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Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Post Number: 618
Registered: 10-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 2:34 am: |    |
Anne suggested a late winter thread for down here but being my usual optimistic self, I'm going for early spring instead. It's probably a classic case of the triumph of hope over experience but there are a few early lambs about after all.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 3:13 am: | |
And so.... (just as the rain starts to fall and a southerly gale gathers strength), a few crocuses which are starting now. I took these yesterday and they are not the best. I'll have to use a tripod I think, among other things in order to get sharper pics.
Crocus corsicus has lovely colour and is so reliable.
Crocus sieberi comes in many forms and I especially love this snowy form called `Bowles' White'
Presumably this is the type form, Crocus sieberi ssp. sieberi. It varies in the depth of colour and the extent of the markings.
I love the rich egg yolk colour (free range egg) of Crocus cvijicii though it pales slightly towards the centre of the flower. Three years ago I sowed some seed from my own corms and when they flowered last year they were all pale yellow flushed with varying amounts of lilac. C. sieberi `Firefly' was their neighbour in the trough. Very pretty but definitely hybrids.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Post Number: 620
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 3:21 am: | |
I should probably leave Crocus pestolozzae until later when more are out. One pale blue flower on its own isn't up to much.
And a final crocus for today, one of my favourites for its pure blue colour, Crocus abantensis. I find it impossible to capture the colour accurately on either film or digital camera.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 3:35 am: | |
Two forms of Narcissus romieuxii out now are what I have as `Rifanus' (above) though it looks like most others, and `Atlas Gold' (below) from an Archibald collection.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 4:01 am: | |
Can you bear some more?
A better pic of Asphodelus acaulis than the one I posted a couple of months ago.
And the first Hepatica nobilis for the year. Paul, this is the plant from which I sent you some seed. Actually, no it's not. It's an older brother/sister of the plant....
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 4:15 am: | |
And to end, a few of my favourite irises. I must apologise that all of these are in nursery pots (little plastic bags actually) rather than in the garden, where the bulbs are a bit later. First up, Iris histrioides `Major' x winogradowii `Katharine Hodgkin.'
Iris reticulata x histrioides `Major' `Harmony'
 }
Iris reticulata `Pauline'
And last for the day, Iris reticulata x bakeriana `Gordon.'
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 11:13 am: | |
Lesley,
Do you also realise that there is a Crocus thread in the Crocus section dedicated to Southern hemisphere crocus flowerings? Might be worthwhile posting those in there as well (or maybe a moderator can copy them across?).
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 12:54 pm: | |
Lesley,
And I love the pics. Your Iris retics are all ahead of mine, although mine already have points up.... no colour as yet. Some of your Crocus are ahead of mine as well..... although was going to post some similar ones as well.
That Hepatica is a lovely colour..... I look forward to it's brethren flowering one day in my garden. So how long do they take to get to flowering size?
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Ian McEnery (Ianmcenery)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 1:42 pm: | |
Great piccies Lesley keep em coming
Ian McEnery Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands |
Thomas Huber (Hubi1)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 3:31 pm: | |
Beautiful, Lesley!
Please show us you cvijicii x Firefly hybrids, too!
Thomas Huber, Neustadt/Hessen, Germany |
J.Ian Young (Iyoung)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 6:32 pm: | |
It is wonderful to see the spring bulbs in flower at the same time as i am repotting the bulbs in Scotland - keep them coming.
I am ok with the crocus pics in this thread but if you lot down there have a heap more crocus pics to come may be we will start a new southern crocus thread then.
I repotted C cvijicii today and it had the early devolpment of roots and shoots already so they needed careful handling.
Ian Young, Aberdeen, North Eastern Scotland. |
John Forrest (Jof)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 8:59 pm: | |
Like Ian I have been repotting bulbs and its just like instant gardening seeing some of them in full bloom on the same day. I like your Asphodelus, many of the ones bought out of flower turn out to be really squinney things with poor colour. Did you use a tripod for the last lot or lay off the booze. 'grin'. Do post more as your season unfolds.
John Forrest, Blackpool, North West England, UK |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 28, 2005 - 1:19 am: | |
Paul, the hepaticas take exactly 2 years to flower. The self-sown seed (the stuff I didn't manage to catch before it dropped) is starting to germinate now, just as the buds on the parents are developing. They won't bloom a year from now but will in 2007. A most kindly Swedish gentleman sent me a heap of seed in June 2004 (more this year as well) and that too, is starting to germinate now, so it's a matter of season and temperature rather than age of the seed. His seed was very fresh when he sent it.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 28, 2005 - 1:33 am: | |
Thomas, I'll do a pic of the hybrids when they're out, perhaps a week away.
John, me lay off the booze? Fat chance. But no, I didn't use a tripod either. In fact, an odd thing happened in that the day before (Tuesday) when I did the crocus pics, as I turned off the camera, I accidentally knocked (gently) the lens which comes out of the camera when it's turned on, and retracts when turned off. Although the lens was on its way back into the camera, it seemed to be shoved in, and made a small click sound. I turned on the camera but the lens didn't come out so thought I'd have to take it into town to be fixed. I was still able to view the pics in replay and to upload them to computer. Next morning I went out to do the Narcissus `Atlas Gold' before the sun hit it and forgot about the lens problem but then realized that the lens had still worked even though not extending. Then I realized that the pics were much sharper than the previous ones. So I did the irises and the same thing - sharper pics.
Perhaps it was co-incidence but now the lens has starting coming out again - without my doing anything to it - and again, slightly fuzzy pics. No doubt someone can explain this to me.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
John Forrest (Jof)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 28, 2005 - 11:05 pm: | |
Lesley Just knock the camera again and hope for the best. Seriously though it may well be to do with the focal length of the lens and the distance away from the subject. Try doing some test shots of a subject from very close and then keep moving back a cm at a time. When you review those pics you will find the nearest that your camera will focus at. Its always worth doing a few shots of each subject and picking the best.
John Forrest, Blackpool, North West England, UK |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 29, 2005 - 10:30 am: | |
Lesley,
I've been meaning to mention that your Crocus sieberi ssp sieberi you posted above is just lovely. Definitely different to the basic one we have over here. Yours almost looks like it could fall into the Huffelianus group with it's lovely tipping. Now if THAT sets seed and you can spare some.... and even one of the seedlings ended up marked like that.... then I would be most happy. *cheeky grin* That is definitely one to be proud of!! Beautiful.
I have posted a couple of pics of mine in the Crocus area, but here is a copy of the side view of mine....
.... shows you how different it is. If you are able to work out the camera and get down to it, I woud love to see a similar side view to show the markings on your plant.
That Crocus abatensis is pretty special too by the look of it... another species I haven't come across before, although I am sure I have seen it mentioned prior to this. Lovely!!
I have also been posting a bunch of Snowdrop pics in the General area as well, just in case anyone is interested who hasn't been in there to look.
So now to add something to this thread as well...
Narcissus romieuxii 'Julia Jane' is a beautiful flower, but a bit paler by the look of it than you posted above Lesley. I do have to ask though.... how are you growing 'Atlas Gold' when it is from a seed collection? Are you meaning that you grew it from seed collected from that, or do you mean that Atlas Gold itself originated from an Archibald's seed collection?
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2005 - 5:14 am: | |
Paul, I do have Crocus heuffelianus and I know what you mean about the tip markings. But they are quite distinct, the same colour, but a deeper shade than the main petal colour whereas the one above is lilac on a white ground, but does vary as you say. I'll try for a sideways pic. That will mean that I have to get sideways too. Will have to lay off the Chardonnay - or perhaps have more of it.
`Julia Jane' which grows well here and `Atlas Gold' along with `Joy Bishop,' `Treble Chance' and perhaps others, are all selections named from a particular Archibald collection, JCA 805Y. All set seed and I have a lot of seedlings growing on but none flowered yet except from `Treble Chance' and these are absolutely true to their parent. However, all that I grow under the clonal names, are natural vegetative increase from my original named imports, from Potterton and Martin, in 1993. This year `Atlas Gold' is better than ever with about 70 buds on a clump that is only 6" across and the flowers are larger than usual. Some individual bulbs have 6 buds emerging from them. It is my favourite. Of all that I have, `JJ' is the palest and no larger than `TC' which has the added great advantage of producing 2 or 3 extra flowers from the single spathe, in succession, hence its name. It has excellent weather-proof texture too, as has `AG.'
I get lots - masses - of seed on Crocus heuffelianus and will certainly send some later in the year. It has threatened to swamp the more delicate C. baytopiorum which I've had to move to a different trough for its own sake.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2005 - 7:52 am: | |
Lesley,
I didn't realise that all those romieuxii were from a single access of Archibald seed. Makes it even more amazing that 'Treble Chance' seeds true. I have never seen TC, or 'Atlas Gold' other than here on the SRGC. Both look lovely. I do have 'Joy Bishop' though. Glad to hear that you keep clonal names only for divisions of the originals.
Would love to see pics of the C. huffelianus and C. baytopiorum when you have them out in flower. I would love to see which combinations your huffelianus come in as I realise that they can be quite variable. Thomas was generous to me recently and sent me some seed of that so hopefully they'll do well, but would love a few seed of yours as well which I assume are of some different genetics?
So nice to see your lovely pics. So many are well ahead of us here, while others (such as sieberi ssp sieberi are out at the same time. No signs here at all of cvijicii as yet and none of the Iris reticulata are actually in flower as yet.
