September 2012 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Paul T]

It's spring!!!  It was -6.8^oC this morning, the coldest morning of winter so far.  Glorious day though!!

Unfortunately I was at work all day today so no good daylight to take any photos.  Lots of stuff in flower at the moment including Prunus, Magnolias (just starting), daffodils of all sorts, Anemones, Hepaticas, Asarum, Hyacinths, Ipheion, Epimedium, Pansies and Violas, Wallflowers, Camellias, Chaenomeles, the last of the witchhazels, Scillas, Hellebores, Galanthus, Crocus, Iris, Spiloxene, Muscari, Cyclamen and I'm sure a few more things if I thought about it harder. 

Gorgeous time of year!!

I'll post some pics as soon as I am able to take some.

[Lesley Cox]

Some thing out this morning. Everything is in or going into pots so forgive the labels, pots, bad backgrounds et al.

I think it's time for a new camera. The present little Panasonic Lumix has done since Christmas 2005 but is now showing a bluish caste to everything and I frequently get the message "Write Error" after the first picture in any batch and have to take it again after turning off and on again. Maybe it can be fixed but I'd been thinking of a new one before May next year so perhaps I should do it now.

The gorgeous black seedling hellebore I found the other day, a seedling from a small flowered dark red. I've hand-pollinated this, this morning. I like that the leaves and stems are very dark too, so sharply serrated along the edges that the pricks actually hurt.

Then Soldanella pusilla, the first (and only) flower on a small plant bought from a Christchurch Forum lurker when he was giving a talk to OAGG. The inside is heavily veined with crimson.

And Lachenalia matthewsii from Betty Clark. It is deliciously scented. It and a few others have had no frost damage at all this winter so it has been a very mild one for us.


 

[Lesley Cox]

My own seedling 'Gambas' x cyclamineus which is so vigorous, each flowering bulb dividing each year into 3-6 more flowering size bulbs. For this alone I think it is worth a name but otherwise, it is similar to dozens of seedlings with those swept back sepals

I have this little bod as Narcissus pseudonarcissis ssp. eugeniae, from seed and the stem below the ovary is just 2 cms long. It should be longer in a better pot and mix. It's been in this one since the seed was sown maybe 6 years ago. First flower.

A little pot of assorted seedlings, from some hybrid seedlings of local gardener Betty Tunnah. I have dozens of these now and they range from little to big flowers, cyclamen-like, trumpets, spiders and all sorts.

[Lesley Cox]

Fritillaria caucasica from JJA seed and 4 flowers this year after just 1 the last two years. I've hand-pollinated each one with each other one in hope of some seed. Love the blue bloominess of it.

Seedlings of Paeonia tenuifolia, the seed from Olga B in Moscow. Last year, just 3 germinated over 4 pots. This year there are a couple of hundred up as well. The seedlings can be seen at germination with the case still attached and the green leaf in the top left is as far as they went last year. This year the 3 older ones have lovely plum-coloured foliage, very fine.

[Martin Baxendale]

My own seedling 'Gambas' x cyclamineus which is so vigorous, each flowering bulb dividing each year into 3-6 more flowering size bulbs. For this alone I think it is worth a name

It's a little beauty, and sounds like a good garden plant.

[Hillview croconut]

Lovely to see all these flowers! Is the blacky hellebore dabbed with darker markings or is that my imagination?

Gorgeous day today and a cracker of a week coming up by the looks of it. I throw a few into the ring from the sunny island.

Paeonia cambessedesii out yesterday and rapidly expanding its flowers
Fritillaria messanensis ssp gracilis - an early specimen
Hellebore anenemone-centred with a cute picotee

Cheers, Marcus

[Hillview croconut]

Sorry for the double up!

[Anthony Darby]

It's a little beauty, and sounds like a good garden plant.

I totally agree. I'd be very proud to produce a seedling half as good.

[Paul T]

I love your little seedling, Lesley.  I'd be happy to grow it if it was over here. 

Thanks for the pics from yourself and Marcus.  A lovely splash of colour after getting home from work this evening.

[vanozzi]

Some nice frits posted Marcus.
This persica has been tossed about a tad.
Miss the easy functions within xp

[Luc Gilgemyn]

My own seedling 'Gambas' x cyclamineus which is so vigorous, each flowering bulb dividing each year into 3-6 more flowering size bulbs. For this alone I think it is worth a name but otherwise, it is similar to dozens of seedlings with those swept back sepals

I have this little bod as Narcissus pseudonarcissis ssp. eugeniae, from seed and the stem below the ovary is just 2 cms long. It should be longer in a better pot and mix. It's been in this one since the seed was sown maybe 6 years ago. First flower.

A little pot of assorted seedlings, from some hybrid seedlings of local gardener Betty Tunnah. I have dozens of these now and they range from little to big flowers, cyclamen-like, trumpets, spiders and all sorts.

Great looking dafs, Lesley !

[Lesley Cox]

The seemingly blacker parts of the hellebore Marcus are just the folds in the fabric of the petals. They are plain coloured. Both pics show it as bluer than in reality. That's the camera which I think is dying slowly. It is really black, not blue-black.

I forgot yesterday to add this little plant, a real favourite with me because I expected it to be difficult and it has proved otherwise. It is Epigaea asiatica. and the little ones in pots are flowering but my bigger one is still in quite bud.

Heavy fog today, no new pictures therefore.

[Lesley Cox]

At least Paul (R), your F. persica didn't suffer the terrible fate of Fermi's.

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Folks,

That stem of Fritillaria persica has a touch of the post modern about - almost asks the question - why be straight?

The hellebore flower is a good'un. Have you an equally good parent or did it just come out of the blue (or black, whatever the case maybe)? Its incredible how we take these colours, which were a rarity a decade ago, for granted now. It wouldn't have been the case if the big end of town had cracked the tissue culturing conumdrum earlier. The breeders would have packed up their tents and moved on. How I love a win for the little guy!

Just a few bits and bobs from down here in the southern most tip of the Great South Land (though I think Lesley is further south and Paul is colder).
Galanthus Ketton
Iris Sindpers
Fritillaria pudica

Cheers, Marcus   

[fermi de Sousa]

More from our garden (see also September narcissus!)
A couple of lachenalias: L. concordiana and L.kliprandensis,
retic iris 'Pixie'
Babiana pygmaea
a "bee hybrid" of B. pygmaea and B. odorata,

cheers
fermi