South African bulbose plants 2009

[Ragged Robin]

Rogan, what a fantastic group of flowers growing wild by you at work - reserves are important and it's amazing what appears if things are left to naturalise   

[Lesley Cox]

The orangey Watsonia looks like what I have as W. aletroides? And I have W. parviflora coming along, bought at the recent NZAGS show. Looks like a soft pink.

[fermi de Sousa]

Rogan,
some smashing stuff there!
Here are some pics, some of which I've also posted to the SH thread:
Moraea villosa


Moraea aristata


Lachenalia contaminata



Not actually a bulb, but from the general area! A kniphofia I got as "Candlelight" but which may be a species,

but a nice size for the rock garden!
cheers
fermi

[Paul T]

Rogan and Fermi,

Great pics!

Rogan,

That first Ixia is a new one to me.  Love the veining.

[fermi de Sousa]

A couple of other bulbs,
a gladiolus which might be G. huttonii


And new in flower, Lapeirousia jacquinii, from NZAGS Seedex 2007,


A dwarf, scentless freesia, received as "Sp nova" many years ago, so it should have a name by now! Does anyone know it?


A jumble of sparaxis and ixia in a snadbed,


This was a patch of sparaxis "naturalised" on a road verge on the way to Bendigo, I was very tempted to dig out some, but resisted! Sorry that the close-ups are mostly out of focus but you can appreciate the colours at least!






cheers
fermi

[Paul T]

Fermi,

Does the verge get mown?  Could be worth collecting seed at the very least if it doesn't.  I would love to grow some of those here, and who knows what the seed would produce.  Some very, very nice colours in that lot.

The Gladiolus you started with (possibly huttonii) I think is quadrangularis or a hybrid thereof.

[Lesley Cox]

These are lovely and colourful Fermi. On the grass verge they must make a welcome change from the usual dandelions.

[Rogan]

It's great that people living in other countries enjoy seeing our plants in the wild too - rest assured, I feel the same way about your natural floral beauty   

"Does the verge get mown?  Could be worth collecting seed at the very least if it doesn't.  I would love to grow some of those here, and who knows what the seed would produce.  Some very, very nice colours in that lot."

Hey! I wish they'd "naturalize" to the same extent here as well - very beautiful cultivars. Ditto the seed collecting for me too Fermi - if you don't mind...

Paul, the Ixia I included in my last posting grows all over the show in great numbers. It is also very variable ranging in colour from pure white to a deep mauvy-pink - lined or unlined. The flower diameter is quite small at approximately 1 cm, but a cluster of them at the end of a long thin stem is quite attractive, bringing Dierama to mind.

"When (notice "when" not "if"!!) I win the lottery..."

David, your bed is made up... 

"Here I am getting excited about growing Massonia Jasminiflora and to be told that it doesn't smell nice..."

Angie, some forms of M. jasminiflora DO smell very nice and then some have an insect-like smell which is not so pleasing. I have noticed that the plain-leaved forms seem to be more pleasing than the pustulated ones - at least in my collection. Maggi, where's that "smell this" button?    

[Rogan]

Two more amazing little plants from the Cape:

Microloma tenuifolium - this ultra-charming little climber twines its way up shrubs and fynbos all along the roadsides of the southern Cape. Its clusters of flowers are tiny but very visible to humans and sunbirds due to their bright colouring - notice the large pods developing from the small flowers;

This dwarf species of Babiana was growing in great numbers right in the middle of the gravel road to the little village of Suurbraak. It looks quite different in habit to the Babiana I pictured in an earlier posting but, this could just be natural variation.

[Ragged Robin]

Wonderful to see your wild SA jewels growing, Rogan, the colours are so crystal clear.

[Paul T]

Rogan,

That Microlema is so unusual.  is it an arid region plant?  It sort of looks like it could be?  I love the colour combination on the Babiana.

Do you have much in the way of Massonia?  By the sound of it you have a few pustulate and plain leaves jasminiflora at the very least.    I think I might need to do some seed negotiations on that regard, as well as Fermi's Sparaxis.    As to your Ixias.... aren't they just brilliant plants?  I just don't recall seeing veining like that before, which is why I commented.  I don't mind the smaller flowered types, and I must admit I grow many different types here, most of which are the coloured hybrids that are seeding about the place and turning up different colours at times.  And of course the old flourescent pinky one that appears in old gardens around here at times.  I do still have a few other species as well.  Do you grow Ixia rouxii?  I used to have it, white with a huge black centre, but lost it as it doesn't seem to be as hardy as the others here.  It was amazing in that if the flower got wet the black colouration would actually bleed out into the rest of the flower.

If anyone is interested I can photograph some of the Ixias I have here at the moment as they're just starting up.

Thanks for the pics everyone.

[Ragged Robin]

Yes please Paul, they are so diverse and have a real wow factor although they are small 

[Lesley Cox]

Rogan were those multicoloured Babianas once called Synnotia? I had a couple at one stage very similar under that name.

[arillady]

Fermi thanks for posting that scentless freesia - I too must have bought that seed back then as I have a similar clump in flower. I had imagined it was the similar scented species so had not put my nose in it. I have it growing with my arils and I thought it must have come up in one of the pots of aril hybrid seeds.
Yes some lovely shades to the sparaxas Fermi - our road verges are bright orange with the regular form. Or white of the germanica iris - but these are nearly finished.

[fermi de Sousa]

The ixias have started, these yellow ones can be seen by the roadside in some places


These smaller ones in orange might be Ixia maculata,


Paul and Rogan,
do you know how far Mandurang is from Redesdale?!   I'll try to keep an eye out for the seeds (of the Sparaxis) the next time I'm out that way, but as I'm not there that often I don't know the mowing habits of the land-owners! Maybe you could look out for some seed of those babianas, Rogan .

cheers
fermi