Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: fermi de Sousa on September 01, 2010, 01:00:13 AM
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"Officially" the first day of Spring in Australia (and Wattle Day!), but still a bit wintry with drizzle and leaden skies!
The garden however moves inexorably towards its climax before being burnt off again in the summer! ;D
A favourite alpine is this Globularia - species unknown, maybe cordifolia?- which is delightful and easy to propagate and needs so little water to keep it going during the summer.
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Narcissus "Mitimoto" is yet another of Rod Barwick's "Hybrid Hoops" in his detective series; it has triumphed over a mat of "grey thug", Geranium harveyi under a spreading wattle!
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And Tulipa cretica is the first to flower this year, again a bit "drawn up" from being in the shade
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cheers
fermi
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Okay Fermi I give up, what happens on Wattle Day?
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Okay Fermi I give up, what happens on Wattle Day?
Mostly they say "wattle they think of next!" ;D
Otherwise just wear a sprig of wattle (acacia) - Acacia pycnantha is Australia's floral emblem.
Another pic from the garden - well the potted part of the garden - Lachenalia concordiana
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In the Rock Garden this "Glenbrook Breeder" Daff, Narcissus "Little Beauty" x N. cyclamenius is out
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And this iris which is either I. reichenbachii or I. schachtii has started its season,
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cheers
fermi
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Good one Fermi ;D
Wattle Day was celebrated more when I was a child. I was only thinking as I was driving to Adelaide how many wattles (Acacias) were flowering hence naming 1st September as the day to celebrate this bright flower.
Tulipa clusiana flowering for me for the first time - thanks Marcus.
Tiny Narcissus species which has seeded around a little for me.
And a bright yellow splash in the garden
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Very nice Fermi and Pat.
The "Glenbrook" stable produce some lovely Daffs don't they?
Fermi, I think your yellow iris is reichenbachii which surely means it's really schachtii! ;D
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In the Rock Garden this "Glenbrook Breeder" Daff, Narcissus "Little Beauty" x N. cyclamenius is out
(Attachment Link)
That's a neat little miniature daff Fermi, are you going to cross it again with N.cyclamineus?
I have got the same seedlings from that Little Beauty" x N. cyclamenius, but have produced some beauties crossed again with 2nd and 3rd generation of N.cyclamineus.
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Yes spring has well and truly sprung with us here up in the North Island, although the nights can still produce a few frosts, and plenty of rain at the moment.
It has not stopped a few more Iris wattii, Iris japonica or confusa? and an dutch iris to burst into flowering.
Should it be Iris japonica or confusa? :-\ :-\
Thanks.
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I could not resist to show you a picture of a friendly, chatty little fantail following me around the nursery, whatever I am doing.
The New Zealand fantail is a small bird and a favourite in our garden. It seems to fly in when I walk out into the garden, daringly flitting around my head, or temporarely landing on my outstretched hand offering a juicy worm or insect.
The fantail is a small, cheeky, insect eating bird, caught in flight. Showing no particular fear of humans it thinks nothing of showing off its aerobatic skills, flitting about and not staying still for more than a few seconds.
They are very quick, the use of their flamboyant tail ( up and down, spread and shut) allows them to turn and twist and follow their prey.
They have a constant, friendly cheet cheet chatter. Such good company,this fantail!
I realise it’s shamefully anthropomorphic, but they always make me feel as if they’re delighted to see me and have a chat, especially when I’m on my own in the nursery.
Go and have a look on youtube, click on the link (or copy and paste into Windows Internet Explorer) to see this delightful acrobat in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I0h3GB5VwI&feature=related
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Tulipa clusiana flowering for me for the first time - thanks Marcus.
Tiny Narcissus species which has seeded around a little for me.
And a bright yellow splash in the garden
Pat, can you tell us a bit more about the "bright yellow splash"? Is that a Bulbinella? It is labeled only as "hyacinthoides", but I'm not aware of any yellow members of the genus Hyacinthoides, and just searching Bulbinella on IPNI.ORG, don't see species with that name either. Whatever it is, it's gorgeous.
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This daff is new to me this year. It is Narcissus 'Ice Wings' and is shorter than 'Thalia' which I expected it to resemble. It has very good, thick, waxy texture and is standing up well to the persistent rain we've had lately.
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Sorry Mark you are correct in thinking it is a Bulbinella - just a senior moment on my part in labelling - I do really need to label these plants that have lost their tags and check before posting. I always seem to be travelling "a 1000 miles an hour".
I will try for a closeup of the inflorescence and post later
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The "Glenbrook" stable produce some lovely Daffs don't they?
Fermi, I think your yellow iris is reichenbachii which surely means it's really schachtii! ;D
David,
Yes, Glenbrook Bulb Farm has produced many great little (and not so little) daffs and I always look forward to getting Rod's catalogue each summer to see what I can afford!
I got this iris as I. schachtii but when I posted pics last year I was told it was definitely I. reichenbachii. However a local Iris Expert thinks it's I. schachtii! So I've sent her a piece to grow and flower to make a definitive diagnosis!
Hi Bill,
I've been out x-pollinating the daffs I think might be worth a try and hope I have enough pollen left for this one!
Hi Pat,
your Bulbinella looks like what we have here as B. robusta.
This is the first flowering of Muscari "Dark Eyes"
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And this daff came from another local grower as "Div 6 hybrid" and is a bit unusual in being multi-headed..
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cheers
fermi
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The "Glenbrook" stable produce some lovely Daffs don't they?
30th anniversary celebrations this month too. Long may Rod continue.
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Fermi reading James Hitchmough Garden Bulbs for Australia and New Zealand he calls it Bulbinella floribunda but robusta is a particularly robust form of it so I have no idea what I have except it is a Bulbinella.
Some closeups - yellow is a hard colour to photograph I have found.
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Pat that's looks such a lovely flower, it looks if it would last for ages.
Angie :)
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Imagine my delight to find this beautiful almost forgotten plant flowering for me for the first time from seed.
This unique winter-spring flowering Asphodelus acaulis species is the only low-growing member of the high altitude genus and is native to the mountains of Algeria and Morocco.
This beautiful plant forms basal rosettes of narrow, succulent leaves and produces a succession of delightful, stemless peach-pink flowers nestling amongst the foliage.
A most desirable plant for the connoisseur that will never fail to attract attention.
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Bill, that's an exquisite gem and a fine close-up photo of it. It looks like it is growing happily in your garden, with lots of buds to come.
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This unique winter-spring flowering Asphodelus acaulis species
Bill, what an exquisite plant, not just desirable but irresistible! How long have you grown it from seed to first flowering?
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Wow Bill that's a beauty, what a dream to have.
