July 2018 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

Winter is well and truly entrenched here but after frosty mornings we've been having cool, sunny days - great for gardening
More "early" bulbs are coming into flower:
Colchicum cupanii is in full flower now;
Acis tingitana is just starting to flower;
Hoop Petticoat 'Untschen' from Lawrence Trevanion
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Most Kniphofias are not suitable for the Rock Garden though we do grow some of the smaller summer flowering species in ours.
In our garden the winter flowering varieties tend to get burnt off by the frosts unless like this year the heavy frosts don't occur till after the spikes emerge.
This variety gets called "Winter Cheer" for obvious reasons though we had decided to get rid of them because we don't often get to see the flowers. Thankfully we didn't get many dug out and we're now getting some nice spikes of bright orange "Red Hot Pokers', though this week there'll be a frost every night so that might be the end of them - as can be seen in the second pic
Another variety has also produced a couple of spikes - not sure if this was a purchased plant or a seedling - this one is more yellow and not as tall,
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

1) Mid winter and we have the "Summer Snowflake" in flower!
2) Galanthus elwesii "Green Outer Tips" AKA 'Comet'
3 & 4) WInter flowering Jasminum nudiflorum
5) Winter honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissisma - the best shrub for winter scent in our area as wych-hazels aren't heat hardy enough
cheers
fermi

[Jupiter]

It's been a while since I've posted! Here are some recent flowers from the garden.

1. Crocus tommasinianus
2. C. chrysanthus 'Gypsy girl'
3. Galanthus rizihensis
4. Crocus ? forget
5. The crocus bed with a few early spring species.

[Jupiter]

And a few more.

1. Eranthus hyemalis
2. Four petaled rizehensis
3. Four petaled rizehensis again
4. Saxifraga cochlearis var. minor
5. G. elwesii

[Michael J Barrett]

All our very beautiful Jamus .

[Leucogenes]

...especially the photo of Saxifraga cochlearis var. minor is fantastic. I love to repeat myself...the combination of the plants with the shape and colour of the stones...an absolute work of art.👍

 Just the way I like it.

[Jupiter]

Thank you. I absolutely love the few little Saxifrages I grow here, some from Otto, some from Lynn McGough and Craig Wilson. They are VERY hard to find in Australia.

Here is Saxifraga paniculata minutifolia, which is putting on some growth at the moment... very slowly!

[Yann]

That's funny to see this cochlearis growing 13000km from it's mountains
I don't doubt how difficult it should be to source in your country.

[Jupiter]

Yes I agree Yann! Funny in a good way... I need more of this kind of funny in my life.   I'm trying from seed but not much luck... there's some piece of the puzzle I'm missing.

[arillady]

So love that winter honeysuckle. It catches me by surprise every winter when I wonder from where that beautiful scent is emanating.
Thank you Fermi for the name of the Moraea which is such a great asset with its continuous flowering for so long.
Iris planifolia flowering well.

[fermi de Sousa]

Iris planifolia flowering well.

Wow, Pat,
they look wonderful!
Ours are only just poking their noses above the gravel
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Iris planifolia flowering well.

Understatement of the week!

[fermi de Sousa]

A few Australian native plants in flower now:
1) Dryandra sp
2) Correa pulchella prostrate orange form
3) Eremophila glabra good grey leave form
4 & 5) Pomaderris obcordata
cheers
fermi

[arillady]

I think this is a little Scilla (?) that I may have posted a few years ago when it was only a couple of flowers. It is now only about 3 to 4 cm tall but lots more flowers on the stem.