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
dave toole (T00lie)
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Post Number: 57
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2005 - 12:22 pm: | |
Hi all -One or two interesting items flowering at the moment.
Crocus gargaricus ssps. herbertii.Dug up in full bloom last year ,by a good friend and hasn't missed a beat.
Crocus sieberi(i think)
Narcissus cantabricus
Another shot of Narcissus atlas gold which has a wonderfull strong scent
Cyclamen coum
Of course i couldn't finish without a couple of photos. of N.Z. natives
Foliage shot of Aciphylla pinnatifida
Ranunculus buchananii seedlings
Raoulia exima
Dave Toole.Invercargill.Bottom of the South Island New Zealand .Zone 8/9. |
Lyn Buchanan (Lyn)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2005 - 10:57 pm: | |
Hi Dave
Have to ask - how old are the Ranunculus buchanani seedlings, they look second year or
did they germinate earlier this year? |
dave toole (T00lie)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 31, 2005 - 12:01 am: | |
Hello Lyn .
How are things up your way?.
As far as i can remember i collected seed in march 03 ,however unable to confirm when germination occurred but pretty sure they are second year seedlings .
Label is missing----wifes damn cats have stopped scratching the fish boxes troughs -now gone on to flicking (and chewing) my plant labels all over the place!!!!!.
These have been in growth all through winter ,in a well lite ,sheltered but cool enough position, with no green fly (aphid) attacks.
Dave
Dave Toole.Invercargill.Bottom of the South Island New Zealand .Zone 8. |
Lyn Buchanan (Lyn)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 31, 2005 - 10:04 am: | |
Hi,
Up this way, spring is coming. If my USB port would work I'd show you - adonis, & crocus including the classy Crocus sieberi sieberi Lesley has posted, good to see it doing so well for you Lesley. Plus always pleased to see Iris danfordiae repeating its annual flowering performance, marvellous early season plant seems too much maligned.
Of my Ranunculus buchanani one has come forth & multiplied its growing shoots quietly over winter never actually stopping growth & the other's been dying down but not in the way I had thought & is now in remedying mode with placement of stone to allow air all around neck down to the top of the thong roots. It had that soft pythium/pytopthora rot, I think its on way out but hope. Still I'll be able to see if root cuttings work if top dies completely as the roots are lovely and strong 
I'll post some pictures one day.
Go easy on your wife, if not her cats then it'd be the neighbour's or blackbirds.
Waiting for a sign from Ranunculus haastii but suspect that'll be closer to October - a 10C germinator.
Lyn (45 south) Zone 1-10 - depends on the day. |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 31, 2005 - 9:59 pm: | |
All this talk of Ranunculus buchananii reminds me that yet again, R. semiverticillatus is not going to flower. In spite of that I think I'd better take a photo of the foliage now emerging, or otherwise, Cliff will not believe I even have it here.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 01, 2005 - 2:31 am: | |
I took the following this morning, in thick drizzle. Weather forecast wrong as usual.
Crocus sieberi ssp sieberi, side view for Paul. It's the same flower as before but there will be more soon and I may be able to get a better pic.
The first saxifrage is well out. I've lost a great many over recent summers through drought and they are VERY difficult to replace. Very few are being propagated and those few are frequently wrongly named. This is x Megasaeflora `Robin Hood.'
Iris histrioides `George' is closer to a deep red than the pic shows. Note the almost non-existent foliage at bloom time, typical of histrioides forms. In fact, the two leaves that are visible are probably of rice-sized bulblets rather than the flowering bulb.
Iris x Sindpers which has always for me, been by far the earliest of the Juno irises but was beaten this year by the new Iris rosenbachiana. Sindpers (aucheri {syn. sindjarensis} x persica) is reliable and vigorous, a good open garden plant in a sunny place. Lovely scent too.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 01, 2005 - 2:53 am: | |
One of the best winter/early spring things in the garden is this Helleborus which I bought as H. lividus but is certainly a hybrid, probably of x Sternii persuasion. It makes masses of seed which varies in the amount of dentation and marbling of the foliage, but all are fine plants. As with everything else this year, it is late, just beginning now whereas usually it is in flower by mid June.
In closeup the flowers are a lovely jade green and are flushed pink on the outsides. They come in heads of 30 or more, each head the size of a football - the round kind. (Paul, that was tough on Saturday night in South Africa. Poor Aussies - and worse to come!)
I bought this un-named hellebore about 3 years ago at an NZAGS show. Deepest red with a blue-black over-bloom. First batch of seedlings will flower soon. I think it must have some H. torquatus in it, judging from the foliage.
This competition is called "Hunt the Bellbirds." There are 7 in this pic and a couple of tiny wax-eyes, all lined up for a snack of sugar and water syrup which we put out daily. We've had up to 9 bellbirds, 50+ waxeyes and 6 tuis (harder to photograph but I'll keep trying) this year, and since the feeder is just about 3 metres from the kitchen window, the frenzy is quite exciting while I'm cooking. Pic is taken through the window, specially cleaned in and out for the purpose. Bellbirds and tuis have superb songs - flutes, clarinets and bells mostly - and the noise is head-ringing at times.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 01, 2005 - 5:07 am: | |
Great pics Lesley. That Crocus sieberi ssp seiberi that you got from Lyn B is as gorgeous from the side as it is from above. Just wonderful markings!!!
Love the Bird shot.... except I can count 10 birds not 9..... so I guess I must have been drinking or something? Not good as it is only 2pm in the afternoon and I can't remember having anything? LOL Am I seeing things or are there 10 not 9?
Glorious day here today with 16'C expected which is VERY warm for the middle of winter. Sunshine opening up any flowers that are up and about and just making being outside so wonderful!! So it is back out for a bit more gardening for me......
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Thomas Huber (Hubi1)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 01, 2005 - 12:16 pm: | |
Hello to all the southies!
Wonderfull flowers indeed, don't stop posting!
Dave, your Crocus sieberi looks like "Firefly"!
Thomas Huber, Neustadt/Hessen, Germany |
Margaret Young (Myoung)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 01, 2005 - 12:43 pm: | |
Ian and I have been studying the birds... we think there are ten, too!
That dark red hellebore is very nice.
What a pity, Lesley, that Roger has not posted a photo of YOU taking the sideways Crocus shot... that would have been worth seeing!!
Paul, if it makes 16 degrees here today... and remember this is our summer... we will be amazed! It's perishing cold... on Saturday I had five layers of clothes on, and that was inside the house! The weather girl on TV says we might make 14... if we're lucky... optimistic soul that she is! Fat Chance... it's midday now, the temp is 13degrees. BRRR! Luckily, we have fabulous possum socks from Bronwyn McCone in NZ to keep toes from freezing! Thanks, Bron! |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 01, 2005 - 2:04 pm: | |
Maggi,
14'C in the middle of summer sound heavenly. We'd like a few of those interspersed with the 35+'c days we get so regularly in summer. Gosh it would be SO nice. LOL 30+'C for 3 weeks or so (which we usually get around January/February, with night maybe down to 16 or 17'C if we're lucky does tend to wear at you. We obviously get lots more 30s + than that, but there is usually a solid 2 or 3 week patch in the middle.... the rest of them tend to be interspersed with cooler weather (cooler being low to mid 20s if we're lucky..... teens if there is a good low pressure system move through with storms). Oh the differences of climate eh?
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 02, 2005 - 12:16 am: | |
Yup, you're right, 10 birds. There's a waxeye I hadn't noticed, behind the drinking bellbird, both with their beaks in the bottle. The pic was taken with flash, it was such a dull day but today is better and I'll trot out and do a pic of the source of your socks Maggi.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 02, 2005 - 12:47 am: | |
I'm really getting this down to a fine art. Just took the photo 5 mins ago. I hope it doesn't offend anyone. The fact is, possums are a real pest in NZ (Australian natives) and destroy large tracts of our native forests, spread tuberulosis into herds of cattle and are generally a pain in the neck. In the garden they eat every kind of fruit, roses and many other flowers. This one was trapped last night with an apple in the trap. We knew he was there because every morning the larger syrup bowl which we fill for the birds, was empty.
His bushy black tail is prehensile. I have no regrets about his demise.
The fur from the pelt is used with merino wool to make beautifully soft garments and socks and a possum skin rug is wonderfully luxurious.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 02, 2005 - 1:20 am: | |
Lesley,
I realise that to a NZer the only good possum is a dead one. Given you have no natural mammals except for bats there are just no predators for the possums. It is dreadful the damage they have done and still do, sending some of your bird species to the edge of extinction and beyond.
We get them here as well, but we have enough predators around that they are kept down, although they creed well in human areas. I would like to kill off a couple of them in the local area.... they are so bleedin' noisy when they start their grunting calls and they sound like some sort of demon in the trees. Plus they eat the buds off our magnolias!! (Eeek!) Then again the Cockatoos and parrots can do a good job of that too!
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Margaret Young (Myoung)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 02, 2005 - 9:03 am: | |
OOPs! What have I started? I am sure that there will be someone horrified by my socks and Lesley's possum but I am am old fashioned sort of person who reckons that if one eats meat... and I do... then one must face the reality of that and I don't see that the speedy demise of a possum to provide socks is a great departure from that theory. Especially since said critter is on a pest list; if he must be killed, then why not use his pelt? I am sorry if this is ghastly to you out there... it is just how I feel about such things. I do believe that modern life, so dominated by cities and supermarkets, removes people from the age-old facts of our existence. C'est la vie... et la morte!
|
Carol Shaw (Carol)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 02, 2005 - 6:17 pm: | |
Maggi
Couldn't agree more. I can never understand these 'humane' mouse traps that catch said bestie alive so you can let it out a miledown the road -really!
