July 2012 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

It's still winter and bitterly cold at times (for us!) but the hoop petticoat daffs are a cheering sight!
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Frankly, fermi, most days here it still feels like winter, too. 

[fermi de Sousa]

A few more sights in our garden in winter
- Mexican Thorn in fruit
- Acis tingitana
- Iris histrioides hybrid 'George' - the promise of things to come.

cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

That will be a fine clump of 'George' Fermi. My best at present is Narc rom 'Atlas Gold.' I've had some small pots out for nearly two months and the big main pot has over 100 buds, all just beginning to show colour.

[David Nicholson]

----------------- Iris histrioides hybrid 'George' - the promise of things to come.

cheers
fermi

They don't clump up like that in my garden

[fermi de Sousa]

They don't clump up like that in my garden

They didn't in our previous garden either, David!
The climate in Central Victoria seemed to suit these iris and some like 'George', 'Harmony' and 'Alida' have clumped up nicely.
I'm waiting to see if the McMurtrie hybrids that we got from Janis via Marcus Harvey enjoy these conditions or whether they are better suited to life in Canada!
cheers
fermi

[David Nicholson]

Mine usually flower once and then disappear. Lack of a dry Summer probably!

[WimB]

Wonderful to see your spring starting, Fermi. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the spring flowers from the S. Hemisphere. 
Like Maggi remarked earlier, while it should be summer over here, most of the days it feels like autumn... 

[Lesley Cox]

Although the middle of winter, Mertensia virginica is in flower. I bought two plants at our Fritillaria day back in October. They weren't in flower but looked well. In time they died down then in April up they came again and one is in flower, the other soon will be. Crazy at this time of year.

[Otto Fauser]

Iris planifolia and I. persica , flowering with me at the moment, the first of the bulbous Irises to do so and a welcome sight .s

[annew]

A lovely clump of Nylon, Fermi. Lesley, your Atlas Gold will be a sight to behold later on!

[Lesley Cox]

They are gorgeous Otto. Isn't it a treat to have such things in flower at the most horrid time of year?

[Lesley Cox]

It's so long since I posted pictures I've just about forgortten how but will try with these as they're very nice right now. A few days of almost spring and so many crocuses in particular are starting to bloom.

Crocus cvijicii x veluchensis

followed by Crocus x Bornmuelleri and the last flowers of John Watson's collection, Acaulimalva weberbaueri. I've discovered that this propagates well by root cuttings, in the same manner as Morisia monanthos or Carduncellus species. Handy, as I've had no seed over a number of years. The crocus bud is also x Bornmuelleri, unopened, showing the outer colouring.

And I wonder can anyone suggest a name for this double, heavily marked Galanthus. It came to me a few years ago from Christchurch's Marion Saxton, and just as "Marion's double hybrid." It may well be her hybrid - she's grown snowdrops for many many years, or ir could be a named and recognised form. I'll try it on a Galanthus thread as well, just in case. This is the first year it has flowered.

[fermi de Sousa]

Very pleased to return from holidays to find these were still in flower - Sternbergia candida
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Also in flower, Crocus rujanensis from NZAGS seedex 2008;
Iris planifolia in the Rock garden
cheers
fermi