October 2008 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Paul T]

Fermi,

Fantastic pics.  Different things flowering for you than me at the moment (although we both have the Irises!  ).  Great to see.

Please pass on the best from Yvonne and I to Otto too.  I'd love to phone him but I always get paranoid about waking people when they're convalescing, so please let him know we're thinking of him and hoping him an amazingly quick recovery. 

[Paul T]

Some stuff from my garden at the moment.......


Arum dioscoridis var smithii




This is an Azalea mollis variety which I do not have a name for.  Relatively small flowers (similar in size to the yellow double "Narcissiiflora that I posted pics of last spring) on a fairly compact plant.  This isn't a "hose-in-hose" type, but rather has converted stamen as can be seen in some of the flowers.  I've only ever seen this for sale once, and I have no idea of the name.  Anyone have any idea?



The delightful Fritillaria camschatcensis, the last of the Frits in flower for this year.  My only plant, but it flowers religiously every single year but never sets seed on itself unfortunately.    Must check for rice grains and try to build up numbers in the future as it has never produced an offset as yet and I would so like more of them.


These are some Gazanias that I have growing out on my nature strip.  Never watered, never looked after, they still give us months of flowers.  A great splash of colour.

[Paul T]

And a couple more....


Haberlea rhodopensis (syn. R. fernandi-coburgii), with thanks to Otto for his generosity last year.  Thanks Otto!! 


Moraea lurida


Paeonia officionalis 'Rubra Plena' (unsure whether spelling of species name is correct?) is always difficult to photograph as it never comes out the wonderfully intense colour it is in reality.


One of my Wisteria, this one is Wisteria floribunda 'Alba', standardised onto a rose wheel as most of them are in my garden.



And lastly for this topic is Rhododendron 'Tyermanii'.  Being my name-sake and all it is something I just HAVE to grow.  Have seen it written as a species name as well as a cultivar name in quotes, so I am unsure which is actually is.  Wonderful bark on the trunk, plus these pristine white flowers.  Does anyone know who the Tyerman this was named after was?  It and Davalia tyermannii (silver hares-foot fern) are the only two plants involving my name that I've been able to find.  There are other Rhodos flowering now as well, but not sure if they're of interest or not?

I'll also post a few pics in the Orchid section, and the Iris section.  Enjoy.

[Maggi Young]

Paul, does your namesake rhodo smell as good as it looks?

Please post LOTS os rhodo pix in the Ericaceae section...... need a fix!!

[Lesley Cox]

I do like the Moraea. Lurid indeed.

Paul, Haberlea rhodopensis and H. ferdinandi-coburgi are separate species, not synonyms. The former has slightly smaller flowers and foliage while the latter has glossier leaves. The white virginalis is a var. of rhodopensis.

Maggi, you didn't like my little one of Oct 5th?

[Maggi Young]

Maggi, you didn't like my little one of Oct 5th?

I did indeed, Lesley.... saw it when at the discussion weekend when i had a sneaky peek at what you were all up to, but no time to commnet then!! 
Very charming Rhododendron keiskei cordifolia... (in the Rhodo section of forum) indeed!

[Paddy Tobin]

I am having a rare experience at the moment. Mary has gone to a garden club meeting in Cork, 80 miles away, and John, our youngest is still at school, so a very quiet house here. I have wined and dined on my own, walked the dog in atrocious weather and have enjoyed the last while, with coffee and cake, going back over this thread. What wonderful flowers, really beautiful.

Lesley, your friend Alan's poppies are out of this world, an amazing size and extraordinary flowers.

And, Paul, the Haberlea and Moorea are simply outstanding, absolutely beautiful and perfectly photographed.

Do give my best wishes to Otto. Of course, he won't know from Adam who I am but assure him that an anonymous fellow in Ireland has enjoyed his company through this forum and wishes him well.

Paddy

[Lvandelft]

Paul, Moraea lurida is a beauty!
And the Paeonia officionalis 'Rubra Plena' is the right spelling I think.
Just one o to much.

[johnw]

Paul - Your rhododendron namesake is R. nuttallii x formosum and is an oldie.  Registered in 1889 by J.S. Tyerman, Penlee,Tregony, Cornwall (Previously at Liverpool Botanic Gardens) according to The International Rhododendron Register and Checklist. A real beauty.

Unfortunately I have to live with Weigela.

johnw

[Paul T]

Lesley,

I was just going by Otto's labelling of the Haberlea when he sent it to me, which is why I labeled it that way.

Luit, Paddy, Maggi... glad you're enjoying the pics.

John,

Thanks for the info.  I thought it was an old one, but you can understand my interest in it, given my name.    Lovely bark too, as I mentioned, and slightly furry leaves.  I don't think it has a perfume though Maggi, but I will try to remember to check that for you this afternoon.  I have some cut and kept in the cool at the moment, as we have a Horticultural Society show this weekend and want to put a truss in just to show it.  Not comparable to more modern types, but still lovely.

[Maggi Young]

With that parentage, R. 'Tyermannii ' should have a lovely scent, ...... those are both yummy scented flowers 

[Lesley Cox]

I rather enjoy the fact that Juniperus coxii is the coffin juniper. But I can come a little closer than that in that Rhododendron edgarianum was named for my mother's uncle (or possibly great uncle). He was a doctor with the Chinese Inland Mission.

[johnw]

I have some cut and kept in the cool at the moment, as we have a Horticultural Society show this weekend and want to put a truss in just to show it.  Not comparable to more modern types, but still lovely.

Paul  - You may know the old trick for showing rhodos.  I mention as these nuttallii types are notorious for collapsing just before the judges arrive. Just recut the stem, hit the bottom 4-5 inches of the stem with a hammer to flatten and plunge in hot water, they recover miraculously.

Like Maggi I bet the fragrance is great. And good grief I missed the second bottom picture of 'Tyermanii' - spectacular!  A friend says you can root these Maddenia in water - have you tried it?

Lesley  - Isn't edgarianum rather rare?  If you have it can you post a shot?

johnw

[johnw]

Paul - This may interest you. I was thumbing through Sir Peter Smithers' book Adventures of A Gardener and found a whole section on R. 'Tyermanii'.  He says it is scented and considers it "the finest rhododendronI had ever seen"!  See pages142-144.

He eventually lost his after 10 years and was unable to find it again in Britain. Peter Cave located it in New Zealand and sent him sone material and he re-established it.

He says the "extremely large trumpet flowers looking one directly in the eye". That's what impressed me with your photo - it really has dagger eyes.

Not that I need another tender tub plant, however...

johnw
 

[Paul T]

John,

Thanks for the extra info, particularly re showing them.  No, I didn't know to do that and will definitely keep it in mind.  Yes, the 'Tyermanii' flowers look straight out at you.  As to the size of flowers.... they're large, but nowhere near something like 'Kallista' which has absolutely massive flwoers (just finishing up here).

If you're needing cutting material I can try sending it to you.... or should I try striking some cuttings for you here and then send you a plant if I am successful?    It isn't a small plant though.... it wants to grow to a reasonable size I think.... currently about 7 foot tall, and that is only bevcause I hit it hard a couple of years ago to try to make thicker stems than it had (i.e it was leaning over and not holding the flowers up properly).