July 2015 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Jupiter]

Hello Otto, Iris x Sindpers is beautiful. I love the subtle green colouration. Do you expect it will set viable seed?

[Jupiter]

Dodged the showers and went for a walk yesterday. This is Drosera peltata, very common here and pretty when in flower (springtime).



Anyone seen violets this colour? Can you guess what's going on here? 

[Anthony Darby]

Anyone seen violets this colour? Can you guess what's going on here? 

Either pH or food colouring.

[Jupiter]

Anthony I didn't know you were a chemist! The flowers were immersed into ammonia gas. A fun science experiment for the school holidays (albeit a little dangerous!)

[Anthony Darby]

One for the science lab. I've made a note. 

[Jupiter]

In a well ventilated spot outdoors put 2 teaspoons of Ammonium sulphate fertiliser in a deep jar. Add two teaspoons of caustic soda and 2 teaspoons of water. Rest the lid on (don't tighten!) and wait while you find various flowers. Dip the flowers into the gas in the jar and behold the amazing colour changes!

*disclaimer - I don't recommend that you do this, it's much too dangerous. This experiment is extremely dangerous and should not be performed by anyone, ever. Enjoy.

[Anthony Darby]

We had some of these growing by the front door. I'm so glad I ditched them! Agave attenuata.

[Mini bulb lover]

Jamus have you ever seen the Iris Tuberosa Blue Jade in flower, I can't even find a photo of it in flower on Google.

TT - I've tried to take a photo of my Iris tuberosa Blue Jade. It's not an easy flower to photograph (especially when you only know photography basics like me). I know this photo isn't too clear but I can't focus clearly after a recent eye operation (pupils still dilated) so it's the best I can do! 

[Maggi Young]

Hello Jon - sorry to hear about your eye problems - hope all is soon well. 

[Jupiter]

Good job for a bloke with half an eye!    That looks much like the colouring of mine. I will be doing my best to get good pictures of mine when it flowers. The buds are developing nicely.

[Gabriel B]

Jamus, that's a cool trick with the violets. I guess it's something like when you add baking soda to red cabbage juice and turn it blue or green. Changing the color of the anthocyanins.

The violet is also lovely. What kind is it? It looks a lot like one of our native violets, Viola pedata, bird's foot violet, a sand-loving plant.

[Jupiter]

Gabriel they are a large flowered cultivar of the common Viola odorata which was in the garden here when we moved in. I don't know what it's called, but they self seed freely and come true from seed. The perfume is beautiful. A bit of a weed but a lovely one at that.

[Gabriel B]

Jamus, it looks like a very nice weed to have. I like the veins and the white center. Viola odorata isn't that common in Minnesota, but Betty Ann has some. It doesn't behave as a weed around here, sadly. It died out in one spot and then reappeared under a cypress tree. I spread the seed over a wide area under the tree in hopes of getting more to grow. At least I have one very long-blooming violet-scented flower: Cyclamen purpurascens.

[Jupiter]

I'll swap you some of my Violets for your Cyclamens! If only...  Viola odorata is literally a weed here. You can see it in National Parks on stream banks. Interesting that it doesn't behave that way there...

[Tasmanian Taffy]

John, thanks for posting the photo of Blue Jade at least now I know what to look forward to when mine does eventually flower here. Chilly nights here at the moment minus four last night, and the same predicted for tonight.