Angie :)
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Well done Bll. It's generally winter-flowering with me so about finished for now. I find it's best (flowers best and has fewest leaves) in a really hard, gravelly soil. Otherwise it tends to get very leafy and the foliage obscures the flowers. I occasionally get 3 or 4 seeds in any year but haven't had them germinate yet. They're quite large, hard and black in a capsule which dehisces when still green, on a very short, curled stem.
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That is gorgeous!
The asphodels (or asphodel type plants - I've never got round to an exact identification) that grow on the hills round here are so dreary and ubiquitous, that I'm almost biased against them. This beautiful plant will definitely persuade me that asphodels can be beautiful!!
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Most seem to me to be tall and lanky plants but A. acaulis huddles on the ground. :D
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Most seem to me to be tall and lanky plants but a. acaulis huddles on the ground. :D
Not in my conditions Lesley ;D ;D --too much shade.
More suited are Corydalis solida--here's a selection of a few currently in bloom ,including a lovely purple one (pic 5), i raised from seed.
C.x george baker is the final pic.
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Dave, Corydalis solida 'Toole's Purple' looks to be a real winner; an excellent color form.
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;D ;D
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Bill and Lesley apart from the hard gravelly soil what climate does Asphodelus acaulis prefer?
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Dave, Corydalis solida 'Toole's Purple' looks to be a real winner; an excellent color form.
And such a fitting memorial to t00lie's late lamented hiking leggings ::)
( see photos in old NZ threads to see photographic evidence....... ;) )
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Bill and Lesley apart from the hard gravelly soil what climate does Asphodelus acaulis prefer?
Pat, according to the experts, Asphodelus acaulis is fully winter hardy, can cope with light frosts, but hate wet feet, it prefers well drained soil, dry summer rest and good air circulation in the winter when you should, try and keep to much water off the leaves, in the manner of most Mediterranean wintergreen subjects.
Because of the succulent foliage and their dislike of winter wet, this is best not regarded as a subject for the open garden in Northern Europe or similar cold, winter-wet environments.
I grow the plant in a pot or container, for easy shifting, either for showing or if conditions get to wet or to cold, but so far has coped with all the rain and frost in the nursery here up in the North Island.
Hopefully will produce seed, (with hand pollination) and if successful might have a few spare seed for you, I still owe you for the Iris planifolia seed.
Robin, the date on the label in the containers says three years from seed to flowering plant.
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This is a nice picture of a magnificent, variegated Veltheimia bracteata aurea, selected from a box of V.bracteata aurea seedlings.
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I guess Bill has said it all Pat. It's certainly very hardy here (to about -6 or -7C) and often flowers with a rime of frost on its leaves. It also takes any rain we get in winter or through the year. I'm sure you'd have no problems with it at all. I did have one a few years back in a hypertufa trough (along with Weldenia candida in a next door trough) but both, after a couple of years had broken their troughs with the strength of root that pushed down and then split the troughs at the corners. When the sides were lifted away, the plants were sitting in neat cubes of compost, the outer roots exposed to the air. So if in a pot, it had better be a biggish one and very strong. ;D
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Yeah sounds like my conditions would be ideal Bill and Lesley. :D
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Dave, Corydalis solida 'Toole's Purple' looks to be a real winner; an excellent color form.
And such a fitting memorial to t00lie's late lamented hiking leggings ::)
( see photos in old NZ threads to see photographic evidence....... ;) )
Dear Maggi
I had another look in town today in the quest to replace said purple long johns ;) :'( :'(
Alas a failure ---(i have a real worry that without them i just won't measure up to your expectations in terms of a dress sense when we finally meet ). ;D ;D
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Well I guess this is the closest that a river would get to 'flowering'. PS. Belladonna clump in the foreground.
Tulipa clusiana ex Marcus H - this is the most I have seen it 'out' - I never seem to be home in the middle of the day lately.
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This rare, and unusual Lachenalia aloides var.vanzyliae species has a most fascinating color combination, with conspicuous white bracts and pendulous flowers with green segments, that fade into pale blue at the base.
The foliage is beautiful as well, with dark maroon spots, and bluish green leaves. Another species for the collector.
Cyclamen libanoticum is a delightful species from Lebanon, the flower colour varies from soft pink to carmine, with darker dove-shaped markings.
As an added bonus, they have an unusual but not overpowering mousey scent.
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Bill, I think you meant to write pseudibericum, not libanoticum.
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Dave, how will we recognise you if you are not wearing something, um, unusual???
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Thanks for the correction Martin, should have known. Sorry senior moment :-[ :-[
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This rare, and unusual Lachenalia aloides var.vanzyliae species has a most fascinating color combination, with conspicuous white bracts and pendulous flowers with green segments, that fade into pale blue at the base.
The foliage is beautiful as well, with dark maroon spots, and bluish green leaves. Another species for the collector.
Bill -----i saw a plant of the Lachenalia for the first time at last years NZAGS spring show --as you mention what a beauty :-*
Dave, how will we recognise you if you are not wearing something, um, unusual???
Anne
Desperate times require desperate measures --i have a number of paisley ties that i haven't worn for over 20 years ?---none are purple mind you--i may pack a couple --no promises though......... ;) ;)
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The first of two early Fritillaria species to flower, unfortunetly lost the names, perhaps someon could ID them for me please? Thanks
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Bill second, yellow and bronze one is F. reuteri.
Cannot tell what the first is without seeing whole stem, lower leaves etc.
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Anne
Desperate times require desperate measures --i have a number of paisley ties that i haven't worn for over 20 years ?---none are purple mind you--i may pack a couple --no promises though......... ;) ;)
I was thinking of knitting a pair of purple longjohns for Dave but I'm not sure that I'd get them finished in time, and they could be a bit scratchy too, wool next to the skin. ;D
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Bill,
I'm not the specialist but perhaps the other 'lost label' fritillaria is a from of F. pudica?
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Two exceptional plants in flower in my collection at the moment:
A Lachenalia cultivar, I've no idea what it may be called;
My venerable Cyrtanthus falcatus specimen has produced four inflorescences this year - this is one of them:
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Bill,
I'm not the specialist but perhaps the other 'lost label' fritillaria is a from of F. pudica?
Armin, it doesn't look quite right to be Fitillaria pudica to me.
Maybe a form of F. liliacea, a Californian species:
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where-lifeform=any&rel-taxon=contains&where-taxon=fritillaria+liliacea&rel-namesoup=matchphrase&where-namesoup=&rel-location=matchphrase&where-location=&rel-county=eq&where-county=any&rel-state=eq&where-state=any&rel-country=eq&where-country=any&where-collectn=any&rel-photographer=contains&where-photographer=&rel-kwid=equals&where-kwid=&max_rows=24
There are other possibilities too, but it would help to see more of the plant; seems reminiscent of F. bithynica and conica too.
