December 2015 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Anthony Darby]

Love that Hibiscus, Anthony.

I'll save seed for the seed ex. Flowers in a 6" pot.

[Jupiter]

My fellow Australian's will know how damaging heatwave conditions can be to gardens, but this one we've just lived through has had some really amazing effects on plants that I've never seen before. The radiation at the peak of the heat was unbelievably intense, especially on Saturday when it hit 44. Our mature Acer negundo has started dropping leaves like autumn time in response to the heat, which happened last year as well but not until Jan-February. We watered very thoroughly throughout the heatwave; a good soaking in the morning and a lighter refresher each evening. Have a look at the following images, all of plants which had ample water at all times, mulched and in good garden soil.

[Lesley Cox]

We had 35C throughout the Day here, or rather, in Dunedin today, an all time record apparent;y. coupled with a very strong nor'west gale, and it's still blowing now, well after 8pm. The temp in my garden reached 39C after lunch. I started watering about 5pm and have just come in now at 8.15 having given life support so far as possible. As yet we have no hosing restrictions but soon, I guess.

Most things are OK as we've had a little rain over many recent nights. The worst sufferers are my little stand of 9 plants of Meconopsis grandis, their leaves wilted and crisped, the stems crashed over in the wind but the seed is still in tact and will continue to ripen I hope. The remaining flowers are a loss though. The tallest stems of Dactylorhiza are fallen over but may recover with the hosing.

In the process of watering I found that the second of my three Pod. delavayi has a flower, quite white, with just a little pink near the centre. Is this usual? The first one was deep red.

My injured hand is aching tonight, more than it has done even on the day I did it.

And there are 4, maybe 5 full pods of seed on Oxalis 'Ione Hecker.' I've put the little seed (jewellery) bags on them. The mesh is small enough to have caught Soldanella pusilla so should work with the oxalis too.

[Anthony Darby]

My goodness. You are getting it hot. Just muggy here, but only about 25ºC in the afternoon. 19ºC just now.

[Jupiter]

Lesley you have my sympathies, I know exactly how you feel (the heat not the hand, I've never broken a bone thank goodness!). You must be crushed at the loss of your meconopsis...    

[Parsla]

Hello all,

Lesley I hope your arm is starting to feel better. Aching is no fun. I do hope you take decent painkillers rather than tough it out.

Like Otto and Jamus, i feel the weather has been far too awful to cope with much of late. In Eltham we peaked at 44 deg on Saturday and 42 on Sunday. But it was the winds that wreaked havoc. Hot northerlies throughout. I watched the scorching in real time - little one could do. Even the citrus and succulents burned. Couple of fatalities  but really not too awful, yet. Heating up again now for christmas.

Your lilies are magnificent Otto, I really don't know how you do it. Very pretty Roscoea.

Amongst the nice things, the weather brought with it an army of hoverflies. Literally thousands for a couple of days. Irritatingly buzzy little wasplike critters, but very good predators of garden pests.

Hydrangeas crispy. Not to mention japanese maples - toasted on top. The roses in the perennial bed suffered badly scorched leaves and blooms, but are now flowering better than before. The oreganums and thymes seem to love the heat.

Just a few - all too depressing

1.  David Austin rose 'peach blossom'
2. Marcus's own oreganum, 'bellissimo' is colouring up beautifully
3. On the back of a scorched citrus leaf - a lacewing is laying - or is that wishful thinking. I bring in the eggs each year to keep aphids and thrips at bay. they seem to keep the cherry/pear slug down as well. Nice to know they are staying around to breed.

Commiserations with you all,
Jacqui.

[Jupiter]

Nice little lacewing Jacqui! We had one here in the house the other day and Isabel was charmed by its delicate wings.

We had the hoverflies too! They must seek out cooler (relatively) spots. I think they are beautiful, they don't creep me out at all. I love watching them fly, just hanging in the air absolutely stationary as if suspended by an invisible line. I should have had a shot at taking some photos, but I was too busy feeling depressed about the heat. I usually watch wildlife documentaries when I'm too depressed to garden. This time it was David Attenborough's new 7 part series, The Hunt. Absolutely beautiful cinematography. The best, clearest, most intimate film of wildlife I've ever seen. Absolutely incredible stuff and I highly recommend it.

