August 2015 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Lesley Cox]

The fritillary is like a wee reptilian egg (or perhaps handbag). 

Mmmm, I like the handbag option.

[Parsla]

Hello Leslie – I’m glad we are in agreement!

The garden in Eltham is quite bedraggled after a downpour yesterday. Nonetheless, some offerings from this morning,

1. A glorious double Helleborus niger form bred by the inimitable Peter Leigh of Post Office Nursery.
2. Ripe catkins of Corylus avellana contorta – the corkscrew hazel.
3. Eomecon chionantha – yes it IS a garden thug, but contained by arid surrounds atop the hill (well, seems to be)
4. A very wet Erythronium tuolumnense – from the delightful Tonkin girls.
5. The red stems of Cornus siberica alba brightening up the winter.

I hope of some interest, Jacqui.

[Robert]

Parsia,

What a lovely Erythronium tuolumnense!

I am used to seeing them in the canyon of the Stanislaus River, California growing out of the steep clay banks in the north facing oak - pine woodland.

Thank you far sharing the photograph, our season is 6 months away!

All the photograph are very nice.

[Hillview croconut]

I like the bag analogy re fritillary. It would have to be a Croc skin bag seeing it's living in Oz.

Lovely to see the little blue face in amongst the tricolor crowd.  Jacqui, great to see the yellow trout lily. It has smallish flowers for such big tubers but at least it is reliable.

Robert how lucky are you to see them in the wild!

I was going to photograph some fritillaries today, and do some pollinating,  but the weather is seriously appalling.  Hail, snow,  sleet and temps not yet above 4 degrees. Probably a good day to sit inside and do some writing.

Cheers,  M

[t00lie]

Just posted a few photos in the Galanthus thread but thought the following might be a bit too bright to belong there .  Galanthus and company .

[Parsla]

Hi Robert,

Thank you for your thoughtful comments.

There are some lovely wooded areas over your way with lush undergrowth. There is a beautiful book on the American woodland by Rick Darke, with photographs of scenes time-lapsed across the four seasons. It's quite an eye opener and something of a favourite.

To echo Marcus, you are lucky to see the erythronium so in their habitat. I have only a tiny clump of the  E. tuolumnense,. It is painfully slow to multiply here - but such a dear little wild creature easily pays its way.

[Mini-daffs]

Hi
Some photos from our garden.

[Maggi Young]

Just posted a few photos in the Galanthus thread but thought the following might be a bit too bright to belong there .  Galanthus and company .

  Good idea not to over-excite the 'drop fiends with colour, t00lie - they're easily  over- heated!

[t00lie]

 

  Good idea not to over-excite the 'drop fiends with colour, t00lie - they're easily  over- heated!

 

[t00lie]

Pleased to see the your Trillium pic Graham ,mine are just starting to bloom with 'Mr Reliable' one of the first to flower each season ..

T.kurabayashii originally from seed .

[Lesley Cox]

Jaqui I seriously like your double Hell. niger plant, not TOO double, enough to be classy, not enough to be vulgar.

Marcus/Dave, your weather is much like mine, everything wet, wet, wet and so cold. We just can't seem to shake off winter this year. When I went to Hokonui Alpines the other day while there were odd things coming along, the only real "show" was Louise's collection of porophyllum saxifragas, all grouped together in good big potfuls and looking amazing. Of course I hadn't taken my camera. But I brought home lots of little plants.

Had a call from NZ Gardener magazine this morning. They're in Dunedin photographing for an article about local gardens. Wanted to do mine so I told caller about the empty beds of battered soil and surface water lying about. She agreed that maybe next year would be better! However, we chatted about this and that and MAYBE (only maybe) a future of fame and fortune awaits me as a new correspondent on South Island gardens, especially alpines/ min bulbs. She'll email when back in her office.

[Jupiter]

I just put in a hellebores Niger like that too. Not usually into double either but this one caught my eye. Jacqui, beautiful plants, Erythronium tuolumnense is gorgeous. You're lucky to like in close proximity to all those wonderful nurseries... Slim pickings over here, I have to be content with mail order.

[t00lie]

Yes I saw part of your order at Hokonui last week Lesley    .Lou, always the sales person, suggested I purchase another couple of plants to top your order however I was already at my max    ....... Superannuation must pay well !.

It would be terrific if an article/s on alpines/small bulbs appeared in the NZ Gardener especially with a mention within of the local alpine garden clubs around.

Here's a potful of Iris winogradowii , 8 blooms with 1 yet to open. Rescued from the garden a few years back where it had declined, if I remember correctly, to a couple of bulbs .Enough in numbers now to try it again elsewhere in the garden proper.       

[Hillview croconut]

What a cheery sight that potful of iris is Dave. Trilliums are barely out of the ground here. 

Lesley, I was looking back over the July thread, as you do, and I came across your two crocus that you wanted ID for. The first one is,  l think,  candidus, and the second is gargaricus. Did gargaricus come from me? It came from Gok Tepe near Denizli in SW Turkey.

Cats and dogs here. Rivers where there were none,  ducks holding up the traffic, great sloshy sprays wiith every footfall.

Hope it's better for Otto and Fermi today - both have garden openings.

Cheers,  Marcus

[Parsla]

Hi Lesley, thank you for noticing - yes it's a beautiful yet understated hellebore, in a patch growing happily under a senkaki maple. Also, congratulations on your potential fame and fortune as a garden correspondent.

Jamus - did you get yours from Peter Leigh as well? He also has  some with patterned leaves, which are quite spectacular even if one isn't a variegation junkie. The erythroniums only come here by post too - but yes, I am lucky to be in proximity to a few wonderful plant nurseries.

Marcus, how did your more exotic fritillaria blooms cope with the storm? Did any survive  for photographs?

Jacqui.