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The colour and shape are wrong for F. pudica but as Mark says, it would help to see the whole plant. I'm thrilled to have two flowering bulbs of F. aurea this year so will cross pollinate as soon as the second comes out. From seed, there are perhaps 7 or 8 but only the one has flowered for the last 3 years. Have also bought a couple of F. aurea, smallish, in pots and won't flower now so can't confirm as yet.
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That is quite a link there Mark as long as any I've seen I think. The photos in the link do show great variaton for F. liliacea, but again, fail to show anything definitive about the foliage. As I recall - I haven't had it for a few years - the leaves were somewhat like the F. biflora arrangement with a loose rosette at the base of the plant.
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A first flowering on this tiny treasure, Muscari muscarima
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The first of the hybrid rock garden tulips is appropriately "The First"
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This Romulea sabulosa is doing its best to appear to be another tulip!
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I've posted other pics taken at FCHS Rock Garden Group last weekend on the South African and Retic Iris threads,
here are a few others:
A selection of camellias by Dot and Murray,
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A fine form of Serapias lingua grown by Helene,
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which seems a litle more elongated in the tongue than the form I grow, which Helene also had for comparison,
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cheers
fermi
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That is quite a link there Mark as long as any I've seen I think. The photos in the link do show great variaton for F. liliacea, but again, fail to show anything definitive about the foliage. As I recall - I haven't had it for a few years - the leaves were somewhat like the F. biflora arrangement with a loose rosette at the base of the plant.
I have a pot of F.liliacea about 6 years old yet to flower . The bulbs had me fooled for awhile as i thought i was growing Erythroniums ???--i'll take a pic tomorrow.
Don't know if i should post this in the 'I'm so Happy Thread' or 'Moan Moan Thread --Undecided i'll post it here instead ;D
Scilla rosenii is about to flower for the first time --i scraped away some potting mix this afternoon and had a peek --unfortunately it isn't likely to be open before we head away :'( :'(
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Scilla rosenii from Pilous seed is starting to flower here Dave. But it isn't. S. sibirica I think.
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Spiloxene linearis - a difficult thing to photograph
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Ross what a blast of sunshine that is,it's not a plant i have seen before is it an easy genus to grow?
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Flowering yesterday
Muscari - a good clump now
the late Miss Hatch's big violet which I thought at one time was Princess of Wales or something similar - it is a huge flower for a violet - and so sweetly perfumed. Miss Hatch's garden is now only a memory.
The patch to the bathhouse which only houses the toilet nowadays and chook food. Mostly the bicolour Wallflower
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Mark, Lesley,
thank you for your expertise in fritillaria genus. :D
Let's wait for Bill's reply...
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The first of two early Fritillaria species to flower, unfortunetly lost the names, perhaps someon could ID them for me please? Thanks
Bill second, yellow and bronze one is F. reuteri.
Cannot tell what the first is without seeing whole stem, lower leaves etc.
Bill, are you about? We're asking for a photo of the rest of the plant, please!!
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A Lachenalia cultivar, I've no idea what it may be called;
My venerable Cyrtanthus falcatus specimen has produced four inflorescences this year - this is one of them:
:o I'm amazed no-one else commented Rogan, but those are both magnificent 8)
Obviously your light levels are far higher than in northern Europe, but how do you manage these around the year to get such fine results?
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Lovely violet Pat and I really like the Muscari in grass.
For a number of years I've had a form known locally as 'Iceberg,' a big head with palest turquoise blue flowers and my favourite. Now I've lost it because it get overgrown for too long by couch (twitch) grass. That's OK I thought, as I'd raised a couple of batches from its seed and they'd been absolutely true, and though I'd sold off those, I had the latest sowing still with me and about to flower this year. They're in bloom now and every one is the same mid blue as the ordinary old grape hyaconth. I swore when I realized.
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Bill is possibly away at the National Daffodil Show. I'm not sure of its date but should be about now, and not sure either of where it is this year. ::)
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Bill is possibly away at the National Daffodil Show. I'm not sure of its date but should be about now, and not sure either of where it is this year. ::)
Thanks, Lesley.
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Bill is possibly away at the National Daffodil Show. I'm not sure of its date but should be about now, and not sure either of where it is this year. ::)
Last weekend in Palmerston North and the SI National show is the weekend of the 25th and 26th
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The bed behind the new dry-stone wall looked worthy of us taking a pic yesterday,
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This morning's fog made the daffs stand out!
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A few nice things in the Rock Garden: Tulipa greigii (possibly "Red Riding Hood")
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Conostylis setigera, a dwarf relative of the Kangaroo Paw,
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This little Iris lutescens came from Robyn R. our "local" Iris Expert!
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This Babiana vanzyliae is a recent addition from Geoff Wilson,
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In the rock garden this clump of Ipheion (Nothoscordum) sellowianum is very cheering,
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cheers
fermi
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Smashing pix Fermi !
Love the Daf field in the morning fog !
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Some plants flowering now.bye Ray
Babiana pygmaea
Geissorhiza tulbaghensis
Gladiolus liliaceus
Lachenalia bolusii
Lachenalia elegans
Moraea atropunctata
Moraea tricolor
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Beautiful plants Ray. Is the gladiolus the one that changes colour at night?
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In my garden the Crocus season has come to the end with C. minimus still in flower and a few buds of C. veluchensis still to open .
also the last of my snowdrops ( and the smallest in my collection ) G. niv. 'Snow White's Gnome'
and the only Dionysia I can grow reasonably well in the glasshouse and the rockgarden is D. aretioides .
Ray , I like your Lachenalia elegans ( with a name like that it has to be special )and Moraea atropunctata .
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"I'm amazed no-one else commented Rogan, but those are both magnificent"
Thanks for your kind comments Ashley, I guess it's just a case of "Coals to New Castle" at this time of the year ? ;)
I'm blessed with a warm climate and both plants sort of take care of themselves. The C. falcatus has years ago bust itself out of its container and rooted into the sand "plunge" - I couldn't move it if I tried! The Lachenalia hybrid gets put under cover for the wet summer months, repotted occasionally, and that's about it...
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Bill must be home now as I had an email from him when I opened up this morning.
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Lovely violet Pat and I really like the Muscari in grass.
For a number of years I've had a form known locally as 'Iceberg,' a big head with palest turquoise blue flowers and my favourite. Now I've lost it because it get overgrown for too long by couch (twitch) grass. That's OK I thought, as I'd raised a couple of batches from its seed and they'd been absolutely true, and though I'd sold off those, I had the latest sowing still with me and about to flower this year. They're in bloom now and every one is the same mid blue as the ordinary old grape hyaconth. I swore when I realized.