[Lesley Cox]

There's no doubt Jamus, Sir David Attenborough seems to get better and better the older he gets! Of course the camera people and all the others do the technical bits and the equipment is second to none, but all in all, the finished products are utterly superb, quite fascinating as well as beautiful. Just as well because nothing else is worth watching on TV at this time of the year. (Except the cricket of course but we don't have Sky, so it's radio for me which means I can garden at the same time.)

Jacqui, I've had a mass of hover flies here too. We usually have a few in the summer but recently they are here in clouds. Hundreds last evening on the Senecio candicans so I'm hoping for some seed. I had a few one year maybe 10 years ago but none since. It has been so good this year because the white felted foliage is untouched by woolly bear caterpillars.

[Robert]

Just had to chime in........

My wife and I completely enjoy David Attenborough's BBC nature programs. We do not have a TV, but we can get the DVDs at our public library and watch them on our computer. As Lesley says, he seems to get better and better the older he gets!        

Ooouuch! 44 C and windy (dry wind I presume) too! 

I remember July of 1987 or maybe it was 1988 we had heat like that. I went on for most of the month of July, 40 C or more every day. Something for the record books that I never want to see again. Even the conifers and some of the native plants burned on the sunny side. It took years for the damage to disappear.

[Jupiter]

I'm really happy that my kids are seeing (or more hearing now days) Attenborough in these documentaries, I grew up with him, my parents love his work so he's really spanning generations and enthusing young people with his infectious passion for nature. I hope that he chooses to do some more plant focused productions before he "retires".

[Anthony Darby]

I grew up watching Peter Scott and David Attenborough. Met the former in 1970 when he was the special guest at the tenth anniversary of Worldwide Butterflies Ltd. (founded and still run by my friend Robert Goodden). I met David Attenborough when got him to sign two copies of Life on Earth when it came out in March 1979. Queued round the block at a book shop in Glasgow, yet he had time to ask what I was doing.

[Parsla]

How extraordinary. Hoverflies must be swarming everywhere this year. As you say Jamus,  they seem to like cooler, or even freshly watered, spots. Sounds like they are good pollinators too Lesley?

I am enjoying the conversation about david attenborough. Such a treasure. He embodies almost everything I admire.  I haven't seen that latest series, which seems like a pleasurable treat for the Christmas holidays. How lovely to have met him Anthony.

And yes, very drying winds Robert. It is a relief the garden toll wasn't much higher.

Happy gardening
Jacqui

[Lesley Cox]

Anthony, my late brother (he died in 1956 aged just 21, of pneumonia I think but caused by muscular dystrophy, Duchennes' syndrome) even though he was young, collected Peter Scott's paintings. All prints of course but I'll never forget the wonderful depictions of birds, especially sea birds and the British marshes and wetlands. It was probably those which first introduced me to the world of natural history. I wonder what happened to them all, about a dozen i suppose. I was just 13 when he died.

[Jeffnz]

One could be forgiven for thinking we were in the opposite season.

[Robert]

Jacui,

Such high temperatures so early in your summer! Is this typical weather in "your neck of the woods"?

Around here extreme temperatures have a cumulative effect on the plants and garden. By autumn many plants (and the garden) can look very washed-out and tired. I have gardened under these conditions my whole life , so finally I more or less accept the climate for what it is. It has taken me awhile to finally wake up and growing mostly species that enjoy these conditions (it seems there is an unlimited number to choose from too). 

I very much appreciated the photographs from your garden (and everyone else too). I enjoy seeing the plant choices that folks make, especially when the climatic conditions are somewhat similar to ours here in California. ... many new ideas! and sometimes even with "common" plants. 

I certainly hope that cooler and perhaps more "normal" weather returns soon.