February, March, April/Autumn in the southern hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

To complete the hat-trick, a Merendera montana (?now Colchicum montanum) and Acis autumnalis (was Leucojum autumnale); as it's no longer a leucojum can it still qualify as a leucojock??YES! Ian
Last is a poor flower on what I have as Colchicum "Atropurpureum": any comments? If not that, what is it?
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

You'd have to call it a Leuco-aussie Fermi, or perhaps Leukozzie.

[fermi de Sousa]

I'm still hoping for flowers on Leucojum roseum (Acis rosea) this year.
cheers
fermi

[tonyg]

I saw C atropurpureum at RBG Edinburgh last year.  Fantastic DARK pink, almost purple.  Your plant looks about the same size and shape but not the same colour

[t00lie]

I remarked to Thomas recently that i had very few Crocus species and lo and behold this is what i found this week in one of the many troughs i was gifted from up country awhile back --i'm sure not all flowered last autumn so it appears some bulbs took a couple of seasons to adjust to the shift to a moist cooler climate..

Crocus banaticus --lilac ,white and in between

Crocus ??.


Finally--Another Colchicum to accompany Fermes one of a few days ago--

Colchicum autumnale alboplenum

Cheers Dave.

[Paul T]

Great pics Dave and everyone else.  The COlchicum atropurpureum looks right for what I have as that.  Maybe we here in Aus have a lighter colour form?  It always comes down to what was imported or grown from seed here.... so may not be the same as the "normal" for the northern hemisphere.

Love the double white Colchicum.... I had it and Waterlily briefly before they both died.  No idea why they did it but it was a dark day when I found their pots empty!! <sigh>  Almost all my Colchicums have finished now... just C. speciosum album still in flower and lookign stunning.  Also flowering are lots of different Cyclamen, Lycoris radiata (rarely ever flowers for me either in pots or the garden), Nerine species (angulata, masoniorum, humilis, rosea) and a few hybrids, a pink Rhodophiala, Habranthus estensis (a favourite Habranthus of mine), Sternbergia lutea (which apparently may actually be S. sicula, sold in Aus as lutea?), Dahlias, Cannas, Tricyrtis of various colours and types and a few other bits and pieces.  All in all a rather nice little selection about the garden although not majorly colourful due to still being in severe drought despite some small rains which have left the paddocks around here bright green.  We're definitely in what is called a "green drought" here in Canberra.

I too have very few Crocus as yet..... just one little pulchellus out so far.  Having checked a few pots I am thinking that many will not flower but rather have split into smaller corms instead of maturing into flowering size.  Most likely a response to our spring heat and drought at that time. <sigh>  Hopefully the rest of them are still in there though..... I've only checked a few pots of the early things like pulchellus, banaticus etc.  I don't expect any flowers at all from banaticus which is a real shame.  They're a favourite of mine.  my friend Lyn here in Canberra has already had her banaticus flower and finish.... despite being in the same city we can be weeks apart in our flowering of things.  She has a much more protected garden than mine.

Nice to be back up here.  Sorry for the long absence.

[Lesley Cox]

Welcome back Paul, yes, it's been a long time and we've missed you. Hope you are well?

Your C. banaticus are lovely Dave, especially the top dark one. I have the first of my whites out today, in a patch where next door's cat had a dig recently so they're a bit scattered. Also a couple of pulchellus and kotschyanus. Your unknowns above are speciosus.

[Lesley Cox]

Fermi, my Acis roseum are finished now. Just a last couple of flowers at present. I meant to take a pic but didn't get round to it. Trying to get a hundred jobs finished before my holiday.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Thanks for the welcome back.  Not too bad health-wise at the moment thankfully.

Fermi,

My Leucojum roseum are pretty much finished now, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything in regards to yours! LOL

[Lesley Cox]

Three pics of single blooms out now. The crocuses and colchicums haven't really got going yet which means they're quite late. Or dead! One crocus however, is C. mathewii, an import from Tasmania a year ago. I thought it is a spring flowering species? This has a very strong but not particularly pleasant scent.



Then Gladiolus carmineus which seems to flower any time from April through to August. It was late winter last year, mid autumn this year. A mere 15 cms in height.



and finally Gentiana acaulis. This particular plant flowers very palest blue in spring and pure white in autumn. No seed yet.



There will now be a deathly silence from this neck of the woods for the better part of 2 weeks, as I spend time with super friends in Australia. First in the Dandenongs east of Melbourne then in Tasmania and then in the Blue Mountains of NSW. But I expect you will be positively inundated with pictures when I get home on the 20th April.

[David Nicholson]

Lesley, be safe, have a great trip and let's see all the pictures.

[Paddy Tobin]

Lesley,

Looking forward to an interesting post on your return. Enjoy the trip.

Paddy

[David Nicholson]

One specially for Paddy who just loves figures. The "crow flies" distance between Dunedin and Melbourne is 1400 miles or 2253 Km!

[Paddy Tobin]

David,

I refuse to rise to the taunt! Haaaaaaaa

Paddy

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Gladiolus carmineus has just finished here as well.  Still only a couple of Crocus pulchellus here as yet.... my friend Lyn here in Canberra already has had half a dozen species in flower.  Some of them I know will flower for me this year as they do every year, but they aren't even up yet in MY garden despite being finished in hers.  All in the same city. LOL  I love the Crocus mathewii.  I hope mine from Marcus does as well.