October 2007 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

Thanks, Anne,
we're happy with it but still extending it!
Here are a couple of pics taken this morning.
King's Spear, Asphodeline lutea


and the bracts on Euphorbia rigida after the seed has "popped"


cheers
fermi

[Rogan]

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

Hello Fermi,

I'm not an expert, but isn't your Leucocoryne species closer to L. vitata than it is to L. coquimbensis? I'm very new to the Leucocoryne game, but find them exquisite and easy to grow.

[fermi de Sousa]

Rogan,
I think you may be right.
I didn't think I had L. vittata but either it's there under the L. coquimbensis label or it's spread from it's own spot! I see on the PBS site that someone else submitted a pic of it under the name L. coquimbensis so it may be a common mistake!
I like that Tritonia pallida you posted to the South African Bulbs thread - and it's on our "allowed" list for importing seed!
cheers
fermi

[SueG]

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

Hi Fermi
I've grown this is the past as well but don't now - it is lovely. I've found out it is a californian native http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Delphinium+luteum which I didn't know - will be on the look out for it again.
Sue

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

Finally uploaded some pics to show you all.  Already posted a bunch in the iris area, and will post more here tomorrow.  11pm now so will just put up a couple of aroid pics for your enjoyment tonight (well it's night MY time!!  )


Despite the flower being only a few inches tall, Arum dioscoridis packs a punch and stinks like a dead possum.  The burgundy and yellow markings are very cool  and worth a bit of a smell, to me at least.  We had 31'C over the weekend so the spathe aged within hours and the yellow area has predominantly shrivelled in the pic.

The following is a first flowering for me, after a number of years of waiting.....





This is Amorphophallus konjac and is another of the stinky brethren.  The tuber has been theoretically large enough for a few years now but hasn't bloomed for me, so I was most chuffed to find the bud a couple of weeks ago.  The flower emerges before any leaves are present, so it looks even more cool!! 

And finally for tonight I think, a shot of a part of my front garden....



The Echium in combination with the various colours of the maples works quite well I think.  Thought you might enjoy seeing it.

[Maggi Young]

It's not often I'm GLAD we don't have a scent function on the forum, but with these aroids, it is a distinct advantage. They are such sculpted and textured flowers, irrisistible.
 Loving your front garden Paul, that's a nice view for the neighbours and passers-by. Looks very much like an Aussie version of ours, that's probably why I like it so much

[ashley]

Yes beautiful aroids, Paul (although I'm also happy to admire them from a distance  )

Is that Echium fastuosum?  Echiums are great for the way they attract insects.

[Paul T]

Maggi,

You've just reminded me... I was going to send you a tuber of Typhonium brownii as I recall.  That's a good stinker too!! 

The view in the pic iis within my front garden, and can't be viewed like that by passers by.  The Echium is planted against the front of the house, and that pic is looking parallel to the front wall.  Road-goers would be off to the right of the pic, so they look at a different setup, plus they can't see the sunken waterbowl and pouring jug etc.  I can take some pics from the road if you want, although that my just burst your romantic ideas of liking my garden when you see what it is REALLY like!! 

Ashley,

Don't know which Echium it is, but I "think" that fastuosum is the one with the real cobalt flowers isn't it?  This one is paler, and the flowers aren't as tightly packed, although this year the heads are much better quality than previous years so maybe it has just matured enough to flower better.  Definitely not as dark a blue as the good ones I've seen elsewhere, but it also isn't as big as the majority of Echiums I've seen, so it is manageable in my garden.  Any bigger and I'd have to remove it.  As it is I will have to cut it down very hard at the end of the flowering to bring it back to a better size.  There's actually a set of stepping stones running through between the Echium and the maple! 

[ashley]

I think there's some variability in size & colour Paul but don't know for sure.  What IS for sure is that it's not nice to brush against!

[Maggi Young]

What IS for sure is that it's not nice to brush against!

Which makes it a great plant for "directing" the route of  the paberboy, who thinks any means of passage across your garden is fair game!
 Yes, Paul, you were going to send a Typhonium... I had hoped you'd forgotten!

[ashley]

Which makes it a great plant for "directing" the route of  the paberboy

... through the yuccas and agaves.

[Maggi Young]

through the yuccas and agaves.

and passing VERY close to the Aciphyllas!

[ashley]

passing VERY close to the Aciphyllas

Good point Maggi

At this rate Paul will wake to a much edgier garden

[Joakim B]

I do not think he will get the newspaper with that plantation

[Paul T]

Gee guys, if we're going for lethality in the garden..... who can forget some nice Berberis, and of course Pyracantha (nickname of firethorn for a good reason) and of course Chaenomeles japonica (ornamental quince).    I do have a few of the ornamental quince, but they're in pots to stop them suckering.

This particular Echium isn't bad on the skin for reference..... I used to grow another one there and removed it for exactly that reason (plus it was attempting a somewhat larger encroachment on the maples).  This one has better flowers too, so smaller size, no bristles and better flowers definitely adds up to a better plant.