August 2012 in the Southern Hemisphere

[johnw]

Lesley - I hope that's +9c. 

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

Oh yes it is John. I need to be more careful of how I place my hyphens. Though to be honest, it's jolly cold and still drizzling/foggy and generally nasty.

[Mini bulb lover]

Narcissus "Angel's Breath" has a beautiful light perfume.

A beautiful sunny day in Melbourne today (14 degrees). I'll send some nice weather over your way Lesley. 

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Folks,

Gosh that triandrus hybrid is early - must be that extra warmth. Apparently it was the warmest July here in Hobart for 23 years.

Lesley I will see what i can do. But you know that we specialists are fighting a losing battle against the continual escalation by DAFF of over estimating risk, over-pricing (some woud say gold-plating) the response to that risk and passing these on as costs to the "client". Its but destroyed whats left of this segment of the industry.

I have a few more crocus to add to August.
Crocus biflorus from Rodos
Crocus biflorus ssp pulchricolour from Ulu Dag
Crocus chrysanthus Herald
Crocus etruscus Rosalind
Crocus sieberi ssp sieberi originally from around Kallergi Refuge but might have a touch of bee interference.

Cheers, Marcus

[Paul T]

Great pics from everyone.  Thanks so much for posting them all.

Marcus, I love that last sieberi ssp sieberi, whether it has been intereference or not.  Lovely delicate colouration.  All the others of the last ones you posted finished a couple of weeks ago now for me.  Are they from earlier in the month, or are they still flowering for you?

I saw 'Nanty' at the Horticultural Society Meeting last night (someone had a few in to show, including that and Yella Fella.... all are beautiful) and it didn't look at all like yours.  It was a pure colour, no markings etc, and lovely overlapping perianth.  Very, very nice flower!! 

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Paul,

Yes they are, but not here at my place. These are up at Sally J's where I have a lot of my plants growing. I have had to remove the junos from there because the last 2 years have been just too wet. Its at about 500m, while I am at 200m, and right under the mountain. Crocus biflorus ssp pulchricolour thinks its died and gone to Heaven. Still have quite a lot of tommies to flower yet.

I don't want to start the battle of the daffodils but as I said little pictures can be quite deceiving. Do you or Fermi grow The Dansant? That is a hefty fellow. I visited a friend of mine's garden a couple of weeks ago and I was gobsmacked by the size of his clump of N. susanae!! I still cling to my meagre 3 while his has expanded to a veritable small lawn of the things (greeneyed monster almost overwhelmed me). I think he has some secret ingedient - unicorn dung?? His clumps of Ben B'ler, Mitimoto, Fyno and, well all those Barwick hoops were mucular, massive affairs.

Nice to talk to you (and others).

Cheers, Marcus

[Paul T]

Marcus,

I wasn't trying to start a war, just responding to your previous comment.....

Nanty  (Is it virused? Has no signs in leaf but bizarre flower colour - Fermi you would grow it - any suggestions?)

The flower I saw of Nanty last night had none of the markings, and was quite a different shape.  The perianth sat solidly back, and all the petals overlapped neatly, not outwards like yours in the picture showed.  There was none of the white markings, which you were asking about.  I would be concerned about virus, but as you say that usually shows up in the leaves as well, but the flower shape may also have been affected by the "colour" distortions as well?  I realise that Environment can change the shape of the flower as well, particularly as your climate is so different from ours the last few years.    That was what I was trying to convey, not just saying "I think your Nanty is wrong", which I think is how you took my comment.  Sorry that I wasn't clear.    I'll see if I can get a picture from the person who owned the plant I saw last night, so you can see what I was talking about. 

[Hillview croconut]

Hi,

Me being too sensitive about your comments? Nah ... 

Well I was starting to feel a bit under pressure after the earlier comments. But I think this is now getting into the realm of misunderstandings. I THOUGHT you mean't Yella Fella!

I have grown Nanty for years, having obtained it from Rod Barwick, who in relative terms is almost my next door neighbour. I sent a bulb to Kath Dryden who proclained it as virused but I can't see any other signs and it certainly is vigorous. Thats why I asked the question. Maybe I could save us all a lot of speculation and pop out to Rod's and look at his stock. As an aside he still lists this as a fertile breeder but not as a blue ribbon winner on the show bench.

Kind regards, M

[Paul T]

Marcus,

To save you a possible trip, here's a link to the Nanty entry in Daffseek.  What I saw last night was pretty much the same as the pics here. 

http://www.daffseek.com/query/query-detail.php?value1=Nanty&lastpage=1&

Who am I to judge whether it is a blue ribbon winner on the show bench?....... but I love it!!    I will hopefully be getting a bulb of it at some point in the future from the guy who had it at the Hort meeting last night.

Incidentally, the Yella Fella there last night looked like yours, from memory.  Much more slender than Nanty, reminiscent of 'Little Gentleman', if memory serves me both on the plants last night and what LG looks like.    I like all the cyclamineus types pretty much, so I'm biased. 

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for this. I think its the angle at which I have photographed the flower that is confusing the matter. You will also notice that as the flower ages the more its petals are backswept. Mary Lou's picture (1st one) compared say to the last clearly demonstrates this.

There are clearly white or pale markings present. In the first there is a strong medial line which apparently doesn't show up in the others BUT there are distinct white tips present in all the other pictures.

Looking at these I would say that mine has virus because the colour is blotchy and doesn't correspond to these marks.

Cheers, Marcus

[Paul T]

Marcus,

I'm glad that the daffseek was useful.

Visually last night, the flower looked yellow without any significant markings.  There may have been white tips, I'm really not sure, but the flower definitely "appeared" all yellow (if you follow what I mean).  I've asked the owner to take me a photo of the one from last night so that I can post it here as well.

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Joh, some decent sun would be appreciated very much. Actually we do have sun this morning but pallid and there's a frost to go with it, only about the 4th I think, this season. I see you've joined the Vic Grp of the AGS. I wish I could get to the meetings!

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Folks,

Few more winter gems to wheel out:

Iris reticulata Clairette
One of several forms of Crocus tomm. albus
I think this is Crocus Lavender Stripe - came as albiflorus
Cyclamen coum Silver Leaf - one of many which came here as seed from Kath Dryden back in the 90s
Cyclamen persicum - seed from Rodos
Paeonia that has caused some discussion on the Forum - what is it? It comes true from seed and is the earliest here.

Cheers, Marcus

[Paul T]

Love the silver coum, Marcus.  And that Paeonia is to die for!!

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Paul,

I would like to know what the paeonia is??? I believe Trevor Nottle brought it into the country as seed of P. mascula ssp russoi. Otto could confirm this I think. Both Fermi and Lesley Cox have posted it on the Forum before and that name was disputed (for good reasons).

I kinda think it might be kesrouanensis (what a mouth full!) but I wouldn't put my money on it because we just don't have enough material out here in Australia to compare.

Kath Dryden was very kind to me when I first started collecting plants and things were easier then. I have sold literally thousands of cyclamen from those first gifts of seed.

I don't follow all the ins and outs of the genus now but I believe a goodly number of these coum displayed flattened , propeller-like flowers. I think these have been identified as crosses with C. alpinum and given the name Drydenae? Someone will no doubt confirm or clarify.

Cheers, Marcus