August 2011 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

A bright and sunny winter's morning here in Central Victoria!
Some pics from the garden,
Crocus sieberi sieberi


A first flowering on Crocus cyprius from Marcus Harvey last autumn, a tiny jewel (the crocus not Marcus! - though he is a gem for supplying us bulbaholics with a great range of stuff here in the Antipodes - we were so envious when we saw the range of things available in the UK)



citrus scented Moraea macronyx,


and the sumptuous Romulea sabulosa


cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

I nearly missed this Romulea as I wasn't expecting any to be in flower in the old sand-bed which is now over-shadowed,
I think it might be Romulea tortuosa ssp aurea




The next is the first flowering on a muscari from the AGS Seedex 2008 as M. anatolicum but it looks like it's just a purplish form of M. armeniacum! Still quite nice to me as it's different to the other forms we grow!


Iris "George" the first to open this year - well behind others like Bill in NZ!


A potful of seedlings raised from AGS Seedex as ex Narcissus romieuxiii "Julia Jane"; this one seems to have flattish flowers like their mum,

cheers
fermi

[David Nicholson]

Lovely stuff Fermi

[Maggi Young]

A reminder to new readers that clicking on the small photos will enlarge them  

[Lesley Cox]

I have quite a few Julia Jane seedlings flowering for the first time from my own seed but they are not so flat, and tending to be quite frilly, but then I wasn't sure that what I had as JJ was correct, in the first place.

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Lesley,
I find that the seedlings from JJ are fairly variable and this is the first one I've raised to demonstrate the flattish flowers - but I find them all delightful .
Here's that amazing little DBI which is probably "Waranui Wanganui Gem" which was raised by Jean Stevens in NZ many years ago. Thanks Bill for the correction


cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

I think you're right Fermi. It always used to be simply 'The Gem' and I don't know where the Waranui came from.

[Anthony Darby]

Here's some pics of Narcissus 'Polly's Pearl' from Bill Dijk. He gave me 10 dried bulbs. I planted them outside and thought I'd compare with 10 'Paper Whites' bought from "The Warehouse". The latter produced 1 flowering stem! In the UK I'd have taken them back! Bill's 10 bulbs have produced 10 flowering stems, some of which are still to open.

[Maggi Young]

And it is easy to see the "pearly" influence in the flowers.... what a very pretty narcissus.  My greedy nose and I are a pushover for these beauties.

[Lesley Cox]

That is REALLY nice. I must bully Bill into sending me his list. I only have an old one and when I've asked for recent editions, I don't get them. Can't buy if I don't know what he has.

[Paul T]

Very nice, All.

Fermi, that sieberi ssp sieberi is outstanding.  Very nice markings.  The first Iris retic type for me is 'Angel Tears' with one flower, and 'George' is about to open one today, as is Iris 'Katharine Hodgkin' which I purchased again from Marcus this year having lost mine that I bought a dozen or so years ago.  I hope this one fairs better.

Heaps of Hoop Petticoat type daffs out, plus assorted Crocus.  Anyone know if Crocus chrysanthus 'Herald' is supposed to be stoloniferous?  Mine has done so since last year when I bought it from Marcus.  I've had 3 corms appear in 3 separate directions from the original, one about 8 inches away amongst a clump of another species.  When unearthing them I found that the 2 corms I dug up were sitting right at the bottom of the poly-box so there is no way they could have been disturbed by anything to get them there..... they must have headed out on stolons from the parent?  Anyone seen this is a chrysanthus or in this particular variety before?  I'm very pleased as I just love the flower.  A friend Lyn here in Canberra has had hers for a few years and it has never multiplied at all, so I don't know why mine has done so like it has.    I am not complaining though, as the two that were in the way of other clumps in the box have now been moved into a garden elsewhere to see how they go in the future.  No other Crocus near them so they can be virtually as stoloniferous as they would like.    Also Anemone blanda coming into flower, including my 'Radar' seedling that is similar to the parent.  Fingers crossed it will do better than 'Radar' does here in Australia.

21^oC here today, the same as yesterday.  Quite a contrast to the -8^oC morning we had last Friday, which was the coldest July night in 17 years.  By the end of this weekend we're back to our more normal 12^oC day temps, as today is 7 above average for this time of year.  Very, very strange weather, and it is going to confuse a lot of things.  Prunus mume pendula is in full flower, as will be Prunus campanulata within the next few days.

[Lesley Cox]

My 'Herald' is also from Marcus and behaves impeccably, a nice little clump getting slightly larger each year. No sign of it getting wanderlust.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

I am by no means complaining about it.   The more the merrier.

[Rogan]

This is such a colourful combination that I couldn't resist the impulse to show it here, despite the terrible quality and composition of the picture: Geissorhiza radians; Gladiolus alatus and Moraea serpentina.

[Paul T]

Wow, Rogan.  Beautiful.  I miss both the radians and that colour form of the Glad.  Used to have both of them but have lost them over the years.  Such wonderfully STRONG colours.    I'm sure too strong for some people, but I just think that the red and purple together in particular is an absolute cracker!! 

Thanks for the pic.