June 2016 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Jupiter]

Euphorbia flanaganii

[Lesley Cox]

Good luck with it Viv. I hope you and all my Aussie friends are well away from this filthy weather Australia's east is having at present. The world's weather has lost all predictability and no season can be relied upon to behave as it should. Your weather is coming our way but will have lost its viciousness by the time we get it - I hope. Anyway, keep warm and dry and cheerful if you can.

[Jupiter]

I have recently acquired a few dwarf willows, some from Otto and one from Trevor Nottle here in Adelaide. They are all dormant at the moment and I don't know much about them, but I'll be sure to try to get positive identifications on the ones I"m growing and pass on the info to you Vivienne.

[Otto Fauser]

Viv and Lesley , my brain is working again :the dwarf willow is Salix fruticulosa , which has at least 2 synonyms S. hylematica  and S. serpyllum . bearing charming small reddish catkins in spring .
Steady rain here but fortunately no deluge and floods here as along the eastern coast line .

[Lesley Cox]

That's good Otto that you are safe, and high if not dry. Hopefully all others are too.
Also glad your brain has swung into action about the little willow. S. hylametica is a gem even if a rather generous one. I have a friend her with a single plant nearly 4 metres in width as it has crept along and rooted as it goes but the catkins are lovely. I didn't know the name fruticulosa. I think a different species is grown here, or was, as S. serpyllum.

The late Stewart Preston near Dunedin had a number which were not in general cultivation here and some had incredibly good catkins but I don't know what happened to them when he died 3 years ago.

[vivienne Condon]

Thank you Jamus I will be very pleased to hear what you are growing and Trevor as well. I am worried we have lost Salix repens, and Salix reticulata which were two of my favourites unless some one has it in Tasmania.
Very cold and wet Lesley and no power today as they are putting up new electricity poles, cement for the bush fires, thank goodness we haven't had all that wild weather but we seem to have lost a few people. They insist on driving through flood waters. I would like to know what Salix Stewart Preston was growing would Susan know? Thanks Lesley.

[ashley]

Sorry for the intrusion but does anyone here grow Drymophila cyanocarpa and might spare a few seeds?
Marcus Harvey kindly sent me some a few years ago but I didn't manage to get any germination, so hope to try again.  Advice very welcome.

[Lesley Cox]

Viv I'll ask Susan about Stewart's salix plants. Stewart sometimes was a bit secretive about what he had especially if he thought you might want it! I remember him telling me years ago that the salix species were sent as seed from Canada and the USA.

Weather here in the south continues fine with lovely (though cool (12C) temps,) perfectly sunny and windless days and heavy frosts at night. Another last night with the added bonus of thick fog but by 10am this has cleared. The frost looks like snow on the ground.

[rob krejzl]

Ashley re the Drimophylla:

I know where there's a small patch growing up on Kunanyi (Mt Wellington), and the fruits tend to hang on well into winter. I'll try and make time this weekend to look for you. The seed doesn't require any special treatment as I recall, just simple stratification followed by a spring germination.

[ashley]

That's very good of you Rob; thanks.  I'll send a PM with my address.

[Lesley Cox]

Not really any further forward Viv. Susan is pretty sure that most of Stewart's were (turned out to be) S. hylometica and that yours looks pretty much like that, given it is in going-into-winter foliage, or rather, losing it.

I remember seeing a photo once of S. cascadensis, presumably from the American Cascade Mountains and that has remained forever in my mind even though a million other things have slipped away from it. The salix had large, soft pink catkins like bottle brushes, a wonderful plant.

Yesterday, although our lunch and coffee were pleasant (in a garden centre) and a good chat as always, there wasn't a thing we were tempted to spend money on.

[vivienne Condon]

Thank you Lesley, I will just keep plodding away with the Salix, I knew it would take awhile anyway.

[Jupiter]

G. ikariae looking healthy in bud. This one given to me by Mr. Nottle on our first meeting.


The annual Tropaeolum peregrinum self seeds every year, and although it is yellow I still like it.


Daffodils bursting with promise.


I was given a bunch of red tulips which were display pots at the Royal Adelaide Show. They were being thrown out after the show.


Tropaeolum peltophorum, this year in a hanging pot.

[Jupiter]

This is Ferula lancerotensis, second year (or third?) from seed and hoping for flowers this year.


Leptinella squalida (I love the name) colonising the crevices.


Alpine plants in garden centres!?! I was very happy with this lot. I usually don't take my hands out of my pockets in nurseries, so a nice surprise.
Raoulia australis, Phlox subulata 'Amazing Grace', Scleranthus uniflorus, Erodium reichardii (nice!), Campanula portenschlagiana


Narcissus bulbocodium 'Ben Bler' (thanks Otto)

[Maggi Young]

This is Ferula lancerotensis, second year (or third?) from seed and hoping for flowers this year.

On first glance it looks like a very swanky bonsai!