October 2007 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Paul T]

considering the state of your obviously newly sharpened pen, I guess you're feeling better than the past few days....

Luc,

What, you mean Cliff's newly sharpened pen..... that he's using to stab me at teh first opportunity!! 

Yes, feeling a bit better, hence my postings.  Thanks.

Lesley,

If it is Cinnamon that I have become allergic to I would have had the same problem at a farmers market as I would anywhere else.  Interestingly enough I actually bought the apple pie AT a farmer's market.  One of the local bakeries has a stall out there. 

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi paul,
sorry that you've been under the weather - hope you're feeling better. Here's a few more pics to cheer you up!
First a rock hugging Genista, which I think is G. pilosa.


And a herbaceus Moltkia.
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Here are a few of the late spring bulbs,
Calochortus superbus, creamy white with red markings (I've donated seed from these to NARGS Seedex this year)


Then another of the subdued Dichelostemmas, this one is D. congestum.


And a superb "new" (at least to me) Leucocoryne which I think is L. coquimbensis.


cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

For the non-bulb-aholics, we have had a few other nice flowers!
This is a dwarf Centaurea I got from Otto; is it C. simplicicaulis?




The dianthus and other flowers are coming into full bloom


And the Dianthus echidformis/anatolicus is picking up its pace!


Then a couple of "Unsure what they are" fringed white flowers, the first I think is D. petraeus ssp noeanus,




And another onewhich came as seed labelled "D. brevicaulis" which doesn't seem right, but maybe someone else on the Forum is more familiar with it?


And the Saponaria ocymoides was attracting butterflies this morning!


Meanwhile, the fleeting blooms of Paeonia caucasica were brightly lit by the morning sun!




cheers
fermi

[Michael]

Very pretty pictures Fermi!
Nice plants!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

More great shots Fermi !
How tall is your magnificent Calochortus ?

[ranunculus]

Beautiful images Fermi.

Lesley,

The Pumas were truly MAGNIFICENT!

[Lesley Cox]

Unfortunately I caught just the last 5 mins of the game Cliff (at the market at 6am this morning but came home earlier than usual) but Roger said it was an excellent match. I'm pleased for Argentina. I have a bottle - no, Roger has a bottle, of Glenfiddich Special Reserve ready for tomorrow's game (at 7 in the morning ) so we can celebrate no matter who wins. For you, I hope the English but all the same we'd like to cup to come to the SH again.

Fermi I'm sure your dianthus isn't brevicauls but what a little beauty. Seed?

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Luc,
The Calochortus superbus stands between about 12 and 16 inches (30 to 40 cm) and doesn't tend to flop over as it's growing in full sun. I was hoping to post a pic of C. splendens soon but the b***** echidna broke off the only flowering stem a couple of days ago! I've put it in a vase (the flower-stem, not the echidna) so it may eventually open.
However a flowering stem of C. albus ssp albus didn't suffer the same fate as it was in another part of the garden and I almost didn't see it as it was half hidden by a mass of California Poppy foliage!


Another of the C. superbus opened today, it has a slightly darker pink staining to the exterior of the petals.


Lesley,
you obviously mozzed those English players they didn't seem to know what they were doing. We only watched a few minutes of the game yesterday as a "newsbreak" during the ads mentioned "England's disappointing loss" which really let the cat out of the bag! Actually it was in the afternoon and we only flicked onto the game while having lunch! I preferred to do a bit of gardening.
Yes, it is a nice dianthus even if it isn't as named; I'll see if I still have seed of it from last season otherwise I'll collect some this season when it ripens - hopefully before I get to NZ in January for the NZAGS Study weekend.
Here's another dwarf dianthus, D. haematacalyx ssp. pindicola.


cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Now for a little mystery. I got a few seedlings up from a packet labelled "Delphinium luteum" from NZAGS (?2003) which flowered last year for the first time, but the flowers opened yellow and matured a creamy white!
Is it true or a possible hybrid? Here's the first pics of it this year.




It stands about 12 in (30cm) high and I keep it in a pot to provide it with a better watering regime. It dies away to nothing in the late summer.
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Other plants in the rock garden include this airy Arenaria (or is it Minuartia) circassica.


ANd a dwarf achillea which came labelled "A. lewisii" which it isn't!


And in the native section, the yellow verticordia has started to flower.


cheers
fermi

[mark smyth]

how far does your garden stretch, Fermi?

[fermi de Sousa]

It's slowly growing! We're on an acre block which we bought 7 years ago and consisted of a quarter acre "house and garden" with an adjacent paddock. The paddock has now been civilised with a new driveway and carport and 5 years ago we started constructing the "New Rock Garden" (the old one is now called "The Rock garden Bed") which is where most of these pics were taken. It's not a big garden in comparision to a lot of the neighbours, but is a lot more than I've been used to previously!
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Some more pics from the NRG.
Genista lydia just starting into bloom.


And some sun-lovers: Helianthemun "Ben Vane"(?), Aethionema pulchellum, around a Yucca filimentosa.


Then some seedlings of Dianthus "Pike's Pink", the parent plant is in the foreground and is not yet in flower

I particularly like the semi-double with a picotee edge.

And the tiny double "Pink Jewel", which I also adore, so I'll post a few of it!






cheers
fermi

[annew]

Very impressed with your beautiful rock garden, Fermi.