December 2024 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

It's officially summer in Australia and we're going through the usual turmoil of weather that can't make up its mind to be hot and dry or hot and wet
It's the worst time to be a dormant bulb when a sudden rain-shower saturated the soil/potting mix and then the sun heats everything to cook you and introduce rots!
Here are a few things still hanging on before the sun fries them:
1) Conanthera trimaculata
2) Callirhoe involucrata
3) Ornithogalum dubium
4) Campanula zanzegura
5) Clematis campaniflora
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Lovely to see these, fermi. I think the blue of the  Conanthera trimaculata is gorgeous!

[Carolyn]

Yes, i agree with Maggi, beautiful blue Conanthera. I see that it is not frost hardy though…. pity!

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Maggi and Carolyn,
I fell in love with Conanthera at my very first AGS Vic Group meeting when someone exhibited Conanthera bifolia. I first saw Conanthera trimaculata at Kew when Tony Hall showed me around the Bulb House.
Here are some more "blues":
1) Campanula zanzegura growing in a trough
2) a Hebe hybrid
3 & 4) Brodiaea coronaria grown from seed from NARGs
cheers
fermi

[Robert]

Hi Fermi,

It is nice to see Brodiaea coronaria blooming in your garden.

Thank you for sharing information about the climatic conditions in your area. If I understand correctly your climatic region has some Mediterranean aspects as well as occasions with sub-tropical, summertime humid type weather. It appears that you have the potential to get much more summertime precipitation than we get here in our part of Northern California.

I do have a few questions regarding your Brodiaea coronaria specimen. I understand that you are extremely busy, so if you do not have the time to answer my questions it is completely understandable.

By any chance do you know the origins or history of your Brodiaea coronaria seeds? I am looking for information much more detailed than “it came from the NARGS Seed exchange.” Brodiaea coronaria has a large range from Central California northward to British Columbia. I consider the maritime climate of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia to be much different from that of interior Northern California. A species can make considerable adjustments based on climatic variables. I see this all the time in my field studies. By any chance do you know from what region your seed was derived? Was it wild collected seed? If of garden origin, where did the seeds come from? If of garden origin, how many generations removed are they from wild derived seed, and were the plants grown with other species of Brodiaea? Concerning Brodiaea coronaria, the University of California/Jepson Herbaria states, “Morphologically variable; Populations may represent separate lineages of hybrid origin. Study needed”. Based on my field studies the situation may be much more complicated. Certainly much more study is needed. Seeds and plants of garden origin can further complicate an already complicated situation. I completely understand if you do not have this information, but I thought I would at least ask. For me these are important things to consider.

A few more questions:

How long have you grown Brodiaea coronaria? Does it bloom consistently for you, or is this the first time it has bloomed for you? Does it tolerate summertime irrigation? Some Themidaceae are tolerant of summertime irrigation.

Good fortune with your garden this summer.

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Robert,
my records are not very accurate unfortunately.
I only have recorded the Brodiaea cornonaria as having come from the 2004 NARGS Seedex and donated by Dave Brown. If I can find the relevant catalogue I might be able to see if it was wild collected or from the garden,
cheers
fermi

[Robert]

Hi Fermi,

Thank you for providing whatever information you can about the origins and performance of Brodiaea coronaria in your garden. For the most part, I rely on my botanical field observations and data gained in our garden to evaluate the wider horticultural potential of many of the native plants Jasmin and I grow in our garden.

Hopefully for the better, I have spent the past 57 years as a dedicated record/statistic keeper. My climatic data has been computerized for some time now, however I am still working on getting the last 30 years of hand written botanical field observations computerized. Statistical analysis of the data is slowly paying off with improved plant performance in our garden. The discovery of valuable horticultural traits that add variety and interest to our garden is another bonus. I am thankful to be completely retired from “working to make money” and can now devote my time and energy playing around with plants in a way I enjoy. There is a whole world of seemingly infinite variety within each plant species. Clearly, it is this aspect of horticulture I find fulfilling. Thank you again for helping me along the way.