September 2015 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Jupiter]

Thanks for the warning regarding T. longicaulis Otto. I will steel myself for a fight. I'll be going to see Dannie later in the week to pick up a Dodecatheon. I'll mention that you're in the market for a Fritillaria persica.

[Parsla]

Thank you Otto – I would really appreciate the instruction. And such beautiful trilliums in the photos –the dark one is very special. I shall heed your warnings re the thymus!

Your generous box of treasures is all planted out and the newcomers seem to be settling into the garden beds. Very exciting! Also the fresh seeds gathered from one of your martagons in April are sprouting! Fingers crossed they keep going long enough to form bulblets.

Marcus, what a glorious show: daphne, primula and corydalis. Not at all out of focus.

1. Contrasting foliage of Anthriscus sylvestris “ravenswing”, the monkshood Aconitum delphinifolium and the dainty Geranium macrorrhizum “snow sprite”.
2. The rose bed is only now bursting into life. Only foliage as yet, except for the allium neapolitanum that has been flowering happily for a month.
3. An exceptionally graceful Japanese epimedium cultivar that I recently divided, anticipating the worst. All three ‘babies’ are flourishing!
4. This helleborus sternii donated by Marcus has the prettiest foliage I have seen. It is only a young plant as yet.

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Jacqui,

Wow! What a beautiful slew of plants.  I love the first picture with the contrasting foliage. Where did you get that aconitum? I gave one to Suzie last year and now it's thriving. It was a gift from Essie Huxley many moons ago.  I didn't know it was around.

Cheers,  Marcus

[rob krejzl]

Thanks Jamus for the details of Dannie's Frit . persica . Like F. imperialis a long time to reach the flowering stage : 7-8 years here . Would she consider selling a bulb or two to me ?

Otto, is it the particular form you're after? If not, I could give you a bulb or two.

[Parsla]

Hi Marcus, thanks.

I love the foliage too.

In that photo, the geranium was from Dan Magnus at Woodbridge nursery, the anthriscus I believe from you and he aconitum from Shirley and Jane Tonkin.

The foliage on your helleborus sternii is a goodly step up on that of H. argutifolius, which I have always thought beautiful.

Jacqui.

[Rogan]

Sorry for not talking about plants this time but, every time I see Jamus' signature I smile, because it reminds me of my favourite short poem by Emily Dickinson:

“I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there’s a pair of us—don’t tell!
They’d banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!”


― Emily Dickinson, The Complete Poems   

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Guys,

Just a few more random snaps I had in my September file.

Tulipa Purissima - Common fosteriana selection but I have come to like more and more.

Trillium albidum - an outstanding species

Fritillaria kotschyana  - a weirdly variable species from Azerbaijan. This an Archibald collection. It looks vigorous but it has very poor pollen production and so hard to obtain viable seed.

Cheers, Marcus

[Parsla]

Love the poem Rogan.
It brings fond memories of when my mother read us poems and stories at bedtime.

Purissima is a really nice tulip Marcus. Lovely classical form but with a hint of the untamed.
And that trillium would be gorgeous in any setting.

[Jupiter]

Thank you for that little poem Rogan, I hadn't heard that before. I love it! I keep bumping into enormous egos and it endlessly grates on me, hence my self depreciating signature. You'd think a pass-time like gardening would be fairly relaxed and amicable and cordial, but I keep meeting folks who garden like it's an Olympic sport.

Here are a few weeds from my garden which pleased me today.



Ferarria crispa is a strange and beautiful thing...


Trachystemon orientalis is a new favourite of mine in the woodland garden.


Papaver atlanticum ages gracefully...


Not flowering yet but I couldn't resist posting early - Aquilegia saximontana is going to bloom in the rock garden!


The latest pacific coast hybrid to bloom. Some here will call it showy, but I like it.

[Jupiter]

These are sown now... it'll be nice if I get seedlings from my own plants.


Rebecca grows a patch of Nuncs every year. They are very bright and springish; I particularly enjoy the reds.

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Jacqui, I have a few seedlings of Trillium albidum in a pot. You can have them when you come down.  I can't give you any of my pink grandiflorum but if any of their seeds germinate you're welcome to them.  Just gotta remember where I put them

Jamus your photographs are stunning and have made me look differently at a number of plants I wouldn't have have given a second glance.  Love your soil-printed hand and the galanthus seeds and pod.  Hard won treasure ... prodigious instruction distilled within ... a love letter that will give you twice the pleasure because it takes a little longer to arrive.

Cheers,  Marcus

[Jupiter]

My hands are frequently wrecked from rock gardening without gloves, but they heal within a week; just in time for the next weekend's abrasive, erosive punishment. Rebecca doesn't mind my "brick layer's hands". Lucky for me she doesn't wear nylon stockings!

I apologise for posting ordinary garden plants but I'd rather post a nice photograph of a common plant than a bad one of a rare plant... that's just me.

I had a visit today from Richard Illman. Some of you may have met him or crossed paths with him?  Always nice to talk with a fellow plantsman. Someone who appreciates my garden for more than just a pretty space.

[Parsla]

Hi jamus,

Which ordinary plants? You have a most unusual bunch of critters. If you mean the ranunculus - they are gorgeous. Such a deep red. I might try some next season.

I've always thought the ferraria quite bizarre - yet in your hands there is a sheen to it. The aquilegia looks like a tiny blue squid!

Marcus, you are generous. Would really love to try some trillium albidus.

Jacqui.

[johnralphcarpenter]

I apologise for posting ordinary garden plants....

There's no such thing, Jamus, they're all special!

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Jamus,

My previous (clumsy) comment was not intended as a slight but apologies anyway.  We all have our predelictions.  My comment was purely based on that not and on whether it was common or otherwise.

Your skills as gardener and photographer are sublime.

Cheers,  Marcus

PS I can't take anything but bad photos