thank you
 
Stan  "

[Lvandelft]

Hello, Friends,
 A question just received from Stan Grainger in New Zealand...... I thought you folks were better qualified than I to make suggestions for the care of these plants, so all help gratefully received.....

"Here in NZ we are going through the early summer drought when all the early spring plants are heavy with seed and have lost their charm, eg. arenaria, asperula, aethonema, acquilegia, chieranthus, dianthus, draba, lewisia, nierembergia, oenothera, oxalis, plox, ptilotrichium, saponaria, vitaliana ,veronica etc etc. What do you suggest the best treatment to ensure their strong seasonal return: complete shearing off or such?
 Thank you
 
Stan  "

And I thouhgt some really experts are just now in NZ. I would have them take a look and ask for advice! 
Or did I understand the question wrong?   

[Lesley Cox]

I wonder who Stan Grainger is? The name does ring a quiet bell but the connection's not there at present.
If he's at the Study Weekend, perhaps he'll make himself known.

It depends whether you want to collect the seed I suppose. In that case you'd have to wait until it was ready, collect it, then trim off any other rubbish and give a good watering to encourage some new growth. I have masses of really shabby plants at the moment for this reason. And if we don't get good rain soon, many will die as I can't do much watering.

It might pay to give some shade (as cloth or something) to precious things. If the seed isn't wanted, just trim them over and after some rain/water, they'll come away again.

[Maggi Young]

Lesley, Stan didn't tell me where he is in NZ... all I know is that his email was from "Stan and Brenda Grainger" if that's any help