September 2010 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Otto Fauser]

for you Lesley, to remind you of the happy time we all had that evening in the Restaurant - I have never seen you so happy and content !Have you settled down again to everday mundane chores ?

 a couple of common ,easy Frits for the border , in bloom today . I wished all Frits would be so obliging

         Otto.

[David Nicholson]

Some bulbs flowering now bye Ray

Spiloxene capensis
       "           "
Tulipa saxatalis
Scilla peruviana harrisiana
Tulipa kurdica
Hesperantha vaginata
Moraea villosa
Moraea Karen Seymour
Geissorhiza radians

Beautiful stuff Ray.

[Lesley Cox]

Dear Otto, under the circumstances which we shan't discuss here, that picture lies through its teeth. But yes, it was a happy night and as with all my few days, I enjoyed every minute though my poor feet are only now recovering from the tramp through Melbourne's paved streets. They are more used to life on grass!

I've not looked at my photos yet and still have to take the camera for a professional to look at. Roger has had no more success at sorting out the battery problem than Paul had so it will be a few days but I can upload and post and will start that later today. I really need to weed but after yesterday's heat today is cold and grey and just about to rain I think.

[Lesley Cox]

For the record folks, I complained to Otto that though I'd spent several holidays with him, I had never been into the city itself so he arranged with his botanical artist friend that we would meet him for lunch on the Tuesday and I would see some of the sights. With a second bot artist (they're 10 a penny in Melbourne  ) we travelled by car into the city and spent the best part of the morning at a wonderful exhibition of European Masters at the National Gallery of Victoria. These paintings were from the Stadel Museum in Frankfurt (2 little dots over the a) and it was a great privilege to see so many works in one place at one time. My favourites were "Dog lying in the snow" by Franz Marc, "The Lamb" by Paul Klee and "Still life with mimosa" by Max Beckmann. I'd be happy to give any of these house room given a few million dollars. I bought the catalogue so can revisit them at will and learn more about the artists, many of whose names were unknown to me.

Then we walked to meet John Pastoriza-Pinol, (one of those little squiggles over the n) Otto's bot art friend, who works in the city but also does exquisite botanical paintings, so good that he has recently been commisioned by the the RBG Kew for some work. John took us up some dark and rickety stairs to what seemed to be a sleazy back alley place for lunch but was, in fact, the workroom of a cobbler, a barber, a tailor and a something else who had all combined to use an old and delapidated building and in which a large central room had been converted to a cafe. We had orange juice and the most delicious turkey and salad sandwiches accompanied by much laughter.

Then John took us onto Melbourne's famous Collins Street where he introduced us to the Lindt shop. Pure chocolate in every shape and form. We had mocha-chocolate to drink and little meringues with chocolate fillings and gazed longingly at velvety cakes and gateaux but desisted very bravely.

John had to leave then so Deborah and Otto and I explored the upper reaches of Collins St where Deb and I tried to persuade Otto to buy an Armani suit but he would have had to mortgage his house. We had a good look through the big name shops, Armani, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Chanel, Jimmy Choo and the rest and always were looked at as if we were about to steal something, and sneered at in a most competent and practised manner. My tatty denim jacket and pants and Otto's car-crumpled trousers and jersey probably didn't help so we asked one assistant how it felt to sell only one handkerchief in a day and be so dreadfully bored for the rest of it. He could only respond with a snigger.

Home eventually to Otto's excellent cooking for tea and a quite early bedtime for me.

Otherwise, we had dinner out 3 times, lunch 4 times, visits to the beautiful Cloudhill, Tim's, Viv's, Fermi's and Stephen Ryan's gardens, the Ferny Creek Hort Society's garden and the Mt Macedon plant fair. Not bad for 6 days!

[arillady]

No wonder your feet hurt Lesley - but what a jam packed 6 days. Thanks for the diary of events.

[fermi de Sousa]

Lesley,
Hopefully you'll get the camera fixed or at least get those pics downloaded! I'm glad you had a chance to do some non-gardening tings while in Melbourne - it seems the only things I've done while in NZ was look at plants, gardens or books about plants and gardens Not that I'm complaining! But one time we'll have to come for a longer visit and explore a bit more of the country!
I've realised that I've posted most of my recent garden pics on other threads, so I'll include a few I couldn't resist re-posting here!
Tulipa saxatilis clump,


Tulipa kolpakowskiana


Acis trichophylla


Hymenoxis argentea (Lesley, this is the little bun in the rock garden which I told you was a Townsendia )


Some Anemone pavonina grown from SRGC Seedex seed,
white with red exterior at the base


Plain red (Lesley, I've kept one isolated so it might breed true if you want seeds - and if it sets some!)


This red with a white centre was from Garry Reid at the Mt Macedon Plant Fair a few years ago


cheers
fermi

[Paul T]

Very nice, Fermi.  Love that red and white.... strikingly sharp division of colour, isn't it?  I still like your white with the bluish stamens, which is seeding here and there in your garden.

[arillady]

Fermi does Tulipa saxatilis keep flowering like Tulipa clusiana which has flowered here from at least 4.9.10 or before till now with its last flower and this was new bulbs this year from Marcus. Will be nice to have such a great clump as you have shown.

[arillady]

Otto your Fritillarias are really graceful - lovely.

[David Lyttle]

I have been sitting on these pictures from the Otago Alpine Garden Groups Spring show for over a week now. Not a huge number of entries but some nice plants none the less.

First New Zealand natives. Stuart deservedly carried off most of the prizes as his cultivation skills are second to none.

1 Aciphylla monroi, Leucogenes hybrid ' Mt Richmond', Carmichaelia nana

2 A group of three Celmisias  Celmisia X linearis, Celmisia sessiliflora, Celmisia spedenii

3 A group of three Myosotis Myosotis sp from NW Nelson. Myosotis capitata, Myosotis elderi/lyallii

4 Dracophyllum muscoides, Celmisia linearis

5 A group of three Raoulias Raoulia monroii, Raoulia X loganii, Raoulia haastii.

6 Celmisia brevifolia in flower

7 Leptinella pectinata

8 Raoulia petriensis Chionohebe densifolia. Helichrysum intermedium var tumidum

[Tecophilaea King]

Great to see you all had a wonderful time together, and thanks to everone for all the beautiful and interesting pictures and stories you shared with us.
I enjoyed every episode and wished I would have been there. Back to weeding the garden again guys. 

[Paul T]

Bill,

I'm trying to work out whether it is weeding the garden, or gardening the weeds?  I'm unsure which has pre-eminence in my garden.  

Sorry I haven't posted any more pics as yet..... our local public holiday on Monday this week meant that work was absolutely crazy over the weekend and it knocked the stuffing out of me.  I'm working tomorrow as well, then my usual Friday to Monday, which includes a national public holiday on Monday.  Again it will be chaos at work in the nursery.    I already need another holiday..... believe me, by the end of Monday this week I certainly didn't feel like I'd been on holiday a week ago.

Trying to relax today, Yvonne and I did get to Floriade, which is on here in Canberra at the moment.  I took lots of pics to share if people are interested.... if/when I ever get them prepared.

[Tecophilaea King]

Pacific Coast irises are another popular spring flowering group of the Iris family, with many hybrids between the various species and often sold as Pacific Coast hybrids with cultivar names.
They can be challenging to divide and transplant and this is best done in the wet winter months.
These pictures of seedlings are the first of many PCI we grow and come in every imaginable colour, size and shape

[fleurbleue]

The third flower has a very nice colour 

[Gail]

Beautiful Bill - amazing variety in form and colour.