Early spring in the Southern Hemisphere

[Lesley Cox]

Well Gerd, I was relying on you and you're no help at all

Does anyone have a pic of V. grisebachiana?

I'll make a note Luc. You're very welcome. I must also email to Ole Persson as I sent him seed last summer as V. dubyana.

[Lesley Cox]

Just did a quick Google and there are plenty references to V. grisebachiana but precious few pictures. One small batch showed a lot of variation and the first at least had the shape and general colouring right for mine.

I asked because somewhere in the dim, dark depths of my memory, I have a vague idea that I bought this viola or maybe had it from a seedlist, as V. grisebachiana, and then someone said "oh no, that's V. dubyana." It must have been someone whose opinion I respected or I wouldn't have changed it, - usually no-one's opinion is better regarded than my own - so how about it? Anyone for V. grisebachiana?

[Gerdk]

Well Gerd, I was relying on you and you're no help at all

Does anyone have a pic of V. grisebachiana?

I'll make a note Luc. You're very welcome. I must also email to Ole Persson as I sent him seed last summer as V. dubyana.

Lesley, sorry for being better again in telling you what it is not - but it will never be Viola grisebachiana. V. grisebachiana is a tiny alpine type of pansy, even smaller than V. dubyana (not the flowers).
I believe your plant is (or very near to) Viola corsica, syn. V. bertolonii.
I hope this will be at least a little bit helpful. 
Gerd

[fermi de Sousa]

The first of the Tulipa hageri flowers opened on the weekend,


And the T. clusiana "Cynthia" have just started.


And probably the last decent pic of Paeonia cambessedessii, as the first flower has fallen!


cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Sorry Gerd, I didn't mean to hassle you. Looks like I'm back to square one. I think you're right, I'd better forget about a name and just enjoy it. I'm doing that all right. It goes against the grain though as having a small nursery and trying always to be meticulous about names, not to know is bothering me though I've not lost sleep so far.

[Lesley Cox]

I took some pics yesterday in between weeding spells but there was a good nor'west wind so not everything's as clear as it should be.

First up, an interesting pic of some wandering roots from a Phormium seedling, one I rescued from our gravel driveway a year ago as it was bright red coloured and seemed to be very dwarf. A year later it is still red and dwarf so I'll plant it somewhere soon. In the meantime it's in a pot in a polystyrene tray and it was these trays of pots that I was weeding. The roots had gone through the tray's base and along the weedmat underneath. I like the tartan effect and wonder could roots be trained to make a new fabric.



A few yellows in flower now. The first, Anemone ranunculoides `Semi plena' will go under a little maple later today and replace the snowdrops which are finished now. I hope that next year they may mingle at least in part.



Muscari macrocarpum was imported from Marcus Harvey in the late summer. It has a delicious perfume. I've had this previously, even growing to a big clump but never had a flower on it.



This too, from Marcus, as Narcissus triandrus `Angel's Whisper.' It seems very like `Hawera,' 'Fairy Chimes,' `Mary Plumstead' and others. Very pretty though.



Another little one is Narcissus cuatrecasasii. James S. Wells ("Modern Miniature Daffodils") doesn't think highly of it but mine is very good, flowering well and up to a month earlier than the similar N. rupicola. It also sets good seed.



My Scoliopus bigelovii is fully out at last but quite a lot later than Paul's in Australia, maybe a month. Not quite yellow but yellowish



Degenia velebitica I find is short-lived but it sets enough seed to keep in going. This one is about to go into a gritty trough which helps to keep it going.



And two drabas, the first, D. bryoides imbricata is suffering from too much shade from a nearby tree and the second, D. longisiliqua is recovering from having leaves over it last winter (06), the resulting dead patch just filling out well, now.

[Lesley Cox]

Dianthus freynii is cute in a trough, just a little pad really.



Morisia monanthos is in the same trough. Past its best now. Cabbage white caterpillars like this one.



Three primulas. The first is my total crop of flowers on Primula minima. Last year I has 3 on the white form, none this year. I wish they'd flower as well as the two following.



Primula x juliana `Snow White'



And another of the closeup flowers on P. vulgaris `Lilacina Plena.' Because it's sterile, it flowers and looks good for a very long time, and again in the autumn if the summer hasn't dessicated it.



Although it's common and very easy, I love this arabis which is so generous, flowering for several months and then all over again if it's cut back. It is Arabis alpina `Flore Pleno.'