Carol Shaw, Forres, Scotland |
Margaret Young (Myoung)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 02, 2005 - 7:49 pm: | |
Carol's mention of humane mouse traps leads me to tell you this story... Ian's Dad was annoyed by all the mice stealing his birds' seed so he got a humane mousetrap after he had a nasty experience of killing a bird in an ordinary trap by mistake (He should have put the trap under little mesh cage or flower pot, as I do) Anyway... he gets humane trap, sets it and next day goes to see what has happened. Picks up trap, feels heavy...he's pleased, he's caught a mouse. What to do with it, though?It's a nice day, he feels it would be nice to have a little walk by the sea and watch the ships pass... he'll take the mouse to the beach and release it there for a happy life among the dunes...only to find, down at the beach, as he gingerly opens the trap and expects to have furious mouse leap off into freedom, that he has just given an enormous black slug a nice run in the car and an outing to the sea-side! At least he didn't buy it an icecream! |
Heather Smith (Peridot44)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 02, 2005 - 8:05 pm: | |
I've now found humane live-capture mousetraps are self-defeating. Eventually many mice will have been captured and released somewhere else. Other people will release their mice in your vicinity. This means for everyone many of the mice that manage to get in in late autumn know all about humane traps and either avoid them altogether, or know how to 'steal' the bait and escape. I had to revert to a powerful spring trap until I found out where the mice were getting in.
Heather |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2005 - 4:29 am: | |
Had a nice email - subject - Hello Possum.
Which reminds me that Homoglossum priorii (or it might be huttonii) is in flower. It used to be included in Gladiolus but I doubt if Dame Edna would have been interested in this one.
Omigod! where did that hose and bucket come from. Swear they weren't there when I took the pic.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2005 - 4:34 am: | |
Howdy All,
I just thought I'd post a few of the helleborus that I have in flower at the moment. These are as well as the double white, double burgundy and cut leaf torquatus pics that I posted in the last SH thread...
This is a nice dark red seedling.
The best of my whites. Good round flowers and pristine white on the outside of the flower as well. which makes it effective even with the flowers nodding a bit.
This is a newly purchased mauvey-pink anemone centre. Rather pretty I would have to say.
A pink anemone centre with spotting. Has produced lots of seedlings around it this year so looking forward to them flowering in a few years! *grin*
A much nicer red in real life than in this picture. Very much a facing outward flower too, rather than the traditional nodding flower.
This is a rather pretty spotted pink. The backs of the petals are pure pink and virtually make a perfect round cup. Looks rather effective even with the nodding flowers as they are such a perfect half sphere.
This is a slightly mangey white anemone centre which has a distorted petal. I'll post another pic later on of a better flower, but this gives you the idea.
Interesting to note that whereas I normally do a fair bit of pollination of flowers to try particular crosses I can barely find any free pollen this year. No idae why but I assume I am just missing them when they ARE available. Have never struck this before.
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2005 - 4:39 am: | |
Also flowering now are the winter colchicums....
Colchicum kesselringii has a lovely purple stripe on the back of each petal, which obviously can't be seen with the flower open like this.
Colchicum luteum is such a bright golden yellow. You catch the colour from quite some way off as it is so obvious.
The luteum only opened today so I am keeping an eye out for pollen to try to do the cross between them. Unfortunately by then the kesselringii will likely have already self-pollinated but it is still worth a try, and there might be more flowers to put pollen onto that are a bit fresher.
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2005 - 5:03 am: | |
Hi Paul, you're posting yours at the same time I'm posting mine. I should be in the garden, it is such a beautiful, mild afternoon. Good luck with the Colchicum cross. It's SO desirable.
A few crocuses but first, Narcissus romieuxii `Julia Jane'
Crocus sieberi form which may be `Violet Queen?' This is the other parent of the cvijicii sddlings and I thought it was `Firefly' but if Dave's above is `Firefly,' then this isn't. It may not even be a sieberi form. Help me Thomas or Tony.
This one is therefore probably `Firefly'
Here is a pot of differing seedlings, the progeny of a single pod from Cr. cvijicii, the pollen parent being the first of these crocus pics.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Another of Cr. sieberi `Bowles' White.
This seedling from Cr sieberi var. sublimis f. tricolor has a less obvious white band and is a bigger, fatter flower. The others need a day or two.
And to end with, another Crocus abantensis.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Thomas Huber (Hubi1)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2005 - 7:31 am: | |
Lesley, Crocus sieberi always has a yellow centre, your mystery Crocus could be C. veluchensis, which is in the same section as C. cvijicii.
Thomas Huber, Neustadt/Hessen, Germany |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2005 - 9:21 am: | |
Lesley,
Do you already have the Colchicum cross? I have heard it is a blend of the colours?
That abatenesis is definitely different isn't it. are they really as cute and squat as that? The rest of the pics are great..... you obviously get way more seed than I do. Do you hand pollinate everything or do you just have a lot of seed set? You often mention seed grown crocus which is why I ask..... I rarely see any crocus seedpods, only on C. laevigatus and tommasinianus most years. The pot of the cvijicii cross look great.... would love to see more pics of that to show the differences within them. That species is something I wish would set seed for me but I just have 2 bulbs and it is SO slow to multiply and every year I am paranoid that there is going to be nothing there when I repot. LOL
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Thomas Huber (Hubi1)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2005 - 9:35 am: | |
Paul, I saw a picture of the Colchicum cross in the Bulblog.
Ian, can you post it again here, please?
Thomas Huber, Neustadt/Hessen, Germany |
Margaret Young (Myoung)
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Thomas, Ian is reading the newspaper to my Father.. I'm looking for the phot or else Ian will post it soon!
Maggi |
J.Ian Young (Iyoung)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2005 - 11:05 am: | |
If I ever need to search my logs I go to google!
An idex of pictures to the log is a possibility but it is in the Q of things to do!!
Colchicum luteum x kesselringii
Colchicum luteum x kesselringii
Ian Young, Aberdeen, North Eastern Scotland. |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2005 - 1:31 pm: | |
Ian,
Thanks for the pics, they certainly are a lovely result. Out of interest.... does the cross tend to inherit the luteum habit of virtually no offseting, or some offseting as in kesselringii?
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
J.Ian Young (Iyoung)
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Paul the first picture above with two flowers was taken this spring and the sequence of three are from 2004 so the indication is that it will increase.
I will go and find it and repot it tinight and picture the corms to post.
Ian Young, Aberdeen, North Eastern Scotland. |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2005 - 10:40 pm: | |
Thankyou Thomas. I've had a look in Brian Mathew's "The Crocus" and I believe you're right. It wasn't until I loked at what I'd posted that I realized that EVERY form of C. sieberi has a yellow throat. (But what about `Hubert Edelsten?' That will be out later today when the sun gets to it.)
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Paul I don't have the colchicum cross. It is in NZ but perhaps just 2 or 3 bulbs and all owned by the same person I think - may be wrong about that. Don Schofield in NSW has promised me some seed IF he can get the cross to take. Luteum is also here, very few, and I have half a dozen 2nd year seedlings from a Czech collection but they're at least 2 years from bloom, maybe more. I have a single, non-increasing f/s bulb of kesselringii, so it will be a while before I can try the cross myself.
Cr. abantensis is quite low and squat, a delicious clear blue and increases well from corms. I've not had seed on it. Originally, I had it from Potterton and Martin in the UK, along with cvijicii, baytopiorum, alatavicus and several others, just a single corm of each. I've had 1 pod on baytopiorum, just 2 seeds and only 1 of those has germinated after 2 years. Otherwise, cvijicii is the only one to seed so far, and they turned out to be hybrids. I've grown quite a few crocuses from AGS seed, most true and though they take a while to establish, they are not at all difficult from seed. Some such as fleischeri and heuffelianus set their pods clear of the ground and others, caspius for instance, have to be searched for, the pods almost underground. There's probably a lot more seed there than we realize, just needs to be looked for.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2005 - 11:05 pm: | |
The hybrid pics are superb Ian, as is everything on the Bulblog.I have learned SO MUCH from it.
If the cross is luteum x kesselringii, has anyone tried the reverse cross successfully?
My most favourite of ALL crocuses is Crocus minimus. It has glorious colour and markings and is a good doer as well.
But hard to photograph so that both the in and the outside can be seen at once.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2005 - 11:49 pm: | |
Lesley,
Thanks for the info re seed etc. I would have to agree as well that minimus is a definite winner. I always look forward to it every year. Still no signs of buds on mine yet though, so as I have said before you're way ahead of us on the Crocus front!
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Thomas Huber (Hubi1)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 8:19 am: | |
Lesley, Hubert Edelsten is a cross between sieberi ssp atticus and ssp sieberi,
therefore also has a bright yellow throat - it's one of my favourites!! But I never had seed on it!
Thomas Huber, Neustadt/Hessen, Germany |
J.Ian Young (Iyoung)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 6:31 pm: | |
I can now report that the bulb/corm of the colchicum cross has split and I now have two bulbs so I hope for a steady increase if I can keep it happy.
I did try the cross the other way but got no seed, in fact I have never had seed set on C. kesselringii and I lost my last bulbs about 3 years ago so I have to get it back again from some where.
