December 2009 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

I took these pics a few days ago but they deserve to start off this thread.
Lilium candidum growing in the cemetry at Kilmore, north of Melbourne.



I often hear that this species is difficult to grow but it's obvious that here they're dead easy
cheers
fermi

[arillady]

Thanks Fermi for showing the grave planting - I have found them in a cemetery north of here too.

[fermi de Sousa]

I noticed that this Aussie native was listed in the SRGC Seedex; Ptilotus exaltatus


Dianthus erinaceus is coming into bloom rather sparsely this year,


And Brodiea californica got a bit weather-beaten,


I've shown this pic with a few others on the "Zephyranthes" thread, but here's Habranthus tubispathus along with Alstroemeria hookerii


And here's the Salmon-Pink/Apricot form of the habranthus


cheers
fermi

[Luc Gilgemyn]

All looking good Fermi !
Ptilotus exalatus looks very nice - had never seen it before !!
Thanks for showing !

[cohan]

good start to the month, fermi--december here is proving to be a plunge into real winter after a mild november (by our standards so its nice to see someplace warm and flowering... i always esp love to see the aussie natives, and most of them are completely unfamiliar to me..

[Lesley Cox]

The Lilium candidum is especially lovey in that setting. My young plants may find a similar home and be dead easy for me too. I've always fancied one of those huge and magnificent angels over me when it comes to it, with outspread wings and suitably bowed head. Failing that, a decent sized trough with lilies at the back of it. Ah yes, very tasteful.

[ajbroome]

Folks,

Dactylorhiza maculata.

I usually have a couple of pots of this floating about but seem to be down to one pot with 3 plants at the moment.  Will have to take a break from giving them away and keep some more for myself next year.

Andrew.

[ajbroome]

Folks,

Ornithogalum dubium, flowering away nicely.

Andrew.

[ajbroome]

Folks,

Pinellia tripartita 'atropurpurea'.

This plant is quite different to the typical form - much slower to reproduce, doesn't seem to set seed and the flowers smell quite different.

Andrew.

[ajbroome]

Folks,

Weldenia candida, ex-'someone or other'... ;-)

Andrew.

[ajbroome]

Folks,

The first open flower on my Stylidium graminifolium and a couple of NZ natives - an odd form of Drosera binata (the native ones generally have pure white flowers) and a Utricularia dichotoma collected from the Whakapapa side of Mt. Ruapehu.

Andrew.

[Tecophilaea King]

OK, I am back again in our own nursery, and this time I will show a picture of a cross with Haemanthus albiflos X Haemanthus humilis ssp. hirsutus, flowering at the moment. Has anyone done any hybridising with this genus yet?
Very wet, very humid, with humidity close to 100%, which makes the weeds grow 2X as fast. At least makes the grass grow and farmers happy.

[David Nicholson]

Lovely stuf there Andrew. I bought Ornithogalum dubium in flower last year but I've read somewhere it's terribly difficult to get to flower again. Do you have any problems with it?

[Tecophilaea King]

Lovely stuf there Andrew. I bought Ornithogalum dubium in flower last year but I've read somewhere it's terribly difficult to get to flower again. Do you have any problems with it?

David,our problem is the seed often ripens while fresh flowers are still opening on the same stem and scattering the seed all ove the place with seedlings coming up everywhere. No problems flowering all the time either. Ideal for cut flowers, last a long time in the vase.

[David Nicholson]

Maybe my problem (certainly over the past two lousy summers) is keeping it hot enough in dormancy?