June 2009 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Rogan]

Isn't "Stargazer" fun - and very wrong! I've never seen the likes of it before   

[Paul T]

Wow, Fermi.  The Cyclamen hederifolium "Stargazer" is very strange, and yet I just love it!! (OK, I realise no-one is surprised!  ).  And that wonderful Iris acutiloba ssp lineolata.... and flowering now?  Is it always this early?

Thanks for the pics Marcus (and you Fermi for posting them).

[David Nicholson]

Yes, it's very nice but I think I prefer my Cyclamen a little understated!

[Lesley Cox]

The Iris may be an imported one Paul, and out of season. Good to see 'Sunspot' doing so well in Oz. Must write a quick note to Marcus.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Thanks for pointing out the 'Sunspot'.  Do be honest I hadn't even noticed that was what it was as I was drawn to the others.    You want to put a note in for me too when you're contacting Marcus?     I do like that black centre.

[Paul T]

Thought I'd drop in a quick picture here of the Lithops I showed when they were in flower a couple of weeks ago (that photo was taken on the 10th June)
( see here ==> http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3644.msg98191#msg98191 )

They're still flowering madly (this photo taken today), with more buds showing even now.  Should have flowered in March.  

[arillady]

Good to see the flowers from Marcus - I just posted a Crocus that I received from Marcus on the Crocus thread.
Here is two separate Iris planifolia clumps
the single flower is grown from NARGS seed from Spain and the other heathy huge clump (with two different shades of blue) is ex BIS seed from France in 2002

[arillady]

You can see by some of my posts that I can get the gravel in sharp focus

[Maggi Young]

You can see by some of my posts that I can get the gravel in sharp focus

very handy that is, too, Pat! Great for the gravel enthusiasts..... they do exist!!

[Paul T]

Pat,

Are these Junos already in flower for you?  I didn't realise they were so early!  Stunning clumps, of such glorious flowers.  I think I bought a planifolia from Marcus this year (I bought a few junos from Marcus, and right at the moemnt can't remember which species I bought  ), so hopefully it will look as nice in coming years.  The only one up as yet is 'Sindpers', just at ground level, although a friend here in Canberra has hers already up a few inches tall.  Different conditions in different gardens make such a difference.

[Paul T]

Flowering today.

Clematis napaulensis, which I just love as it flowers through winter and the honeyeaters love it and guard it jealously.  These remind me of little green church bells.

I've posted these two Narcissus in the Narcissus topic as well.

Narcissus 'Taffetta' - my clump in the crocus garden.  Yes, a snail has hit one of the flowers. Still putting on a lovely show, and the bee is obviously enjoying itself.
Narcissus viridiflorus - just the one flowering for me, but such a tiny little cutie.

[Onion]

Paul
never heard about Clematis napaulensis . What a eyecathcer. Is it a climbing or a herbaceous Clematis ?

[Paul T]

Uli,

It is a climber, but unlike most of the others is it deciduous in summer, not winter.  First year of growing it I thought it had died, but it came back in autumn and straight into flower.  Good for nectar feeding birds as they regularly patrol past the flowers for a feed (our resident wattlebirds come through every half to an hour).  On occasions you can pic up a faint daphne-like perfume, but conditions need to be just right for that.  If you stick your nose in you can't get anything, but you sometimes get that delicious waft of daphne, knowing that there aren't any around in flower at the moment.  I wouldn't be without it here.  Seeds prolifically, but not many seedlings survive past an inch tall in my climate.  Do get a few which I tend to share around, but can always at a certain time of year find heaps of seedlings that have germinated.  I can harvest some seed for you if you'd like, if you remind me about September or October, which is about when I think they start maturing?

[Lesley Cox]

The jolly thing won't flower for me. I've been told to have its roots in the shade and the top in sun. I have but it still doesn't, after about 10 years. Should pull it out.

[arillady]

Paul your napaulensis reminded me of C. cirrhosa balaeric (something like that) which flowers every winter here and I see I have a baby coming up in the nursery.
Iris planifolia starts early and keeps on - I posted the length of flowering in a thread last year.