February 2018 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

What a surprise to see a late flower on Weldenia candida this morning!
This was the plant which I thought I had lost over the winter but a few scraps remained and this one has built up enough to produce a flower!
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Nice new side growth there too Fermi. It takes real effort to lose it.

[Mini bulb lover]

That's a nice surprise Fermi, especially after all the hot weather.

Viv has put some photos online of alpine plants on a recent visit to Mount Kosciuszko (Australia's tallest mountain at 2228 metres / 7309 feet). You can look at them on the AGS Victorian Group blog:

https://agsvicgroup.blogspot.com.au/2018/01/kosciuszko-alpine-plants-it-is-10-years.html

Great photos Viv!

[Maggi Young]

Viv has put some photos online of alpine plants on a recent visit to Mount Kosciuszko (Australia's tallest mountain at 2228 metres / 7309 feet). You can look at them on the AGS Victorian Group blog:

https://agsvicgroup.blogspot.com.au/2018/01/kosciuszko-alpine-plants-it-is-10-years.html

Great photos Viv!

   Hear hear!  Viv's blogs always a delight.

[ashley]

   Hear hear!  Viv's blogs always a delight.

Yes, wonderful to see these Australian alpines  
Thanks Viv.

[ruweiss]

These pictures are really great, most of these plants were unknown to me.
Thanks for showing.

[Otto Fauser]

Viv , great photos of the Mt. Kosiuszko alpine flora . Celmisia pugioniformis  and the small Tasmanian endemic Celmisia saxifraga  grow happily in my garden .

[t00lie]

Great pictures Viv.

Some plants are familiar but a lot aren't...

Never heard of Dichosciadium ranunculatum var ranunculaceum or Leucochrysum albicans subsp alpinum , they both look yummy.

[Leucogenes]

That's how I feel, Dave.  Leucochrysum albicans subsp alpinum I never knew before. Beautiful silvery foliage and fantastic Helichrysum - flowers. Right up my alley. 😉

Thomas

[fermi de Sousa]

After seeing how well Jacqui was growing Roscoea and seeing them in my friend's Gillian's garden in Kyneton (25 km south of here) I thought it might be worth trying them here. I got a Roscoea auriculata from Lynn McGough https://www.lynnsrareplants.com.au/ last year.
It arrived during the hot weather in December and was quickly potted up. Today it produced a flower which was a bit of a surprise,
cheers
fermi

[vivienne Condon]

Thank you everyone for the wonderful feed back on Mt Kosciuszko we always find it a joy to visit but a very long drive from here its about a 6-7hour trip with a stop in the middle many thanks Viv

[David Lyttle]

For those of you who do not have one at home, Amorphophallus titanum flowering at the Dunedin Botanic Gardens. When I photographed it  there was a smell of a dead animal carcass in the vicinity but apparently the smell was a lot stronger earlier on in the previous day. Several thousand people have filed through the greenhouse to look at it. It was very busy yesterday but things were a bit quieter today.

[Lesley Cox]

I visited on Saturday late afternoon and the smell was definitely of wet and stinking shoes, well worn, as recently in my garden in the heat and wet. Utterly disgusting but not of rotting meat. The flower was wider open while the one above seems to have started to close up. I was delighted to see a lot of children present. Surely many will have gained an introductory interest in the plant world.

[Lesley Cox]

I wonder can I.....?
This was the day before or maybe before that (3rd Feb).

[Jupiter]

Amazing plant Lesley and about as far from rock gardening as you can possibly get!? All going well I'll get to see TWO flowering together in a week or so. I'm prepared for the smell.. I think.. 

Speaking of disgusting, the weather is horrible here in Adelaide lately. It hasn't rained for yonks and hot and sunny relentlessly. I'm taking a few losses in the rock garden. I'm very worried about my beloved Silene acaulis. It doesn't look good at all. How are you all fairing over East? Any better in Victoria guys?