Lesley
Don't gnome ;) if my following pic is of Muscari 'iceberg'.
I'm giving a talk to the Otago group in November so if you are still wanting some bulbs let me know as i have plenty.
PS it's not me in the background ;D
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It's pretty much like Dave, I think mine was paler and sort of duck egg colour, but I'd like some of yours anyway if I may. Will be good to see you in November and hear all about the UK trip. :)
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Lesley,
we don't grow "Iceberg" but these are Muscari "ex Valerie Finnis"
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and this is the first flowering from AGS seed of Muscari "ex Gul (Delight)"
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cheers
fermi
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There has been some pretty interesting flowers on here lately.
What a treat :D
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There has been some pretty interesting flowers on here lately.
What a treat :D
Even more so for us in the North, Pat!! :) :)
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Narcissus 'Wilf Carter'
aril and juno patch
Iris pseudopumila ex Robyn Rohrlach
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Hi Gail,yes this the Gladioli that changes color at night and also gets a fragrance,not that I have ever noticed that,so need to get outmore often at night :).bye Ray
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aril and juno patch
Pat,
do you have not a problem with birds? See your aril and juno patch the labels where stolen by birds in two days, in my area. They use them for their nest.
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That would make for some spiky sitting Jamie. ;D
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Jamie they must be some huge birds to feel comfortable with that size 'sticks'. No the birds seem to leave them alone - touch wood.
A friend puts a rock on her labels which she lays on the ground. I do make a planting plan on paper each time I do a bed - some need to be done yet.
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Crows often have label pulling parties here too, these are big and boisterous troublesome birds.
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Just had an English drought here(no rain for 3 days)so have had a few more flowers bye Ray
Bulbinella cauda-felis
Ferraria crispa
Fritillaria oliveri
Fritillaria oliveri 1
Hesperantha latifolia
Hesperantha vaginata
Ipheion Rolf Fielder
Moraea Karen Seymour(ex Gary Reid)
Moraea tripetala
Moraea vegeta
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Just had an English drought here(no rain for 3 days)so have had a few more flowers bye Ray
Bulbinella cauda-felis
Ferraria crispa
Fritillaria oliveri
Fritillaria oliveri 1
Hesperantha latifolia
Hesperantha vaginata
Ipheion Rolf Fielder
Moraea Karen Seymour(ex Gary Reid)
Moraea tripetala
Moraea vegeta
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Ray your Ferraria is a few days earlier than here. I have flowering stems but no flowers quite yet. Finally have good clumps of Ferraria after about 15 years or more of growing them from a local found patch that must have been tossed years ago.
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OK, I am back on deck again. Yes I have been away and busy with the National Daffodil Show and a couple of the local shows, the usual frantic running around picking, staging and last minute organising for the shows, never a dull moment.
With the weather and temperatures being continuously mild, most imaginable spring flowering species are now bursting into bloom all over the place.
I am not sure if the Fritillaria species (with the lost labels) I posted last week is still flowering, but will try to take a picture of the remaining plant and foliage tomorrow for futher ID.
I am inclined to accept Frit.liliacea, as Mark pointed out, I use to grow that species, and seed or species are often misnamed from various sources.
In the meantime a few South African species flowering at the moment of the colourful Romulea sabulosa, Spiloxene liniaris and a nice bicolour seedling of Veltheimia bracteata, with many more to come.
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Just had an English drought here(no rain for 3 days)so have had a few more flowers bye Ray
Bulbinella cauda-felis
Ferraria crispa, Fritillaria oliveri, Fritillaria oliveri 1, Hesperantha latifolia, Hesperantha vaginata, Ipheion Rolf Fielder
Moraea Karen Seymour(ex Gary Reid), Moraea tripetala, Moraea vegeta
Ray, that's an impressive collection of species flowering for you, keep those pictures coming.
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Another couple of nicely shaped, charming little seedling pictures of Narc.Rufus X Narc.cyclamineus, Narc.henriquesii X Narc.cyclamineus, and the species Narc.triandrus albus.
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Another couple of nicely shaped, charming little seedling pictures of Narc.Rufus X Narc.cyclamineus, Narc.henriquesii X Narc.cyclamineus, and the species Narc.triandrus albus.
All exceptionally nice, Bill!
Are the hybrids your own crosses?
This is one of GBF's - a split-cup jonquil named "Splatter"!
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And "Angel's Whisper" - their version of "Hawera"!
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Narcissus hispanicus
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cheers
fermi
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Hi Bill,like the Velthemia,in your pic of the R sabulosa there looks to be a couple of ring ins or are they just variants.bye Ray
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As promised here is another closer look at the rest of the unidentified Fritillaria plants leaves, hopefully the forum can come up with a proper species name.
Looking forward to your reply. Thanks.
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Thanks for the further photo, Bill. That is looking very much like a young
F. liliacea.
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Just thought that this was a good point to say that there are some great ID records on Laurence Hill's Fritillaria Icones site :
http://www.fritillariaicones.com/
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Thanks for the further photo, Bill. That is looking very much like a young
F. liliacea.
Thanks Maggi, for now and the next time when I have a problem. ;D ;D
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Hi Bill,like the Velthemia,in your pic of the R sabulosa there looks to be a couple of ring ins or are they just variants.bye Ray
Ray, many Rom.sabulosa are quite striking, especially the South African species and there can be a significant variation in color and markings of the flowers, according to some experts.
In the picture posted, the fully mature flower can also slightly change the colour hue, compared with a freshly opened bud, subtle but noticable.
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Just thought that this was a good point to say that there are some great ID records on Laurence Hill's Fritillaria Icones site :
http://www.fritillariaicones.com/
Excellent resource Maggi, I'll bookmark this one. And I'll stand by my original suggestion, thus second the opinion, that Bill's frit is F. liliacea :)
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Thought some ofyou might be interested to see what Sandy Leven wrote about F. liliacea when Fred Hunt won a Forrest medal with the plant at the Perth SRGC Show in 2007..... (The link is to the page for all the 2007 FM winners)
http://www.srgc.org.uk/shows/forrest2007/forrest.html
Perth Show 2007
"Fred Hunt's Fritillaria liliaceae won the Forrest medal [ again! I am sure that in the past his F. liliaceae has had a Forrest at Perth] in a show packed with good plants. It is even more of a triumph at a show when the winning exhibitor is a local member. Fred lives in Invergowrie which is as close to Dundee as you can get but still be in Perthshire. For many years he has grown pans of Fritillarias to a standard of perfection which was unseen 20 years ago. This magnificent exhibit illustrates his standard. Fred tells me this is his 25th Forrest Medal, the highest number won by any living exhibitor.
