October 2009 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Lesley Cox]

That nobody will hassle me anymore and always agree with me?  

Sorry Bill, not a chance. According to the boffins including Tony Hall at Kew (MR Juno to us, thanks), what you are calling orchioides is, in fact, an all gold form of bucharica.
A great collection of Oxalis in bloom. What do you do with O. palmifrons for flowers. Never had a single one on mine though it grows like crazy.

[Rogan]

"I just discovered I got 3 stars now and a full member, wow, what does that mean?"

It just means you've got far too much time on your hands and you should be growing more Oxalis and things...   

[Hristo]

Bill,

Love your Oxalis, stunning plants!
Rogan is right, the number of stars you have is directly proportional to the amount of gardening time
you have lost!!

[Tecophilaea King]

Sorry Bill, not a chance. According to the boffins including Tony Hall at Kew (MR Juno to us, thanks), what you are calling orchioides is, in fact, an all gold form of bucharica.
A great collection of Oxalis in bloom. What do you do with O. palmifrons for flowers. Never had a single one on mine though it grows like crazy.

Lesley,that's what I like, straight out confrontation, no prisoners taken 
Aanyway, I acquired this I.orchioides juno seed from a reputable grower/collector and always thought/presumed it to be the true species, and was not aware that the boffings had change the name again into the all yellow juno bucharica.
I put/placed the picture also on the Juno irises page, for conformation or denial by the experts.

I don't do anything with the O.palmifrons, just forget about them, they seem to thrive on neglect.
I usually plant them in a very sandy mix, chuck them in a sunny spot in the nursery and just ignore them.
I leave them in their containers for years, till they get almost rootbound,that's when they start flowering.

[Maggi Young]

RE : Iris orchioides  etc: here are  a few pix from around the Forum to assist.....

I will make a search of the old Forum when time permits, as I think we had this discussion back in the day, too!

[Onion]

OK, found a few more Oxalis closeups, you must be getting sick of them by now.

Bill,

very nice to get sick from the Oxalis  than from the cold frosty wheather here.
Fantastic pictures you post the last weeks. Thanks a lot to show us your diamonds.

Uli

[Tecophilaea King]

RE : Iris orchioides  etc: here are  a few pix from around the Forum to assist.....
I will make a search of the old Forum when time permits, as I think we had this discussion back in the day, too!

Thanks Maggi, it looks like I have to settle for Iris bucharica.

[Maggi Young]

Could't find the page I thought I remembered from the old Forum, so I think it must just have been in the current version, where comments were made about the plants I showed the pictures of earlier. 

[Lesley Cox]

Someone told me, could have been Tony when he was here or could have been John L in Pennsylvania maybe, that Bill's is the form of bucharica sometimes called 'Danchaube' or something like that. Can't fine the reference I want either Maggi.

I had an endoscopy this morning and it has put me off bananas for months to come. Don't think it's made my memory worse though.

[Lesley Cox]

I would have thought my O. palmifrons was sufficiently rootbound to flower Bill, if that's what does the trick. They've been in the same large pot for years and make a wonderful mat of foliage. But they do die off quickly (aready, now) so maybe I need to keep them in active growth longer for their nutrition's sake. Too late this year but I'll try that next year. Val Robertson in Timaru reckoned hers flowered after she put a cowpat in the bottom of the pot.

[Lesley Cox]

Just two pics this morning, Iris verna first, a new plant. I keep getting another one because it is so hard to find and also because I love it so much that I want to try it in a couple of different places as well as have one in a pot for a show maybe, though it will be too late for NZAGS spring show.


and DB Iris Forte, a lovely smooth and tailored red. As you see we are having more rain, or rather, a thick drizzle today.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

That verna is beautiful.  'Forte' is another I used to grow. It had the most wonderful velvety texture from memory and a great colour.

[Lesley Cox]

RE : Iris orchioides  etc: here are  a few pix from around the Forum to assist.....
I will make a search of the old Forum when time permits, as I think we had this discussion back in the day, too!

Thanks Maggi, it looks like I have to settle for Iris bucharica.

But a DIFFERENT bucharica Bill, and what's in a name anyway? The plant is still a beauty.

[Tecophilaea King]

Hippeastrum papilio has gorgeous orchid-like cream flowers with maroon and green markings.
These flowers are 10-15 cm in diameter and appear mainly in late spring to early summer.

[Tecophilaea King]

Two more Gladioli species have just finished flowering under cover to stop the rain from spoiling the flowers.
Gladiolus alata is a charming little species, producing slightly fragrant hooded flowers, mainly in shades of orange.
Gladiolus cardinalis has brilliant scarlet flowers with white markings.
Put your sunglasses on again Luc