Daffodils in the Southern Hemisphere - 2007

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi
It is Paul and no he is not particularly fluffy.
A few more photos for you. Not of miniatures and not necessarily daffodils. The camellias are quite a sight and as someone who grows quite a few of them they are a truly amazing sight. Some of the major camellia exhibitors travel for 5 or 6 hours by car to the Show.
The colour of the Champion large cup has got to be seen to be believed. A very deep and bright red cup and deep yellow perianth with an orange overcast.

[Joakim B]

Graham
Did You put a peonia amongst the camelias?
Elegans splendour looks like a nice peonia. .
Nice to see a show down under with the hings here only to come in a while.

Thanks for sharing and lovly narcisus.
Joakim

[Lesley Cox]

So that's Paul. We could do with another now, nice as the current avatar is.

This is the only show I've come across where FIRST is a blue card and SECOND is red. Usually the other way about?

[Paul T]

Lesley,

We've always bad blue and first and red as second.  I didn't realise that others did it the opposite way.  Fascinating.

As to changing the avatar to a picture of me ..... I'd rather keep your computer screens from cracking, so it will stay a picture of my dog Elfinraer!!    She's WAY cuter than me, that is for sure!! 

Joakim,

That form of Camellia is called anemone-centred or paeony-centred, depending who you're talking to.  You're right though, that particular flower is very reminiscent of a Paeony as it is such a nice form.  There are a whole range of Elegans sports in a number of different colours, all with the Paeonia form to them.  They also have a distinctly serated leaf in most cases, quite distinct from the majority of other Camellias.  If I had more space (a common lament for me) I'd have a few of the Elegans varieties.  My favourite is Elegans Champagne which is a champagne colour in a form similar to Graham's pic of Elegans Supreme.

[Lesley Cox]

But Paul, I want a pic for my rogues gallery. I have Otto and Tim and Fermi and a few others there. All comers are welcome

[Paul T]

I told you Lesley, I don't want your computer monitor shattering.  They're too expensive to replace!! 

Just add me to the rogues gallery as an honorary shaggy dog!! 

[Mini-daffs]

 
I think Paul should put up a photo of his winning erythronium!!
A visitor to the Canberra Show would have seen quite a display of miniatures. There was the smallest species bulbocodium (N. tenuifolius), NTT with five florets, N. dubius, N. watieri, N. rupicola, N. wilkommi, N. cyclamineus, N. calcicola, N. jonquilla, N. triandus pulchellus, N. cordubensis, tiny reverse bicolors, tiny triandus hybrids, coloured jonquilla hybrids (7W-YYP and 7Y-R), jonquilla hybrids with different coloured florets, coloured cyclamineus hybrids including a miniature 6W-YYP, apodanthe hybrids, tiny tazetta species (N. pachybolbus, N. tazetta ssp. tazetta and N. papyraceus) and superb bulbocodium hybrids. A veritable feast of delights for the miniature daffodil enthusiast.
Joakim, the reticulata hybrid camellias in the photos are the size of dinner plates. We grow a number of reticulata hybrids that produce enormous flowers. We also grow tree peonies and the difference is that a camellia reticulata hybrid does grow into a small tree and it quite sight to see a small tree covered in huge flowers.

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi
And a few more photos.
Lesley someone entered one for you. It is the one called Foursome!! Shows that some daffodil exhibitors have a sense of humour. I thought the petal coverage was magnificient. I wonder whether it is stable.

[Paul T]

Graham,

I'm thrilled with the Erythronium myself, but embarrassed to have it shown here.  Having see the pics of the alpine shows they have in the UK my plant is a daggy sorry individual, something that they would never in a million years show over there.  I'm jealous as anything of how they grow their plants for shows over there.    I wish I could do as well.  <sigh>

As I said to you over the weekend.... I just love your littlies at the show.  So glad to be able to see them in person as, despite teh photos being excellent they just don't show how truly intricate they are.  That tiny tenuifolius is just SO small.  I do have to admit that the apodanthe hybrids were pretty speccy as well!!  But then, so were so many of your other ones!! 

And I will have to admit.... I quite like Foursome.  I didn't actually notice it on the show bench or I would have had a closer look at it.  It has such a different symmetry to it.  Then again, I've always liked "different" flowers so it probably appeals to me for that alone!! 

[Mini-daffs]

 
Paul
Don't underrate yourself. The climate is more challenging here.
However, I am also impressed with the pot exhibits that I have seen at alpine garden shows in the UK.

[Paul T]

Graham,

Nice pic of the little Gladiolus uysiae, particularly in that light.  It opened another flower after I entered it (Yep, it's another one of mine) on Saturday morning I think, as I only recall two being out when I put it on the table.  It has the most wonderful perfume, reminiscent of a cross between Boronia and Violets.  It can easily be detected a couple of metres away on a still day.  It and G. alatus are favourites of mine for their flower shape and delicacy, but the uysiae perfume is a real bonus!!

[Maggi Young]

OOh! Scented Glads!  I MUST get into Glad seed!
Graham is quite right, Paul, don't sell yourself short, it is great to be able to have the woodsey plants doing so well in your climate... your Ery.  is a fine potful.
Wish I could inspect ... and sniff... all those litte daffs.... my nose is twitching in anticipation!
Pity that they couldn't be shown with a darker background high behind them to make them easily seen against the others... I suppose it would be tricky to have such tall shelves to the benches to acheive  that and also take up a lot more room... but it would be nice!

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi
Maggie, you can smell our daffodils from about 50 metres away at the moment. Thousands of triandus and jonquilla hybrids and thousands of species flowering at the moment. Just transporting them can be close to overwhelming. Probably deadly if you suffer from asthma, hayfever or an allergy.
The Show venue is difficult for photos because of the lighting. I took the second set of photos this morning in better light conditions than yesterday afternoon. Tall backgrounds is just too expensive and difficult for the Horticultural Society. They own all the tables and staging and even that represents a lot of money. I had my blue background with me but I would have needed an assistant to help me. Unfortunately my minder (my rather large 15 year old son who was contracted to assist with putting out the daffodils for the show) was not with me.
There appears to be lots of lurkers looking at the postings. I am assuming they are enjoying the photos. I have a new 2G flash card and a lot of batteries so I am able to take quite a few photos.
Joakim, a few photos from our photo archives for you.

[annew]

Lurking and enjoying!

[Lesley Cox]

I think Paul should put up a photo of his winning erythronium!!

Nice effort for someone who is, after all, a shaggy dog

I quite like the Foursome Graham, so long as I can think of it as something other than a daffodil.
You mentioned tiny species. What can you tell me about N. gaditanus v. minutaeflorus, of which I have 2 seedlings, hopefully to flower next year? Certainly the foliage is tiny, less than N. hedraeanthus and prostrate.