October 2007 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Paul T]

Howdy again All,

OK, time to post some more pics I think.  Hopefully these won't offend anyone's sensibilities in either smell or unusual-ness.  All pics taken in the last couple of days.


A little-un but a cutie.... Fritillaria camschatcensis.  Beautiful colour to it, although you have to watch carefully or you may miss it amongst everything else.


South american I think, so I have added it here rather than the south african thread.... Herbertia lahue ssp caerulea has short lived flowers but lots of them over time.  Sets seed each year if I let it and is a great colour.  I love the little iridaceous guys.


Something slightly larger than the above...... Paeonia officionalis rubra plena just glows in real life.  Can never get the colour correct in a picture, but this gives you the idea.


This is a rose that was released for the Sydney olympics.  Called Olympic Gold it is a fantastic rose, which I've photographed a bit from the side to show the colour difference between the inner and outer petals.  Each flower lasts probably 3 weeks, holds up to wind, rain and even hail.  A REALLY worthwhile rose I think, and I'm very glad I bought it.  Great strength in colour to it.


Back to smaller things... Trillium erectum is such a nice shape and colour.  Always comes into flower as the sessile types near it are going over.


Leucocoryne vittata looks really impressive in pics, although the flowers are way smaller than they look.  Up close they're beautiful, but you can glance past them as they're only an inch or so wide.  The hybrids and purpurea are much larger flowers and stand out better, but this one is more interesting in many ways.

[Afloden]

Hello,
 
 Nice pic's, but the Trillium looks like sulcatum. Both have an equivalent scent and overall similar look so a good key will  need to be used to be sure.

 Aaron Floden
 Knoxville, TN

[Paul T]

Aaron,

Could easily be, as just a bought plant.  If superficially similar, what makes you think sulcatum?  I'd be happy to have it named correctly, although a realise that with so many of these IDs are difficult, and crosses happen. 

[Paul T]

Here's an Aussie native that has been flowering for quite a while now....




Brachysema melanopetalum syn. Gastrolobium melanopetalum

[iBrachysaema nigrans[/i] (unsure species name is correct as can't find native book to check at the moment) is a little shrub with wonderful black flowers.  I've attached a closeup of the flowers, as well as a more distance shot to show how they're amongst the leaves and stems etc.  A lot of people don't notice it is in flower until I point it out.  Being a lover of black flowers it is particularly appealing to me.    I grow it in a tall pot to bring it up in height a bit, but I would imagine if left to grow by itself it would sprawl about a bit as it grew taller.  Instead, I trim it back each year to keep it dense and compact.  I think by now it has rooted down from the pot into the ground, which doesn't worry me in the slightest where it is positioned.  As long as it is growing happily is what matters.

I'll leave the pic posting there for now I think (actually, maybe one more water iris in the iris section) as you've probably seen enough for the moment.  I have lots of photos from the past few weeks if you're interested in seeing more, plus some from later on in last month that I can post in the September thread if anyone would like to see them.  Let me know.

[ranunculus]

Super stuff Paul...keep on posting pretty please!

[fermi de Sousa]

Buda is a historic garden and house in Castlemaine in Central Victoria.
Here are a few pics I took today,
Double Red Poppies


Gladiolus communis ssp byzantinus




The following are more general shots. I may get a chance to get some more tomorrow.
cheers
fermi

[Paul T]

Nice pics Fermi.  Looks like a nice place. A bit ahead of us..... the Glads are only just starting here and the communis are a way off as yet (actually, I need to go out and check them now to see whether they're in bud or not.  I haven't looked in that area! LOL).  Can you tell me how big the flowers on communis byzantinus are?  I have one bought as illyricus which is apparently asimilar flower but a different species.  I've never worked out whether what I have is byzantinus or is illyricus.  Apparently there is also a third very similar species that complicates things even more!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Paul,
Would these Glady's be hardy in a somewhat colder climate than yours  

[Lesley Cox]

Here are some things out here at present. Starting with bulbs.


Bad pic but nice variety, Narcissus `Fairy Chimes.' Much like `Mary Plumstead,' `Hawera' and others.


