Calochortus 2009-2010

[fermi de Sousa]

Simon,
there are about 50 species of Calochortus allowed in as seed and I haven't tried them all yet! I'll work at getting a few more allowed in and then try them as well!
In the meantime, Calochortus weedii ssp vestus (syn C. fimbriatus) is still in bud,

so you won't get to see a pic of the open flower till next year!
cheers
fermi

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Looks very promising Fermi !!! 

[Sinchets]

Fermi, are you allowed C.kennedyi? I imagine that would like some parts of Australia very much!

[Lesley Cox]

I'm sure it would. It liked me too for a couple of flowerings then absented itself in a damp year when we had rain in summer autumn and winter as well as the previous and following spring. Such years are just a memory from long ago.

[Paul T]

The pics I've seen of the species are stunning.  Apparently there is also a yellow kennedyi, but the pics I have seen of the orange are breathtaking.

[Sinchets]

The glowing orange one wins everytime for me...

[Lesley Cox]

Or even close to scarlet! Mine was from seed that came to me in a mysterious way I've never figured out. One day an American woman arrived on my doorstep and said she was a real estate agent who was attending a conference in Christchurch and she had been asked to bring to NZ with her, a package of seed for me. The seeds were from Wayne Roderick. Of course I accepted gratefully but I had never in my life had any contact or correspondence with WR (this was about 1982, as I recall) and other than writing to thank him for the seeds, I never have had, since. I can't imagine how he would ever have heard of me or known that I was interested in such things. The package contained several Calochortus species,  erythroniums and frits, all as seed. The woman had hired a rental car and driven the 100 miles from Christchurch to Timaru, in order to give them to me.

[David Nicholson]

Sheer personal magnetism, possibly Lesley

[Lesley Cox]

If I thought that David, I'd have made better use of it over the years.

[Sinchets]

Are you planning an autobiography at some point Lesley? That is a remarkable story!

[Lesley Cox]

No, not really Simon. If I'd gone with my intention of keeping a garden diary through the years, maybe. I've started a garden diary maybe a dozen times and I think only one ever got further than January and not far after that. A pity really because there have been many exciting or interesting or downright scary things happen to me over fifty years of gardening. This is true of all gardeners of course so we should all try to record what happens and our experiences. Thank goodness so many Forumists are happy to share their good and bad times and the many incidents that make up a gardener's life.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

I might have experiences of the negative kind to add in the near future..... I have a young wild rabbit that appears to have taken up residence in my garden.    I'm in the city, we aren't SUPPOSED to get wild rabbits!!    I guess the fact that we have open paddocks and the edge of town within 100m from here is the problem. 

[Maggi Young]

They're very tasty, Paul........

[Paul T]

Yes Maggi, but there is the small problem of legally capturing them within city limits etc.  One can't just put out a rabbit trap, in case someone wanders along and puts their foot in it.  The same goes for shooting the darn thing.    I looked out my office window this morning to find it sitting under a magnolia chewing away on the grass...... at other times of year that area is Galanthus in flower.  

[Maggi Young]

Then if Elf isn't game, you need to borrow Susan Band's Heather or Lesley's Teddy.... Lily doesn't do hunting... though for the next few days I have Molly here... she does!

Or  speak nicely to a neighbour with a really MEAN Siamese......