Spring in Southern Hemisphere... with crocus! (July- September)

[fermi de Sousa]

Planning to take some Narcissus into town tomorrow for Kees and came across this pot of seedlings from 'Gambus.' There is a little N. cyclamineus influence in the two on the right and maybe some fasciation in the remaining one though no sign of a thickened stem. The little one is very tiny, the corona being just 1.5cms in length. If it stays that size for a couple of years, it must fall into the micro-mini class and will be perfect for a trough. The big one has 9 sepals (?tepals) instead of the usual 6. It's a bit weather beaten. I think I like it.

It could almost qualify as a split cup
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

the first blooms on Babiana odorata (yes, Lesley, it is scented!)

Co-incidentally, we have here the first blooms on Babiana odorata..... and a very pretty little thing it is, too... looking like a small freesia, with rather more "puffed" shaped flowers..... and NO, Lesley and Fermi.... HERE it has no scent at all!
I am, frankly, furious !

[Luc Gilgemyn]

And today I was seeing double!
(Attachment Link)

Nice series Fermi, but perhaps you need your eyes checked. 

[Lesley Cox]

Split cup?? Wash your mouth out Fermi. Actually there's no splitting at all though the weather has had a go at it so it looks somewhat dishevelled. I took the pot to the Market this morning to show to Kees when he came by and a dozen or more people wanted to buy the pot. Sorry.

[fermi de Sousa]

And today I was seeing double!
(Attachment Link)

Nice series Fermi, but perhaps you need your eyes checked. 

It's a sad thing about getting older - I now need to wear glasses when checking labels and even to check the seed-pots (to distinguish between "green shoots" and moss!)
As a former Prime Minister of Oz once said "Life wasn't meant to be easy"!
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Co-incidentally, we have here the first blooms on Babiana odorata..... and a very pretty little thing it is, too... looking like a small freesia, with rather more "puffed" shaped flowers..... and NO, Lesley and Fermi.... HERE it has no scent at all!
I am, frankly, furious !

Maggi,
that is disappointing - perhaps because it is blooming out of season? Does it look the same as mine? ( Was it from seed I sent? ) If ours sets seed this year I'll re-send - maybe it crossed with B. pygmaea which flowers at the same time? Can you post a pic?
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Fermi, it was from Betty Clark in NZ. There's a close-up shot at the end of this week's Bulb Log
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2009Aug191250690323BULB_LOG__3309.pdf

[fermi de Sousa]

There's a close-up shot at the end of this week's Bulb Log
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2009Aug191250690323BULB_LOG__3309.pdf

Hi Maggi
that doesn't look anything like what I'd expect - more like B. villosa - but a stunning white!
Here's a clearer pic of our Babiana odorata, which smells a bit like daphne, I think.


cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

That's very nice Fermi. I like the greeny/yellow tips. Seed maybe later?

[Ray]

A few things flowering here today.bye Ray
Moraea vegeta
Narcissus rupicola subs watieri
Bulbinella cauda-felis

[Paul T]

Ray,

I think your last one is Lachenalia, isn't it?  Bulbinella cauda-fellis is a very different beastie.  I couldn't tell you which Lachenalia it is though, as there are so many different ones and I just don't have the knowledge.    I just love that Narcissus.

[fermi de Sousa]

That's very nice Fermi. I like the greeny/yellow tips. Seed maybe later?

You're in line behind Maggi so I hope it sets a lot this year!
As you can see in this pic it looks like the first spikes were frosted off 

At least I think that's what's happened.
Here's the open flowers on the Geissorhiza corrugata



And the first of the Tulip greigii blooms




And a flower open on Moraea tripetala,


I've also posted some daff pics to the Narcissus thread.
cheers
fermi

[Paul T]

Fermi,

Love the Geissorhiza.  Such large flowers for such tiny leaves. 

[Hristo]

Ray, Fermi, super Moraeas, I love the yellow in that vegeta!

[Paul T]

Ray,

Looks like that Bulbinella pic you just posted didn't work right?  It doesn't load for me, and has a size of 0 bytes. 

Bulbinella cauda-felis should be a bit like a fluffy white Kniphofia, or a short Eremurus.  Lots of white flowers fairly densely packed on a stem.  The usual Bulbinellas we get here are Bulbinella nutans from memory (or is it robusta?), a lovely strong yellow thing that looks a bit like a small yellow Kniphofia at first glance (I've had people ask if that was what it was when it's in flower here).