November 2010 in the Southern Hemisphere

[johnw]

John, thanks so much, I would definitely be interested in seed of anything other than the white and of course you can have some - if it develops. I'd better go out and hand pollinate as an encouragement.

Many thanks Lesley.  I was able to collect about a teaspoon of seed of each of the two camtschaticums in daylight today.  Now I will have to clean some of chaff for you as we know the NZ authorities will have nothing to do with chaff. That should take a week or so!

Did your Shortias survive the drought? Not clear from your post. If not I can check the soldanelloides for stray seed pods tomorrow morning.  I have some I collected back in the summer, that one seems to be less ephemeral and there were scads of pods then. I meant to send it off th the exchange but I had put it a forgotten safe place.

Raking today I found several good-sized Cyclamen purpurascens self-sown in the lawn.  I knew there was merit in neglecting the mowing.

FYI the new Seaport Market seems to have straightened itself out with the opening of new stores thus taking traffic pressure off the main hall.  The French baker has a superb new "stall" and I'll take a picture tomorrow as I intend to skoot down for an authenic "hot chocolate" which is not the hot chocolate that we know.  New Palestinian, Turkish and Korean food booths that I spotted early this morning.

johnw - glorious day here, sunny and 16c.

[daveyp1970]

Anne i will have a spare Albuca canadensis when they go dormant if you would like,am i right in thinking it used to be Albuca Maxima because thats whats still on my label.

[Ezeiza]

Davey, we will have to get used to writing labels like these, particularly when sending plants to other people

Albuca canadensis (ex A. maxima, ex A. altissima)
Albuca flaccida (ex A. canadensis)

and so on.

Fortunately cases like this are not overabundant in South African bulb flora.

You see, tricky sellers list some species under more than one entry, like Moraeas under both Moraea and Homeria.

[Lesley Cox]

Yes John, the Shortias did survive and continue to do so. The little rhodos had been pricked out into pots and were on the side of the tunnel that has become heavily overtowered by pine trees and I didn't realize the rain wasn't penetrating the knitted cover, as it used to do. The Shortias are still in their seed pot and on the other side of the tunnel, watered carefully every couple of days or daily through the summer or nor'west winds. They'll be big enough to be seen in a photo soon. 

[annew]

Davey - 

[Paul T]

Alberto,

What exactly are canadensis and flaccida now?  I've heard conflicting things.  I have a yellow species that to my knowledge hasn't been identified properly as yet..... was bought as canadensis, (which I think is now flaccida?) but another canadensis/flaccida is much paler almost green, plus sets seed freely (which my yellow refuses to do).  My yellow is currently coming into full flower here, if you are wanting pics for identification.  It is most definitely "yellow" with a white lip (rough description, without looking up taxonomic features for the correct name for the "lip"), nowhere near green.  I can't tell from the pic which Bill's is closer to of mine.

Albuca nelsonii is sending up flower stems at the moment as well.

[Paul T]

Thanks for the offer, but no thank you... my yard atop a hill is exposed, windy, sunny and hot in summer, desiccated in winter by prevailing north winds, all anathema to small ericaceae, I just can't keep them moist enough and they invariably die very quickly.  My attempts at raising rhodies from seed in this garden have met 100% failure.  I'm at a point in my gardening where I'm okay with admiring some plants from afar.

McMark,

I can see why that would make it difficult for the little Rhododendrons.    Have you set up wind protected areas to grow things in different microclimates?  That level of exposure must make it very hard to grow an awful lot of things. 

[Tecophilaea King]

Not much activity lately, we better post a few pictures to brighten up the forum.
The evergreen Wachendorfia thyrsiflora, up to 1.2m tall and extremely easy to grow, flowers last for a long period from spring untill summer, producing and abundance of golden yellow flowers.

This iris like in appearence clump-forming perennial Sisyrinchium striatum Aunt May, is semi-evergreen, with sword-shaped grey-green leaves egded in cream  Stalkless clusters of cup-shaped, yellow flowers with purple brown stripes on the backs bloom in early and midsummer. Ideal in herbaceous border

Lesley, how's your Wachendorfia I send you surviving?

[Tecophilaea King]

Conanthera bifolia  is a small bulbous plant with utmost ornamental, nodding, deep purplish-blue flowers with nicely contrasting with a cone of bright yellow anthers protruding from the center, on elegant upright racemes above narrow grass like leaves. Native of dryish rocky spots in open spots in woods in Chile.

[Tecophilaea King]

Paul, here is another close-up pictures of Albuca canadensis for more detail and for comparising with your A.canadensis.
Are they the same?

[daveyp1970]

Bill i have a yellow Albuca called Albuca clanwilliamgloria that looks very similar to your A. canadensis

[Maggi Young]

Albuca clanwilliamgloria .... isn't that the one that gets 2 metres and more tall?  Where do you keep it?

[Tecophilaea King]

Bill i have a yellow Albuca called Albuca clanwilliamgloria that looks very similar to your A. canadensis

Dave, apperantly this giant of the species Albuca clanwilliamgloria was only recently discovered in South Africa, with flower stalks that can reach up to a towering 2 m. plus.
Blooms are typical of many Albuca species, - yellow, pendulant, & many to a spike.
Albuca canadensis only grow up to 1 m. in our nursery

[johnw]

The evergreen Wachendorfia thyrsiflora, up to 1.2m tall and extremely easy to grow..................

Bill - I have never been able to get a Wachendorfia thyrsifolia through the first winter and that is in a frost-free greenhouse.  Can you offer some help?  I have tried winter-dry and winter-moist for seedlings but they all turn to slop by January.  They grow so rapidly they are in a one gallon & pot bound by autumn.  Still we get a couple of months to admire those bright red roots before they follow suit.

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

I lost mine too I'm afraid Bill, also to frost or perhaps a combo of frost and too wet at the roots. Maybe some time if you have some spare seed.....?