April in the Southern Hemisphere

[Maggi Young]

In case you Down Under Folks are not aware..... I learn that American plantsman Daniel Hinkley is visiting both Autralia and New Zealand in April.....

Collectors' Plant Fair, Australia    
Saturday, 17th April 2010
   
Collectors' Plant Fair, Australia    
Saturday, 17th April 2010
   
Collectors' Plant Fair, Australia    
Sunday, 18th April 2010
   
University of Otago, NZ    
Thursday, 22nd April 2010
   
New Zealand Gardens Trust Conference    
Saturday, 24th April 2010
   
New Zealand Gardens Trust Conference    
Sunday, 25th April 2010
   
Dunedin Rhododendron Society, NZ    
Wednesday, 28th April 2010
   



 see here for full details......
http://www.danielhinkley.com/cal.php?PHPSESSID=9627205629f32ed2ae07eb7f95982253

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks for this Maggi. There's one I'll be able to attend anyway. The Dn Rhodo Group actually is in Dunedin but the University of Otago one is at their Auckland campus. Funny, 'cos I thought that was only a branch of the Medical School which is otherwise in Dunedin with out of town campuses.

[fermi de Sousa]

I think the Plant Collectros' Fair is the one in Bilpin in the the Blue Mts, NSW.
I don't he's coming down to Vic
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Yes, that's correct, fermi....
Collectors' Plant Fair, Australia
4/17/10 1:30 PM - 4/17/10 2:30 PM

Exclamation, Punctuation, Accentuation Location: Woodgreen, Bilpin, NSW, Australia

Collectors' Plant Fair, Australia
4/17/10 3:30 PM - 4/17/10 4:30 PM

Exclamation, Punctuation, Accentuation Location: Woodgreen, Bilpin, NSW, Australia

Collectors' Plant Fair, Australia
4/18/10 1:30 PM - 4/18/10 2:30 PM

Anointing Indispensables, Dispensing Disappointments Location: Woodgreen Homestead, Bilpin, New South Wales, Australia



University of Otago, NZ
4/22/10 7 PM - 4/22/10 8 PM

From Sichuan and Vietnam to Seattle - Plant Exploring Location: University of Otago House (level 4 - street level), 385 Queen St. Auckland, New Zealand (north island)

[Lesley Cox]

I've just managed to miss that Plant Fair by a day, twice now Fermi. Will have to try again maybe next year.

Wish he was doing the Auckland talk in Dunedin.

[Otto Fauser]

Thanks Maggi for the news that Dan Hinkley will give lectures at Bilpin ., which is much closer to Sydney - it is circa 800 kilometers from Melbourne . Stephen Ryan (the presenter of 'Gardening Australia ' ) told me a few weeks ago that he is trying to persuade Dan to spend a few days in Melbourne , which would be nice . Dan has been to Melbourne on 2 previous occasions .

[fermi de Sousa]

Since Maggi already started a thread for April we may as well use it now that April's arrived in the Southern Hemisphere!
Taken this morning, this is one of the hybrid nerines, I think it's "Ariel" - one of the first "terracotta" ones that I'd ever seen,




The clump of N. fothergila "Major" is at its peak,


And the mauve/pink form of Oxalis flava is starting to flower,




cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

No sign of Nerines here yet, too dry but I do have some very nice Gladiolus carmineus in flower. Maybe a pic tomorrow. I see we must now call Oxalis lobata, O. perdicaria. Dammit! But surely the pic in the March AGS Bulletin is one of the laciniata forms, rather than lobata/perdicaria. Haven't heard of a purple form of it.

[Gail]

I see we must now call Oxalis lobata, O. perdicaria. Dammit! But surely the pic in the March AGS Bulletin is one of the laciniata forms, rather than lobata/perdicaria. Haven't heard of a purple form of it.

That confused me too but if you read the item 'Seasonal reversal' on p. 18 R.R talks about assembling a montage of Oxalis laciniata within the trumpet of Narcissus 'December Gold' so the pic of a purple oxalis on yellow background must be intended to accompany that...

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Gail, that will help. As always, I did a quick skim through, read show reports and similar short stuff but haven't tackled the longer articles as yet. I'll get to that over the Easter holiday, maybe Saturday when it's supposed to rain heavily, though I'll be working (outside) in the morning.

With all due respect to the AGS Bulletin, there have recently, I believe, been many more slight errors of that nature, than there used to be. Occasional typos, photo names reversed, a country name printed with small letter at the beginning, misplaced apostrophes etc. Perhaps the proof-reading isn't up to what it could be. After all, even though the O. laciniata may refer to an article on a different page, one might reasonably expect the oxalis picture heading an article about O. lobata, to be O. lobata (perdicaria). According to the caption on the O. laciniata, it is...O. perdicaria! Whoever supplioed the photograph may reasonably be a little annoyed.

[Gail]

Did you notice in the accompanying Alpine news newsletter they are looking to appoint a new Editor?

[Lesley Cox]

Yes I did Gail but hadn't given thought to WHY, except perhaps that Kit Grey-Wilson wanted a break. I don't think there was ever a better Editor than the late Roy Elliott but he is long gone I'm afraid.

[cohan]

And the mauve/pink form of Oxalis flava is starting to flower,
cheers
fermi

very nice setting, rising out of the white foliage;what is on the oxalis leaf tips, sand?

[fermi de Sousa]

And the mauve/pink form of Oxalis flava is starting to flower,

very nice setting, rising out of the white foliage;what is on the oxalis leaf tips, sand?

Hi Cohan,
it's actually the morning dew which is why the flowers are still furled. I'll download some pics of the open flowers when I get back to work on Tuesday.
cheers
fermi

[Tecophilaea King]

This time a few more of the smaller, charming autumn flowering Nerine species.
Nerine undulata is a very dainty spider flower which can give a wonderful display when mass planterd.
The soft pink flowers are produced abundantly and make excellent cut flowers for the vase.
Nerine humilis has slightly larger flowers than most other smaller species.
The flowers are usually soft pink, but in some forms can be salmon pink and rose.

these are very cute! just how small are they? are those leaves fully grown?

Sorry Cohan, for the late reply, we have been away over the Easter with the campervan, fishing with the family in the Coromandel
To show you (I hate boasting  ) here is a picture of a 30 lb. kingfish caught on the beach with a longline. Very nice catch.
Maggi will probably growl at me for going off-topic. Would you Maggi? What about an chocolate Easter egg as a sweetener?
Anyway Cohan, here is also a picture of Nerine fothergillii and Nerine gracilis I picked for comparison.