Ian Young, Aberdeen, North Eastern Scotland. |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 11:47 pm: | |
Ian,
Interesting that it multiplies. Thanks for the info.... re seed, I thought that kesselringii was one of the few Colchicum to set seed easily. I have had it self seed here one year so it MUST be easy! LOL I wouldn't have tried the cross onto luteum myself, but rather would have crossed onto the kesselringii because it seeds more freely and I figured more likely to produce seed..... but I will definitely now try the reverse cross as well. Then again, given that luteum doesn't self-pollinate without a second clone (as far as I know) at least any seed set would likely be due to the cross pollination. With the kesselringii as seed parent I would always be wondering if it pollinated itself before I got to it! *grin*
We had an inch or rain overnight the night before last (wonderful! We needed it!!) and the kesselringii flower that was out is now pulp. Hopefully I will end up with a kesselringii and luteum flower open together at the right times to pollinate.
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 12:10 am: | |
Howdy All,
As to things flowering here..... lots more coming up. Lots of crocus sending up flowers but Lesley has already posted pics of most of them so I figure no point in duplicating them and I don't have the lovely clumps to photograph like she does (your garden must look lovely Lesley!), just pots mostly at my place. I find that most of the crocuses I put in the ground I can never find again..... they're there but I just can never work out where I put them. Some of those that I have enough of to be able to potentially sacrifice I am now putting in the ground and they're coming back fine. Would be much easier if we didn't have those darn Blackbirds and the horrendous damage that they do! (Whinge! whinge! whinge! LOL)
Other things coming up now are the Iris reticulatas which again have already been posted. The first of mine are only just starting to show some colour now. Various Narcissus species are sending up buds as well, and the various Jonquil type hybrids etc. The Helleborus as some may have seen above are in full flower in most cases now, although a couple more doubles to open yet and other perennial things like various polyanthus and the like.
The Galanthus are also in full flower in most cases, although a couple are still to open in the doubles, and looking wonderful. There are also the first signs of movement in some of the Trilliums but I would imagine that Lesley's are already well on the way judging by her other things. I have now got green points pushing through the sheathes at the moment so they shouldn't be long now in some cases, but some are of course still months off.
So many nice things coming at this time of year.
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 3:17 am: | |
Go for it Paul, don't worry about my lot. I'm pleased to be able to get something on the board before you do! I cheated with the Crocus minimus, that pic was a scanned photo from last year.It was in a trough and that's how I grow most of my crocuses because they're so small and relatively fleeting. But I planted a raised bed in the summer and I've moved quite a few to there which is why some are either single corms or spaced out corms, not having made clumps yet in their new locality. The new minimus pic was taken this morning, in the raised bed.
outside minimus
inside minimus
Crocus sieberi `Hubert Edelsten' outside
and inside, showing yellow throat. Funny what you forget when it's not in front of you, or maybe hadn't noticed in the first place.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 3:44 am: | |
Here is another of Cr. sieberi ssp sieberi, a second flower on the same corm as before, but with more colour.
A lovely crocus is Cr. biflorus v. pulchricolor. I used to have Cr. aerius but lost it. When I bought some new ones, they were, in fact, this one. Apparently they are often confused.
Cr sieberi v. sublimis f. tricolor is a vigorous form and a good doer generally, flowering and seeding freely. The pic above from a couple of days ago and which is a seedling near these, has a huge stigma compared with this little patch and is altogether a larger, fatter flower so probably a hybrid with something nearby.
Cr. alatavicus is a bit rarer I think. The slim flowers are ivory white when open but the buds are backed with fine greyish purple stippling making it look like a little mouse, or sometimes it seems to come through the ground like a small patch of toadstools. It's not spectacular but I still love it.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 4:00 am: | |
Three to finish for today then I must get out to the weeding again. We are having a patch of beautiful weather with warm, sunny days and no wind to spoil it.
Iris reticulata `Cantab' is my favourite form in the group. There was a much better pic some months ago, in one of the northern threads, I think from Ian McE.
This poor specimen is Cyclamen trochopteranthum in an almost white form. It has been lurking pitifully under a mess of weeds and the background says it all I guess. I'll move it to a raised bed in the summer when it dies down.
Unless someone wants to argue about it, I'll stick my neck out and say this is Galanthus nivalis `Straffan.' Another "muddy tummy" pic.
That's all folks. Paul, if you have trilliums nearly ready,do post them. So far the only one doing much here, is a good deep coloured T. chloropetalum which has been covered all through the winter with pea straw. But the birds have moved that away to expose the trillium with 6" stems and buds already.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 6:30 am: | |
Lesley,
Great pics. The pulchricolor looks like a nice colouration to it, and that alatavicus is delightful (another one I haven't seen or heard of before!). I have a tiny Hubert courtesy of Lyn Edwards here in Canberra.... she was able to spare a tiny offset a couple of years ago and it is still alive, although growing very slowly. I reckon at this rate it should flower by 2010 if I'm lucky! *grin*
No, your Trilliums are way ahead of mine.... I was talking about a couple having a bit of green showing, not 6" stems with buds.
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
J.Ian Young (Iyoung)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 8:41 am: | |
What a delight to be having a double dose of spring bulbs - don't you just love this forum.
Soon we will be seeing the first of the autumn crocus in flower in our garden.
Keep posting :-))))
Ian Young, Aberdeen, North Eastern Scotland. |
John Forrest (Jof)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 05, 2005 - 9:41 pm: | |
Wonderful pictures everyone. It has taken me a long time to get through because most had to be opened by right clicking and I keep losing my internet connection. Not sure why but I have had the problem in the past. Lesley how lovely to have those wonderful birds on your feeder and I was going to say how cute the cuddly possum was until I read about its demise. I don't mind killing pests and regularly squish slugs but have to confess to using humane traps for mice. You should see how excited they get after the car ride to see their new holiday home. Too much Bambi and Thumper as a child do you think? I've kept and killed chickens for food but I have only contempt for people who kill for 'sport'. Back to flowers... how do you manage to grow these wonderful Crocuses in what looks like claggy earth? Is it because your rainfall patterns are simoilar to their native ones, or just green fingers?
John Forrest, Blackpool, North West England, UK |
Doreen Mear (Doreen)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 12:32 pm: | |
S'pose it's time I came out of the closet, having been a lurker for long enough, and having seen my name mentioned a couple of times recently in the Switzerland thread by Lesley and Cliff.
I'm a new Kiwi (5 years old to be precise), formerly of Huddersfield in the north of England, just over the hill from Cliff, and on the same side as Anne Wright, to whom many congratulations on your silver medal at the RHS Birmingham Show for your botanical art. You have a wonderful talent and the love of these little plants really shines through.
I'm now in Wanaka, just up a bit - well, a good bit - from Lesley and Dave, but it's a different climate up here in the Southern Alps. I have four crocuses out, but that's four flowers, not four species; the narcissi and irises are a long way off.
Glad the seed arrived OK, Cliff. There's an ulterior motive for the generosity - if mine don't germinate, I know where to come!
And sorry to have missed you in Dunedin last month, Lesley, but on the other hand a visit to your nursery might have cost me a packet! See you at the NZAGS Show next month? |
Brian Wilson (Bwilson)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 8:30 pm: | |
Hi everyone.
Paul since you are crossing flowers and collecting seeds you might find that tea bags are useful. I always use empty tea bags to cover flowers after emasculation until the flower ceases to be fertile to prevent accidental pollination. Tea bags are also useful when collecting seed, just cover the pods as they ripen and any fallen seeds will be contained. Tea bag material is weather proof, dries out rapidly when it gets wet and permits some light to get through. A useful trick is to increase the humidity round the flower to aid pollen tube growth when you make the cross by spraying the bag lightly with water as required.
Use square or oblong bags, round ones and those with fancy shapes are no good. Cut them open close to the one of the shorter ends, empty the tea out and use the bag to cover the flower sealing the end round the stem with a wire twist. The most difficult thing is finding a brand of tea marketed in square bags, shop staff think me very odd asking which brands come in square bags. Most supermarkets sell a VERY cheap range of tea (must be floor sweepings!) in suitable bags. I get mine from ASDA. Square tea bags are also common in the catering trade. The method works well for small flowers but I have yet to find something similar for big flowers/seed pods or a source of the material they are made of to make my own large bags.
Brian WIlson, Aberdeen, Scotland |
Cliff Booker (Booker)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 8:58 pm: | |
Welcome to the light Doreen...I bet it was pretty claustrophobic in that restrictive little closet? Imagine going all the way to buttercup heaven to sit in a darkened room?
Doreen should, of course, have mentioned her skill, her prowess and her successes at growing and showing and the fact that she was actually SENT to New Zealand by her fellow exhibitors to leave us more of an even playing field. We all miss her dearly over here (it was her turn to buy a round) and Doreen would not forgive me if I neglected to mention her main achievement of winning the Pudsey Pig (when the competition REALLY was tough Alan). She ate for Huddersfield, for Yorkshire and for England that day. An appetite nearly as big as her heart. Welcome to the forum Doreen....now tell them all about your buttercups.
Kindest regards,
Cliff |
Margaret Young (Myoung)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 9:04 pm: | |
Hello, Doreen, how nice to have you join us! It must make you feel very much at home here to have posts from your "neighbours" old and new!!
What's a few thousand miles between friends, eh?
