April 2009 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

I know the previous topic was "autumn in the SH" but I think April deserves her own thread
Taken in the garden yesterday,
A nice view of some autumn bulbs flowering close to each other,


The ever increasing mound of Salvia chamedryoides recovered quickly from the drought,


And the first flowers of Zephyranthes candida


The Lycoris aurea is still looking fresh,


I posted this pic of Daphne alpina elsewhere, but it's strange that these shrubs have decided to flower both spring and autumn!


cheers
fermi

[Ezeiza]

Hi Fermi:

            Zephyranthes candida flowers in flooded ground. Display depends on the ground being soaking wet.

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Fermi:

            Zephyranthes candida flowers in flooded ground. Display depends on the ground being soaking wet.

Hi Alberto,
We've watered this bed but it hasn't been flooded which may account for the paucity of bloom. I'll try a heavier watering when I can.
Has the change of name to Argyryopsis or whatever was suggested in the Rix and Phillips "Bulbs" book ever been accepted?
cheers
fermi

[Paul T]

Alberto,

Apparently not necessary here either.  I don't have much luck with mine, but I have recently seen a bed of them that is regularly watered (but on a slope, so definitely not flooded) that had hundreds of flowers out at the one time.  Beautiful!!  I am hoping to get some of the bulbs to find out whether it is a different clone to my recalcitrant one that barely flowers.  I also knew someone years ago that grew hers in her chicken pen, and got the most amazing flowering.  Also most definitely not in a flooded situation.

Great pics Fermi.

[Paul T]

Some flowerings in the first couple of days of April....

One of the later Amaryllis belladonna, an Aussie native Crowea exalata growing in my garden (with bee, as seen in the wildlife topic), the white version of Habranthus estensis (as shown in the "autumn" topic), a shorter form of Moraea polystachya that will now flower for months, and lastly a tropic stellata type waterlily that is growing in one of the white buckets featured in my 'Evolution of a Crocus Garden" topic last year. 

Enjoy.

[fermi de Sousa]

Some flowerings in the first couple of days of April....
a shorter form of Moraea polystachya that will now flower for months,

Paul,
you are well ahead of us with the Moraea as there are only leaves showing here so far.
I came home yesterday evening to find a few new flowers out:
Pelargonium quinquelobatum, which I thought I'd lost but has re-appeared as a voluntary seedling in another pot!

The first flowering on a seedling Cyclamen graecum from NARGS Sdx2005 (donated by Ellen Hornig); this one germinated in 2006,

and again this morning,


Merendera montana, now Colchicum montanum, trying to get through the remains of a Minuartia mat!

As the Sternbergia sicula was grown from seed (Rannweig Wallis 1997?) there is a bit of variability,
this clone has starry flowers with thin petals,


While this one has wider petals,


But each is as welcome as the other when they light up the garden.
cheers
fermi

[Lvandelft]

Lovely pictures all together.
Strange though, to see your "autumn" flowering, while the temps. for the first time this year raised above 15 C. here.

[Paul T]

Luit,

Seeing everyone else's Fritillarias, Tulips etc is just as strange for us. 

Very cool though. 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Wonderful pix everyone !
Love your clump of Sternbergia sicula Fermi !!!
It would almost make us long for Autumn...  ... well not really ! 

[maggiepie]

Fermi,I really like the Salvia chamedryoides and glad to see you found a volunteer of Pelargonium quinquelobatum, it is way cute.

Paul, I love your Crowea exalata , it reminds me of boronia, does it have a scent?

[Paul T]

Helen,

Yes, it is closely related to Boronia, but no it doesn't have a scent that I have noticed.

[Ezeiza]

Hi Fermi:


"We've watered this bed but it hasn't been flooded which may account for the paucity of bloom. I'll try a heavier watering when I can.
Has the change of name to Argyryopsis or whatever was suggested in the Rix and Phillips "Bulbs" book ever been accepted?"


Z. candida grows all year in flooded ground, except for the summer when it gets quite dry for the month of February, approx. Foliage is eergreen, in all cases. Then with the first rains of March, the plants flower in incredible profusion. They favor clayey soils. Some populations are only exposed to sunshine during winter and even so flower in autumn in deep shade, when the trees retain all their leaves.

The trend to split the genus has been replaced for a number of years for another in which Argyropsis, Cooperia, Haylockia are all regarded as species of Zephyranthes. Someone is even merging Habranthus into Zephyranthes but this is too far fetched for the time, and will make us change all our labels!


Best
Alberto

[fermi de Sousa]

Otto has asked if I would post some of his pics for him taken in his garden.
click the pix to enlarge them....
Lilium primulinum, the last species to flower in his garden.


And some stunning sternbergias, starting with the greenish shaded S. clusiana


S. sicula

And S. greuteriana,

A very floriferous Cyclamen africanum,


Now for some colchicums,
A C. speciosum with a large white centre,


C. polyphyllum,

C. lusitanicum,


And lastly one he got as C. troodii (=C. decaisnei) JJA Seed 2002, col. HATAY, Turkey.

But which Otto thinks is definately not C. decaisnei as it has very long stigmas and a pale line down the centre of each tepal - is it C. cilicicum? I'll also post this to the ID section.
cheers
fermi on behalf of Otto.

[Paul T]

Thanks Fermi.  Great plants Otto.  That Lilium is amazing, and so late a flowering!! 

[Armin]

Super pictures from everybody.

Paul,
like the color of the waterlily. Very nice.

Fermi,
excellent collection you have