December 2011 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

First day of the last month of the year - where has the time gone!
Here's another heavily marked Asiatic Lilium (from Adrian at Coal Creek Bulb Farm) called "Dot Com"!


A double header on Habranthus robustus


And Aloe aristata


cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

It has to be summer now doesn't it in spite of some very cold weather lately? But it was hottest in the country here yesterday with 33C in Mosgiel and still 28C at 9pm in the house. Not easy to sleep in that sort of temperature.

Today a lily and a saponaria.

The first is a garden hybrid (not induced), the seed parent pumila (which I've had as pumilio) and the pollen parent lutea. The colour is delightful, slightly peachy pink flowers in clusters like lutea and about half way in size between the parents. A neat mat in a trough.

Then Lilium nanum v. flavidum (I think I mentioned this elsewhere as L. oxypetalum). First flower from seed, AGS, sown in Feb 2006 so it's taken a while. I should have planted it out last year. It is about 20cms high, lightly speckled with red/brown and slightly citrusy scented. I've now smothered the sticky stigma with its own brown pollen. There are two more in the pot.

[Hillview croconut]

Good one Lesley! For me it has always been a tricky critter, yellow or purple. I don't know what it wants and it wont tell. Seems to steam along with out a care for a few years and then promptly drop dead! Without so much as a hint of whats to come.

By comparison I find the purple form of L. oxypetalum a breeze but not the yellow type. So I am all at sea with this group.

I hope your success continues and perhaps some day I might be able to ask for a pinch of seed?

Cheers, Marcus

[Lesley Cox]

With just the single flower here (though I'm trying), there may be no seed but I usually get seed on the dark wine form of L. nanum (which has a smaller, less wide open flower then this one). I especially like that the pods are green well striped with black along the ridges. If and when, some will come your way.

They seem to do well for me in raised beds (compost depth about 20cms) but I have a Nomocharis ACE species which is a rich deep pink and that has been in a 100mm pot for 3 years and twice I should have lost it because not only was the pot bone dry all through summer last year and THROUGH this year until now, but lying on its side as well, hidden under long grass. I noticed it a couple of days ago when strimming the grass. Not only is it there and in bud but has produced an offset. This picture is as it flowered in 2009 and the one below is now, though since, lovingly watered and I'll transfer it to a larger pot, in the cool. Still 2 buds.

It may be that this little group of lilies and the Nomocharis too, to which I think they are quite closely related, are not very long-lived as individuals. I have always found it a good idea to sow seed whenever it's available as the bulbs in a group seem not always to be the same bulbs year to year.

[Hillview croconut]

Gee thats a good one as well!

Yes I concur they appear to be short-lived but I have always found Lilium nanum the more precocious species to deal with. On the upside they do seem to be self-fertile which is a bonus.

My conditions are drier and less humid than yours so maybe thats a telling factor. Like you I love the black ribbed seed capsules they are a delight.

Do you grow N. saluenensis? I used to have some lovely rose-pink forms but they seem to have slipped away over the years.


Cheers, Marcus

[Hillview croconut]

A snapshot of whats going on here at the moment.

Dactylorihza "Harold Esselmont"
Allium sikkimensis
Primula bulleyana
Euphorbia ? glabrescens I collected this as seed near Mount Falakron up on the Greek/Bulgarian border, I really like it and I think it has a big future as a garden plant.
Lastly a primula that is a mystery to me. Don't know from whom it came from and haven't a clue about its name. Anyone help?

Cheers, Marcus

[johnw]

Lesley - Your Lilium nanum and Nomocharis aperta are smashers.  It is truly amazing how much dryness the Nomocharis can take but I wouldn't recommend it long term. In 1986 I planted some in what I thought was a suitable spot. After 5 years it occurred to me they were shrinking in size. When I dug them up they soil was parched, every bit of goodness and moisture taken by large pines.  The soil was similar to what you find in a hoover bag. Still they lived on. On their longevity - at least here - the same ones are still on the go but I fear they are now losing steam.

Just ordered Lilium souliei from Bojnar's list, fingers crossed as have been chasing this one for years.

johnw - ridiculously mild here, mainly sunny and hazy here today at 14c and now 10c at 21:12 with a low of 9.

