July 2016 in the Southern Hemisphere

[bimison]

Ok, that didn't go well- 1st time posting pics. Apologies. I clicked 'expandable thumbnails' for the files, but they have been added at the end after full size images.

Help please?

[Anthony Darby]

Superb photos. Don't often get contrabassoonists on the forum. 

[Parsla]

Gosh they ARE lovely bimison.
The Eranthis are gorgeous (I've killed a couple, sadly, so envious).

Maggie, thank you for the advice on Muscari. Perhaps I have two species mixed in together.
The one in the background is much yellower.

Here it is in close up. sad little spike, but i moved them at the end of last season which may explain.

jacqui.

[fermi de Sousa]

Glad to have you back, Brock,
excellent pics to brighten up the dreary weather!
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Ok, that didn't go well- 1st time posting pics. Apologies. I clicked 'expandable thumbnails' for the files, but they have been added at the end after full size images.

Help please?

Hi, bimison!  Don't know quite how you managed to add so many pix - but never mind!  Basically  a set of square brackets with attachimg=x   gives a full size image , while  a set of square brackets with attach=x gives an expandable  thumbnail - either of which you can position withing the text of your post.  The default is "End-of-post expandable thumbnail" which adds the thumbnails at the end of a post.
Hope that helps !

With some of the weather we've had here lately it is oddly comforting to see snow in Australia!

[Anthony Darby]

With some of the weather we've had here lately it is oddly comforting to see snow in Australia!

For the 227th year in a row, winter takes the Aussies by surprise. 

[fermi de Sousa]

For the 227th year in a row, winter takes the Aussies by surprise. 

Because most days are like today clear and sunny with  top of 12.6^oC
The Crocus olivieri ssp olivieri has opened up as has a second flower has opened on Crocus rujanensis which is slightly different to the first
cheers
fermi

[Parsla]

As Fermi says, we had a sparkling, if nippy, day.
It's a nice change though – Melbourne has been very grey of late.

A few bulbs are popping up and I have 3 photos, none of which I am entirely sure of.

1. The first photo is a lone Galanthus that looks like Atkinsii.

2. The second is of a truly beautiful snowdrop with short, broad supervolute leaves. It popped up amongst some crocus tommasinianus last year (it must have come via Otto).
I suspect G. ikarieae, but the leaves are grey rather than green and relatively smooth. The petal markings are chartreuse, rather than green. Can anyone advise?

3.  The third is an Acis of diminutive size (10 cm) and with a slightly more blousy bloom than Acis tingitana.  The label has disappeared (the magpies are mischievous). Could it be A nicaeensis?

[fermi de Sousa]

3.  The third is an Acis of diminutive size (10 cm) and with a slightly more blousy bloom than Acis tingitana.  The label has disappeared (the magpies are mischievous). Could it be A nicaeensis?

Hi Jacqui,
If it's flowering now I suspect it is A.tingitana, as I think A.nicaeensis flowers a bit later.
There is probably a bit of variation in the "blousiness" of the flowers of A. tingitana, especially if grown from seed.

While doing a bit of clearing up I found a flower on a Pulsatilla (probably P. vulgaris) bought in the spring,
cheers
fermi

[Parsla]

Thank you Fermi,

I didn't think I had nicaeensis but it looked quite distinct from the tingitana a few metres away so the confusion arose. 

Glorious dark fuzzy bloom on your pulsatilla.

[fermi de Sousa]

Another Aussie native plant, Grevillea lanigera 'Mt Taboritha form'
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

We're not in the habit of planting strawberries in the rock garden but this 'Tristan Rose' has good colour and we thought it would fit in!
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Pomaderris obcordata 'Mallee Princess' planted 7 years ago in a raised sand bed,
cheers
fermi

[Parsla]

That's quite a dear little shrub, the pomaderris, fermi.

the snowdrops didn't open very far today - perhaps too cold for them.

1. Otto kindly donated a few Sam Arnott and they are now starting to clump up
2. Marcus gave me this beautifully marked Galanthus "Trymlet". I have not yet seen the inner ring.
3. I bought some bulbs from kiera bulbs this year. this is the first one to flower. Narcissus cordubensis hybridised with N. triandrus triandrus. Diminutive and delicate.
4. We had a few minutes of sunshine today. Here is Kerria japonica double making the most of it.

[vivienne Condon]

Hi Jacqui,
I think the unknown Galanthus is G. elwesii with the chartreuse markings and grey leaves. Galanthus ikariae is very distinctive with its broad green leaves and large flowers. The Galanthus elwesii with the lime green yellow markings as I call them is very easy from seed and a seed may have been in the clump that Otto gave you, and it flowers very quickly and loves Australian conditions It could.be a hybrid of G elwesii hope that helps.