August 2010 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Kees Green]

Beautiful seedlings Bill, keep posting the pics.
Here is an Atlas Gold pic for you.

[Lesley Cox]

Bill I'm not sure about the blue juno, mine have behaved so erratically over the last two or three years that I've got some mixed I think. Hopefully, Peter, Otto or Pat will check in here and give an answer. It's beautiful, whatever.

The little yellow could be a bucharica hybrid. It's rather like one I had as seed some time ago and it flowered well for 3 years then gave up. The seedlings from it have had a chequered life too and I'm not sure if any are left. Anyway Tony Hall at Kew thought it could be an orchioides hybrid or rather a hybrid from within the orchioides group. Here it is. Mine was pale jade green and a real honey.





Could you take a picture of yours from the side please?


This is Iris nusairiensis alba, late this year. It usually flowers in June

and Iris x Sindpers


I was bending down to focus this whenTeddy rushed up to me and smashed the flower right off. I just got the click done in time.

[Lesley Cox]

Two pics of one of my favourites, Iris histrioides x danfordiae 'Sheila Ann Germaney.' Similar to 'Katharine Hodgkin' Sheila is silvery blue without the yellow on the falls. No doubt someone will point out the slight blue streaking on some style arms and say she is virused. That may be so but she remains isolated from others and in good vigour so I'm not too bothered at present. It would be impossible to replace her as everything of this form in NZ came from a single bulb I imported in 1993. I should apologise for the weedy background. It's been so wet lately that it's impossible to weed thoroughly. But they're all annuals and when the weather dries a little I should be able to get to it.

[Lesley Cox]

Re-reading your post about the blue Juno Bill, something rings a bell and it is that some years ago I had some seed from Jilek, by way of Kristl Walek. I'm pretty sure I had a juno called zenaidae from that source. Looking at yours, that is a possibility.

[Lesley Cox]

congrats leslie! i asked some friends again, and now that its in flower, the suggestion (from brasil and nebraska) is Parodia chrysacanthion..

Thanks Cohan, I'll do a label for it. And I'd better get the 7 repotted soon as they are growing. One has made half a dozen little babies round the side. I sniffed the flower as I always do with something new, but only pricked my nose.

[Otto Fauser]

Lesley , 3 beautyful Junos in your collection . My (yours) I nussairiensis flowered about 3 weeks ago , but it lives in the open garden . Your handsome I. bucharica hyb , I think rather belongs in the orchioides group. - also I think Bill's blue one is not zenaidae as you suggested but perhaps a good coloured form of I. vicaria .
  just was reminded : must ring Maggi.

        Otto.

[Tecophilaea King]

Lesley , 3 beautyful Junos in your collection . My (yours) I nussairiensis flowered about 3 weeks ago , but it lives in the open garden . Your handsome I. bucharica hyb , I think rather belongs in the orchioides group. - also I think Bill's blue one is not zenaidae as you suggested but perhaps a good coloured form of I. vicaria .
just was reminded : must ring Maggi.
Otto.

I am inclined to agree with you Otto, I did get Iris vicaria seed from Jan Jilek years ago. Thanks.

[Tecophilaea King]

This time a few of the more colourful spring flowering South African species: Lapeirousia oreogena and Lapeirousia silenoides

[annew]

Crumbs! They woke me up! 

[cohan]

congrats leslie! i asked some friends again, and now that its in flower, the suggestion (from brasil and nebraska) is Parodia chrysacanthion..

Thanks Cohan, I'll do a label for it. And I'd better get the 7 repotted soon as they are growing. One has made half a dozen little babies round the side. I sniffed the flower as I always do with something new, but only pricked my nose.

welcome leslie--there was one possible vote for another P species--saint-pieana-it seemed to me to have softer spines, but perhaps you might google images of the two species and see which seems closer to your plant in person; of course, as with other types of plants, hybrids etc are possible; the genus, at least should be good 

[Tecophilaea King]

This Oxalis obtusa is the last of the colourful South African species, with another early flowering Clivia interspecific seedling to cheer up the benches.

[Tecophilaea King]

Ipheion dialystemon syn.Nothoscordum dialystemon, and referred to by some as Nothoscordum felipponei is a yellow-flowered plant with 8 tepals instead of the normal six.
Ipheion sellowianum or Nothoscordum sellowianum. What to call this plant is very confusing. Whatever the name, it's a cheerful little plant that's easy to grow in a pot or garden.

[David Nicholson]

Bill according to the Kew Checklist it is nowTristagma sellowianum

[Tecophilaea King]

Bill according to the Kew Checklist it is nowTristagma sellowianum

Yes David, what to call this plant is very confusing.  The RHS plant finder still lists both species under Ipheion.
Who is right, and what to believe, I wish the 'bots' would make up their mind one way or another.

[Tecophilaea King]

Lachenalia rubida is one of the most attractive of all the species, and has ruby-red flowers and is easy to grow in pots or any container.