Almost Spring in the Southern Hemisphere

[David Nicholson]

Yes, I'm sure it's not easy, not a problem for me being the weak silent type!

[Paul T]

Of course David, of course!! 

[Lesley Cox]

David,

It is all about selecting which bits to say.  I did a small talk at a garden club a couple of hours north or here last month, and it was trying to keep it down to the 40 minutes that was the problem.  I warned them at the time that my friends would tell them that I could talk under water, so they were warned.  As it happens I completed discussion of each of the 70 pictures and only ran about 2 minutes over.  Pretty amazing for me!!    So it really is trying to work out which bits to say and which bits not to, and I'm assuming the same would apply to Lesley.

No, I've finished my notes now and I plan to go on a bit. What time do the pubs close in Aussie?

[David Nicholson]

Do they close at all in Aussie, I thought they were a very sophisticated nation?

[t00lie]

A few things on the move here.

----A couple of Corydalis solida currently in bloom for the first time.

From seed of C. solida George Baker sown feb 06 x NARGS .I'm keen to have a go at pollinating this with a small paint brush as it is such a lovely red.

Then from seed of C solida mixed (no further info as label has faded--sigh!), a nice cream form with just the slightest tinge of lavender .

----Also first flowering of Iris unguicularis ssp cretensis sown july 04 x NZAGS ,although i wonder if that is correct ?.

Cheers dave.

[Lesley Cox]

Your I. cretensis looks right Dave. More than mine did. It turned out to be I. sibirica! The red corydalis is splendid.

[Lesley Cox]

Do they close at all in Aussie, I thought they were a very sophisticated nation?

I thought I'd ramble on indefinitely David and stop people going for a drink after As for being a sophisticated nation, pub-wise, they, like NZ have a real problem with teenage binge drinkers and believe me there's nothing sophisticated about THEM at all, at 4 in the morning, throwing up everywhere. In my opinion, pubs down under are open WAY too long!

[Paul T]

Dave,

That red Corydalis solida is stunning.  I guess that means that all my seedlings have died out now, if I don't have them obviously growing?  Is this the time that C. solida should be well up and growing then?  No signs of Corydalis amongst my seed pots, so looks like they're gone.  Must search out which pot they "should" have been in to check.  Such a shame.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great Corydalis Dave !!

[t00lie]

Thanks Luc, Paul and Lesley.

Paul -- although all of my C.solida are up ,not all are in full flower yet.The mixed patch ,(where i located the cream one), has a few plants of different colours yet to fully open.It will be interesting to see what eventuates .

C. solida seem to enjoy our cool moist woodland garden.While easy to grow, i understand drying out at certain stages of their growth can be fatal.

C. paczoskii has flowered and is in seed.

Cheers dave.

[Lesley Cox]

Don't give up quite yet Paul. My C. solida seedlings are still coming through. The seed (from the UK and Sweden) took 11 months to germinate from VERY fresh seed.

[Otto Fauser]

Dave,
 your Corydalis solida  seedlings are a stunning colour ,they have more orange in the red , than my C. s. 'George Baker', which I imported from England many years ago , mine should be in flower next week , strange that the southern tip of N.Z. is ahead of Australia in flowering. Your Iris u. ssp. cretensis looks identical to mine.
   Angie Orpin told me today that the seeds you sent are beeing held by our Quarantine ,Tim  will speak to them tomorrow from California.
    Lesley , when you come over next week , do not despair , you will be amongst civilized,cultured Australians !
    Ciao Otto.

[t00lie]

Thanks Otto

We reached 17c here today and i'm pleased to see so far that the colour of the red has not faded.

If the seeds i sent are not released eventually, let me know and i'll see what i can do to send another batch.

Best wishes to all you folk in Aussie for a wonderful conference.

Cheers Dave.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

The C. solida seedlings grew well last year, so it isn't them germinating that I am waiting for.  I know they're one of the pots in the shadehouse, but short of going through them one by one I doubt I will find them unless they shoot (as they'll be different to everything else then).  here's hoping they're still to return.

[fermi de Sousa]

Dave,
lovely red corydalis!
Here are a few things from our garden over the weekend,
the first flower on Cyclamen libanoticum,

And the first flowering on a scilla raised from seed as S. ingridae,

Can anyone verify this?

And more daffs, of course! This "Little Tyke" looks all tuckered out!

And this clump of "Tracey" has done well over the last few years.

And a "new" Reticulata Iris for me is "Pixie"

cheers
fermi