December 2016 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Jupiter]

I added martagon album superbum to my seedex order. If I get the seed and am successful growing them I promise to share it with you Jacqui.

[Parsla]

Jamus you are such a sweet person.

I saw a mass planting of a pink Dierama in a front garden the other day. Literally hundreds intermingled with the garden plants. Spectacular en masse.

May have to try it on the Sahara bed.

Jacqui.

[Jupiter]

I'm on holidays! woohoo. Digitalis laevigata, my favourite foxglove, but lanata is pretty nice... okay equal favourite foxglove.

[fermi de Sousa]

Lucky you, Jamus,
some of us have to keep the economy going
I like your foxgloves and must try some again - we have enough trouble with Digitalis purpurea, which we saw growing prolifically in Tasmania - quite a different climate to ours. Speaking of Tassie, while at Kaydale Lesley weeded out some alliums from the rock-garden which I couldn't identify - they are now in bloom (sorry for the out-of-focus pic  ) and I think they are Allium saxatile (and yes, it can be weedy ) which I already grow but it's not as vigorous as the ones from Tassie. Amarlie will be pleased to know that a viola has germinated in the pot!
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

A couple of posts by Lesley and Ashley moved  here: http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11408.msg368533#msg368533   

 

[ashley]

Thanks very much Maggi

Beautiful foxgloves Jamus

[Jupiter]

Fermi, I can confirm that ferruguinea, lanata, parviflora and laevigata are tougher customers, more suited to heat and drought than purpurea, by a mile. The usual story, purpurea has been selected by the English horticulturalists for suitability to the uk climate, and somehow that's supposed to be a recommendation for us?   

[fermi de Sousa]

1) Some of the Eremophilas in the garden (definitely not for the rock garden):
2) Eremophila polyclada x bignoniiflora;
3) Eremophila 'Summertime Blue';
4) Eremophila 'Augusta Storm';
5) red hybrid, possibly Eremophila calorhabdos x splendens;
cheers
fermi

[johnralphcarpenter]

Another genus I hadn't heard of before!

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Ralph,
not sure how many would be grown in the UK but I found this link: http://www.plantbase.co.uk/scrubland.htm so at least one is!
If you search the Forum you will find other pics,
cheers
fermi

[GordonT]

Hello Jamus and Fermi,

Do either of you grow Digitalis obscura? If not, I may have some seeds to send you (if they are able to make it through Australian quarantine clearance). Let me know if this is of interest to either of you. Cheers from wintery Nova Scotia (was -22C  with snow squalls three days ago and a rainy +12C yesterday... a bit mixed up as far as I'm concerned)

[johnralphcarpenter]

Hi Ralph,
not sure how many would be grown in the UK but I found this link: http://www.plantbase.co.uk/scrubland.htm so at least one is!
If you search the Forum you will find other pics,
cheers
fermi

Ah yes, Plantbase. I know them, vast range of plants, and not far from here.

[johnw]

Cheers from wintery Nova Scotia (was -22C  with snow squalls three days ago and a rainy +12C yesterday... a bit mixed up as far as I'm concerned)

Gordon  - Was it really that cold where you are or was that with the windchill?  If the former then I don't understand your climate down there even though you are a good distance from the ocean.  That big Blue Atlas cedar near the vineyard must be one very tough customer.


johnw

[GordonT]

John, that -22 was simply reading the thermometer outside our window. Our cold comes from two things, distance from the Annapolis Basin, and elevation. The Bay of Fundy and Annapolis Basin have less influence here. We tend to be measurably colder in the winter and warmer in the summer than Jill's nursery, not 20 minutes away from us, but situated on the Basin.

We also have an Atlas Cedar that is doing quite well. Even in the winter of 2014-15, when we had plenty of time at, or below -24C, it survived.... mind you, all the needles burnt off, but were replaced by new growth in Spring.

[Jupiter]

Hi Gordon, I would love some seed of D. obscura. I've tried it before and failed, but it should like our climate in the right spot, so I'm keen to try again. I'm sending you a pm now. It should be no problem through quarantine... on a good day. 

Intricate flower buds of a Centaurea I grow of uncertain identity, possibly C. nervosa.