August 2012 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Paul T]

These are flowering for me at present.......

Narcissus romieuxii 'Ben 'Bler'

A polybox of Crocus tommasinianus from seed from Thomas H a few years back.  Thanks Thomas. 

One of the sharlockii group Galanthus nivalis

Grevillea bronwenae has the most beautiful furry orangey red flowers.

A couple of double Helleborus, the dark one much more towards black and the picture shows.

And lastly my own seedling from Anemone blanda 'Radar'.  I think this is pretty similar to the parent, although not as large a white eye I think.  Given how touchy 'Radar' is in Australia (I know no-one who has grown it well here for anything longer than a few years.... mine died out as soon as I tried dividing it to give it to friends) I am hoping this will give us a similar colour in blanda but actually able to be grown here in Australia OK.  Not sure what I would name it if it does do well and I start to pass it around..... should I keep the Radar as part of it's name, or better to give it something entirely new so that there is no mistaking it for the poor performing (well poorly performing in Australia at least) parent?  What do people think, and any ideas?

Click on a pic for the larger version.

[Lesley Cox]

Anemone 'Off the Radar?'

[Paul T]

I like that Lesley, a lot!!  My concern is that with the name Radar in it, people will just end up calling it Radar.  My initial thought was to call it Aussie Radar or Canberra Radar, but was concerned they would just end up being put under the original name of Radar and there would be two different things under that name doing the rounds?

[daveyp1970]

Paul what aboute DOR Daughter Of Radar 

[Gerry Webster]

Paul - an early worker (1917) on Radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging) was Nikolas Tesla. 'Tesla' or possibly 'Teslar' sound rather like cultivar names to me.

[Paul T]

I like both of those.  Nice and obscure there Gerry.    I like it!!

The other way of going is to name after someone or something, completely unrelated to Radar.   I wonder if anyone in Australia is still growing 'Radar'?  Otto had it after I did, but the wet summers have wiped it out recently, and I think Marcus no longer grows it (which is where I originally got it).   I just hope it does survive and thrive here.... I'm not counting my chickens just yet. 

[fermi de Sousa]

Iris 'George'


Narcissus romieuxii 'Julia Jane'


Narcissus r. 'Mondieu'


a seedling or a misplaced bulb of 'Mitimoto'!


cheers
fermi

[Natalia]

Paul T, fermides, thanks! What a beauty you have in the spring!

[Hoy]

Strange for a northerner to look at these harbinger of spring now!

Paul, I have always heard that the true 'Radar' is sterile?

How hardy is Grevillea bronvinae? (Never heard of that species)

[Paul T]

Hoy,

The Grevillea bronwenae (sorry, I mispelt it in the original posting.... I'll go back and correct it) has done fine for me here in a pot in my garden this winter, down to around -6'C so far.  It's close-ish to the house, but by no means frost protected.  Mine is a grafted specimen, which helps a lot I think as some of the interesting Grevillea species have difficult root systems at times.

I too had heard that Anemone blanda 'Radar' was sterile, and I tried crossing it with my others each year by hand pollinating them.  Every other year it was unsuccessful, but produced about 4 seed on one of the flowers one year.  I mixed them with the blue seed I was collecting and then realised I shouldn't have.  This 'Radar' seedling came up amongst the resulting seedlings when the seed was sown.  I also have a nice pale pink one as well.  As you can see from my seedling though, there is no way anything other than 'Radar' could have produced that colour.  I was very pleased, particularly as by the time it flowered for the first time the true parent was dying out.  From memory 'Radar' itself has a more pronounced white centre doesn't it?

I'm glad that some of you are enjoying the pictures. 

[Lesley Cox]

I think it would be nice to name it for Yvonne but what about 'Canberra Raider?' or am I getting my League teams mixed?

[Paul T]

Lesley,

You've got your teams right.  The name would be perfect.     They're predominantly bright green in the team colours though..... my seedling would clash rather badly.    Naming it for Yvonne would be a definitely possibility.

[Hoy]

Hoy,

The Grevillea bronwenae (sorry, I mispelt it in the original posting.... I'll go back and correct it) has done fine for me here in a pot in my garden this winter, down to around -6'C so far.  It's close-ish to the house, but by no means frost protected.  Mine is a grafted specimen, which helps a lot I think as some of the interesting Grevillea species have difficult root systems at times.

I too had heard that Anemone blanda 'Radar' was sterile, and I tried crossing it with my others each year by hand pollinating them.  Every other year it was unsuccessful, but produced about 4 seed on one of the flowers one year.  I mixed them with the blue seed I was collecting and then realised I shouldn't have.  This 'Radar' seedling came up amongst the resulting seedlings when the seed was sown.  I also have a nice pale pink one as well.  As you can see from my seedling though, there is no way anything other than 'Radar' could have produced that colour.  I was very pleased, particularly as by the time it flowered for the first time the true parent was dying out.  From memory 'Radar' itself has a more pronounced white centre doesn't it?

I'm glad that some of you are enjoying the pictures. 

Thanks Paul.

Grevillea is a genus with lots of species I would love to try but unfortunately it is very difficult to find anything in Norway.

You are right about 'Radar'. It's a nice plant you've got, not second to 'Radar' itself.

[Otto Fauser]

some of the thousands of selfsown seedlings of Crocus tommasinianus ( almost weed potential but nice ) flowering in my garden at the moment- also a feathered form

[Otto Fauser]

here is the feathered form