November 2007 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Lesley Cox]

One of mine had 16 flowers yesterday, and I've already removed 31 dead blooms. Thought I'd wait until there are a lot more before taking a pic. I've never had slug damage to mine. I'd have thought the leaves might be too tough, though I suppose they are quite succulent. Better sprinkle a few pellets Paul.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

There WERE pellets, Lesley.  They just crusied right on by.  Now it is sitting up in a basket on top of a metal railing, and I still find them up there.  3 flowers out this morning, bringing to a total of 8 flowers so far.  So how big is your actual plant now?  How many separate crowns and how many flowers per crown?  I'm asking approximates, I don't expect exact figures, carefully added up each day and then averaged over the season etc.  I'm not that cruel!! 

[fermi de Sousa]

Nothung as exciting as Weldenia here, but a few new flowers:
Campanula ephesia, grown from seed and it tried to flower in the winter but got frosted.






Also grown from seed, this time SRGC2003, Calochortus albus,






cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Your Calochortus albus is very nice compared with mine Fermi, a rather muddy greenish white with a little brown on it. CC. amoenus and amabilis are good though.

Paul my two biggest at present are 5 and 6 rosettes respectively. I had one of 18 but the leaves were so congested that the flowers couldn't open properly so I put a spade through it. On the big one, the most flowers I had on a single day was between 150 and 160, but really hard to count except by taking them off. That year in total there were over 2000 in all. For now, around 40 or so per day will be a good result. I found that the more flowers were open, the smaller they were. Fewer flowers, larger.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Good grief!!  150 flowers a day.  Methinks I have a way to go yet. 

[Lesley Cox]

Here are some other things.


Calochortus amabilis has 2 stems this year. It's taken about 5 flowering times to produce another stem.


C. amoenus is very small and quite weak stemmed but the colour is pretty.



C. caeruleus is very small, not unlike CC uniflorus and umbellatus.



This super Penstemon species (name please?) has the habit of P. rupicola making a low, wide mound. The leaves are glossy and the flowers about 4 cms long.


Rhodohypoxis are everywhere and this is my favourite, which could be R. `Susan Garnett-Botfield' but not sure.



When I had two seeds germinate from a seedlist, of Lewisia rediviva, I was delighted. When they flowered and 1 was white, the other pink, I was even more delighted. Unfortunately the pink has died (rotted) this last winter but the white is flourishing. The second pic shos the delicate colour of the stamens and style, pink and lavender here, but in reality, apricot and pink.

[Lesley Cox]

Some irises and verbascums now.

Iris setosa dwarf form (sometimes called hookeri, nana or canadensis).


Then Iris x Sibtosa, a cross between sibirica and setosa, the seed from Thomas Tamberg in Germany. It clearly shows the fall shape of sibirica, but has the bristle-like, or almost absent standards of setosa.


And another picture of Iris `Queen's Grace' with a smaller flower from the same section. `Queen's Grace' is a NZ raised tectorum hybrid and is about 10cms across.


I have quite a few of these hybrids of Verbascum phoeniceum in shades of purple, pink and a curious grey shade which I love (not out yet). They're easy as pie to grow, fully perennial and make quick fillers where needed.


This one could have similar parentage but I know it as V. `Flush of White,' a misnomer since flush suggests something pinkish in there, but this lovely plant is pure white. Also perennial, it comes true from seed.


My long time favourite, V. `Alstree Hybrid' goes on year to year, entirely reliable. It is sterile and I wish would make more cutting material. No joy with root cuttings.




And this one came from the AGS seed list last summer, as Verbascum acaule. Oh dear. But it's reasonably dwarf at about 40 cms in flower and with slightly woolly foliage, is quite attractive. Perennial? I don't know yet. And better than the tall woolly mullein I received as V. acaule, the year before. It is a very weedy, biennial about 1.8metres high!

[Lesley Cox]

And two final pictures because for me, each constitutes a great thrill. Some time ago Ian of the Christie kind, SCRG President, posted a picture of a beautful white form of Rhododendron camtschaticum. I had 3 seedlings at the time, from Jim Sutherland's Red Form. They were growing well but even up to a month ago, showed no sign of flowering this year. I remember saying I'd love to have seed from a white form some time.

A very short time ago a bud appeared on the soft new growth of one plant. Gradually it grew and a few days ago it was obvious that it was going to be white. The other larger plant may also be white as the foliage is a light, granny smith green colour while the 3rd, a smaller plant, has a reddish tinge to the leaves. It went red and orange in the autumn while the two larger went yellow. So here it is, with the only flower for this first flowering.



And the other thrill started a week ago when I first noticed that there were fat seed pods on Epigaea asiatica. The flowers were a lovely rose pink shade, very waxy and now, there are 6 pods, maybe more developing.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Fantastic pics.  Love those Verbascum in particular, and the Calochortus of course.  Got a nice Verbascum from that garden with the unknown Lobelia.... white with a faint fluch of pink.  Apparently it seeds around a  little so hopefully it will be a permanent part of my garden as I love the Verbascums but don't tend to find them much around here.  I try to grab any I can find.  Great to see your pics.  Thanks.

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Lesley
I love the calochortus and that amabilis is quite striking.
I've had a catastrophe with Verbascum "Letitia" which had just started to bloom when one branch after another just went into complete wilt! Gone in the space of a week! Heartbreaking, as it was 5 years old and about 40cm x 40cm! - I made the mistake of showing it off last year! When I cut it to the ground I found a new fresh shoot just breaking through the soil! It may eventually regenerate!
Other new flowers include Dianthus serotinus bought a few weeks ago on the trip to Gladysdale.


Also flowering is a recently acquired Aussie native plant, Caesia calliantha,




In the Shadehouse a single Lilium pumilum is now in bloom




On the South side of the house the previous owner had planted a number of Catalpa bignonioides which are spectacular at the moment.




cheers
fermi

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great pix girls and boys !  Thanks for cheering up another grey, dull Monday morning.

It's always a great view to see a good L. rediviva Lesley ! Lovely !

That Dianthus serotinus looks so delicate Fermi, very nice !
I've had a similar problem with Verbascum Letitia last year.  In full bloom, without any apparant reason 4-5 branches just wilted away.
I cut them back and fortunately (touch wood) it recovered. 
I took cuttings as wel, but out of 10, only 1 survived..  but at least I now have one substitute on the bench 

[ranunculus]

Super images Lesley and Fermi,
Many thanks from cold and damp East Lancashire.

[Paddy Tobin]

Lesley & Fermi,

A great display of flowers, a wonderful selection indeed. I could mention which appealed most to me but it would simply run to a list. Wonderful!

Paddy

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks everyone. Nice to know we in the south can do our bit to keep northern spirits buoyant on a dull day. We're having several days of lovely warm sunshine and already I'm beginning to think it is TOO warm (22 yesterday . I see on today's TV weather map that Melbourne across the ditch is to have 29C.

Paul I'll have seed on the white and purple verbascums, also probably the yellow, if you'd like to try some?

[Paul T]

Lesley,

We've had 30'C+ for the last week or so... I think 33'C forecast for today.  WAY too hot for this time of year, or at least it feels that way.  We do often get a brief hot flush in November, but this flush is lasting a little too long.    Sharing my wife's hot flushes is quite enough thank you very much!!