Fritillaria liliaceae is one of about 20 American Frit species, one of many popularised in British gardens by the late Wayne Roderick of San Francisco. Wayne attended several SRGC shows and would have been overjoyed to see this immaculate American frit win the top award. Fritillaria liliaceae is known colloquially in the USA as 'The Fragrant Lily' and as 'Prairie Bells'. It is native to Northern California, mainly in the San Francisco Bay area, near the coast. It grows in open grassland on clay soil, often derived from serpentine rock. Non-native plants rarely tolerate these serpentine soils, so that their plant communities are quite distinct and such areas form natural preserves of native plants and the animals which they support.
Fritillaria liliaceae is under threat in California due to habitat loss and is described as having a 'limited distribution' and 'declining numbers'. Hopefully it is secure in cultivation and no more will be taken from the wild. I hope it grows as successfully in Californian nurseries as it does in Invergowrie. " Sandy Leven
I'll repeat the photo of Fred with the plant....
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Thanks for that post Maggi, what a splendid little frit; an amazing pan. Checking out the Forrest Medal link, looks like Cyril Lafong has captured a monopoly, just look at that Silene hookeri ssp. bolanderi :o :o :o
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Howdy All,
This isn't Otto!! It is actually a veritable Stranger called Paul (from Canberra) who is currently down visiting with Otto (and Lesley is over here as well, as you know). Yes, I know I have been extremely slack with not posting, but I shall try to be better in the future and not let work etc get on top of me and not catch up with my forum friends.
We've been taking some lovely photos today, which will be forthcoming tomorrow when I have my camera access cord with me.... otherwise when I get back to Canberra I'll upload some. We even have picture of the three of us. :-[ Miserable weather, so don't expect bright and sunny picture. ;D
I'd best leave it there for now. Take care everyone.
Paul T.
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Nice to see at Otto's. Otto I have the seeds from Jillik and will send your majority share on Monday. Still have to work out how to pay.
The Australian dollar is good against the Euro at present so it will be better than usual.
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Hi Paul
Looking forward to see some lovely pictures of the three of you and off course some lovely scenery ones as well. Say hi to the others from me. Maybe one day I will be ale to meet you all in person, but till then seeing and hearing from you all is great. Enjoy yourselves.
Angie :)
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Wow, what a magnificent pot full of Fritillaria liliacea, I will never be able to grow them to this standard of perfection like Fred Hunt does, perhaps I'd better stick to growing Moraea's, much easier.
Moraea is a very large genus, most species are natives from South Africa, and most of them go dormant in the summer.
The flowers are often large and and brilliantly coloured, and some are scented, and the individual flowers can last from only a few hours to several days.
The smaller species are best grown in pots/containers of sandy mix and some larger species are suitable for use in the garden.
Some of the species flowering right now are the Moraea aristata, Moraea elegans (syn.Homeria elegans), Moraea miniata (syn.Homeria miniata) and a Moraea variety called "Zoe" , possibly a hybrid between Moraea aristata and Moraea villosa.
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Hi Paul
Looking forward to see some lovely pictures of the three of you and off course some lovely scenery ones as well. Say hi to the others from me. Maybe one day I will be ale to meet you all in person, but till then seeing and hearing from you all is great. Enjoy yourselves.
Angie :)
Yes I am also looking forward to some mug shots ;D ;D of those bulbophiles.
and while they're at it, some nice pictures of the local scenery and flowers.
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Howdy again All,
Here's a few pics of us..... well not so many of me thankfully! ;D
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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Otto taking the bull by the horns in Olinda.
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Little Bo Lesley feeling at home with her sheep! ;)
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The whole group at dinner last night. 5 in the picture are forumists, albeit some of them somewhat more transient than others. Viv Condon is on the left, Tim Orpin on the right, accompanied by the lovely Lesley. The ugly almost bald thing in the back right is me, then the handsome Otto is the stately gentleman on the left.
Enjoy.
Paul T.
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Bill, those Moraea are absolutely lovely, particularly the first two.
Thanks for posting Paul's picture of the groupshot Otto, good to see such a happy crowd of forumists :D
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Bill, those Moraea are absolutely lovely, particularly the first two.
Thanks for posting Paul's picture of the group shot Otto, good to see such a happy crowd of forumists :D
I agree, those Moraea are out of this world, fantastic markings, like stemless Calochortus! It is good to see shots of forumists together, particularly those that never show a picture of themselves in their avatars :D Lesley, standing next to that sheep sculpture, I am reminded of characters from the Wallace & Gromit animated short "A Close Shave"; namely the iconic Shaun and Wendolene ;D
http://www.wallaceandgromit.com/films/acloseshave/characters.html
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nice to see some forumists--esp the unreasonably shy paul ;)
i may have missed the context--was there an event that everyone gathered for, or just a private get together?
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Nice to see the group picture , you all look as if you are having a great time.
Hope to see some more.
Paul that's an awful way to describe yourself ( the ugly almost bald thing ) :o not true
The avatars are fun but nothing beats seeing the real thing ::)
Angie :)
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Hi Angie and all. Lesley online this time, still on Otto's computer. Paul is very nice looking and is, I agree with you Cohan, unreasonably shy about his appearance. I think Fermi has a pic or two still to be uploaded in time.
No "event" as such, but as I was planning a visit with Otto which I do every 18 months or so (to get different seasons), Paul was also able to come down from Canberra and as some book or other says..."when two or three are gathered together..." the local rock gardeners get together. There was a garden walk plus Trillium talk at Tim and Angie's house on Saturday (that's Angie on the left back in the above pic) and various combinations of us have been to super gardens, out to lunch, visiting gardens of local AGS members and so on.
Yesterday we went inland to the Mt Macedon Plant Fair and then to Fermi's place at Redesdale, so very different in style and climate from Tim's and Otto's in the south east where there is more rain and this week especially, thick mist and drizzle. My camera has given up for now so I'll wait until I'm home later in the week and see what I can retrieve.
I'm missing my daily dose of Forumitis but will catch up soon I hope. Best regards to all.
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..Lesley online this time, still on Otto's computer. ... I think Fermi has a pic or two still to be uploaded in time.
Here are the five forumists at our garden in Redesdale: Lesley in front of Paul, Otto, Cynthia and Fermi.
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cheers
fermi
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As Lesley mentioned we went to the Plant Sale at Mt Macedon and were lucky enough to be given a private viewing of Stephen Ryan's garden. Stephen is a member of our "local" AGS group and has been a friend for a long time; he's now the presenter of the "Gardening Australia" program on the ABC (our version of the BBC ;D ) but still runs a nursery on Mt Macedon and is president of the Mt Macedon Hort Society which ran the Plant Sale.
