February 2011 - Southern Hemisphere

[angie]

Marcus like your E.sidioides is it really as dark as the picture shows.

Angie

[Lesley Cox]

There is a Campanula patula. Not, I think, C. spatula. You'll find that in one of my kitchen drawers, along with the spurtles.

[ranunculus]

There is a Campanula patula.

Campanula patula

[Lesley Cox]

That looks pretty much like Marcus's don't you think? Same shape, veining and throat, just a little deeper coloured.

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Lesley,
Sorry  I didn't spell the name of the campanula correctly in my post - it was correctly spelt on the pic label.

C. spatulata is a frequently occuring Greek species with ssp filicaulis endemic to Crete, ssp spruneriana (larger pale blue flowers) and ssp guiseppi (trailing stems and wider flowers). My reference books have a a couple of pics that look similar to my plant so I don't know which species it is. I'll take a closer look today.

Cheers, Marcus

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Angie,

Yes E. sidioides is a velvety, rich, maroon. In the sunlight it picks up the red tones more but it is a dark little devil. I like it a lot but I still rather like the somewhat brazen pink, butterfly flowers of E. endlischerianum. Cheers, Marcus

[arillady]

Marcus like Angie I love the colour of  E. sidioides.

[Hillview croconut]

Howdy again,

On the Campanula spatulata vs C. patula discussion - they hav every similar flowers but my plants have spatula-like leaves. Here is a photo of the former http://www.plant-animal-photos.co.uk/greecegallery85.html
Does anyone have a photo of C. patula which includes the leaves?

Cheers, Marcus

[Lvandelft]

Hi Angie,

Yes E. sidioides is a velvety, rich, maroon. In the sunlight it picks up the red tones more but it is a dark little devil. I like it a lot but I still rather like the somewhat brazen pink, butterfly flowers of E. endlischerianum. Cheers, Marcus

Marcus, our Forum specialist on Erodium, etc. Mark Smyth seemingly is suffering from White Fever  , therefore I must say that these Erodium are in fact Pelargonium from S. Africa,
Just Pelargonium endlicherianum comes from Little Asia

Cannot help on the Camp. question.

[angie]

Hi Angie,

Yes E. sidioides is a velvety, rich, maroon. In the sunlight it picks up the red tones more but it is a dark little devil. I like it a lot but I still rather like the somewhat brazen pink, butterfly flowers of E. endlischerianum. Cheers, Marcus

Marcus, our Forum specialist on Erodium, etc. Mark Smyth seemingly is suffering from White Fever  , therefore I must say that these Erodium are in fact Pelargonium from S. Africa,
Just Pelargonium endlicherianum comes from Little Asia

Cannot help on the Camp. question.

Thanks, Yes I think the White fever has got a lot of our forum members. But saying this if they are going to go down with something at least it's those lovely little white gems.
I will go and have a look to see if I can source these pelargoniums here in the UK.

Marcus looking forward to see some more pictures 

Angie

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Everyone,

Sorry mia culpa  - thanks Lvandelft for pointing it out. Pelagonium was what I MEAN'T to say but somehow erodium popped up in my brain instead. What with patula - spatula and now this, my reputation as a plant person is taking a beating .

No problemo Angie I'm not going to stop posting. My biggest problem is time, I am in the thick of my bulb orders right now. I have my first crocus appearing this week, C. vallicola, kortschyanus ssp hakkariensis and C. serotinus ssp clusii, scary! Where's the summer gone?

Cheers, Marcus

[Lvandelft]

Marcus, some wrong names doesn't mean being a less good plant person 

[fermi de Sousa]

besides, there's always someone who'll point out the correct name!

The Acis autumnalis is going berserk at the moment! The cooler weather recently must have it convinced that autumn is here!




A new flower for us is this Galtonia regalis which we got 9 years ago as a potful of seedlings from Gordon Julian (Tasmania) and this neglected pot is the only one to finally produce a flower! More by good luck than good management I'm sad to say. Obviously needs more water than I've been providing!


This clump of Lycoris incarnata is in full bloom


And this native Amaryllid, Calostemma purpureum is following suit,




cheers
fermi

[arillady]

Fermi,
Calostemmas flowering stems are popping up everywhere that they grow naturally around here.
How far down are the Calostemma bulbs below ground in your part of the Oz? When I have tried to dig any up I think I have gone deep enough and find that I haven't or I have sliced off part of the bulb or worse the flowering stem. They must be a good 12" down.
Acis is bulb that I have not tried - must try some sometime.

[anita]

Hi,
Few more photos from Adelaide. Amaryllis belladonna 1 is a simply a better flower cluster on the early blooming group in my garden. A. belladonna is the first of the darker pinks to get going. The hymenocallis are now in full bloom. It’s just hard getting a decent shot, everytime I try to take a pic the wind starts gusting! I bought these years ago as Ismene x festalis, they've now bulked up nicely and I've got more than a dozen plants under the Magnolia grandiflora - unfortunately my vision of white flowers beneath the white magnolias hasn't worked. The magnolia always finishes before the Hymenocallis start! Finally a Crinum, bought as C. macowanni Boekel’s Beauty. Not only does it produce magnificent blooms but they are scented too (but then so are the belladonnas and the hymenocallis).
Anita