March 2014 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Tim Ingram]

Just had a talk from the lady who runs the Plant Heritage group in Kent and she mentioned how close Cosmos atrosanguineus had come to extinction because only one clone was known and this was sterile. Fantastic to see this is no longer true and good seed is being set 'down under'. Could teach EU lawyers a thing or two perhaps?

'Pink Denim' is a nice thing. I have now read right through Kit Grey-Wilson's book on Pulsatilla (which really is exceptional) and the whole genus is high on my radar at present. We will have to grow more of them.

[jandals]

Do all the colour variations still have the chocolate scent, Steve?

Hi Maggi . Only a few have the strong chocolate aroma . Sometimes nurseries here stock Cosmos atrosanguinea 'Coco Chanel' which is a good fragrant one . I usually lose 10% of my plants each year so I have a regular supply of seedlings on hand to fill in the gaps

[ashley]

C. atrosanguineus seed from the exchange has germinated here.  It will be interesting to see how they turn out.

[Tasmanian Taffy]

Thank you both Steve and Lesley for your help, I had better get out in the garden and start collecting.
P.S. Lesley Thank's again for the yellow clematis seed that you sent me a couple of years ago they flowered nicely this year.
Cheers John.

[Paul T]

Which yellow Clematis, John?

[Mini bulb lover]

Fermi - that Lobelia looks like it has large flowers. Very nice.

Delphinium 'Volkerfrieden' (peace) is marketed as performing well in warm conditions. I've grown it in full sun through the extreme heat of summer and it's performed well. Scilla/ Hyacinthoides lingulata var. ciliolata (from Otto) has started to flower. Many more autumn bulbs are starting to perform in my garden now, right on queue. 

[Tasmanian Taffy]

Hi Paul,
the yellow clematis seed that Lesley sent me is Clematis Vernayi, I also have growing Clematis Bill Mackenzie from seed I received from the SRGC seed exchange a couple of years ago and
a very nice yellow one that I bought from a Melbourne mail order nursery called Golden Tiara which has contrasting purple stamens.
Cheers John.

[Paul T]

I dont know vernayi.  I have had Golden Tiara myself.  I'd hoped your yellow might have been tangutica, which I grew years ago and have never been able to find again.  The Bill Mackenzie I think it related to Golden Tiara isn't it?  Given they're seedlings they will have variability I am assuming so if your sharing them make sure you don't put that name on them as people will get confused as they aren't the named cultivar.

Thanks for the information.

[Lesley Cox]

Among my own plants of the cosmos, all have the chocolate scent. How much is largely a matter of time of day, weather conditions. It is strongest in bright, warm sunshine, around mid day or soon after. the clone sold here as 'Coco Chanel' is also fertile. especially if hand pollinated from the others but usually had around 10 seeds per head while I've had as many as 45 on the others. We seem to have few honey bees at present but smallish bumble bees by the billion - well, lots anyway.

Paul, the Clematis was originally imported from the UK (1981) as C. orientalis L and S 13342 with the note that because it was fine and distinctive, the Ludlow and Sherriff collectors' number is still, even now, always attached to it. C. orientalis was renamed as vernayi some years ago, not sure when. I found it very difficult to propagate from cutting for many years until, in 2012, every cutting I took, in a desperate attempt to take the plant to our new address, rooted well. Seeds germinate well if hand sown but I never had a self-sown seedling, unlike C. akebioides, a smaller yellow which appeared all over the Saddle Hill garden, in hundreds every year until I dug the original and burned it. Seedlings were pulled as soon as recognisable.

[Lesley Cox]

Talking of bees, we seem to have fewer honey bees each year and not only the honey industry but the horticultural and agricultural industries on which NZ relies so heavily, are deeply worried about the effects of insecticides and other issues which are having a damaging effect on bee populations. So they should be worried.

Having said that, a few orchardists and market gardeners I know through my Farmers' Market life, have begun using bumble bees as their main pollinators and with great success. They are now able to buy small colonies of bumble bees (I believe 2 species are used) in specially built boxes and these are placed in small paddocks, tunnels, glass houses or wherever there is a crop to be pollinated. The bees live in the little boxes and come out in the day to fly and feed, and so pollinate. More boxes can be used in large areas. I was told (a couple of years ago) that a colony in a single box costs about $20NZ. Of course there's no honey by-product.

[ArnoldT]

Lesley:

We have been dealing with this for a bit longer.  The theories are many as to the cause of the Colony Collapse Disorder.

I've read that  it's  a new generation of   insecticides  called Neonicotinoids, which has a similarity to nicotine and Genetic Modified Organisms (GMO's).

The pollen from these GMO's s not digested by the bees so they literally starve with a full stomach.

[Lesley Cox]

That sounds really horrible Arnold. Not sure if that's the cause here or not and lots of the local ag scientists are working on it. One thing though, GMOs are prohibited in New Zealand. In theory at least. Our EPO (Environmental Protection Agency) does however, issue permits for trial crops in specified areas so I imagine the concept of "No GMOs" is a bit bent by now.

[fermi de Sousa]

Last Saturday our local AGS (Victorian Group) made a visit to "Sunnymeade" in the Strathbogie Ranges 2 hours north of Melbourne.
This amazing garden is the product over 3 decades of a very dynamic and dedicated chap named Craig Irving.
Craig welcomed us and walked around the garden with us answering questions and pointing out many interesting plants which he'd grown from seed - some he'd collected himself overseas.
Here are some pics
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

More pics from Sunnymeade

[fermi de Sousa]

Even more pics!
You can check out the website here
www.sunnymeade.com.au
cheers
fermi