December 2014 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Jupiter]

Otto your Liliums are spectacular, I love them all but L. x marhan is really something special, isn't it? L. duschartrei is absolutely stunning and I simply can't believe that it could be weedy! Nothing that pretty could be easy to grow, just not possible... 

Paris polyphylla... *sign* one day we will move to a cooler wetter place and then I will attempt these mythical beasts of the plant world. Thank you for posting these pictures Otto. It's so nice to see your cool damp garden as things here are really starting to dry out.

[Lesley Cox]

Will do Maggi. Good lunch and flowers well received. But we feel our favourite cafe is going down a little, its wonderful chef doing too many things and maybe not doing them quite so well as when she was more focused. Three little children as well! The S.P. had beauties on her feet, really naked sandals, sort of, with gold flowers.

Otto I have no white Dactylorhiza and while there may be one in NZ, I've not seen it. The pale one I have as maculata ssp fuchsii. I had elata but seem to have lost it, too dry up Saddle Hill, but a few of my foliosas have dark, less glossy foliage and I wonder if they're hybrids. Otherwise, only maculata itself and the subspecies. When he was here Ian of the Christie kind said that foliosa was a synonym of madarense but according to the Kew list (thanks Maggi via Susan), madarense is used with the generic name Orchis and THAT is the synonym. What I have are all revelling in the cool soil under that big conifer at the front gate along with P. vialii and so many other things. including Mutisias spinosa and decurrens, both clambering up the rough trunk in the semi shade and damp. Just what they love.

I also have had the name magellanica for the senecio, a stunning plant from the Falkland and South Georgia Islands of the south Atlantic. I once saw a slide of it growing in the sand at the end of a tiny island of rocky outcrop, in full bloom, magnificent velvet white foliage and south Atlantic waves crashing though the air immediately behind it. Absolutely fabulous!

A terrible picture of the calceolaria for which I apologise but to show that there is seed forming, if you'd like some Otto.

I would like an ID for the lily please.It is orange with a yellow dotted centre, both buds and flowers fully pendant and the flower petals reflexed strongly as it opens up. It's only about 40 cms high but has been in its pot I think since it was seedlings, about 4 or 5 years so maybe should be much taller if treated nicely. It flowered for the first time last year and then got terribly dry and vanished so I'm amazed that it's still with me. Leaves are in whorls.

    Senecio candicans
    Calceolaria fothergillii
    Lewisia Sunset Strain
    Lilium species  query?
    Dactylorhiza mac ssp fuchsii

[Lesley Cox]

A few irises, again, poor photos especially as some are under that same tree and the pesky flash was going even thought the day was bright and sunny.

Iris gracilipes, also liking the cool and damp

Iris sibirica (possibly) 'Moonsilk.' Came to me as 'Kingfisher' and old blue, from Dykes. Obviously not. Another as 'Moonsilk' turned out blue so maybe the labels were mixed in the packing.

A tall bearded iris, 'Anvil of Darkness.' Fair enough.

Iris clarkei, about to collapse so a better picture from a couple of years ago is (will be) below. One of my favourites from the Sibirica Section, quite tall, a good metre if the soil is damp. This is half that.

And Iris milesii, with gracilipes, from the Evansia section, another crested iris. Rather like an exotic bird.

[Lesley Cox]

Bother, I can't find the better I. clarkei. So Senecio candicans almost in flower then to show I'm not totally plant obsessed, a photo from earlier in the week of my son John, grand-daughter Hayley and great grand son William. Isn't that one cute and delicious wee baby?  :)I should be there too, to make 4 generations.

[ashley]

Both wonderful.  Congratulations Lesley.

[David Nicholson]

Lovely Lesley. Great-grandma eh Lesley, I'd settle for just being a granddad!

[rob krejzl]

Lesley,

The Lily is western american. looks like a pardalinum hybrid.

[Jupiter]

Lesley I love Iris clarkei, very nice! The other Irises are great too. Cute family you have, so many generations all together is a rarity for sure. I barely knew my grandparents and wasn't even born ... no that's not true, apparently I met my great grandmother on my Mum's side before she died. I fancy I can almost remember her but I'm really not sure if those little sparks of images are real or confabulated.

ps. Senecio candicans is a nice thing isn't it? I'm a sucker for silver/white/blue foliage plants and that's a new one to me. I might even forgive the yellow flowers... maybe.

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks everyone, more about that later but I've just planted out the lily a few minutes ago and Rob I had come to the conclusion all right that it was western American, based solely on the fact that the bulbs look exactly like those of Fritillaria camschatcensis. So far so good. I'll now look for L. pardalinum.

[Jupiter]

I've had good germination of Lilium pardalinum and the little plantlets are growing on nicely in my nursery. I guess they are a couple of years from flowering but it's a good start.

[jandals]

Was up visiting our son and daughter-in-law in Dunedin today . Four years ago we decided our children would never leave home , so we did instead and moved to Balclutha . However , some of my plants are still there as I could not shift them including the 2 Puya alpestris . They are looking fairly awesome and I will watch their development with interest





The flowers are full of nectar

[ichristie]

WOW what a beauty looks really interesting hope it does not knock the house down,   cheers Ian the Christie kind

[Jupiter]

Jandals those are stunning bromeliads. I've always admired Puya but haven't tried growing them myself. I ought to, they would do well in our climate I think.

[meanie]

Was up visiting our son and daughter-in-law in Dunedin today . Four years ago we decided our children would never leave home , so we did instead and moved to Balclutha . However , some of my plants are still there as I could not shift them including the 2 Puya alpestris . They are looking fairly awesome and I will watch their development with interest

Fantastic!
The great thing about Puya is that they're so easy from seed.

[Otto Fauser]

Lesley, I am certain your lily is l. pardalinum, the easiest and most prolific of the Nth. American species . Here is a picture I took today. I planted 2 bulbs 3 years ago and they have multiplied into a decent clump. I raised it from seed col. in the wild by Ratko .

   my little Christmas tree sends you Best Wishes for a Joyful Christmas ,
                                                                                                                 Otto.