October 2007 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Rogan]

Paul, black flowers are fascinating aren't they, and your little shrub is absolutely magnificent. I have a little indigenous shrub called Tinnia rhodesiana (from the northern parts of SA and elsewhere), which also covers itself in pendant, blackish (although not nearly as dark as yours) flowers and inflated seed pods. The photo is not very good as it is not in full bloom yet, but does give some idea of the unusual flowers:

[Maggi Young]

What an extraordinary, place, Fermi. The style of the building is most odd... I like it! The gardens look very natural, which is unusual in such a place. makes a nice change.

[Paul T]

Fermi,

looks like a lovely place to visit.  Great pics!!

Rogan,

That Tinnia looks great.  How big is the actual plant, and how big are the inflated seedpods?  Might be something worth looking out for with those flowers.... love that colour!! 

[Otto Fauser]

TOday was also our Flower Show- as I was a judge for the  Rockgarden Section,i could only stage a noncompetitive exhibit, including a pot of Cypripedium formosanum , Calanthe striata ssp. sieboldii,Iris acutiloba etc. Fermi who lives over 2 hours away from here also attended the showand took photos to post on this forum in the next few days. Although I take reasonable photos with my new camera ,I'm ashamed to admit I still have not mastered to send photos by email- i must learn.
 Thank you Paul,also Fermi ,Lesley and everyone for keeping us constantly informed ,entertained and sometimes amused,
           Ciao Otto.

[Maggi Young]

Sounds like a pleasant day at the Show, Otto. We'll look forward to Fermi's photos when he gets a chance to post them. Though, of course, YES, you must learn how to do it!!

[Otto Fauser]

Forgot to send the more important information Paul: your native plant with almost black flowers is fascinating- another almost black flower is the black Kangaroo Paw. I consulted the marvellous Horticultural Library of The Ferny Creek Horticultural Soc. today and now have the correct name for your plant: Brachysema sericeum ,black form-but the latest research refers it to B. melanopetalum
F. Mueller- it belongs to Fabiaceae and hails from Western Australia. There are different forms, from prostrate to 1 meter tall. I bought the prostrate form today to plant  in my Rockgarden. The Library of the Hort. Soc.[only 5 minutes from my home]is very comprehensive - a large room, 4walls stacked from floor to ceiling with Periodicals and books for loan and reference, constantly added to.

[Maggi Young]

My thanks for this information, also, Otto. How fortunate  you are to have such a great resource so close to your home

[Lesley Cox]

Edit by Maggi: you added the last pic twice and there was no attach message in your text, so it was added at the end. It's gone now! I just went to 'modify' clicked to show your attachments and lopped off the extra one. M[/color]

A likely story!

[Paul T]

Otto,

Thank you kindly for looking it up for me.  That definitely isn't the name I got it under.... it was something like nigrans, nigricans or nigrescens .... maybe it is a "var nigrans" of sericeum in somebodies eyes and they just shortened it.  I have seen a dark red form as well in tube stock at a nursery at one point..... even buying it to grow near my black one for comparison.  It never did well and died unfortunately, while my black one has now been in it's pot (and likely the ground underneath as well) for something like 4 or 5 years now.  I've never noted seed on mine unfortunately, and haven't worked out the machanics of trying to pollinate pea flowers as yet. 

As to your noncompetitive exhibits...... Cypripediums and Iris acutiloba..... WOW.  I've fallen in love with Iris acutiloba after buying "Bulbs of Turkey and Iran" from Gil at Florilegium book shop when he was up here a week ago for a garden expo.  He recommended I have a look at it (Thanks Gil!), knowing I'd be suckered in immediately.    No regrets at all as the book is just amazing to wander through.  The pictures are fascinating.  Until then I'd never seen Iris acutiloba, but having seen it there your posting meant a lot more. 

The Weldenia candida is back from dormancy..... and a huge sigh of relief was uttered when I discovered the shoot.  Paranoia was reigning until then..... now I just have to work out how much sun I should be giving it?  Should it be in full sun, morning sun, high shade?  hasn't been through a summer here yet so I am not sure what to do.  I'm creating shortly (hopefully) and Iris reticulata, Crocus and mini Narcissus bed out in the full sun, and I am wondering whether this might be a good place for it (but worried about too much sun).  I thought that the other bulb's use of water while the Weldenia is dormant would help keep it drier (I'd obviously cover above it so it got no direct water) and then the Weldenia's use of water during summer whilte they're dormant would help keep THEM drier.  But I'm thinking that the Weldenia would be too water sensitive while dormant, and probably would like full sun at the height of summer?  Any experiences from yourself, Lesley, Andrew or anyone else that grows it would be greatly appreciated.  I'm much happier now I've got it through it's first winter though!!    And once again... Thank You!!

[t00lie]

The 'later' Trilliums are out.

Last autumn i moved most of my erectums ,sulcatums and flexipes from various parts of the garden to a newly prepared bed to allow the pollinaters ,whatever they are ,(as i have never seen a bee visit Trilliums here),to do 'their stuff 'in the hope i'd end up in a few years time with some nice colour forms similar to the pics that Susan Band posted earlier on another thread months ago.

The following are the 'parent plants' in the new bed.

Paul --the first pic is of what i know as T.erectum ,followed by T erectum album ,( however i'm no authority!!).These pics might give you an idea on whether your earlier pic is T erectum or T.sulcatum as Aaron has mentioned.

The third pic is of a very large flower --possibly T .sulcatum ? or a hybrid between T erectum and T flexipes.?.

Another large flowering plant.This time white.

The last pic --again i'm unsure--maybe T. erectum hybrid.

Sorry for the uncertainty--obviously i need to study my bible ,(Cases Trillium book), in more detail --- although i do note his comments that identification of some certain species of the pedicellate subgroup is difficult because of their frequency to hybridise and backcross in the wild where species overlap.

Cheers Dave.

[t00lie]

Paul just a quick comment on the Weldenia before i head to bed.

They are just through the soil now. I find it very adaptable --Grows here uncovered throughout the year and handles our 1100 mm pa rainfall with no problems.

Can't comment on how it grows in a full sun situation --( we don't have any--smile),but flowers well in various positions in the garden even where one plant only receives morning sunlight at this time of the year.

Cheers Dave.

[annew]

Beautiful trilliums, Dave.

[Lesley Cox]

Paul your Weldenia should take plenty sun and all of mine are in full sun tho' I know we don't get the temps that you do so maybe part shade so long as the drainage is good. Your winters should be no problem at all. You'll be able to divide it soon so you can try it in different places. Where did yours come from?

I don't think it's particularly water sensitive. I've never given it any rain protection in winter and it was very wet this year - and cold - and frosty - and snowy. By the time the bulbs are needing water the Weldenia is starting into growth anyway.

[fermi de Sousa]

Otto lent me his memory card to post some pics but I'll start a new thread as there's so much to show!
For now here are a few more pics from our garden in Central Victoria!
Firstly, the Calochortus splendens, now in a vase (bottle!) in the Shadehouse, I'll have to check the description in the new Calochortus Book as this is its first flowering from seed.


Next, another first flowering, Campanula alpestris from AGS Seedex'05, first seedling Sept'06!


Genista lydia is now in full flight!


Another yellow, this is a close-up and I hope a better pic than I posted earlier of the yellow verticordia or fringe-flower.


And a semi-double dwarf dianthus bought as "Pluto"




Finally a close-up of the brown Dutch Iris "Thunderbolt" which I posted last week to the Iris thread.


cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Here's the link to the new thread with Otto's pics from Ferny Creek Hort. Soc. Show:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=939.0
cheers
fermi