A note to everyone: Worry not if Brian and Maureen invite you round for a cup of tea while you enjoy their garden : in spite of Brian's description of the best kind of tea for teabags (cheap, nasty, it seems)to suit his purposes, I am happy to reassure you that any tea served WILL be tasty and most likely accompanied by some yummy homemade shortbread!! Don't know what they use the cheap tea for... esoteric mulch for fabulous gesneriads, perhaps!
Ian would endorse Brian's advice for the many uses of teabags but he always used them first and dried them out carefully afterwards... but he is an Aberdonian!
M
about half a mile from the Wilsons in Aberdeen, N.E. Scotland. |
Margaret Young (Myoung)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 9:09 pm: | |
WELL!! I knew Doreen's name from Show reports, of course... but had no idea she was also a genuine, fully qualified Pudsey Piglet! (It is unseemly to call such an accomplished trencherwoman a "pig", I feel) My admiration for you increases by the minute, Doreen!
Cheers!
M
|
Anne Wright (Annsie)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 9:13 pm: | |
Brian, I make my little bags out of pieces of horticultural fleece. I sew mine into bags with my overlocker which is very quick, but I think it can be 'welded' together by placing the edges to be joined between 2 pieces of baking parchment and using a hot iron to melt the edges together. I sew a long tube first then cut it into sections and close one end. Very cheap and works very well. I use a plastic paper clip either side of the stem to close the bag around the flower. They can be machine washed and tumble dried too!
Anne, North Yorkshire, England |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 2:47 am: | |
John, the "claggy" soil isn't soil at all but just a topping about 2-3cms thick of finish (that's supposed to be "fine-ish") gravel from a local river bed. It's there on top of the soil (largely potting mix) because we get very strong nor'west gales and the potting mixture literally blows away. It needs the gravel to prevent that. Sometimes I've made a new bed or filled a trough to find next morning after a wind in the night, that there's almost nothing left except some dead plants (and others vanished altogether), some gravel and a couple of rocks. Besides, the alpines and little bulbs like it, look good and send up many more self-sown seedlings than on regular soil. I think it also discourages slugs etc.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 3:05 am: | |
A warm welcome Doreen, to the wonderful world of Forum posters. Do stay with us. I too, was very sorry to miss you in June but St Arnaud called, and especially since I'd not been able to hear your Alaskan talk in Chch either. As for the NZAGS Show in Sept, Mmmmmmm.. might be able to say something more about that in a couple of days. Oh, and I don't believe for a minute that you were a Pudsey pig. Wrong shape entirely! How could you Cliff?
If I may return briefly to the subject of possums - apparently near Wanaka and in western Southand at Makarora - not so far from Doreen's stamping ground, the formerly huge possum population is dropping like flies from an as yet unidentified disease (believed not to be a problem for birds, farm stock or deer or for humans). Tests are being done and post mortems and autopsies carried out by vets etc. Animals which are seen as sick, suddenly drop dead from the trees onto the paths and plants below. It seems it's literally raining possums and ...well, possums. So far, it is thought NOT to be an interesting condition (also fatal) called "Wobbly Possum Syndrome." From the pictures shown on TV a couple of nights ago, the symptoms of that appear to be similar to those of mad cow disease. Which reminds me that I must insist that Roger stops calling me a mad cow!
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 3:11 am: | |
There are no frits in bloom yet though they are coming through the pots and ground like hairs on a dog's back. Especially exciting are the 5 newly germinated seedlings of that little stunner pictured on the back of the Fritillaria Group's Aug 2003 Journal, No 13. Most likely a form of F. bucharica I guess, but WHAT a form. The 5 seeds I received from the Czech Republic all came up at once, last Wednesday night. And 2 sdlgs from the `Ivory Bells' clone of F. persica, from FGAGS. I'll post a pic for you in 2015!
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 3:13 am: | |
Hey Paul, race you to 1000!
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lauren Bertoni (Laurenlolly)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 5:29 am: | |
Hi all!! I been meaning to post for a while but I went on a holiday only to come back & find everything has grown so much!!
King Alfred daffs:
Azalea 'Inga':
A kettle full of Jetfire:
Can't wait for my Soldanella to bloom!!
I love doing this! a comparison between the King Alfred daff and the tiny Tête a Tête:
And in reply to my last post, what does 'plicated' mean? Would my Galanthus be G. plicatus simply because it's 'plicated' or is there other characteristics?
Cheers,
Lauren |
dave toole (T00lie)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 7:17 am: | |
Thomas-- thanks for identifying the Crocus sieberi a week ago as firefly.
Hello Dorren --How are you -- Hope to see photos of your garden and plants in due course.
First Narcissusin bloom here
Narcissus tete a tete ?
Crocus sieberi var sublimis f. tricolor
New growth of Castilleja miniata --Grown from seed and first flowering last year.Seems easy to keep going.(Guess i just sounded it's death knell!!!)
A total up today and i realised i had over 60 troughs .A shot of 10 of them on the porch with growth evident
Finally a view looking up at the type of evergreen forest that surrounds the garden.Dacrydium cupressinum (native red pine).Common name is Rimu
Dave
Dave Toole.Invercargill.Bottom of the South Island New Zealand .Zone 8. |
Cliff Booker (Booker)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 8:22 am: | |
Racing to one thousand....... |
Cliff Booker (Booker)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 8:23 am: | |
how.... |
Cliff Booker (Booker)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 8:23 am: | |
...unseemly... |
Cliff Booker (Booker)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 8:25 am: | |
...is that?
Apologies to all for British humour. |
J.Ian Young (Iyoung)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 10:09 am: | |
Hi to all and especially to Lesley who is in danger of throwing her toys out of her pram  because she has not been getting email alerts from some of the posts. I can assure you Lesley we would not do anything to offend such a loyal and good forum member. You can ALL select which topics you want to receive emails from and you can select all, some or none from the list. To see this list and edit your profile click 'PROFILE' on the tool bar at the top of any forum page, enter your user name and password, scroll down to the list of topics and check or uncheck the boxes as you wish. Lesley, my possum, I have done it for you so you should now get all future emails from all posts.
We also grow the crocus alatavicus that Lesley has shown above with the narrow flowers but a few years ago I got hold of a fantastic form with lage full flowers and it is stunning and it has set seed for the last two years, not a lot but a good sign. Unfortunately the narrow form is quite prolific at increasing but the good form is still a single corm.
Ian Young, Aberdeen, North Eastern Scotland. |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 1:24 pm: | |
Lesley,
Posting 4 responses in a row is definitely going to help you beat me to 1000. I generally tend to combine posts where I can (not always, but generally), so I think you're going to easily beat me to 1000. Although Cliff will likely beat both of us if he keeps posting separate PARTS of sentences in different emails! Now if he starts posting pieces of pictures over different emails then we really start worrying he is taking it to extremes! LOL
Lauren... Thanks for the pics. Great stuff.
Dave.... I think your Narcissus is most likely Jetfire by the look of it. The petals will end up reflexing a bit due to cyclamineus parentage and the cup will end up being more orange. It looks a bit too elongated for tete a tete. The troughs look great as I love that mossy look to them. Can't get thick enough polystyrene boxes here to be able to sculpt and make into decent troughs unfortunately, or at least I haven't come across them. Definitely have never seen the thicker fish boxes that have been referred to in the "how to" areas..... but we don't have a big fresh fish market here as we're nowhere near the coast.
Doreen.... welcome to the forums. Sounds like you already know everyone here anyway so you'll obviously be right at home! LOL
Brian.... thanks for the hint (you too Anne) re the seed collectors. Not sure it is worth buying tea bags just for that though, given I don't drink tea! *grin*
Now I think that covers everyone. I'm sure I've stuffed up spelling in this posting but I'm too knackered to bother going through and checking. Hopefully everyone can live with it! LOL
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 11:34 pm: | |
Ian, you're a little gem! A prince among men. Thanks so much for coping with my tantrum and putting all to rights for me. The thing is, I'm such a nosy cow I can't bear to miss ANY of the Forum. I'll look forward to everything that comes my way.
Dave, Your Narcissus isn't either `Tete - Tete' (see Lauren's above) or `Jetfire' (see the clump in the kettle above. Both these are true.) It's obviously a cyclamineus hybrid and there's one whose name escapes me for the moment that looks pretty much like yours. It depends on the height of the stem and the relative size of the flower. How about `Little Gentleman' or `Atom' if it's very small or `Mite' if taller?
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 11:40 pm: | |
And congrats Lauren on the Soldenella, waiting to open. I don't think they are at all easy to flower well in our relatively warmer southern climates, so well done. I hope you have put a couple of slug pellets around it.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
dave toole (T00lie)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2005 - 2:21 am: | |
Thanks Paul --my Narcissus isn't Jetfire .The cup doesn't turn orange and although the posting doesn't show it the flower is a lot smaller than Jetfire.
Lesley you know my garden at this time of the year!!.This Narcissus is only receiving 1 hours sunshine max.each day and to show the foliage would only confuse the matter as it is a bit elongated.
May just have to call it (for myself) Narcissus toolie f. longafolia.ROTHF LOL.
Dave in a flippant mood
Dave Toole.Invercargill.Bottom of the South Island New Zealand .Zone 8. |
Doreen Mear (Doreen)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2005 - 9:37 am: | |
Thanks, old friends and new, for the warm welcome.
Cliff, thanks a bunch for spilling the beans on my history; with friends like you .... ! Tried to bluff my way into the novices' classes at the NZAGS Show last year, but they weren't having any of it, who had you been talking to? I only grow 6 buttercup species at present, not really having got into my stride yet, and try as I might, that doesn't yet include our old favourite R. glacialis. I seem to have lost the knack. Anyway, I have four pots of seeds from various sources, so fingers crossed, something will emerge any time now.
