August 2017 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Maggi Young]

A nice surprise yesterday. Romulea sabulosa.

Ooh!  Great pix, Jamus. Isn't the colour fantastic - like  a fine silk!

[Otto Fauser]

JAMUS , my picture gallery is functioning again : a photo of Eupherbia rigida as it grows in my garden.also a few early flowering bulbous Irises . I. planifolia is always the first of the  Junos to come into bloom here . This collected I. danfordiae (J.J.A.) is rather odd with 4falls, 4 standards etc. Iris bakeriana was raised from Pilous seed collected in Turkey- but to me it looks more like I.ret. ssp. sophenensis - who could enlighten me??

[Jupiter]

Hello Otto!   so good to see your garden again. I love the Junos and retics. I LOVE nicolai. I have some seed of a couple of different collections and I will sow them in the autumn (or embryo culture, I cant decide which).

The reticulated Irises love it in the top part of my rock garden. This one is Violet Beauty, and it has more than doubled in a year.

[Tasmanian Taffy]

Hello Otto, love the pic's of your Iris. It looks like they are in your garden and not in pots, how do you manage to keep them dry in summer if it rains as I believe that Junos must be kept dry in Summer.
Regards, John.

[Jupiter]

Here is a comparison between species Narcissus cyclamineus and Otto's 'Hint of green'. I am wondering if it's a hybrid and if so what with? Otto? Fermi?

[Mini-daffs]

Jamus
It is a hybrid and it is most likely a cross with either a miniature standard reverse bicolor like Gipsy Queen or a miniature standard 1W-W like Candle Power. More likely the latter as the flower looks a bit bigger than the N. cyclamineus and Gipsy Queen is very small.

[fermi de Sousa]

Here is a comparison between species Narcissus cyclamineus and Otto's 'Hint of green'. I am wondering if it's a hybrid and if so what with? Otto? Fermi?

I'm not sure what its parentage is, but I know that Otto has grown 'Second Fiddle' and 'Mitzi' so they are possible parents. Graham's answer sums it up nicely
cheers
fermi

[Jupiter]

Thanks Graham, I like it a lot but won't be too upset if I never know the parentage.

1) the first Ficaria of the year, with a bite out of it.
2) Iris schelkownikowii, about the be transplanted into the raised gravel beds.
3) The first 'Pickwick' of the year
4) Romulea sabulosa, two more flowers out now.

[Tasmanian Taffy]

That Iris Schelkownikowii is a very nice looking Iris Jamus I had to Google it as I have not heard of it before, has it flowered for you yet.
Did you grow it from seed Regards, John.

[Jupiter]

Hi John! Yes it's a beauty. I have grown it from seed given to me by Otto. These oncocyclus irises are notoriously hard to germinate which is why I've been experimenting with embryo culture, which is how the plant in the picture was grown. They might flower in a year or two if I'm lucky... 

[Otto Fauser]

a few more photos from my garden -still cold , wet and winter here : some easy Crocus and Colchicum doerfleri ( hungaricum ) which I like very much in particular the hairy leaf margins .

[Otto Fauser]

and five more : Galanthus 'Corinne' seedling I raised from seed received from Rannveig Wallis  and the Gerry Mundey Primula petiolaris hybrid I have kept alive for more than 30 years .

[t00lie]

Seems all the action is in Aussie with some wonderful images having been shown.

On this side of the 'ditch' spring has also sprung.

Pleased to see this Erythronium caucasicum in bloom and not affected by being shifted while in full flower last season.

Galanthus nivalis viridapice .

Cheers Dave.

[Parsla]

Such a lot of beautiful flowers from Viv, James, Otto, Fermi, and others.

I also took some photo's in Otto's garden a week or two ago that I had meant to post. Better late than never.

First for some hellebores - the lemon is quite unusual in the proportion of the boss of stamens to the petal size. The H. torquatus is a beautiful thing that my photo does not do justice.

Jacqui

[Parsla]

Otto has many mossy rocks that host cyclamen and other tiny delights.
His snowdrop collection is extensive, including treasures i sighted such as Rosemary Burnham and the delightfully picturesque plump one i don't know the name of shown here.