December 2014 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Viv,

"Lankon" should be a clone. That's why I asked Rob about his darker ones. I don't know why the variation. Seems odd - maybe different conditions?

Hoy maybe your lilies are the clone or (grex) "Marhan"? I am no expert on these but it does look a lot taller and lighter in colour.

Cheers, Marcus

[Hillview croconut]

PS Jamus your lily looks a lot like what I know as L. regale album.

[Jupiter]

Thank you for the confirmation Marcus, I'm glad I got to that on my own. 

[rob krejzl]

Lankon is reportedly several different clones*, though sold as a single one. Photo will follow.

  * One online source I've read suggests it's a chimera, though I haven't seen this reflected in my own flowers.

[SJW]

Lilium Lankon - for comparison, here's a photo I posted of mine back in June: http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11937.msg307730#msg307730

[rob krejzl]

Lankon:

[Lesley Cox]

A few unrelated pictures follow, just to keep my hand in.

Asperula nitida puberula is waiting until I get a double washtub trough in place, hopefully tomorrow. I realized recently that to my horror, my garden seems to be becoming a "cottage" garden, which I never intended. Sweet peas, climbing roses (old), lilies, paeones, irises, dianthus and other things are having that effect and the rock garden things are finding it hard to fit in comfortably so troughs are a part solution especially for the very small species.

Recently there were posts somewhere about "hot" colours and I meant to show this one but didn't get around to it. It is Cheiranthus x Kewensis 'Rufus,' aka locally as 'Taieri Sunset' as at the time its name wasn't known and a friend who saw it at my place at Saddle Hill overlooking the Taieri Plain, so named it. It just about flowers to death and one has to cut it off hard before it finishes in order to get it flowering again and to get new growth to propagate. It was originally a gift from a north=of-Auckland friend.

This is perhaps Iris delavayi. Not sure about it but certainly one from the Sibirica section. I. delavayi flowers at nearly 1.8 metres high in a friend's garden. This one has lived in a pot for a few years and is less than half that but looking forward to planting out in the next week or so.

Primula sieboldii 'Winter Dream' from last year's Barhaven seed. What great quality seed that was! Most of these white are this snowflake shape but a few are smoother and rounder in the petals so I'm calling them 'Snowflake' and 'Snowball.'

And a really choice new plant from my friends at Hokonui Alpines. It is Myosotis 'Hokonui,' a hybrid between two natives, the tiny, pale yellow M. uniflora and the much larger M. capitata, a glorious shade of blue, native to the islands of the southern ocean which fall under NZ's jurisdiction. I believe Louise has produced an even better plant now, which another grower says is NZ's answer to the genus Dionysia. I eagerly await its release.

[Jupiter]

Beautiful Lesley, I especially like the little Myosotis.

That's funny about your accidental cottage garden. Mine is becoming an accidental dessert garden at the moment with the extreme drought we're having. The spring was great but it was cut short again; a worrying trend. I wonder if it will rain for christmas... it often does.

[David Nicholson]

Lovely to see some colour Lesley after what seems months of grey, wet days here. I like the little Myosotis too.

[Matt T]

The Asperula gets my vote. What a lovely wee plant for a trough. Seeing any colour is most welcome at this time pf year. Thanks Lesley

[Maggi Young]

Recently there were posts somewhere about "hot" colours and I meant to show this one but didn't get around to it. It is Cheiranthus x Kewensis 'Rufus,' aka locally as 'Taieri Sunset' as at the time its name wasn't known and a friend who saw it at my place at Saddle Hill overlooking the Taieri Plain, so named it.

 There was a mention of  Taieri in this from the IGPS ........ so I thought it might be of interest  "Another wonderful report on gardens in New Zealand"
   

[Lesley Cox]

I'll have a few more photos later, maybe today. I'm having lunch with Susan (the shoe pixie) today and have picked a little bunch of dactylorhizas, Primula viali and a clematis with small, deep violet flowers, called 'Romantica.' I'll expect David, her husband, to give her no less than orchids for Christmas. As you see, the day here is dull but very muggy and hot.

Thanks for the Taieri reference Maggi. It amuses me to see a list of nearby cities. I guess East Taieri itself has a population of about 1-200. There are some good gardens round about though and most people love to have visitors to see them. Dunedin now has a population of about 120,000, the biggest in the lower South Island and only Chch is larger in the S. Island. We have to revel in being small because we're never going to be big. Thank goodness for that!

[Maggi Young]

Looks like a Perfect Pixie Posey to me - please give the dear S.P. my very best wishes. 

[Otto Fauser]

Lesley , Myosotis 'Hokonui' is a charming plant . Did it originate as chance seedling in the Hokonui Nursery ? Is there a white flowered Dactylorhiza in your orchids for Christmas bunch ? In Australia we only grow D. elata , foliosa , 'Harold Esslemont' and maculate ssp. fuchsii .

  Fermi , another picture of Lilium 'Lancon' , flowering here some weeks after yours . It is the tallest lily in my garden : 3 meters plus and the amount of spots varies in individual flowers on the same stem , therefor some darker flowers .

  To all on the Forum my Best Wishes for a Happy Christmas and may you get much joy from your plants next year ,    Otto

      a few more lilies flowering at the moment . Lilium duchartrei spreads quite a bit by underground stolons , but it is a beautiful "weed'

    L. grayi x canadense 022
    L.grayi x canadense 021
    Lil. duchartrei 009
    Lil. hansonii 007

[Otto Fauser]

more lilies

    Lil. rubellum 003
    Lil. x marhan 016
    Lil.'Lankon' 023
    Paris polyphylla   008