January 2018 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Lesley Cox]

At nearly 10am it seems the year is well on its way already. We have a wonderful programme on our (only) classical music radio station, called "Settling the Score." Listeners can vote for their 3 favourite items and the station plays the top choices between 6am and 8pm on New Year's Day. It means I have to take a radio in some shape or form into the garden with me. Pro tem I'm listening to Schubert's beautiful one movement piano trio in E Flat, called Notturno. It is number 60 of 80. There is some conflict however in that the last of a T/20 cricket series between NZ and the West Indies is to be played today and I can't listen to that and the other at the same time. (We don't have Sky TV and the game is not free to air) but since the Windies have played their tests, one day games and the first 2 T/20s like so many rank amateurs, there's little pleasure anticipated in this last game, so I'll give that a miss I think. England and Pakistan are to play here very soon and at least we can hope for some decent matches. Two are in Dunedin so I'll go to those.

The Pavlova is successful (not always the case) and will be consumed with whipped cream, and piled with raspberries and sliced fresh peaches, following a roast chicken (tarragon under the skin) and our own new potatoes, peas and carrots. After that the weeding will be of the lightest kind I expect.

The day is lovely and the soil still damp from yesterday's welcome rain.

The photo below is from this time last year one and just to say "happy New Year" to everyone. It is just possible that Fermi is yet to post a new item for the beginning of the year. Maybe I've beaten him this time.

[ashley]

Thank you Lesley.  Still a year behind here but all the very best for 2018 to you too.
What a nice mutisia

[Jupiter]

Happy new year everyone.

We notice a HUGE effect of rain water over tap, but I never would have guessed it would be a 'problem' in NZ. Here in Adelaide our mains water is relatively salty, and to add insult to injury we now have a 1.8 billion dollar desalination plant which takes (most of) the salt out of sea water, but unfortunately leaves nearly ALL the boron. Desal water coupled with high temperatures and drought stress is death to plants, especially delicate species from temperate climates. We've installed two rain tanks, totaling 6600L which gets us through the toughest times. It's not a problem this summer thankfully, it just keeps raining! I'm even forced to throw tarps over my oncos and crocuses in pots!

A few pictures from the garden this morning.

1. Matt C. from Mt. Lofty botanic gardens gave me this bog rosemary, Andromeda polifolia. It is settling in to the rock garden nicely.
2. Helichrysum marginatum from seedex seed, getting established but no flowers yet.
3. Otto gave me this lovely Origanum dictamnus, a very compact form. It's flowering its head off at the moment.
4. My little nursery where I (attempt to) raise alpines from seed. I'm growing some on in pots too as an experiment. Good for show and tell.
 

[Maggi Young]

Happy New Year to all you Southern Hemisphere  folks!
Andromeda polifolia is showing a perfect blue tone to the foliage.  Love it.

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Lesley,
you're welcome to start each Thread - the month gets to you guys a couple of hours before us
Here's Ipomopsis rubra from seed from Gardens North a couple of years ago
cheers
fermi

[Paul Cumbleton]

Hi Fermi,
Love your Ipomopsis pictures - one of my favourite plants! It needs a long, warm summer to give of its best here in the UK, but when it does it can be wonderful. Below is a picture of some I grew at Wisley a few years ago. There is a yellow-peachy coloured variant which is also lovely, again pictured below. I still grow the red one , now at home, but I haven't been able to source the yellow one anywhere again. Both can have lovely markings inside the flower as shown in the closer views below. Another of the genus I have grown is Ipomopsis aggregata var attenuata, equally beautiful.

Paul

[Lesley Cox]

My goodness! I thought Ipomopsis were all little plants. Yours Paul are really magnificent. I only ever had one, aggregata I think in the balmy days when we could import any seed many years ago, but it went quite quickly.

Lovely pictures - and plants - as always Jamus, especially Otto's origanum. He always comes up trumps doesn't he? You mentioned a lot of rain. It looks like our small dog when he's been running through wet grass, his fur all wet and streaky.

And very interesting to see Helichrysum marginatum. I don't think we have this here though H. milfordiae, which we knew as marginatum for many years, does very well here in the south, especially in the rainy  times. You'll post a photo in due course I'm sure.

Thanks for your best wishes Ashley. I've been remiss with such things myself recently, having had a couple of bouts in hospital and also trying to refurbish my small nursery. I really should make the hard decision to give it up but can't altogether. What would I do all day?  When there comes a time when I don't want to bother trying something new and exciting I'll know it's that time but not yet. 

[Parsla]

I’ve enjoyed the new year posts from Fermi, Jamus, Leslie and all immensely, and Jamus- your photography is nothing short of magnificent.  Topped only by your artistry with the rock garden. I think you told me you had a good source of local rocks and indeed it shows. It is an inspiration.

Fermi, you have such a selection!

The saxifragas are something I had always hoped to get going and only have a couple. Perhaps next year my seed choice will focus on these.

Just to wish all a happy, safe and adventurous us new year, and to say how much I appreciate the SRGC and the work put in by Maggie, Ian and those stalwarts behind the scenes who look after the seeds and memberships.

[Leucogenes]

Hello, Jamus.

The shown plants look very good... as usual.

I like Helichrysum marginatum particularly. It has a specific feature...the foliage has an intensive pleasant smell. If you touch it carefully with the fingers, you will smell it. If it not dries up, it can well grow.
Here a picture of 2016.

Thomas

[Jupiter]

Thomas, thanks for the info on scented foliage! I had no idea.

Lesley, I would really like to grow H. milfordiae, and I had some seed but nothing grew. It's one of those plants that makes me swoon when I see it in pictures.

Jacqui, they are not easy from seed but you might have more luck than me. The only one I've successfully grown from seed is oppositifolia. I will keep trying too and we can share our successes (and failures).
 

[fermi de Sousa]

I recently got this Codonopsis clematidea and it has produced its first flower.
Currently in a pot, has anyone got advice on where it would be best to be planted?
cheers
fermi

[ian mcdonald]

Fermi, I had one for several years in a raised bed. We have a mild climate in our area with occasional frost in winter.

[fermi de Sousa]

Thank you, Ian,
that's good to know as we usually get frosts each winter.
I'm presuming that it would be best in light shade so I'll hunt out an area that will suit it,
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Look what I found .....

PK and the Shoe Pixie in Dunedin! (photo by Janet Davis)


Panayoti Kelaidis is leading a tour of Americans around New Zealand ( not really any alpine gardens though) and Susan More  nipped along to Dunedin Botanic Gardens to meet up with  him!

[fermi de Sousa]

The lucky pixie! To get to see PK again so soon after the Czech Conference!
It's been sweltering here with temperatures hitting 40^oC and staying over 35^oC for the last 10 days
But where we can supply some irrigation some things are in flower:
1) Galtonia candicans;
2) Aurelian Lilium 'Mimosa Star';
3) Primula kisoana  alba (from last month's "Bunfight" - will it accept life in Central Vic?
4) Eremophila gibbifolia;
5) Chrysocephalum appiculatum 'Desert Flame'
cheers
fermi