Here's Stephen pointing out somethings of interest to Paul in one of the rock gardens; Cynthia and Roy are approaching.
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In the background you can see one of Stephen's articifices - the dead stems of Miscanthus "Gigantea" spray-painted bright red - he calls this variety "Duluxii"!
A couple of stunning Helleborus x hybridus in the garden,
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Azara microphylla which filled the air with vanilla/chocolate scent!
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A hybrid Hellebore (x ericsmithii ?)
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A Caltha (?palustris?) in the pond,
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And a clump of Tulipa "Zombie"
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cheers
fermi
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Great picture., would have liked to have seen the garden looks really interesting. What more could you ask for, great company and great plants, wish I was there. Need some more pictures please.
Angie :)
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Great to see you're all having such a fine time Down Under !!
:D :D :D
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Hi All,
I'm back to being me!! ;D ;D
Fermi,
Great pics. I bought one of the Azara microphylla from Stephen's nursery when I got there the other day, then had the pleasure of actually staying with Stephen and his partner on Monday night. I felt like I was staying with horticultural royalty! ;) Very cool. I snaffled a tiny piece of the Azara in flower to bring home with me to show Yvonne and it is still fully perfumed. It is absolutely delicious. Now, where to put it (end everything else I bought..... I had a car half full of plants by the time I got back). I must photograph the lovely double yellow and double slate hellebores etc and post them here.... but I've got something like 500 pics to sort through from my holiday, so there should be an odd picture of two that I shall post in the near future.
Thanks to all the forumists that met up down there. It was such a wonderful time. Thanks also to Angie and Margaret helping make it an absolutely riotus evening at the restaurant the other night. 8)
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Howdy All,
I'm not sure where to put all the pics from the trip, so will just put the majority in here for the time being. If Maggi wants to split them off to somewhere else then please feel free. I have some pics of an open garden called 'Cloudehill" coming up as well, so should they go into an open gardens type topic? ???
Anyway...... starting the trip chronologically.....
The trip in total was just over 2000km, the vast majority of that in the first and last days (I drove maybe 700km or so to get to the Dandenongs on the first day, for example, although I didn't note the exact km readings). On the way I passed through some of the areas devastated by the major bushfires in Victoria in Feb last year. Along the roadside verges near Kinglake I came across Epacris impressa in full flower, making the most of the light I think from the road cutting through the tree canopy. This was just one of the cuttings that had them flowering on it. I've included a couple of larger "colony" shots, and well as some examples of the colour ranges of the various plants. This has inspired me to buy a few of them to grow here, although I am putting them in far more shade than where I have tried them unsuccessfully before. ::)
Enjoy.
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On the second day of my trip (Thurs 16th, Sept) Otto took us to visit the Ferny Creek Horticultural Society Hall, a purpose built facility for their flower shows etc. We've shown pics from their shows in the past, so you may have seen how perfect the place is for viewing flowers. I took a bunch of pics of the gardens surrounding the hall though, as they're beautiful. There is a wonderful dry creek area and pond that has only been built in the last couple of years, as well as extensive plantings of Proteas and Leucodendrons (I don't know the name of the glorious red one, but the pics do NOT do it justice) and sweeping lawns bordering Camellias, daffodils and Azaleas etc (the banks of Aaleas weren't in flower yet, so I didn't photograph them. I would imagine that they would be looking stunning by now though).
So here's a range of pics to enjoy, including one of the hall, which I think sits down nicely into it's setting. We also weren't the only ones enjoying the lovely surroundings, as you can see from the first pic of the family picnicking on the lawn. ;)
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And the rest from Ferny Creek.....
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Got to head to work soon, so that's it for this morning's installment. Still got some pics from Viv's garden, Otto's treasures, Cloudehill, Stephen Ryan's garden, Fermi's fabulous rock garden, and some of the beauties I bought while I was away. I'm still only 75% through actually putting names on the photos I took (I can't believe how long it takes to just do that ::)), but I wanted to start posting some of the pics as soon as possible.
Enjoy, everyone. 8)
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Super images Paul ... can't wait for the next instalment! i
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Thanks for taking the time to post these pictures , looking forward to seeing the next batch.
I always feel that I am missing out when you see a group of forum members visiting gardens and meeting members but thanks to computers we see things that otherwise we would miss out on.
Thanks Paul for sharing your trip.
Angie :)
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Thanks, Paul.... enjoying these very much.
Those Ferny Creek Folks have a superb hall and the gardens are lovely....what horticultural club wouldn't be THRILLED to have such a place?
I am agog with delight and envy over those fantastic "erics" - the Epacris impressa...... such colours and the flowers are so beautiful. Boy, would I like to have those growing in my eric collection! I can just imagine what they would think to a life here... couldn't be repeated in public, I reckon. :-X :P
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Paul's pics have reminded me that I've been remiss in not posting pics from the Spring Show a couple of weeks ago! :-[
So here are some pics but few names! These are from the Rock garden Section:
cheers
fermi
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The "Floor Garden"
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These are particularly for Maggi!
cheers
fermi
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More for Maggi!
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Even more!
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Just a few more rhodies and some daffs and hellebores!
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Helene's Tropaeolum...species??
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Acacia leprosa "Scarlet Blaze"
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Another native Aussie but sadly I didn't get the name!
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cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
Trop brachyceras perhaps? The last one is one of the Isopogons I think, but not sure of the species or varietal name. Some great pics amongst that lot, and an excellent reverse picotee dark purple hellebore in the bottom right of the first of your group float pics. Very striking. And the Vireyas are glorious!!
Thanks for posting these beauties, even if some of them are very confusing (like how is Massonia jasminiflora still flowering in the last couple of weeks? :o)
I'll leave people to digest these, rather than posting more pics tonight. Thanks again. 8)
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So many treasures shown her that my head is reeling... a good feeling!
Will the Vireya Rhodos have been grown outside? If so I think I'll need to learn to speak Australian and enquire about emigration from the UK. ::)
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Lovely sets of pics Fermi. You need to be careful, all that computer work will no doubt lead to your needing a spot of physiotherapy ;D
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Will the Vireya Rhodos have been grown outside? If so I think I'll need to learn to speak Australian and enquire about emigration from the UK. ::)
Better get your papers in order then, Maggi! Most Vireya Rhodies are grown outdoors or in Shadehouses in Australia.
Good Chocolate too!
cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
Well in your area anyway. ::)
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Will I have to change my name to "Sheila" by deed poll and learn to drink lots of beer....... :-\
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G'Day
Lesson 1 in Strine
ALL females are "sheilas" (except my wife who's a slasher). No need for any name change on your part.
