June 2010 in Southern Hemisphere

[galahad]

My yard is one giant lake at the moment.  Great for the daffies but I hope they don't come on too early again this year

A couple of years ago I was sent some seed of Iris histrio, from Israel but by way of South America. One came up almost immediately but wasn't there last year, but this week, following the drowning we all got last week, and a sharp drop in temperature, there are a number germinating now. Lovely to see them at last.

We are getting another drenching with even colder temps. Snow ro 300m is predicted for later today (that includes me) and there is more road flooding. I was surprised at how much snow had fallen on the Canterbury mountains when I was up there a week ago. The ski fields are opening already.

[Lesley Cox]

Oh Ross, I hope the rain stops soon and you can drain off. It must be heartbreaking to have flooding in the garden, let alone in the house. Thank heaven for our hill.

[galahad]

Oh Ross, I hope the rain stops soon and you can drain off. It must be heartbreaking to have flooding in the garden, let alone in the house. Thank heaven for our hill.

It won't make it to the house but getting to my car this morning involved gumboots

[Tecophilaea King]

Winter has certainly well and truly arrived, with heavy rains, often big downpours, floods in many South Island  places , and now more rain, snow and frost forecasted.
Despite all the bad weather, and with a bit of protection, there are still a few bulbs flowering in the nursery.
One of the first species to flower, Narcissus viridiflorus is still going strong.
The clusters of star-shaped, tubular flowers have tiny almost non existing solid green cups, you could miss the little flowers altogether, but for their powerful sweet fragrance.
Also flowering is the brightly coloured Northoscordum hirtellum (syn.Ipheion hirtellum) from South America, which produces wonderful canary-yellow flowers with a greenish tinge in the throat

[Tecophilaea King]

This time a couple of unusually, beautifully shaped Cyclamen hederafolium silvery leaves, even without the flowers still attractive.

[annew]

Superb cyclamen, Bill.

[Lesley Cox]

That combination of narrow leaves with so much silver is very appealing. I hope you're sowing plenty seed Bill.

[SusanS]

At our combined AGS and FCHS Rock Garden Group meeting last Saturday a couple of growers brought their Massonias for an outing, but I neglected to write down names!

Hi Fermi,
Darren says ........
The first Massonia looks like the plant from a Burdach collection (11182) which has been going round in the UK as M.Jasminiflora.  The pink anther filaments are distinctive.  Some now think this is now a new species.
The second Massonia resembles the plant Darren grows as M. aff. echinata from a Silverhills seed collection.
The last Massonia is M. pustulata.

Hope this helps,
Susan and Darren

[Tecophilaea King]

Here is yet another picture and this time of a flowering Cyclamen hederafolium with the attractive variegated, beautifully shaped, silvery leaves.
Lesley, I have more of these variegated C.hederafolium seedlings coming along. Would you like some seed or sdgs?
Naturally, in exchange I would love another plant of Weldenia candida if you have one to spare.  Fair exchange?

[Tecophilaea King]

When sowing seeds, there are different methods going about this task:e.g. the seed media, depth, moisture, time, temparature etc.
I've done an experiment with the Tropaeolum azureum and Tropaeolum bracheceras, as oppose to the normal sowing practices.
With both species I put the seed in a damp paper kitchen towel in a closed plastic icecream container to stop the kitchen towel drying out, at nearly zero Celcius in the fridge for 1 month.
The close-up pictures will show you the resuts.

[cohan]

Here is yet another picture and this time of a flowering Cyclamen hederafolium with the attractive variegated, beautifully shaped, silvery leaves.
Lesley, I have more of these variegated C.hederafolium seedlings coming along. Would you like some seed or sdgs?
Naturally, in exchange I would love another plant of Weldenia candida if you have one to spare.  Fair exchange?

nice cyclamens! the colour of leaf stems just adds to the charm...

[Lesley Cox]

Bill I've already promised you another Weldenia, but not until say August, when I'll be dividing the big one. I haven't any others in pots at present. Don't forget you've sent me some super Arisaema tubers. So if you think of anything else you'd like as well, that's fine. Seedlings of the Cyclamen would be great, when they've died down perhaps.

Thanks.

[Lesley Cox]

Those are very telling pictures of the Tropaeolum seeds. I'll be interested to hear the BD's comments. What will you do with them now? Pot them individually? and at what depth?

[Tecophilaea King]

Bill I've already promised you another Weldenia, but not until say August, when I'll be dividing the big one. I haven't any others in pots at present. Don't forget you've sent me some super Arisaema tubers. So if you think of anything else you'd like as well, that's fine. Seedlings of the Cyclamen would be great, when they've died down perhaps. Thanks.

Lesley August will be fine for the Weldenia but don't worry, I will remind you, just in case you forget 

[Tecophilaea King]

Those are very telling pictures of the Tropaeolum seeds. I'll be interested to hear the BD's comments. What will you do with them now? Pot them individually? and at what depth?

Lesley, some of those germinated Trop. seeds will be potted up seperately, while the remainder will be lined out in the larger, deeper polystyrene containers and covered with 10-15 mm. of coarse river sand.
As soon as the new threadlike shoots appear, I will be putting up some support to accomodate the new growth, and hopefully produce flowers and more seeds in a few months time.
I will show more pictures of the progress in the near future.