January 2015 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

Happy New Year!
Here are the fireworks: Allium flavum ssp tauricum from NARGS 2010 seedex from Louise Parsons, possibly from seeds from McMark?
cheers
fermi

[Otto Fauser]

Happy New Year to all from Olinda  with a few Lilies flowering today . I grew the Calochortus from seed and hope I got the correct name for it .

Marcus  , your vivid recollections of your friendship with Essie in her garden and in the mountains of Tasmania also bring back fond memories of my encounter with Essie . As far as I can remember she only came across to Melbourne on three occasions and staying with me on two . She was extremely generous sharing her most treasured plants with me and there are still some of these growing here : some Petiolaris Primulas and the bigeneric hybrid  x Brigandra caliantha 'Salisbury'. Marcus do you remember her two large pots filled with extremely happy plants of Shortia uniflora  ?She gave me small plants of it on several occasions which grew here for a number of years . But every few years we get a few days in summer when the temperature climbs to 40 degrees or above which was the end of my Shortia .

[Robert]

Otto,

Your photograph of Calochortus clavatus is beautiful and well grown. Thank you so much for sharing it.

Here are a few tips to help identify Calochortus clavatus that I hope are helpful. The anthers of C. clavatus are deep purple or near that color shade, including the anthers of var. recurvifolius.

C. clavatus var. recurvifolius is a stout plant, much shorter than C. clavatus clavatus. Also, the leaves of variety recurvifolius are strongly recurved, hence the name.

I hope that this information is useful to you.

[vivienne Condon]

We have just been up to Falls Creek to the Bogong National Park Victoria, it is about 10 years since we last spent sometime wondering around the hills, I call them hills because they are only 1,500meters above sea level and the Mts in Europe are much higher than ours and you probably won't think of them as Mountains.
We rented a house in Mt Beauty which is about half an hours drive up to Falls Creek where we could take Lucy our dog as we did not want to leave her with anyone.
As you can see from the first shot there have been some severe bush fires through the National Park burning everything in its path, all of the plants have sprung back into life and the snow gums are re shooting from the base (they have a special system that is designed to cope with bush fires), with dead silvery tops.
You can park the car on the side of the road at Watchbed Creek, and three steps and all of our unusual beautiful Alpine plants are at your feet.
We had sunshine when we arrived 10 minutes later lightning and thunder all around us then hail, then sunshine again, but it was beautiful to see all of the plants at their best.
I would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year.

    Bogong National Park Watchbed creek 1
    Falls Creek Ruined Castle Track
    Aciphylla glacialis & Ewartia
    Aciphylla glacialis 3

[vivienne Condon]

Some more pics

    Brachyscome spathulata alba?
    Brachyscome spathulata.
    Celmisia sericophylla 
    Kunzea ericifolia
    Ewartia nubigena & Gnaphalium nitidulum

[vivienne Condon]

And some more if your not too bored.

    Neopaxia australasica 2
    Pentachondra pumila.
    Ranunculus victoriensis
    Scaevola hookeri
    Thelymitra venosa

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Viv,

How brilliant to return there after 10 years. Did your legs carry you the same? Are the Bogongs sharp or rolly?

Typical alpine weather but probably exacerbated by our mad  Xmas stuff.

I love those tiny jewel-like encrusted dearies and the dainty little daisies. The look so fragile ... but they are so well adapted. As I said in my ESSIE AND ME piece, now is the time. I can close my eyes and be there.

M

[Jupiter]

I love that Thelymitra Vivienne, we don't see venosa here but we have ixioides which is quite similar except spotted rather than striped.

Here are some sunflowers grown by my daughter Isabel. She's turning 7 this month.

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Jamus,

A very apt bloom! What did it get to there today?

Were you or Trevor in any danger?

Those sun orchids are so intense but so fleeting. Some of the species in Tassie never open their flowers and are self pollinating. Sorta misses the point,  but there must be a point. Nature usually has a reason, even if it is sometimes bizarre.

Cheers, M

[Jupiter]

Hi Marcus, not danger at this stage except perhaps from a broken heart, watching our gardens get burnt and cooked alive. It was 43 here today, in the shade. Anything or anybody unlucky enough to be caught in the sun today would have experienced 45 or more. Trevor has some gorgeous lilies flowering there at the present; I hope they didn't fall over for him. My L. lancifolium is heavy with buds and about to burst. It got through the day unscathed thankfully.

Re the thelymitra, perhaps an evolutionary hangover still going through the motions? Even with self pollination there will be the advantage of wider distribution, something which can't really happen through clonal reproduction...? Nature does do some just plain stupid things and keeps on doing them; the trouble with evolution, it's just a blind process, you can't go back and take a different route with the benefit of hindsight. Dead ends are frequently encountered, which is why it's estimated that more than 99% of species which ever lived on earth are now extinct.

[rob krejzl]

Marcus,

I once sent Paul T some (non-opening) thelymita which had self-seeded into the garden. They opened for him, which suggests to me that cross-pollination can still happen for our native ones. I assume that temperature is the critical factor.

[Jupiter]

So many times I've gone to photograph native orchids in the adelaide hills and found the thelymitras closed. They are very sensitive to light. The sun goes behind a cloud and they all shut up.

[Hillview croconut]

Thanks guys, both excellent explanations. The old strategies and tactics again, eh Rob?

Cheers, M


PS Trevor sent some pics yesterday Jamus. Mentioned that they probably would make it through today's sear.

[vivienne Condon]

Get them keen early Jamus, its how all good gardeners are made. They will give you a run for your money when they raise a rare plant you thought you would never see.
We did not have to walk far this time to see the Alpine plants Marcus, so the legs held up well
Viv

[Maggi Young]

Those are rather smart sunflowers that young Miss Stonor is growing - I'm impressed!