Be also aware of regional differences (should I need to draw such to the attentions of "poms' and others of more northern climes?)
ALL males are "mate" but if you're a Taswegian, "cobber".
Thus endeth the first lesson.
Hooroo
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Fine local advice, John.......thanks, mate. ;)
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Obviously I'm living in the wrong country then..... a slasher? ???
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Hi Paul,looks like John's bird is a good sort.bye Ray
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Some bulbs flowering now bye Ray
Spiloxene capensis
" "
Tulipa saxatalis
Scilla peruviana harrisiana
Tulipa kurdica
Hesperantha vaginata
Moraea villosa
Moraea Karen Seymour
Geissorhiza radians
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Lovely, Ray. Excellent pics. As far as I know, the second pic (i.e the bright orange one) would be Spiloxene linearis, or at least looks identical to mine under than name. You have some lovely stuff flowering now. Thanks for showing us. 8)
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for you Lesley, to remind you of the happy time we all had that evening in the Restaurant - I have never seen you so happy and content !Have you settled down again to everday mundane chores ?
a couple of common ,easy Frits for the border , in bloom today . I wished all Frits would be so obliging
Otto.
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Some bulbs flowering now bye Ray
Spiloxene capensis
" "
Tulipa saxatalis
Scilla peruviana harrisiana
Tulipa kurdica
Hesperantha vaginata
Moraea villosa
Moraea Karen Seymour
Geissorhiza radians
Beautiful stuff Ray.
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Dear Otto, under the circumstances which we shan't discuss here, that picture lies through its teeth. :o But yes, it was a happy night and as with all my few days, I enjoyed every minute though my poor feet are only now recovering from the tramp through Melbourne's paved streets. They are more used to life on grass!
I've not looked at my photos yet and still have to take the camera for a professional to look at. Roger has had no more success at sorting out the battery problem than Paul had so it will be a few days but I can upload and post and will start that later today. I really need to weed but after yesterday's heat today is cold and grey and just about to rain I think.
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For the record folks, I complained to Otto that though I'd spent several holidays with him, I had never been into the city itself so he arranged with his botanical artist friend that we would meet him for lunch on the Tuesday and I would see some of the sights. With a second bot artist (they're 10 a penny in Melbourne :D) we travelled by car into the city and spent the best part of the morning at a wonderful exhibition of European Masters at the National Gallery of Victoria. These paintings were from the Stadel Museum in Frankfurt (2 little dots over the a) and it was a great privilege to see so many works in one place at one time. My favourites were "Dog lying in the snow" by Franz Marc, "The Lamb" by Paul Klee and "Still life with mimosa" by Max Beckmann. I'd be happy to give any of these house room given a few million dollars. I bought the catalogue so can revisit them at will and learn more about the artists, many of whose names were unknown to me.
Then we walked to meet John Pastoriza-Pinol, (one of those little squiggles over the n) Otto's bot art friend, who works in the city but also does exquisite botanical paintings, so good that he has recently been commisioned by the the RBG Kew for some work. John took us up some dark and rickety stairs to what seemed to be a sleazy back alley place for lunch but was, in fact, the workroom of a cobbler, a barber, a tailor and a something else who had all combined to use an old and delapidated building and in which a large central room had been converted to a cafe. We had orange juice and the most delicious turkey and salad sandwiches accompanied by much laughter.
Then John took us onto Melbourne's famous Collins Street where he introduced us to the Lindt shop. Pure chocolate in every shape and form. We had mocha-chocolate to drink and little meringues with chocolate fillings and gazed longingly at velvety cakes and gateaux but desisted very bravely.
John had to leave then so Deborah and Otto and I explored the upper reaches of Collins St where Deb and I tried to persuade Otto to buy an Armani suit but he would have had to mortgage his house. We had a good look through the big name shops, Armani, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Chanel, Jimmy Choo and the rest and always were looked at as if we were about to steal something, and sneered at in a most competent and practised manner. My tatty denim jacket and pants and Otto's car-crumpled trousers and jersey probably didn't help so we asked one assistant how it felt to sell only one handkerchief in a day and be so dreadfully bored for the rest of it. He could only respond with a snigger.
Home eventually to Otto's excellent cooking for tea and a quite early bedtime for me.
Otherwise, we had dinner out 3 times, lunch 4 times, visits to the beautiful Cloudhill, Tim's, Viv's, Fermi's and Stephen Ryan's gardens, the Ferny Creek Hort Society's garden and the Mt Macedon plant fair. Not bad for 6 days!
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No wonder your feet hurt Lesley - but what a jam packed 6 days. Thanks for the diary of events.
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Lesley,
Hopefully you'll get the camera fixed or at least get those pics downloaded! I'm glad you had a chance to do some non-gardening tings while in Melbourne - it seems the only things I've done while in NZ was look at plants, gardens or books about plants and gardens ;D Not that I'm complaining! But one time we'll have to come for a longer visit and explore a bit more of the country!
I've realised that I've posted most of my recent garden pics on other threads, so I'll include a few I couldn't resist re-posting here!
Tulipa saxatilis clump,
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Tulipa kolpakowskiana
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Acis trichophylla
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Hymenoxis argentea (Lesley, this is the little bun in the rock garden which I told you was a Townsendia :-[ )
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Some Anemone pavonina grown from SRGC Seedex seed,
white with red exterior at the base
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Plain red (Lesley, I've kept one isolated so it might breed true if you want seeds - and if it sets some!)
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This red with a white centre was from Garry Reid at the Mt Macedon Plant Fair a few years ago
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cheers
fermi
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Very nice, Fermi. Love that red and white.... strikingly sharp division of colour, isn't it? I still like your white with the bluish stamens, which is seeding here and there in your garden. 8)
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Fermi does Tulipa saxatilis keep flowering like Tulipa clusiana which has flowered here from at least 4.9.10 or before till now with its last flower and this was new bulbs this year from Marcus. :D Will be nice to have such a great clump as you have shown.
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Otto your Fritillarias are really graceful - lovely.
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I have been sitting on these pictures from the Otago Alpine Garden Groups Spring show for over a week now. Not a huge number of entries but some nice plants none the less.
First New Zealand natives. Stuart deservedly carried off most of the prizes as his cultivation skills are second to none.
