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

[Paul T]

Some things flowering here at the moment....

Acacia 'Scarlet Blaze'
Anemone blanda seedlings from seed from Thomas H.  So far there are 27 buds emerging, and 17 of them have opened so far and all the same shade of blue.  Beautiful, but I am hoping that somewhere in there might be some other colours as well.  Thanks Thomas.    I've always wanted a mass of Anemone blanda, so now I really do have the chance.  Excellent!!
Chasmanthe bicolor
Chasmanthe floribunda var ducketii, so very different from C. bicolor with it's wings and flares etc.  A friend I was talking to on the phone last night a couple of hours north of here (with far more rainfall) has them flowering at about head height at the moment.  I didn't realise they could get that big.  Mine are only about 1m or so tall, perhaps a little more.
The first flowers are starting to open on the first of our Magnolias here.
Scilla monophyllus has surprised me with a flower spike.  I didn't even realise it was in bud.  

I'm also going to post some pics in the Arty topic, Narcissus, Iris, and Orchid sections.

Enjoy.

Please click on the pic for a larger version.  If pics are too large, please let me know.

[Maggi Young]

Hi, Fermi, looking at your new pic, it seems that the Babiana we have is rather different... will check out B. villosa details later....
the flowers on our, non-scented version, are of a more rounded shape, like crocus-goblets, really. Leaves are narrower, too.

[David Nicholson]

Maggi, is your Babiana very early, I thought it was a winter grower?

[Maggi Young]

David it was sent from New Zealand.... it doesn't know what time it is, poor thing!

[David Nicholson]

Ohhhhhhh, poor dear

[Lesley Cox]

I do like the Geissorhiza, with its curly leaves. Seems there are many such bulbous plants.

Yesterday I finally de-potted my biggest Weldenia, in preparation for its international travels. It fell apart nicely into 16 pieces, most with 2 noses. I should have photographed it but too late now, most are wrapped and addressed.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

I have scrabbled down and checked on mine and they're all multi-nosed as well.  Very happy by the look of it, which is brilliant!!  I'm looking forward to a broader planting in a pot and getting more of a larger display like you have shown us in the past.   So nice to have something like that thrive, particularly after the first year where I was so damn paranoid about losing it. 

[Ray]

Having another go at sending a pic of Bulbinella cauda-felis.bye Ray

[Paul T]

Ray,

If you look at the pics on the Net, there is quite a bit of variability in the species by the look of it.  The flowers I think look about right for a Bulbinella, but yours are definitely not as packed together as Fermi's.  That could also have a lot to do with where you're growing it and the maturity of the plant.  Fermi's are outside in full sun, so they are more likely to be dense rather than etiolating in shade or something like that.  Yours in pots may not be as established a clump as Fermi's, or they just may be a slightly different form.  I don't think I would necessarily be assuming that one of yours was correct and the other incorrect.

[fermi de Sousa]

Having another go at sending a pic of Bulbinella cauda-felis.bye Ray

Hi Ray,
yours looks more like the pic in "The Colour Encyclopaedia of Cape Bulbs" which makes me think mine are another species.
Perhaps we can do a trade sometime.
cheers
fermi

[Paul T]

Fermi,

Looking at the Net there are everything from yours to Ray's illustrated under that name, so maybe you're just at either ends of the species scales (or there are a lot of mislabelled Bulbinella out there!  ).  I quite like both of yours, for their differences.  I adore my normal yellow one that I grow here as it is so tough, but the sheer fluffy thickness in the pics of your variety is very striking (and of course, not yellow which is a big bonus).

[kiwi]

First time flowing for my Edgeworthia chrysantha and Ornithogalum sintenisii.

[Ray]

Hi Fermi,no worries one of mine for one of yours.bye Ray

[Lesley Cox]

The Edgeworthia is nice Doug. Not often seen around nowadays.

My single flower on Fritillaria pudica is hard to photograph for some reason. Of 8 pictures, only this one is usable, the others all badly unfocused. This isn't too good either. There should be half a dozen more flowering stems, they're mature enough, but I get just one each year.


This is the first seedling to flower of F. stenanthera, from a small batch of seed from Fritillaria Group NZ, sown in 2005. Pleased to replace this as my original died a couple of years ago.




The white Olsynium douglasii gets better each year. I lost my rosy one but have some seedlings up from Ron Ratko (via Tim O).
From the front


and from the back


This is one of a mixed bunch of seedlings from a local grower. I've thought it was coarse and not very nice for the last couple of years but it's growing on me. It is certainly very chunky considering it's just about 10cms in height overall. It should be good as a potful and it is increasing a little bit now.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

The Olsynium douglasii....    Wow!  Amazing looking flowers.

Love the Frit stenanthera as well. How big actually are the flowers?  I've only ever seen pics of it, and it is hard to tell. 

Thanks for the pics.