March 2010 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Gail]

Cheerful images to greet me this morning, thanks Fermi!

[Tecophilaea King]

great to see all these exotic plants!
the crossyne leaves are really nice, bill--do they go on to become long, or stay small?
looking at the time of flowering for your nerines, it strikes me that if i try seed again (not any urgency on that!), i will be better off to get it from the southern hemisphere--i got some haemanthus seed from the u.s. in fall that got here before it was too cold, but another batch of haemanthus, nerines etc that came in early winter seemed cold damaged, and i only got one cyrtanthus seedling out of that..

Good to hear from you again Cohan, and yes the Crossyne leaves eventually grow much larger as they mature.
I will have plenty of seed of the Crossyne flava at the moment, would you like to try some?

[Tecophilaea King]

Bill, the exotic flowerings are so superb Brunsvigia bosmaniae, Crossyne flava and the Nerines are glorious, especially the flame red one (I wonder if it is hardy?)

With us the Nerines are semi hardy Robin, and will easily survive light frosts, and if this flame red Nerine set seed you would be welcome to some.   

[Tecophilaea King]

This weekend on one of my early morning walks in the Te Puna Quarry Park I came across this beautiful climber.
Stephanotis floribunda aka Madagascar jasmine, Waxflower or Hawaiian Wedding flower is a vigorous flowering climbing plant. Its trumpet shaped blooms are in season year-round, long-lasting,  waxy, star-shaped and highly scented and are a popular component of bridal bouquets.
Stephanotis floribunda grows best in sunny, semi-tropical conditions, or inside. They can grow from 2-6 meters, and are widely cultivated as garden plants.

[Tecophilaea King]

Bill, once again some great pics!
Is the Amaryllis "Purity" a pure white, i.e. no yellow in the throat? I'll send you a Pm about some swaps!

Yes this is the pure white Belladonna without the yellow in the throat Fermi.
If you would like to try a few seeds, you'd be more than welcome.
Look forward to your pm and some swaps.

[Ragged Robin]

Bill, the exotic flowerings are so superb Brunsvigia bosmaniae, Crossyne flava and the Nerines are glorious, especially the flame red one (I wonder if it is hardy?)

With us the Nerines are semi hardy Robin, and will easily survive light frosts, and if this flame red Nerine set seed you would be welcome to some.   

Let's hope it does    If you ever had any to spare it would be wonderful Bill, thanks.

[Tecophilaea King]

Here is another magnificent Brunsvigia undulata flowering for the first time. A beauty.

[Tecophilaea King]

Not to forget the autumn crocus Colchicum bivonae which is flowering dry just before planting.

[Tecophilaea King]

Back to the Haemanthus again, this time a hybrid cross between Haemanthus albiflos and Haemanthus coccineus flowering right now.

[Gail]

That is a fascinating one Bill - is it one of your own crossing?

[Tecophilaea King]

That is a fascinating one Bill - is it one of your own crossing?

No, I can't claim credit for this Haemanthus hybrid Gail, I believe the honour goes to Terry Hatch from Pukekohe, Auckland, a well known plantsman and breeder of many plants including the beautiful Clivia species and hybrid varieties.
You're not doing to bad with your collection of bulbs and plants either, especially the Iris species, one of my favourites.

[WimB]

Very nice plant, Bill.
On first view in thumbnail they looked like tulips made from play dough, I like it.

[Gail]

You're not doing to bad with your collection of bulbs and plants either, especially the Iris species, one of my favourites.

I've got a number of haemanthus too - I just can't get the things to flower!

[angie]

Bill like that Haemanthus . I too thought they were tulips at first glance, Thanks for sharing it with us.
Angie

[Tecophilaea King]

I've got a number of haemanthus too - I just can't get the things to flower!

Hi Gail, have you tried growing the Haemanthus in a slightly warmer south facing sheltered position of the house/fence or glass-house/cold-frame?
What size pots/containers do you grow them in and what potting mix do you use?
Just curious.  Bill