June 2011 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

Officially the start of winter and it felt like it the last two mornings!
Still a few things in flower, like
Gladiolus dalenii






cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

We also an out-of-season flower on a DBI "Pause" (insert pun here!)


And our trailling Grevillea lanigera is in full bloom,




cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

You're doing better than I am Fermi, with just a few bulbous things and a dianthus and a geranium (papuanum) but these last two with the flowers too far apart to photograph well. Also a few late flowers on Genista aetnensis. I picked qhite a lot of seed from it this week and broke my thumbnails in parting the seeds from their pods.

The Grevillea is very nice.

[Lvandelft]

Fermi, your Gladiolus dalenii is gorgeous!

BTW. your Ixia amethystina is flowering here now and after two strong winters when I left a few outside in the garden they seem to be very hardy.
I don't know if they will flower though?? Or the bulbs are still too small?
I potted the now flowering ones in November and put them inside when it was very cold.

[daveyp1970]

Fermi can i ask is G dalenii winter green for you then because i have just sown some seed reading it was a summer grower.

[Ezeiza]

No intention to answer instead of Fermi but the question is very interesting. Davey, you are right, it is winter dormant but flowers so very late, at the end of the long season of growth, this meaning flowers appear practically into the winter season.Same with Gladiolus callianthus (Acidanthera). In cold climates it means you will have to wait and see the flowers frozen.

[daveyp1970]

Thank you Alberto,I am so glad you are part of this forum.

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Davey,
as Alberto says this gladdie flowers very late and I took the pic before all the spikes were out because they might get frosted before that!

The Winter Narcissus have started with Narcissus cantabricus foliosus


Still a flower out on Crocus cancellatus ssp mazzariacus


and on our "Mother's Day Nerine", Nerine flexuosa "Alba".


cheers
fermi

[anita]

The Narcissus are kicking in here too – various old fashioned and unnamed tazettas but most delightfully some “hoops” N. Ta_Julia (7/90) from Glenbrook Bulb Farm.  I’m afraid the wire in the picture does nothing for the aesthetics but I’ve got it over nearly all my potted miniature bulbs to stop the wretched blackbirds digging the plants out.

Interesting that Fermi’s G. dalenii are just starting, as mine are just finishing. I would have thought that it would have been around the other way as Fermi’s region is colder than Adelaide.

If anyone wants Gladioli seeds in a couple of months let me know. I wanted to increase my lot and planted seed two years ago. This year, to my surprise, the most vigorous bulbs flowered. I’ve got no reason to keep seeds for myself now so I’ll dead head in the next few weeks unless seeds are wanted.

Interesting too that Fermi’s N alba is flowering… mine didn’t this year. I put it down to our unusually cool and wet summer as they have flowered pretty reliably for the past decade despite drought. It’s swings and round abouts - I had things like Sprekelia flower and Vallota lilies (Cyrtanthus elatus), posted in Feb, and Amarine  tubegenii flower (posted April) this year, that haven’t done for a number of years presumably because of the wetter summer.
Cheers Anita

[Lesley Cox]

My own hoops are coming along nicely, N. romieuxii 'Atlas Gold' flowering earlier than ever, but 'Tarleton' and 'Nylon' are later so that they're all out at once with foliosus and a couple of others.

I potted up what I thought were seedlings (labelled as such) from 'Julia Jane' but they too are in flower (40 pots of them) are all 'Atlas Gold.' Don't know how I came to make that mistake. I wasn't planning to sell them this year so no matter.

But I think what will be one of my most favourite late autumn/early winter daffs from now on, is this little N. tazetta ssp. patulus given to me by Betty Clark. The two stems are just 12cms high (5") and are bearing a total of 8 flowers. They're deliciously perfumed too. Started late May and will finish into late June by the look of them. Betty sent me a picture of her clump, really gorgeous.



The other thrill today was as I finished hanging the washing on the line, I saw what I've not had in 12 years of growing the darned thing, flowers on Clematis napaulensis. It had grown through from the shady to the sunny side of a shade cloth fence and finally was performing. I picked a long strand with dozens of clusters mostly of buds so it's just starting. Lovely to have this flowering through the winter.





Today has been cold and horrid with a strong easterly wind and heavy cloud. Whenever there has been a gleam of sunshine, the sky has looked muddy and apparently this is the ash from the Chilean volcanoes presently erupting. Air flights have been cancelled and now the sky is positively black and there is rain slashing in, almost snowy sleet. And Roger's just set out to walk the dogs. I don't expect they'll be long.

[Lori S.]

What a gorgeous clematis, Lesley!

[Lesley Cox]

I know it sets seed so if mine does, I'll retrieve some for you Lori. I think it has been on the seed lists. The main problem with it is that I'll have to clamber across a large patch of blackberry to reach it. Roger says "I suppose you want me to lie across it and you walk across me, safely?" so I've agreed to that.

I was right about the walk. I'd hardy finished posting when back they came, bedraggled and cold.

[Maggi Young]

Clematis napaulensis is lovely.... display of flowers like that makes up for the long wait, Lesley

[angie]

I too love your Clematis Lesley. Something to cheer you up on not such a nice day.

Angie 

[Ezeiza]

Lesley, that is spectacular.