October 2009 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Lesley Cox]

This morning I went to the annual Rhododendron Day plant sale at the uper Botanic Gardens. It is the start of Rhododendron Week in Dunedin, one of our biggest tourist gatherers. As always I spent large amounts of money and met heaps of people I've not seen for years and had a great time.

Among other things, saw a plant not quite in bloom yet but one which will have the pulse racing, of Mr Ranunculus. Louise Salmond (Hokonui Alpines) has crossed R. godleyanus with R. lyallii and there was one of the babies with a fat cluster of cream, pointed buds. Louise will put it on their website homepage in a few days when fully out.

Also bought a plant labelled Heptacodium miconioides which looks like one of the scandent Philadelphus species. No-one knows it so something of a lucky dip. And I bought one third of a large pot of Arisaema jacquemontii, nicely in flower. It was hugely expensive but with nine tubers in it. I was psyching myself up to take it when two others also put out their hands for it. In the finish we paid one third each and I'll get my 3rd in April as they're just about to start growth again. (I hope!)

[Lesley Cox]

I have just Googled the Heptocodium and apparently I have bought something very exciting. Its common name is Seven-Son flower and it has a stunning and fragrant display of white flowers in late summer/autumn, followed by bright red seed capsules and also displays exfoliating brown bark. It belongs to the honeysuckle family and comes from eastern China. I bought it from the botanic gardens' own stall where there are often interesting and different things, so it seems I hit the jackpot this time. Even they didn't know what it was but they did take part in a Chinese collecting expedition about 10 or 12 years ago so maybe that's where they came by it. Not bad for $5

[cohan]

I have just Googled the Heptocodium and apparently I have bought something very exciting. Its common name is Seven-Son flower and it has a stunning and fragrant display of white flowers in late summer/autumn, followed by bright red seed capsules and also displays exfoliating brown bark. It belongs to the honeysuckle family and comes from eastern China. I bought it from the botanic gardens' own stall where there are often interesting and different things, so it seems I hit the jackpot this time. Even they didn't know what it was but they did take part in a Chinese collecting expedition about 10 or 12 years ago so maybe that's where they came by it. Not bad for $5

great day! good finds, and money saved!

[ajbroome]

Doug,

> First flower on Arisaema consanguineum (wild collected Guy Gusman).

I've got the same plant, stunning thing.  Mine flowers every year but is still a wee way off at the moment.  Sadly, it's never made extra tubers for me. I wonder if the pollen would travel...?

I'm not 100% convinced that it's A. consanguineum.  It's much earlier than my other clones and obviously the flowers are quite different.

Andrew.

[kiwi]

Hi Andrew, funny, I think I may have got the seed from you about 4 or 5 years ago. (AEG)
Small world isn't it! Look forward to your findings with the identification query.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

You seem to be enjoying your Spring Lesley !!

I love your black Viola and the 'Tu tu turquoise' Iris - a very seldom seen kind of blue !! 

[Giles]

Doug, your paeony is wonderful !
Lovely petal shape, and fantastic globular flower shape too.

[ranunculus]

Among other things, saw a plant not quite in bloom yet but one which will have the pulse racing, of Mr Ranunculus. Louise Salmond (Hokonui Alpines) has crossed R. godleyanus with R. lyallii and there was one of the babies with a fat cluster of cream, pointed buds. Louise will put it on their website homepage in a few days when fully out.

It's racing, Lesley ... it's really racing!

[Lesley Cox]

PS: what do the Iris/Juno growers/members think of Franz Köhlein's "Iris" book? Has anyone got this book?

I frequently use Kohlein's book Bill and think highly of it in general. Mathew 1, Kohlein 2, Waddick/Zhao Iris of China 3.
And if you don't have it already, you MUST get Janis Ruksans' "Buried Treasures."

[arillady]

I would check my BIS species group A Guide to Species Irises as 1st choice always but I do understand that it is not now available.

[David Nicholson]

It's still around Pat but not at an affordable price. Last time I checked the cheapest price I would have had to pay was £273.00

[Lesley Cox]

Somewhere I have a BIS list of all species described at the time of printing - some years ago I guess - and with their group/section listed as well as flower season, colour, height etc but can NEVER find it when I want it. So much printed stuff here and thousands of books. It's just a slim paper covered brochure reallyb but useful if it ever filters through to the top again.

[Lesley Cox]

It's still around Pat but not at an affordable price. Last time I checked the cheapest price I would have had to pay was £273.00

And even if it were affordable, it's only as up to date as the last (only?) printing. With new species described and botanists/taxonamists doing their usual thing, irises as all else, change regularly so one would be paying for not necessarily the best or most recent information.

[ajbroome]

Doug said...

> I think I may have got the seed from you about 4 or 5 years ago.

Ah, quite possible.

It only seeded once and I gave them all away.

Mine is probably 2 weeks away from having open flowers.  Maybe if you've got more than one tuber I could get one off you sometime?

My first Arisaema flower is open (even A. ringens hasn't opened for me yet), I'll try and get a photo uploaded tomorrow.

Andrew.

[galahad]

A. taiwanense is just showing signs of flower now