June 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Anthony Darby]

Angie, mid winter here means bottle brush trees flowering and last week it was warm enough for a monarch butterfly to be visiting it. This morning my walk was a wee bit later, but I saw a kingfisher and several swallows. I guess they don't migrate? Wet again today but still 17^oC!
I've been offered a possible job as inward goods/stock controller at a large garden centre/landscape business. It includes: identifying quality;performing "forensic" observation over all operations; communicating with buyers; entering stock - label printing; improving efficiency; ordering; total stock control; cost saving; streamlining operations; customer service; check out back up; displaying plants when required; contributing new ideas; storage improvements; assisting in any area as required; communicating with the boss; attention to stock damage and salvage. Hours 8.30 - 5.30 5 days/week. I asked about salary and they batted that back at me and said "what are you looking for?" Arggh. I must say I don't know! NZ$40,000 (~£20,000)?

[Paddy Tobin]

Rudi,

Beautiful flowers. A question for you re Lilium martagon cattaniae: I have a lily in flower in the garden, label lost, which is exactly this colour. Has your plant noticeably thick, fleshy petals? The name rings a bell and it coincides with a season of sowing martagon lily seed - there are several martagon lilies together in this part of the garden.

Paddy
 

Paddy,I am quite sure, that you have the same plant.

Many thanks, Rudi. Some of the plants in this group are a little paler though all were from the same seed. It's an attractive colour which I like very much.

Paddy

[Natalia]

Dactylorhiza fucsii form

[Lesley Cox]

,

We have bottle brush bushes coming out of our ears here.

God, that must be uncomfortable. I like the bottle brushes because they flower most heavily down this way, around Christmas and I can cut a big jarful to put in front of the fireplace. They have a really Christmassy look to them with some greenery.

[Lesley Cox]

Speaking as one of the country's poor, I'd be thrilled with $40,000. Never had more than $35,000 in my life and now, on govt. super and a little from my market job, just over $15,000 after tax. If you can get it Anthony, take it, especially since jobs are not thick on the ground at present.

[angie]

Anthony always wanted to see a kingfisher. Mid winter and it's 17c , Bottle brush flowering sounds fantastic, who cares if it's raining.
The job sounds great. The company will benefit from all your knowledge. I find some of the staff at our garden centres could do with a bit of knowledge. I heard a lady ask for a butterfly bush and the boy said I have never heard of that, don't think we have that. I sometimes wonder if they can be bothered. I wonder what they get paid 

Angie 

[Anthony Darby]

The $40k was a figure I picked out of the air. Works out at $20/hour. The minimum wage is $13/hour and this is a management position, so I really haven't a clue.

Angie, my car once broke down near Forfar. While I was waiting for the AA I found a dead kingfisher at the side of the road. I think it is still in my former colleague's freezer?

[Zdenek]

I send ten pictures taken in our garden in the first half of this month:

Aquilegia scopulorum
Delphinium smithianum
Dianthus alpinus ´Albus´
Erigeron arenarioides
Hebe armstrongii
Heteropappus goulimyi
Inula acaulis (the real thing, the other is I. rhizocephala)
Oenothera acaulis
Saxifraga granulata ´Plena´
Scutellaria sevanensis

[Lesley Cox]

I love the Scutellaria. It looks quite close to S. orientalis?

[olegKon]

1. The first flowering of Penstemon laricifolius for me.
2. Edryanthus dalmaticus from SRGC seedex.

[Gerdk]

Some pics from yesterday - made during a short spell without rain

1. Alstroemeria aurea
2. Bomarea edulis
3. + 4. Clematis viticella 'Etoile Violette'
5. Geranium cinereum - white variety
6. Campanula choruhensis
7. Oxalis valdiviensis - nice but a little weedy - in fact naturalized in C. and S.
                                 England
8. Lilium martagon var. cattaniae
9. Spigelia marilandica
10. Viola szechwanensis - a V. biflora relative

Gerd

[Brian Ellis]

Bit busy at the moment, but I couldn't resist finding time to snap Gladiolus flanaganii, one of my favourites for the wonderful colour.

[Paddy Tobin]

Oh, Brian, Love it!

I recall seeing photographs of it growing on cliffs in S. Africa when attending a talk a few years ago.

Great plant, Paddy

[Pete Clarke]

An unidentified Calandrinia, exGK 5128. The flowers only last a day but are bright orange.
Parnassia spec. SDR 5128.
A nice delicate pale blue Amsonia tabernaemontana.
My favourite Lily, Olina.

[Diane Clement]

An unidentified Calandrinia, ex GK4698. The flowers only last a day but are bright orange.

Pete, good timing with the picture of the Calandrinia as I have just had an email from John Watson, in reply to mine some time ago    better late than never.  He says that some DNA research has been done and "GK4698 is definitely quite different from the others, and is in fact a new species" (the others meaning C caespitosa and relatives).  I hope to have some more information in time.