November 2015 in the Southern Hemisphere

[t00lie]

Here's one from Lesleys 'stables' from some many many moons ago when she had her 'Gala Plants' nursery up on the hill near Dunedin.

Lathyrus aureus with its orange pea flowers to a clump of about 60cm in height .... as tough as old boots .

[Lesley Cox]

I think it should be L. aurantiacus Dave. Good to see it again.

I have lots of pics to process and post but no time to do them. NZIS Convention starts Friday with (for me) an 11am meeting (expected to end about 5pm!) of National Management Committee. AGM, lectures, visits, meetings etc through until late afternoon Monday. I haven't been to bed before 2am for the last 6 days and am exhausted. Lots of the garden is looking OK but some parts still not, and I hope will be ignored. Irises seem either to have finished or not be out yet. The Meconopsis grandis is good though and other things, especially the lower, rock garden things and the troughs.

[Eljay88]

I got the seed several years ago through the OAGG seed exchange - not sure of the original source. I sort of cleaned myself out
of bulbs this year and will need to build up my stock again. I am hopeful I will be able to get some seed this year but seed set is not always reliable. I have also had issues with Bellevalia seed some turned out not to be Bellevalia when it flowered and I appear to have got a very dark Muscari of some description instead. It seems I have a bit of a queue lining up for bulbs when I can produce some more as I have had several requests.

Many thanks for your reply David. I'll keep hoping for one to get to me in the fullness of time 😊

[t00lie]

I think it should be L. aurantiacus Dave. Good to see it again.

Thanks Lesley .
Not sure about your name as the RHS have Lathyrus vernus aurantiacus listed as a synonym.(however it doesn't seem to identify what of  ).

The 'Plant List' which i use often doesn't have an entry for either  L. aurantiacus or Lathyrus vernus aurantiacus ?. although L.aureus is listed as accepted.

I'm happy to continue using L.aureus in the meantime.

Cheers Dave

[Lesley Cox]

Oh well, I'm not bothered. I know vernus as the purple one though there's a pink and white form too. I think at one time it was listed as Orobus too. Past caring at present, to be honest.

[Parsla]

David thank you for showing the weldenia cuttings. That should prove useful next time I repot. Isn't it interesting that all of them came from Lesley's original plant. Says something about the difficulties in importing plants to Australia and New Zealand and how few people are generous enough to do it.

And thank you Robert for explaining the shad amelanchier connection. Lovely to learn something of the provenance of names.

  jacqui

[Jupiter]

My first Lilium duchartrei opened today and I managed to get this shot before work ahead of the 38°C day we had today. I'm thrilled, it's beautiful thank you Otto.

[Robert]

Jamus,

Lilium duchartrei has done very well for me here in the hot part of California. I am sure the blossoms do not last as long with 38 C heat, however this species has been one of the star performers for me.

Anyway, the lily looks fantastic!

Oh, be careful the stems can break easily. I found this out this past spring when I tried to stake one of the stems.     

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Robert,
if you and Jamus do well with Lilium duchartrei then I must try it again!
I got this new plant from Greg Boldiston at Longinomus Plants: Ixia polystachya; it is supposed to be variable but it doesn't match any of the pics on the Pacific Bulb Society site,
cheers
fermi

[Steve Garvie]

My first Lilium duchartrei opened today and I managed to get this shot before work ahead of the 38°C day we had today. I'm thrilled, it's beautiful thank you Otto.


(Attachment Link)

Cracking looking lily nicely captured!!!

[fermi de Sousa]

Dianthus kuznetzowii, "grown from Rocky Mountain Rare Plants Seed 2006" - still flowering 8 years after initial post in 2007
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=946.msg22931;topicseen#msg22931
cheers
fermi

[Jupiter]

Thanks Steve, I'll take that compliment coming from you, I'm a big fan of your handy work with a camera.

Fermi, I have mine in the area which I run sprinklers on all summer, so I wouldn't necessarily tout its drought tolerance! It came through one summer though so we'll see if it thrives or just survives. Your Ixia polystachya is very elegant. The flowers look quite large, are they?

Robert do you irrigate your Lilium duchartrei? I thought you didn't fuss over your garden and were mean to your plants.


A few from today


Centaurea atropurpurea, just opening



Cynara cardunculus reaching for the sky



Delphinium requienii



Digitalis parviflora



Echinops ritro

[Jupiter]

Fermi, that Dianthus has a lovely tight habit and I like the crisp white flowers. I will add it to my wants list for the rock garden.

[Robert]

Robert do you irrigate your Lilium duchartrei? I thought you didn't fuss over your garden and were mean to your plants.

Jamus,

Me, mean to my plants?    What ever gave you that idea? My wife says that I dote over my plants and garden. Sometimes I am not sure what she means - I dote over the plants or that I am a dote (i.e. archaic)? Maybe both. She also says that I am a plant. 

Now to be serious......   

Yes, I do water my Lilium duchartrei, or more like dote over them. I grow them in containers right now as the rodents would eat them if they were planted out in the garden without wire to protect the bulbs (no time for wire right now).

The whole garden is being transformed around here. Maybe this is where I get the reputation of being mean to my plants! I spent over 35 years creating a species Rhododendron garden. The 4 years of drought and water restrictions (even for farmers) has changed my attitude towards the precious Rhododendrons. Many died due to drought / irrigation restrictions / neglect (being mean to them! ) this past summer.

I have to admit that I am using the concepts of Bill Mollison (i.e. Permaculture) to redesign the garden. I may be ready to ditch the irrigation system, but this does not mean that I will not or do not irrigate. The rodents have been chewing on the irrigation pipes during the drought, another good reason to give up on "irrigation systems". Now, I am replanting with many xeric species and have to admit that it is a relief not having to worry about the irrigation system or if the plants will survive if I miss an irrigation cycle or do not irrigate at all. 

There is a lot of room here at the farm to indulge in all sorts of xeric gardening - even the use of fire to maintain the health of the plants and ecosystem.

I will keep a few of the Rhododendrons (especially some dwarfs that preform well despite the heat) and grow them where it is easy to irrigate them and dote over them. I want the garden to look great and not be a big mess because I can not dote on the plants as I like to.

Progress is slowly being made. I have a gob of California native annuals planted this fall - with a few South African annuals mixed in too. God willing it will all turn out! 

[Jupiter]

Robert, I'm glad we don't have the problem of rodents digging up and eating bulbs. I had cows the other morning in the garden! Thank goodness they hadn't been in long and were standing there bemused and hadn't taken a bite out of anything. I left the gate open after the kids distracted me (they excel at that). I got up and opened the blinds and let out a shout of NO!