August 2014 in the Northern Hemisphere

[greenspan]

@meanie

posting #65: this it not Tricyrtis hirta but rather one of the numerous Tricyrtis formosana clones. the flowers of T. hirta arise from the leaf-axils all along the pedicel + all parts of the plant are quite hairy. the flowers of formosana are arranged as a terminal cyme as shown on your photo.

@k-d keller

posting #67: the Roscoea is not humeana but Roscoea purpurea. flowering time of humeana is in mai/june, purpurea in august. here 2 photos of some of my humeana varieties (end of mai):

 

[meanie]

@meanie

posting #65: this it not Tricyrtis hirta but rather one of the numerous Tricyrtis formosana clones. the flowers of T. hirta arise from the leaf-axils all along the pedicel + all parts of the plant are quite hairy. the flowers of formosana are arranged as a terminal cyme as shown on your photo.

Thanks!
Whilst I was never totally sold on it being T.hirta I stuck with the ID in the absence of a better one. The trouble is that it does flower from the leaf axils, refuses to branch and has rather large flowers. Far from as hairy as my original though, although it is more bristley than my others.

As an aside, I found this page last year when I was trying to work it out. No help whatsoever, but the macro photos of a Tricyrtis flower are out of this world!!
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artjan10/bj-toadlily.html

[K-D Keller]

@ greenspan

You are right. Thank you for identifying. It is Roscoea purpurea not Roscoea humeana  . The blossom looks really like R. purpurea and the flowering time is too late for R. humeana. Now I must look again for R. humeana.

[meanie]

This is a rather spendid Salvia - S.urica....................


It stands about 120cm tall at the moment, the flowers are about the same size as S.microphylla. An outstanding colour in my opinion.
Dead easy from seed I hope that it sets some as it is unlikely to be hardy.

[John85]

Meanie
you could root some cuttings and overwinter them on a windowsill if you have no frostfree greenhouse in case the plant sets no viable seeds.
They root very easily.

[greenspan]

Now I must look again for R. humeana.

ask me 

[David Nicholson]

Here is a Viburnum × bodnantense Dawn shrub just starting into flower, it should really be flowering in the winter which is what I got it for a bit of winter colour. It seems to get earlier every year.

Untitled by johnstephen29, on Flickr

Look after it John. I'm sure many Forumists grow Viburnhams but I wonder how many are plagued by the Viburnam Beetle? I have two Viburnams, V tinus and V x bodnantense 'Dawn' and both have been ravaged by the beetle but never both in the same year. This year it's the turn of 'Dawn'. Below are pictures of the back of the plant, ravaged, and the front with sporadic damage. Also pictured is V tinus again with  only sporadic damage.

Both shrubs have been 'drenched' with Provado Bug Killer in Spring and mid-July. I think I shall take both out.

[SJW]

...indoors. Jasminum sambac (Arabian jasmine).

[Maggi Young]

If that Jasmine smells half as good as it looks it will be scrumptious 

Can't understand what's keeping Fred the Whizz with making the forum scent button- I don't think he's concentrating!

[johnstephen29]

Hi David thanks for the advice, I don't think I have ever had this pest, I do get the odd growing tip die back, but another bud takes over further down the branch. This shrub is one of my favourites in the front garden, not only does it great coloured foliage in the autumn, but it has great scented flowers.

[SJW]

If that Jasmine smells half as good as it looks it will be scrumptious 

The scent is fantastic, very intense. I think this form is 'Grand Duke of Tuscany'. The plant has never really thrived for me. I suspect I don't give it enough heat and humidity?

[Robert]

Very much bogged down with harvest season and other responsibilities, however I did see that the Lilium dauricum are blooming again. It seems that they are pron to this in our area. Well they do bring some cheer.





Our native oaks are very much stressed by the drought. Many have already lost their leaves. Maybe 2 months and the fall rains might begin. This would be good!

[Steve Garvie]

Gentiana veitchiorum
Blue always does it for me!

[krisderaeymaeker]

Gentiana veitchiorum
Blue always does it for me!

Easy to believe  when we see this Gentiana Steve. And a stunning picture as wel .

[johnw]

And what could be better than blue AND green.  Amazing Steve.

johnw