Lesley, harking back to last week's mention of Crocus abantensis, and your lovely pic, I grew this for a few years in the UK, also from Potterton & Martin stock, but it never set any seed for me either. However a few months ago I sent for some seeds from the Archibalds and noticed today quite a few seedlings emerging strongly, so highly recommend them if anyone wants this plant. It really is a lovely soft blue.
And Dave, if you're passing through this way, stop by and look at the garden - might be quicker than waiting for me to learn how to upload decent photos - but look out for falling possums!
Doreen Mear, Wanaka (Middle of South Island) New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2005 - 10:25 am: | |
Doreen, I have to agree absolutely about crocuses and their seed. Several of my rarest are from a single corm and though they're increasing nicely, seed is by far the best way not only for numbers but to increase chances of further seed and of course for variation. I'm surprised this month that several are germinating well now though sown two and a half years ago and in some cases have had an early germinator already flower in the seed pot.
And what is it with Colchicum seed? C. luteum germinated 2 in 2003, 4 more last year and another 2 are up today, from a batch of 16 seeds sown early 2002. C. arenarium sown very fresh in 2001 is starting this week while a batch of that species sown in 2000 has sent some up each year since. I really want to get the bigger ones potted on or planted out but there are so many very young ones. Have to plant out the whole potful I suppose. C. variegatum from 2002 hasn't started yet though the seed is hard and healthy looking so I suppose it will come eventually. Almost as bad as Trillium seed!
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2005 - 10:50 am: | |
Howdy All,
A couple more Helleborus in case anyone is interested?
This is a dark pink double with the most wonderful form to the flower.
A different Helleborus torquatus to the one I posted last month. I only just got this one and don't actually know what the leaves will be like (the other one I posted had the interesting dissected leaf form). This one is much more of a soft grey colour while the other one was more of a purple.
The inside of the same flower, showing almost put green, while my other one had a purple picotee edge to the petals. Nice to have this one as so different.
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Carol Shaw (Carol)
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Lovely, thanks Paul
Carol Shaw, Forres, Scotland |
John Forrest (Jof)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2005 - 8:12 pm: | |
Nice pics Paul. Did you change your camera, I remember you talking about it some time ago. I have tried a couple in the past few months and they both had drawbacks, though different ones from the camera I normally use. I'm still saving up for a better one but am going to get some hands on advice, hopefully, from the local photographic society which reconvenes at the end of this month.
John Forrest, Blackpool, North West England, UK |
Brian Wilson (Bwilson)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2005 - 8:39 pm: | |
Seeing so many pics of Crocus sieberi in cultivation I thought you might like to see it in the wild. Here are several of Crocus sieberi sieberi taken ar 1720m on Kakovoli in the White Mountains of Crete.
Anne thanks for the suggestion to use fleece as an alternative to tea bags. I have already tried this but found that with some plants such as Meconopsis punicea it caught on the rough hairs of the seed pods so was less easy to get on and off.
Brian WIlson, Aberdeen, Scotland |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2005 - 10:06 pm: | |
Brian,
Fascinating to see it in the wild. Thanks for posting. Looks like some interesting variability there as well. I am definitely going to have to watch out for seed of that particular variety from overseas and grow it just to find out what sort of forms there are in it. Here, our "usual" form is the one I posted with quite washed out markigns, but there are definitely others appearing now (although I haven't seen ones like Lesley's here in Aus).
Thanks again for the pics!!
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2005 - 10:21 pm: | |
Carol and John,
Glad you enjoyed the pics. John, no I haven't changed my camera as yet. I think what I would LIKE to get is a Nikon Coolpix 8800 (full SLR and I have heard it recommended somewhere before) but with a prce tag of $1900 it is a tad out of my range at the moment. I have borrowed a friend's Panasonic Lumix FX20 and am testing it at the moment to see what it is like, but haven't actually uploaded any pics onto the computer to see them properly as yet.
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 2:51 am: | |
Brian, thanks for these variations on a familiar theme. I guess forms such as `Hubert Edelsten' started out as wild forms which someone selected and named then propagated vegetatively. Yours above are super and show how wise it is to grow from seed when possible.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 5:58 am: | |
Lesley,
I think that 'Hubert Edelsten' is a hybrid isn't it?
I particularly like Brian's third pic, with that pale island surrounded by dark. THAT would be interesting to see what seedlings emerged.
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Tony Goode (Agoode)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 10:00 am: | |
Fascinating to see the pic of Crocus cvijicii x veluchensis (Aug 3 posting). In the UK Alan Edwards grows a sulphur yellow form of C. sieberi. I cannot recall its origins but some of Lesleys yellow hybrids look very similar.
Lesley, I may have to emigrate to your part of the world if you can grow C. abantensis outside like that!
Tony Goode. Norwich UK
|
Thomas Huber (Hubi1)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 11:32 am: | |
Hi Tony! Welcome back - hope you and your family had a nice holiday?! Do you have some more pix?
Yes, Paul and Lesley, Hubert Edelsten is a hybrid. The wild forms of ssp sieberi are generally not suited for western gardens.
Thomas Huber, Neustadt/Hessen, Germany |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 1:23 pm: | |
Thomas,
Out of interest.... Why not? Different types of cultivation requirements? Not tolerant of fertilisers? Can't cope with our watering regimes?
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Thomas Huber (Hubi1)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 3:04 pm: | |
The wild forms require a sunbaken summer rest and don't like our wet conditions. But sure they will like the Australian summers!
Thomas Huber, Neustadt/Hessen, Germany |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 3:20 am: | |
Thomas, I remember your saying that `Hubert Edelsten' is a hybrid between 2 subspecies of C. sieberi but I wondered whether it may be a natural as distinct from garden or man-made hybrid? Either way, it is still presumably a selected seedling propagated vegetatively.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 3:27 am: | |
Tony, I remember that yellow sieberi of AE's. There was a photo in the AGS Bulletin I think and a slide of it was among a collection I borrowed from the AGS slide libary for a crocus talk a couple of years ago. It was a lovely thing.
You know you'll be welcome when you decide to emigrate. But bring the crocuses of course. I grow all my crocuses outside though possibly baytopiorum needs a bit of protection, mainly because the trough where it has lived for a few years just doesn't get enough sun for the flowers to open much. I've moved it to a pot this year and in the coming summer will put it into a sunny raised bed. All the others seem pretty tough.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 5:10 am: | |
The great family of Rhododendron is on its way again. These two are at a neighbour's house and photographed from the road so not up to much but good to see them again. I don't know the first (anyone please? bearing in mind that this is equal to early Feb in the north) and the second is the always reliable `Cornubia.'
I went out this morning to take a pic of R.`Christmas Cheer' (which should be called `Winter Cheer' down here) but last night we had a frost harder than any this winter and the trusses were browned and horrid.The above 2 are never affected by frost.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 5:17 am: | |
My little collection of precious Juno irises is coming along well and these two will both flower for the first time. Yesterday we had much needed rain and the drops froze solid over night but haven't damaged the foliage.
This is Iris graeberiana and I must go out and rewrite the label before it fades altogether. I have 10 bulbs from 3 different seed sources so it will be interesting to see if there's any variation in colour or form.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 5:22 am: | |
I. warleyensis which I'll probably plant out in the garden along with the one above, when they die down.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 5:29 am: | |
Lesley,
I have never worked out the knack as yet for junos. I always end up finding nothing in their pots after summer, regardless of whether I keep them damp or bone dry. The only thing close to a juno that I grow is Iris stenophylla allisonii but I am not sure whether that is more in the reticulata range than the junos.
I envy you some of the wonderful iris you grow. I have only ever seen pics of them and won't even try them until I work out what I am doing wrong as I don't want to lose them!!
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 5:37 am: | |
Paul, Iris stenophylla forms are creme de la creme. If you can grow that successfully you should have no trouble with any of them. It is a true Juno too, close to I. persica.
All of my rarer ones and most of the easier species are grown from seed and I've only lost the youngsters when I let them get TOO dry. Even with the bulbs which like a long, dry summer ripening, the very young are too small to handle this. Now, I usually let them have whatever rain that falls through the summer, which isn't much of course and when they're entirely dry, I keep them covered with a piece of shade cloth so they don't become too hot. Seems to work so far.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 5:47 am: | |
A few more crocuses out now are:
Crocus ancyrensis,
C. chrysanthus `Cream Beauty' (Something's had a midnight snack),
C. c. `Gypsy Girl'
and C. fleischeri
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 5:54 am: | |
And a final pair of pics for today, the latest and I think prettiest of the c. cvijicii x veluchinus seedlings. The ground colour is a sort of pale apricot and the outer petals are flushed with soft lilac, the overall effect being a pinkish apricot, different in a crocus. I'll keep this one isolated and try to increase it vegetatively.
and the inside
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 6:03 am: | |
Thomas,
Thanks for the response. Sorry, I'd missed it amongst Lesley's postings. It sounds like the wild forms might rather like it here then..... will keep that in mind if I ever hear of seed available. Would be very interested in trying some of the wild stuff, just to see what variations appeared.
Lesley,
I didn't realise that it was a true Juno. I wouldn't say it has exactly thrived for me, but I have flowered it twice. I nearly lost it a year ago but I still have one small bulb just shooting at the moment. Forgot to dry it one summer and it went WAY backwards and I just had a tiny bulb to start with again. I hope I can bring it back from the brink.
