April 2017 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Jupiter]

Finally we are getting some autumn weather and some autumn bulbs are responding with blooms. I'm particularly happy with Narcissus obsoletus, my first time seeing flowers of this species. Thank you Fermi for the seeds.

[Jupiter]

Rafa tells me my N. obsoletus is in fact N. decipiens Narcissus deficiens. Label will be changed.

[Lesley Cox]

Anthony D. sent me a few bulbs of Narc. obsoletus which flowered nicely and set seeds too to my pleasure. when sown, they germinated in 3 weeks! The original bulbs are just showing though now, it has been very dry here since beginning of March.

[Jupiter]

It is dry here too Lesley. I'll be out with the hose again tonight.

[David Nicholson]

Anthony D. sent me a few bulbs of Narc. obsoletus..........

He's still alive then?

[Lesley Cox]

He is indeed David and flourishing so far as I can gather. Like me he committed the almost unforgivable sin of going to Facebook (I'm recanting!). He is teaching and doing sports things and his young ones (or daughter anyway,) are going to university this year. He has very recently (with all family and dog) moved into a brand new house in Auckland, and I believe his lizards etc along too so all well there. Why anyone wants to live in Auckland is beyond my understanding but each to his own of course.

[David Nicholson]

Lesley, I was much pleased by the information

[Jupiter]

Crocus pulchellus 'Michael Hoog'. Otto gave me a few bulbs but only two buds. I love the colour and the contrast with the beautiful orange styles.

[anita]

Michael Hoog really is a most beautiful shade of amethyst violet.

[Lesley Cox]

Maybe very high blood pressure or perhaps someone bopped him  on the face? Hope the colour goes down soon. (Sorry, I should have NOTHING to do with David N. )

[David Nicholson]

Moi? 

[anita]

Maybe very high blood pressure or perhaps someone bopped him  on the face? Hope the colour goes down soon. (Sorry, I should have NOTHING to do with David N. )

Very clever Leslie
But on a more serious note when I looked up Michael Hoog to see if the clone/cultivar was named for or by Michael Hoog. But all the references and Janis Ruksan's website - which is probably a reference in its own right say Michael Hoog is a white pulchellus albus selection, Michael selecting one clone of pulchellus albus that was larger than the other flowers.
So it could be that Jamus' Michael Hoog is not Michael Hoog!

[Jupiter]

Could well be. I did notice the same Anita... either Otto mixed the labels or I did. Maybe another one will flower that looks a better match for Michael Hoog, and then we might assume that the tag on the other refers to this one!?

[Jupiter]

Dirk Schnabel over on facebook thinks my amethyst Crocus might be C. serotinus. Otto are you reading this? What do you think, is this a possibility?
 

[Lesley Cox]

I thought perhaps serotinus or what I used to know as asturicus, as (for me anyway) pulchellus flowers without leaves.