June 2009 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Paul T]

Fermi,

I don't think you'll find the Hakea anywhere.  Very, very small colony of the plant and my friend had permission to collect seed to provide to a few of the Aus native experts.  The seed from memory takes 5 or 7 years to mature, but his are a couple of the very few in "captivity".  Amazing plant!!

Would Fongarid work on fern spores?

[Ragged Robin]

And Hakea bakeriana, a shot of the whole plant and a shot of how the flowers come directly from the trunk.  Very cool. 

Really glad you posted the photos you took of your friend's garden, Paul, its' another world and absolutely fascinating!  The CU of the Hakea bakeriana flower is like a pink firework and the ferns like statues 

[annew]

Very interesting, Paul. The Hakea is fascinating, and the Platyceriums look like invaders from another world!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Such amazing postings from down under !! 

I had never heard from or seen a three Dahlia before - awesome plants Paul !!!  Pity they flower so late in the season that they get frost bitten... are they native to your part of the world ??

Thanks for showing all these rarities ! 

[Lesley Cox]

The weather in OZ still looks pretty nice. A bit different here this morning, with some snow overnight.




Two pics of a pot of Nerine flexuosa alba. Good to have this in flower in mid winter but I don't think it expected this.


Salvia confertiflora outside the kitchen window in a little frost-free alcove but the snow got in here.


And some doggy pics to finish before I (and they) retire towards the fireplace.

Teddy in the snow. He loves to eat it and it sticks to his woolly beard.


Cain gets a coatful and shakes it off once he comes into the house.





It's snowing heavily as I type and the Tropaeolum ciliatum on a fence across the garden looks like Hydrangea petiolaris with big bunches of white Snow flowers.

[Paul T]

I warned you, Lesley!  Told you you'd get snow. 

I posted a response in this topic last night, which is no longer showing.  Have we had a rebuild of the system overnight or something?  It was in response to where the Dahlias came from.  I'll sort of repeat it here.........

Dahlias as far as I know originate from the Mexico area. Dahlia excelsa (which I posted a pic of a flower) should flower a couple of months earlier than the imperialis, if they get enough water to do so.  The last couple of years they haven't had enough water and they have flowered very late.  For those in cooler climates the excelsa would be the way to go.  They grow really easily from cuttings too.

No idea where that response went, but it was close to what I've included here.  More or less. 

[Ragged Robin]

Lesley, what a shock to the system for you and for us to see these snowy pics from your garden - we've only just come out of the cold and I felt like putting a woolly on to view your postings    Your dogs seem to be enjoying the snow, ours loves it too - I wonder why it makes them so playful; we all seem to be kids in the snow?   

Would like to see more pics of your winter garden shapes (if I can find that woolly)

[Maggi Young]

I posted a response in this topic last night, which is no longer showing.  Have we had a rebuild of the system overnight or something?  It was in response to where the Dahlias came from.  I'll sort of repeat it here.........

Don't know what has happened, Paul..... 


That snow looks too cold for me at this time of year, Lesley, no wonder so many  Kiwis visit here for our summer!
Teddy is growing at speed isn't he? I like his rough coat.... makes him look very butch 

[Paul T]

It's weird Maggi.  I 100% guarantee I posted a message here that has gone without my knowledge.  Doesn't really matter in the scheme of things, but I do wonder how many others may disappear from more transient visitors who don't notice there post has gone missing (that is of course if this is not just a one-off occurrence with my post).    Very strange. 

[Maggi Young]

Fred says that sometimes a post may go missing if the server is refreshing at exactly the time a post is made, I think, so that may be what happened.

[Lesley Cox]

Yes Maggi, Teddy is growing VERY quickly. When he had his stitches out on Satuday, the vet couldn't find them because the hairs on what remained had grown so long. He gets hairier every day and his little beard is longer than Roger's now. He's a real armful to pick up but I'm pleased to say, likes to be lifted and have a cuddle. Very fond of toast and honey too.

[fermi de Sousa]

Fermi,
If the Nerine has a long slender stem to the scape it could be N. undulata?  How big are the flowers?

Hi Paul,
here's a pic to compare this nerine (presumably N. undulata) to what I think is the pink form of N. flexuosa (which would make it N. humilis)

Also in flower is the white form of Massonia depressa while the red is still in bud,




cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

I only have Massonia depressa and the buds didn't open properly last year. I think I should pot it and put it somewhere safer over winter. It's in a raised bed at present. Haven't seen it since the snow (still under cover here) so I hope it's still alive and not turned to mush.

[Paul T]

Massonia depressa is still to open here for me.  I only have it and M. jasminiflora as adult plants, as yet.  I have a few other seedlings coming along, including hopefully some proper pustulata with good leaves..... grown it a few times from seeds but so far only smooth leaves.  Not flowered any of them as yet to know for sure what they are.

So Fermi, how is your lovely red one going?  Did you get seeds and seedlings from it last year?  I know you showed us what looked like seed forming at one point.  Here's hoping you were successful and the seedlings have come up OK.  That colour was spectacular and needs to be spread around the place.  Such a good strong red.

[fermi de Sousa]

Massonia depressa is still to open here for me. So Fermi, how is your lovely red one going?  Did you get seeds and seedlings from it last year?  I know you showed us what looked like seed forming at one point.  Here's hoping you were successful and the seedlings have come up OK.  That colour was spectacular and needs to be spread around the place.  Such a good strong red.

Very disappointingly none of the seedpods contained any viable seed - actually nothing at all! I wonder if it was because it was self-pollinated: enough to set off pod production but not enough to form seed. It will open well after the white though, so no chance of crossing them unless I can save some pollen. But would the colour come out any good? I'll try half and half perhaps, but how to differentiate between the (possible) seed?
Any suggestions?
P.S. Paul, you know you're on "the list" if any seed are produced!
cheers
fermi