The first out of hundreds from seed. It is said that N. triandrus ssp triandrus (syn. t. albus) is short-lived but my main clump is at least 10 years old, getting better every year and now giving many pots of seedlings which take 2 and a half years to flower.


Narcissus bulbocodium obesus also does well though this is the first year it has flowered without yellow tips to the leaves. Not sure why but maybe it's been too dry previously. Looks good now anyway.


Just two flowers on this potted plant of Trillium grandiflorum. Must get it into the ground.


Fritillaria rhodokanakis seems to like a raised bed and this year 3 are flowering from seed (bud at bottom of pic). I hope the bud opens before the others go off for best pollinating.


It's a good yellow inside, less of the reddish shading. Sorry about the dirty fingers, I'd been weeding.


Not the most spectacular of frits but nice to have F. frankiorum as it's relatively rare and recently described. It's likely that the first plants come into NZ many years ago as F. assyriaca.

I put on the wrong pic of F. rhodokanakis (last year's). Here's the right one.


How did I manage to do that(below)? and how do I fix it? 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

[Lesley Cox]

For a couple of weeks I watched 6 buds slowly develop on Jeffersonia diphylla, then I went to Methven and when I came home, they were over so I missed them altogether! But there are 6 seed pods instead.


I did a potful of cuttings back in February, of Leucanthemum hosmariense, then forgot about them. They've taken over a corner of my tunnel and have come through to the sun, outside.


Phlox diffusa is very small and neat with palest pink flowers which darken as they age. The foliage is a little softer than on the similar douglasii forms and it is earlier.


One of very few seedlings of Gentiana angustifolia alba which has not the slightest hint of blue in the flower (though it seems to be there in the pic), only the green markings in the throat.


In the same raised bed, Haberlea rhodopensis `Virginalis' and


Houstonia caerulea alba.

[Lesley Cox]

Two more whites


My precious Rubus x Tridel `Benendon' and


Primula reidii. I used to have 100s in my nursery and gradually lost the lot. Was able to buy 3 small plants at Methven from the sales tables.


This is Phacelia sericea and will likely die after it flowers. The longest I've had it is for two years with two flowerings. But it sets good seed and is worth the effort of re-growing.



But while taking the phacelia pics, I backed into this, Erinacea anthyllis. The old name of pungens is more appropriate. I'm still hurting


First flowers on Meconopsis punicea for this year and below, almost ready to pollinate.



That's all for now.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Great pics.  The recent 31'c days took out the last of the Narcissus, except for tenuifolius which is still rattily flowering.  I just love that silver and purple combination on the Phacelia sericea.  Gotta love anything with leaves like that, but the purple flowers atop them are even better.

Great Stuff!! 

[Rogan]

Wow, Lesley! Fascinating plants and fantastic pictures - thanks a lot 

Fermi, I enjoyed your beautiful Gladiolus communis byzantinus - something we never see in these parts, I suppose that's because we have so many species of our own. I'll have to try some from seed someday.


I always know when summer has come to these parts - as my little Disa uniflora puts up its first blooms of the season. The poor little thing is not at its happiest in my warm, summer rainfall clime, but she still manages to produce a few flowers and a quantity of seed every year, here she is:

[fermi de Sousa]

Paul,
I'm presuming that the glad is as named as it wasn't labelled - I just presume it's G.c.ssp.b!
Rogan
I have trouble growing this glad myself but am trying again this year. I think it requires a fdifferent watering regime to most Cape Gladdies!

Back to Buda today (for a training course) so got a few more pics!
This was apparently a tennis court which was converted into a garden area with pool, while retaining the tennis pavillion as a summerhouse!


The rest are self explanatory (I hope!)
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Lesley,
I'm impressed that the narcissus are still so fresh as ours are all gone and most are already going dormant! The Frits are of course wonderful.
The last few pics from Buda; maybe next year I'll visit earlier in the spring!
I noticed a clump of scilla in the garden but couldn't get too close. I think they are S. hyacinthoides.




Mark asked to see Aussie finches but this is the best I can do at this stage! And, yes, the European Goldfinch is a naturalised species here!



and where they are housed:


cheers
fermi