Here are the first noses, though today, on my favourite white.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Great pics.  I have to ask though..... your favourite white what?

The Anemone ranunculoides  `Semi plena' is a little gem isn't it?  Never grown that species myself, but I love the anemones and little Rununcs.  That little Narcissus cuatrecasasii is a cutie as well.... another species I've never come across before.  Love all your other pics too!!

[Lesley Cox]

Weldenia candida of course

[Lesley Cox]

Some fritillarias out now.

The first is F. affinis. I've grown several batches from seed and there is heaps of variation both in colour and form. I love them all.






This little species is (I think) F. bithynica, another which varies from plain greeny yellow to this form with pink stripes. It has somehow got itself into a pot of F. acmopetala.


F. mutabilis has always grown and flowered well for me as well as giving good seed each year. It's lovely outside but superb inside.




I like F. whittallii for its understated elegance and quiet colour.


and the last but FAR from least, this huge flowered species is F. grandiflora, sent by Marcus Harvey from a Rix collection. The flower is 4cms wide and 6 long. For now, the stem is very short, the 2 flowers resting on the pot surface but I expect it will lengthen with age. It seems quite vigorous, last year's single bulb having made 3 or 4 young ones by now, judging from the extra leaves.

[fermi de Sousa]

Lovely frits, Lesley.
I can't grow many erythroniums but this E. helenae has been grown from seed and has flowered consistently the last couple of years though only about 6" (15cm) high. In a shade bed of course!


Next is one of the last daffs to flower, and a bit of a mystery. I got it from a local grower as "Sydling" but can't find any reference to it anywhere.



Serapias lingua has been in flower for a couple weeks in the Shadehouse, so I took it out for a photo op this morning.


and then thought I'd try Paddy's trick of a blue sky background!


Tulipa clusiana "Cynthia" was open this morning


as was another T.hageri


Finally, one of our Aussie natives favoured for rock hugging groundcover! Pultanea pedunculata in it's pure yellow form "Pyalong Gold".


cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Now what?

A couple of small rhodies and a few more bulbs.

I'm sorry my little plants Of Rhododendron camtschaticum haven't flowered yet but they are certainly growing well. There are 3 in a little group in a cool raised bed and they are putting out quite long (20cm) underground runners from the central 12cm plants. Maybe flowers next year. An added bonus is that because they are deciduous they have lovely orangey autumn colour.


One of my favourites is R. megeratum and it's flowering well this year (which it doesn't always) but most flowers are facing away from the path where I sit to take the pics because it's facing towards the sun.




I think this must be Iris magnifica alba of which I have several different batches, all raised from seed as other species. This one came labelled I. rosenbachiana!


My favourite grape hyacinth may possibly be Muscari mcbeathii but I'm not sure.
Although the pic looks out-of-focus, it isn't really, but the flowers seem to have an almost fluffy look to them. Did yours survive Mark?


This pic from last year.
[attachthum=6]

[Lesley Cox]

Well, now I look at last year's muscari, the new one, above, IS out of focus. Sorry.

A couple of erythroniums here are E. revolutum in a form with superb dark bronze foliage only lightly marbled with green, and it has a deep pink flower to boot.


and E. `Ruapuna Dawn,' a revolutum hybrid with softer pink flowers. It too has wonderful foliage, with even bronze and green marbelling. The other parent is almost certainly `White Beauty' as seedlings from `R D' flower identical to that one.




Just 2 more for today, Trillium hibbersonii. Judging from last year's pics, I gave away the wrong one


and T. chloropetalum. I bought this plant just this last weekend. The parent which I saw, was almost black-flowered but I'm very happy with this seedling which has superb foliage in blotches of red, dark red, dark green and black.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Love those dark leaved Erythroniums.  Superb is definitely a good description of them.  Closest I have in markings to them would be the E. dens canis 'Snowflake' I got this year.  Your revolutum leaves just look amazing!!  I'd be pretty impressed with the Trillium leaves too.... way darker than anything I've ever seen, by many degrees. Fantastic!! The Muscari flowers remind me a bit of 'Vallerie Finnis', but the leaves look to be straight instead of having undulations along them.  I love the colour of VF so that one must be pretty speccy as well.

Great pics from both you and Fermi today.  Excellent stuff!! 

[ranunculus]

Super thread as usual....many thanks Lesley, Fermi and Paul.