[Lesley Cox]

Your Primula is a mystery to me Marcus, perhaps some of the Scots will know. I can't think of anything remotely like it. I don't think the east coast of NZ can be called humid by any stretch of the imagination until you get right up to Tauranga. We've been gasping over recent years for probably 9 months or every year. Dunedin may get a little more rain than Hobart but I doubt if we do here, only about 600mm per annum. I have a few N. saluenensis seedlings, from the originals but not flowering yet, maybe next year.

I'm hesitant to be too sure yet but even two days after the petals fell from the little yellow lily, there MAY be a pod forming. It is rich green and not shrivelling at all. IF it develops, looks like I'll need to divide the contents into 3 parts.

You're right about the Nomocharis John, and I swear I'll do better with them in future. I used to have a good patch in the leaf litter under a tall native red beech, Nothofagus fusca and it did well for 3 or 4 years but gradually declined as the rhodos and other things took over the ground and it became very dry deep down. (11 Rhodo pachysanthum now ) I see Lilium souliei on the AGS list as well, I guess also from the same source.

That IS mild. It's been just 13C here today after 33C last week. We're nothing if not unpredictable!

Oh yes, I meant to mention that the little (very little) Beschorneria species is in flower. Or in bud really at this stage. It looks very like an Agave, total about 22cms high and very cute. It's raining () now so I'll do a picture tomorrow.

[johnw]

Oh yes, I meant to mention that the little (very little) Beschornaria species is in flower. Or in bud really at this stage. It looks very like an Agave, total about 22cms high and very cute. It's raining () now so I'll do a picture tomorrow.

Lesley - What a climate you have. Here that Beschorneria flowers 3 weeks after the first day of summer and it is stored frost-free during the winter. Yours is outdoors getting ready to flower nearly 3 week before the start of summer.  Do let me know if you have any idea which species it might possibly be. It survived the recent bad winters in Vancouver and I believe Paddy has one going as well.

johnw - +10c at 07:00

[Lesley Cox]

John I can see nothing at all by Googling that suggests a name for this species. All the references are for much larger species. This is the only one with a stem of buds, the others have all gone for extra rosette growth. That's OK and of course I have some other younger ones coming on as well. It seems an accomodating little plant.

I'd like to think our summer is well and truly started, it now being December but today is bitterly cold and raining/drizzling and I have to stand out in it for 3 1/2 hours this afternoon. On the other hand, I have something new germinated every day, sometimes several things so maybe it's good for plants. Besides, for quite different reasons, Yes, I'm So Happy.....
 

[fermi de Sousa]

Lesley,
I'd love to see a pic of that Beschorneria as mine are all still in small pots (3" tubes) and not looking at all like flowering yet!
This is a patch of "almost all native plants" - just ignore the Euphorbia!


The bright bit of colour is our native Pelargonium rodneyanum


Calochortus argillossus


Alstroemeria hookerii


cheers
fermi

[Anthony Darby]

Here's a Gloriosa from Bill Dijk. I think it's superb!

[angie]

Here's a Gloriosa from Bill Dijk. I think it's superb!

So do I Anthony, very nice.

Angie 

[Lesley Cox]

It certainly is Anthony. Bet you didn't have many of those in Dunblane.

Fermi here is the Beschorneria. I can't say it is spectacular, not yet anyway but it has a certain charm. I plan to plant the remaining 5 from the first batch all together in a little group which well help. I'm waiting until Roger disposes of an ancient truck and moves our usable but unregistered trailer from the driveway then I'm going to get a 10 tonne load of shingle/silt in and dump it, to be a sand or scree bed. I think the Beschornaria could do well in that.

Not a brilliant pic I'm afraid, I found it hard to get the whole thing focused. Still in bud but I'll do another when the buds open out.

[Anthony Darby]

It certainly is Anthony. Bet you didn't have many of those in Dunblane.

(Attachment Link)

Curiously John Amand always had huge tubers for sale at the Early Bulb Display in Dunblane. I tried it in the greenhouse, but the flowers were smaller and yellow and red striped.