BTW.... could you please check out my photo in the Crocus pic and let me know what you think of it compared to my previous postings. Borrowed a friend's camera to test it and I think the result is better than my camera (which is starting to die I think).
Thanks for any feedback.
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 6:22 am: | |
Lesley,
That hybrid you posted is really lovely!! I hope it does well for you as it certainly does look different!! A beauty!!
It's SNOWING here!! Might be common for the Northerners but definitely uncommon here. So cool to see the flakes falling. Ocassional years we even get significant settling, but rare and far between. So cool! (No pun intended!)
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Anne Wright (Annsie)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 8:01 am: | |
Lovely cocuses, Lesley. C. fleischeri is a favourite of mine because of the perfume, but I keep it inside because the flowers are so delicate (and so am I in midwinter). How nice for you to have it flowering in summer!!!!
Anne, North Yorkshire, England |
Göte K. A. Svanholm (Gote)
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Post Number: 91
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 5:49 pm: | |
I know I am late with this but friends of ours had a humane mouse trap and it trapped one mouse every second day or so. Finaly they put a dot of red paint on the mouse and yes it was the same mouse,
It obviously believe that it had trained the humans to provide food and shelter in a nice litle box.
There are traps that force the prey to push upwards. these seldom trap birds but it is possible to put a little net cage over a non-human trap.
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Göte K. A. Svanholm (Gote)
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Post Number: 92
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 6:02 pm: | |
RE Kabshia Saixifragas and hot wheather:
I never had time to follow it up but I once put a small collection of plants that were more or less well rooted cuttings in wet sand.
Thatis: I used capillary watering from below. The (plastic)pots were about 8cm high and were solidly stood in sand in a tray with constant water supply. The water level just below pot bottom.
They were in nearly full sun and they grew as cabbage.
I cannot post any picture since nearly all are locked up on a hard disk in a computer that does not work.
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Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 11, 2005 - 1:34 am: | |
Summer it ain't Anne. You noticed that Paul mentioned SNOW. We didn't have any here but a new lot is on the local hills and today is very very cold in spite of the forecast pillock on the box last night saying 14C for Dunedin.
Paul, back to your Crocus pic. I agree with the other posters that it's a lovely clear image. Wish mine were as good. Go for it.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 11, 2005 - 1:43 am: | |
So - surely that's a lesson learned by the "humane" trappers. Me, I'm all for the quick chop and no comebacks - literally.
Gote, I like your saxifrage idea and will try something similar for my rapidly depleting collection. I've noticed here and in previous gardens that even plants which like or prefer shady conditions will thrive and flower well if their soil is moist. As examples, in a Canterbury garden I grew rhodos, hostas, primulas and other things in full sun but was always able to water them well. In some cases the plants themselves grew to be shorter or more compact, but they were never burned and never failed to flower well. More lessons.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Anne Wright (Annsie)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 11, 2005 - 7:59 am: | |
The adventures of our own homing mouse, Homer the long-tailed field mouse, became a full odyssey of several weeks as the little chap and his friend Bart returned time and again to the longworth traps in our loft. Homer was the champ and sometimes had to be let out in the garden to give him a chance to recover from his previous night's marathon. His record was a trip back of 900m in 24hrs, despite being taken by car a devious way round in the hope of confusing him! No damage to garden other than hazel nuts germinating in trillium pots.
The moral of the story is take your mouse at least 1km away to release him. Too small to make socks out of anyway.
Anne, North Yorkshire, England |
Göte K. A. Svanholm (Gote)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 11, 2005 - 9:42 am: | |
If I were to do this again without too much plumbing, I would do the following:
I would use some kind of tray - perhaps fashioned out of a wooden frame covered with black plastic foil. Size half a square meter (for initial test if it goes well bigger), depth 5-10cm. I would use relatively fine sand max grain about 1mm but no clay content. It is possible to wash such sand in a bucket putting a garden hose to the bottom and let the silt flow over the edges.
I would then get a plastic bottle with a tap the biggest I could easily handle (in my case 25 litres). We use these for camping. I would then tip the bottle so that the bottom of the tap is 2-3 cm down in the tray and slowly open the tap. As soon as the water level in the tray reaches the tap, water stops flowing so we have a constant level. (provided that the bottle is air tight.)
I would fill sand up to 1-2 cm above the water level, use pots with relatively big bottom holes and a very open compost. It is important to ensure good contact between sand and compost. Press and screw. Remember that it may rain and provide an overflow half a cm above the tap bottom. Some of this is obvious and some becomes obvious if you try.
A valve from a toilet coupled to the mains has too long travel to keep the level constant. Perhaps a carburator float would work if the water is clean .
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Heather Smith (Peridot44)
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Post Number: 46
Registered: 6-2005
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 11, 2005 - 12:56 pm: | |
"The adventures of our own homing mouse, Homer the long-tailed field mouse, became a full odyssey of several weeks as the little chap and his friend Bart returned time and again to the longworth traps in our loft. Homer was the champ and sometimes had to be let out in the garden to give him a chance to recover from his previous night's marathon. His record was a trip back of 900m in 24hrs, despite being taken by car a devious way round in the hope of confusing him! No damage to garden other than hazel nuts germinating in trillium pots.
The moral of the story is take your mouse at least 1km away to release him. Too small to make socks out of anyway."
I must make clear that I was never talking about mice in the garden. I do not set any traps outside; I leave control of mice there to the many cats that come by hunting the wild birds I feed. The birds queueing up to get on the feeders soon warn other birds and the cats are unsuccessful, but they do get mice now and then. I was talking only about mice in the whole house, which are very dangerous and they soon ceased to be caught at all by the humane traps. The mice mentioned here seem to be easily re-caught.
Cheers
Heather |
Doreen Mear (Doreen)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 12, 2005 - 4:10 am: | |
I've had mice in the garden for ages digging up my bulbs, but like you, Heather, I let them be. But had a mouse in the house for the first time this year as winter set in. A friend recommended one of these clothes-peg-like mousetraps, preferably baited with chocolate, so down the supermarket I went. Got the mouse trap, and big bars of chocolate were on special, so all set. Read the mousetrap instructions (me being female), only to find peanut butter was the recommended bait. Well, set up the trap, made a cup of tea and sat down in a comfy chair with the redundant chocolate mousebait, when, bang, within two minutes, the mouse was in peanut butter heaven.
As for the frog setting up home and lazily swimming lengths in my swimming pool, try catching him when you only got as far as your Learners swimming certificate at school. He was moved next door first of all, then to the end of the street, but made it back each time, but hasn't reappeared since I took him for a swim in Lake Wanaka. Fingers crossed he doesn't make it back for frog spawning season!
Doreen Mear, Wanaka (Middle of South Island) New Zealand |
Heather Smith (Peridot44)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 12, 2005 - 5:35 pm: | |
Hi Doreen,
Think we've met, probably on an AGS tour to the USA. Didn't you leave for NZ after one such trip? If there is a next time for a mouse in the house (let's hope not), try using a peanut. With all the bird feeding going on everywhere the mice know and trust this item of food and it's clean to use. Bet you enjoyed the chocolate! 
Heather |
Carol Shaw (Carol)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 12, 2005 - 5:46 pm: | |
Heather
No idea why but peanut butter works every time for us It even catches slugs in the greenhouse!
Carol Shaw, Forres, Scotland |
Doreen Mear (Doreen)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 13, 2005 - 6:13 am: | |
Heather:
Yes, I think we met on the Wyoming trip in '98 and again on the Colorado one in 2000. Ten out of ten for your memory recall, yes, I came straight out to NZ from Colorado, having had a couple of longish holidays here first to suss the place out. So hello again!
Carol:
Peanut butter as slug bait, that's a new one on me!
Doreen Mear, Wanaka (Middle of South Island) New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 12:41 am: | |
I'm on a total high at the momnent because of a couple of exciting things that have just happened.
Firstly, though it's a bit soon for a picture, I have Fritillaria alburyana about to flower, probably for the first time in NZ although I can't be sure of that. Certainly no-one else has shouted out about it, which I would have done if I'd already had it - if you see what I mean. I've read so much about it needing very cold winters, even being refrigerated, that though I have 3 small bulbs, from seed (sown Jan 01) I was reconciled to its not flowering ever, in this climate. Last Thursday there was nothing visible in the pot. Friday, there it was, a centimetre high "nose" and the pink bud already visible. Yesterday I didn't see it at all because I left home while dark in the morning and wasn't back again until well after dark at night. This morning it is about 2cms high and the whole bud visible, lightly tesselated. There will be a pic in a day ot two but in the meantime, I have squirted insecticide over the frit and the pot surface and sprinkled some slug pellets. I'm about to erect razor wire and an electric fence, install guard dogs and tall towers with guards, armed with sub machine guns. If anything nibbles it I shall SPIT!
