August 2014 in the Southern Hemisphere

[meanie]

At our botanic gardens in Adelaide there is a $5000 fine for taking plant material but I don't think it extends to dropped seed capsules, fruit or leaves! I understood that it was digging plants out of the ground. Of course it doesn't stop me when a little seedling is in the path or even taking a small cutting from the underside of a perennial where no one will ever notice the difference, and seeds are fair game as far as I'm concerned! I mean honestly! I realise that many disrespectful and selfish people could do a lot of damage and that because of them they must adopt a zero tolerance policy, but I seriously doubt that a gardener there would throw the book at me. I am passionate about our botanic gardens and I defend them passionately; I would never dream of doing anything to diminish their beauty.
I was talking with Ian Powell, nurseryman and former curator of Mt. Lofty Botanic Gardens and he told some horror stories of people sneaking in after dark and digging out rare specimens, including one very rare and very large Rheum (I forget the species now) which they dug on in entirety leaving and enormous crater and carted away over the fence! I was gob-smacked. How could you possibly enjoy that specimen in your garden knowing full well that it was obtained in the most deplorable and dishonest way imaginable?

There is a zero tolerance policy at Oxfords Botanic Gardens too, even to taking seed. I was once handed a few Salvia seed (which died due to my neglect). But as they tend to use the seed, share with other institutions or offer them to the full members I see the point.
On the plus side, the plant sales area whilst selling the usual tat also has some interesting (hard to get) stuff available through the year. None of the true rarities though. I have a rather nice Eryngium agavafolium which cost me just three quid (although that said once the slugs discover it it goes downhill for the season).

They also had a serious issue with plant theft. Many orchids were stolen.

[gentle_ben]

Sorry about late replies guys, in the midst of a house move...

@ John - I have quite a large crate of N. cyclamineus which I get seed off every year, if you'd like to PM me I can send you some seed (if I can find it that is..!), I'll post a pic of the box tomorrow too, it's in full glory at the moment (although full of weeds,  ...)

@ Jamus - Yeah, I don't find Scoliopus too difficult, well no more difficult than any of the Trilliaceae that I've grown anyway. It survived years of neglect in a pot before I put it in the ground, and it didn't seem to faze it too much. In the ground now it has become a little stockier which is good. It originally cam from Sally Johannsohn probably over a decade ago, but I have no idea where you'd get one from now...

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi John
You don't need a second N. cyclamineus. You can self pollinate them and they will set seed. Not sure what happens in your area but our N. cyclamineus also propagates by division. There are lots of myths surrounding the growing of N. cyclamineus and N. triandus.

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Graham,

I see your dividing Narcissus cyclamineus but I find as a general rule they rarely divide for me. Maybe an occaisional one. But then again I probably sell most of my flowering stock from year to year so maybe there is a maturation factor involved?  My brilliant partner Suzie is currently painting N. cyclamineus for this summer's catalogue. How lucky am I?

Jon, you are so lucky having Crimson Rosellas in your garden. We don't have this species,  or Rainbow Lorikeets. We do have Easterns and Green Rosellas, Tasmania's endemic species.

Cheers,  Marcus

[Mini-daffs]

 Hi Marcus
We try and keep our some of N. cyclamineus as our seed producers and for exhibition so some have been with us for 20 years. We also try and keep different forms. What we don't have is the short fat one that the NZ use for exhibition purposes. Ours tend to be very large because they are full-sized. Most of what is exhibited are young N. cyclamineus that tend to be much smaller.
We are near a river and the wetlands so we have an abundance of birdlife. As Fermi knows we are a rural area that is within the city limits. Still regarded as remote rurul in terms of broadband coverage!
Marcus the plants and bulbs we have acquired from you are doing well and flowering now.

[Anthony Darby]

We occasionally get Eastern Rosellas in the garden.

[Otto Fauser]

Marcus , I have been growing the white form of Crocus pestalozzae col. Camlica, Turkey for about 40 years , a smaller flower than var. caeruleus and so not very showy  , where as C. heuffelianus  'Lilac Wonder' is bold and handsome . Crocus tommasinianus is becoming a weed here , seedlings appearing where they should not , but I still think it is beautiful. The Crocus season is coming to its end ,only veluchensis , v. albus and pelistericus to flower yet .

[Hillview croconut]

Wow what a great selection of birds!  Sadly we don't have those wonderful parrots in Tassie. We do have Swift and Blue Winged parrots but they are about the size of budgies .

Are the Eastern Rosellas blowins Anthony?

Otto, you gave me the BM collection of the white pestalozzae a long time ago. I have white seedlings now. Crocus  heuffelianus is a beautiful plant producing so many lovely forms. What about C. kosaninii and minimus "Bavella"? They will be in the mix.

Cheers,  Marcus

[krisderaeymaeker]

Marcus , I have been growing the white form of Crocus pestalozzae col. Camlica, Turkey for about 40 years , a smaller flower than var. caeruleus and so not very showy  , where as C. heuffelianus  'Lilac Wonder' is bold and handsome . Crocus tommasinianus is becoming a weed here , seedlings appearing where they should not , but I still think it is beautiful. The Crocus season is coming to its end ,only veluchensis , v. albus and pelistericus to flower yet .

Great show Otto , it help us waiting for the autumn flowering ones ......

[Jupiter]

Hi Otto, I have some Crocus tommasinianus which I got from Marcus about to flower here and I hope they become a weed for me too  . Better that than creeping oxalis!

[johnralphcarpenter]

Better that than creeping oxalis!

Tell me about it!

[fermi de Sousa]

At our last AGS Vic group meeting the "bench" was very impressive, so here are some pics,
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

A few close ups:
Joy's Spiloxene (?canaliculata?)
Joy's Gladiolus alatus
Palmiro's Tecophilea cyanocrocus
Otto's Iris bucharica
cheers
fermi

[David Nicholson]

Some lovely stuff there Fermi.

[Maggi Young]

Puts the display bench at our local meetings in Aberdeen to shame