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 12:55 am: | |
And the other thing? A few days ago I was a bit coy when Doreen mentioned seeing me at the NZAGS Spring Show in September. Normally nothing would keep me (and plant stall) away but about a month ago, a job became available which I wanted SO MUCH and though it has taken until now for the employer to get it sorted, I learned on Friday at 5.30pm that it was mine! Could I start at 6am next morning? Oh golly, but yes, I could and did, yesterday, as the new Manager of the Otago Farmers' Market in Dunedin. I've had a plant stall there for more than 2 years, from the beginning of the market in fact so know it very well and I'm sure that that helped. I'm employed by a Trust, a part time job which suits me very well as it gives me nursery time as well but of course the market itself is on a Saturday so weekends away are no longer possible, for at least some months. I had a wonderfully supportive reception yesterday from all the stallholders, the previous incumbent having been trained - in the opinion of some - by the Gestapo or the KGB. There were 22 applicants so I'm quite chuffed. So, one's life can change overnight and in this case, very much for the better. It won't keep me off the Forum though.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 1:21 am: | |
So back to earth again. This lovely Juno iris is Iris nusairiensis grown from seed sent (I think) by John Richards a few years ago. I wasn't sure about the ID but an email from Tony Hall at Kew has confirmed it, as an unusual form apparently, as it is pure white (usually light blue) with just the fine, pale yellow crest. 
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Doreen Mear (Doreen)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 5:34 am: | |
Lesley:
Congratulations on the new job - must say I was really impressed with the Farmers' market when I was down in Dunedin earlier in the year.
Only now we know if F. alburyana and I. nusairiensis are on our wish lists, (and aren't they just!) to visit your place from 6 a.m. onwards on Saturdays, armed with wire cutters, and lumps of steak for the guard dogs ...! Super plants!
Doreen Mear, Wanaka (Middle of South Island) New Zealand |
Cliff Booker (Booker)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 7:58 am: | |
Many congratulations on your new position Lesley....but, be warned!... any visible reduction in your input levels to this forum will necessitate a visit from the heavy mob!
(All you Pudsey Pig winners...please remain on standby).
Cheers,
Cliff |
dave toole (T00lie)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 9:20 am: | |
My congrats. also Lesley.An increased income for more plant purchases no doubt!.How will this affect your own stall?.
Quite a few plants in flower here now ,however just as i went outside to take photos the heavens broke and since a heavy hail storm, the weather has been rubbish.So it will be next weekend before shots of Corydalis solida., Narcissus sps.and if we receive a bit of sunshine, Trillium rivale and some early Trillium chloropetalums ?.
Dave
Dave Toole.Invercargill.Bottom of the South Island New Zealand .Zone 8. |
Margaret Young (Myoung)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 12:15 pm: | |
Well Done, Lesley!! On all counts... flowering these gems and getting this new job! Every reason to feel pleased with yourself but bear Cliff's words in mind....there are more heavyweights around this forum than even the Pudsey Pigs... and I have a strong arm!
Very best wishes, M.
M. Young, Aberdeen North East Scotland |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 10:44 pm: | |
Thankyou everyone for congratulations etc. I have to admit to spending all Sunday afternoon with my feet up, snoozing in front of the fire. After the market we had gone to a friend's house for a barbecue and the local petanque competition (strictly amateur and all entrants are required to have glass of something alcoholic in the other hand. We believe this helps with the body's natural balance. But in the end, a couple aged just 10 and 13 won anyway so that debunks THAT theory. They were on orange juice).
Funnily enough Doreen, it was as further protection against the creepy crawlies that I now have all this extra heavy duty stuff in place. (The neighbours are already complaining about the dogs' barking at night and the sound of artillery as the guards do their practice). I've never had a plant stolen from either garden or nursery (a couple from my market stall though). However I'm now warned. I'll take those and a few others with me each Saturday!
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 10:57 pm: | |
And Dave, I'll not be able to have my market stall although I could if a friend (or Roger, but he likes his bed on a Saturday morning)did it for me. But I expect to have a few good things available through another plant seller whose plants are quite different from (not in competition with) mine. He sold some on Saturday, mainly because I had my car all loaded and ready to go before I heard from the Trust about the job so rather than unload everything, I took them to his house. It should work out OK.
In the meantime, any Pudsey pigs or other heavyweights who can be encouraged to come south, please do. You'll be well received and most welcome, by me and especially by the producers of superb free-range pork which sells at the market.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Susan More (Susan)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2005 - 11:26 pm: | |
May I add my congratulations Lesley. You will do an excellent job and there will be a lot of people who will miss your stall - I did say I would do the odd Saturday for you. It would be fun. Looking forward to seeing F. alburyana - maybe at the market on Saturday, (complete with guards and dogs) and the odd politician maybe.
Susan
Susan, Dunedin, New Zealand. |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 15, 2005 - 3:04 am: | |
Thankyou Susan I will certainly take you up on that.
On Saturady we had Labour Party and Green Party politicians all doing their thing for our Sept 17 general election. Since the market site is strictly non-political, a senior cabinet minister who happens to be my own MP was asked to remove the (admittedly beautiful) red balloons which his flunkies had just tied to a number of stall sites. He refused and said (very rudely) "what are you going to do about it?" It fell to my lot to show him and scissors in hand..... They looked very pretty as they floated away, away, away.
A former Prime Minister of NZ, David Lange, died late on Saturday night. He is the only NZ (or other) politician for whom I've always had unqualified respect.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - 1:58 am: | |
The crocuses are on their way out now though Crocus minimus is hanging on well. Forgive me for posting another of C. sieberi `Bowles' White.' This is one of several small groups in various troughs.
Another C. sieberi form which could be `Violet Queen' (Thomas?) The inner 3 petals are a little paler than in `Firefly' and it flowers a good week later. I know I had both cultivars at one time, many years ago.
This seedling is from Alan McMurtrie's seed of Iris reticulata hybrids. There was an account of his work in a recent AGS Bulletin. The colour here is hard to describe except as purple yet is quite different from any of the more usual cultivars. I must try and get some more seed using different species. This (and another to come) have taken just 2 years from germination. I.e. germination to one full year then 1 to 2 full years.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - 2:10 am: | |
We have a horrible, cold, nor'west wind today, battering everything into submission so if you are a daffodil, it's good to be just a couple of centimetres in height. Narcissus hedraeanthus,a first flower, 7 more to come.
A small group of N. cyclamineus. At some stage later in the year when it flowers, I'll ask someone to ID the bergenia on the left. It is very small and compact, just a few cms.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Thomas Huber (Hubi1)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - 7:28 am: | |
Lesley, what a wonderful clump of sieberi "Bowles White".
"Violet Queen" has rounded tips, so yours could be a form of sieberi ssp atticus, from which "Firefly" is a selection.
Thomas Huber, Neustadt/Hessen, Germany |
Lauren Bertoni (Laurenlolly)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - 4:51 am: | |
Hi all,
Nothing much more flowering yet but I've been doing some re-arranging in the shady areas in the garden. Because all of my plants are in pots, it's really difficult to get them all level. Here's a photo from last summer, when I first moved them all in:
And as the land was on a slope, the soil in the pots all went to one side after a while. And also the weeds actually grew up through the bottom of the pots which was quite vexing. So, I got my friend the baker to 'lend' me some of the crates they carry the loaves of bread in. I finally got around to putting them all on there this weekend, and here is the result:
I made the crates as level as I could with bits of old firewood & plastic tubs found around the yard, and I think it looks much better don't you think? :-)
Not much else is happening in the garden as we had a cold snap last week, it actually snowed in Hobart town! Half of the suburbs were isolated due to all the road closures. I'm waiting for some Cyclamen pelepponesiacum, Soldanella montana, Anemones, and various Narcissus to open.....!
Lauren |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 20, 2005 - 4:59 am: | |
Rhododendrons are starting now and a favourite is x Cilpinense. Sometimes the flowers get frosted but OK so far. Oh dear, I didn't get around to dead-heading last year which I should have because it is at one end of my seed frame and I get dozens of rhodo sdlgs in my sed pots, its seed blown by wind right across the frame.
This little Draba came to me (from AGS seed) as D. acaulis but it ain't! Maybe D. aizoon or someone may suggest something. It's very easy and bright, and makes babies tucked into a rock or hairline crack in the path below, so behaves as it would in the wild. An excellent species in the raised bed.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Lesley Isabel Cox (Lcox)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 20, 2005 - 5:18 am: | |
These 2 pics are of the second of Alan McMurtrie's hybrids within the reticulate iris group. The first one is above. This is a bit like `Natascha' but has none at all of the lime green shade of `Natascha.' It's a delightful cool ice-blue.
And last for today, Fritillaria alburyana. You didn't really believe I had it, did you? There are 2 more bulbs in the pot but not through yet but I've checked that they're both there. This must be the form described in Pratt and Jefferson-Brown as "pathetic" because we've had a (relatively) mild winter. It's only 4cms in total height and the flower stem is only 1cm tall (above the pot surface.) But the colour is delicious and the anthers immediately ripened and shed loads of pollen so I've put some on the stigma in hope. I'm absolutely thrilled with it.
Lesley Cox, Lower South Island, New Zealand |
Margaret Young (Myoung)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 20, 2005 - 12:05 pm: | |
Lesley, how could something that pretty EVER be pathetic? The combination of the soft pink with the fine tesselation is lovely.
M. Young, Aberdeen North East Scotland |
Paul Tyerman (Tyerman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2005 - 5:55 am: | |
Lesley,
Great pics. Sorry not been around to comment on them before now. Not well again! (Sigh!)
Love those retics from Alan. Never did get around to ordering some seed from him the couple of times I got his list. That Frit is beautiful too!! Never come across Narcissus hedraeanthus before but it is pretty speccy isn't it!? Cute!
I'm thinking it might be worthwhile adding a new topic for us as we're approaching 140 postings in this thread?
Paul T. Canberra, Australia. |
Flowers and Foliage Now