1 Aciphylla monroi, Leucogenes hybrid ' Mt Richmond', Carmichaelia nana
2 A group of three Celmisias Celmisia X linearis, Celmisia sessiliflora, Celmisia spedenii
3 A group of three Myosotis Myosotis sp from NW Nelson. Myosotis capitata, Myosotis elderi/lyallii
4 Dracophyllum muscoides, Celmisia linearis
5 A group of three Raoulias Raoulia monroii, Raoulia X loganii, Raoulia haastii.
6 Celmisia brevifolia in flower
7 Leptinella pectinata
8 Raoulia petriensis Chionohebe densifolia. Helichrysum intermedium var tumidum
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Great to see you all had a wonderful time together, and thanks to everone for all the beautiful and interesting pictures and stories you shared with us.
I enjoyed every episode and wished I would have been there. Back to weeding the garden again guys. ;D ;D
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Bill,
I'm trying to work out whether it is weeding the garden, or gardening the weeds? I'm unsure which has pre-eminence in my garden. ::)
Sorry I haven't posted any more pics as yet..... our local public holiday on Monday this week meant that work was absolutely crazy over the weekend and it knocked the stuffing out of me. I'm working tomorrow as well, then my usual Friday to Monday, which includes a national public holiday on Monday. Again it will be chaos at work in the nursery. :o I already need another holiday..... believe me, by the end of Monday this week I certainly didn't feel like I'd been on holiday a week ago. :'(
Trying to relax today, Yvonne and I did get to Floriade, which is on here in Canberra at the moment. I took lots of pics to share if people are interested.... if/when I ever get them prepared. ;)
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Pacific Coast irises are another popular spring flowering group of the Iris family, with many hybrids between the various species and often sold as Pacific Coast hybrids with cultivar names.
They can be challenging to divide and transplant and this is best done in the wet winter months.
These pictures of seedlings are the first of many PCI we grow and come in every imaginable colour, size and shape
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The third flower has a very nice colour ::)
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Beautiful Bill - amazing variety in form and colour.
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Trying to relax today, Yvonne and I did get to Floriade, which is on here in Canberra at the moment. I took lots of pics to share if people are interested.... if/when I ever get them prepared. ;)
Paul, is this the Australian version of Floriade? what is it all about?
In the Netherlands, this enormous, impressive, magnificent Floriade show is on every 10 years, it takes that long to organise.
We hope you could show us some highlights of this Floriade perhaps.
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I have been sitting on these pictures from the Otago Alpine Garden Groups Spring show for over a week now. Not a huge number of entries but some nice plants none the less.
First New Zealand natives. Stuart deservedly carried off most of the prizes as his cultivation skills are second to none.
Congrats Stuart. :)
Thanks for the 'fix' David ;)
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which includes a national public holiday on Monday.
Not quite National, Paul, just ACT, NSW and S.A. - the rest of us celebrated Labour Day in March! (you were having Canberra Day) ;D
The White Anemone pavonina with the bluish exterior wasn't quite open this morning
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This was a form I got from Viv which I think originally came from her close friend Phyll who sadly died a few years ago.
Some Aussie native plants, Phebalium glandulosum
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Pussy-toes, Ptilotus spathulatus,
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Eutaxia microphylla "Prostrate Form"
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Dampiera dasyantha
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Conostylis setigera.
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and the tiny Conostylis stylidioides
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cheers
fermi
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Lachie would be pleased with toes like those. :D
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Fermi,
I did not realise that it wasn't a national holiday. How about that? That means we will have to do the ordering from our Victorian suppliers on Monday, which I didn't realise. Glad you mentioned it.
Bill,
Our Floriade is not even vaguely on the scale of the Netherlands, so perhaps I SHOULDN'T post anything as it would disappoint?
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Our Floriade is not even vaguely on the scale of the Netherlands, so perhaps I SHOULDN'T post anything as it would disappoint?
Paul, don't worry, we'll be the judge of that, still curious, post away with a few highlights.
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Just a few more Pacifis Coast irises opening up today
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Just a few more Pacifis Coast irises opening up today
Exquisite PC iris Bill, great photos too! Do they really stand up so perfectly straight that you're able to take such straight overhead photos, or do the stems need some propping.
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Wonderful plants Fermi, most are very new to me. In the Northern hemisphere, pussytoes refer to the genus Antennaria (which I use for my email address). The Conostylus are very cute!
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thanks for the natives, fermi, always fascinating--the conostylis are especially fascinating, will have to look those up--like little spring bulb flowers, but much more interesting foliage!
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Exquisite PC iris Bill, great photos too! Do they really stand up so perfectly straight that you're able to take such straight overhead photos, or do the stems need some propping.
Mark, most of the PC irises are self supporting, but I have to confess that occasionally I have to manipulate/propup the flower to take that particular picture.
Sometimes I also have to take the pot/container temporarely under cover so the rain, wind or even slugs won't damage/spoil the flowers.
You're not doing to bad either with excellent pictures of those charming I.cristata varieties and species in the Iris forum, you grow these beauties to perfection.
I'm very fond of those small and other delightful dwarf woodland irises, they have a charm all of their own.
I am also planning to subscribe to SIGNA, would anyone recommend this Iris species group, what is their seed exchange list like? Thanks.
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Bill I have been a member of SIGNA for years and I cannot recommend them highly enough - the publications and the seed exchange are fantastic.
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Bill I have been a member of SIGNA for years and I cannot recommend them highly enough - the publications and the seed exchange are fantastic.
Pat, that's enough recommendation for me, I believe you can now also subscribe to the new, cheaper and more affordable electronic-membership tier!
All E-members receive full membership benefits including the seed exchange, but rather than receiving printed bulletins and seedlists all correspondences will be by email.
Costs are the same no matter what country you live in because there are no postage expenses at this level.
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I had not realised that you could have electronic-membership - thanks for the update.
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I thought one had to belong to the American Iris Soc to belong to SIGNA. Is this not so now?
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I thought one had to belong to the American Iris Soc to belong to SIGNA. Is this not so now?
Lesley, nowhere in the SIGNA membership application page does it mention that you have to belong to the AIS.
Why should we have to pay two lots of subscriptions, if one is only interested in the species.
Its expensive enough to belong to the many, various specialised plants societies/clubs/group without going broke.
Nothing wrong with the excellent AIS though, wish I could afford all these subs.
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This interesting shrubby South African Bulbine frutescens is an appealing, lush-looking plant even when not in flower.
This native plant has succulent green leaves with attractive spikes of yellow and orange flowers, blooms for a long time and always manages to attract attention.
Ideal for grouping under trees or tucking into tight planting areas
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This time the first of the beautiful miniature dwarf irises to flower.
MDB iris Chanted
MDB iris Dark Vader
MDB iris Helter Skelter
MDB iris Low Lite
MDB iris Wid Wind
MDB iris Yellow Doll
Nearly 5.00 o'clock, must be "Happy hour" Cheers!! ;D ;D
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Lesley I joined SIGNA donkeys years ago and only joined the AIS when I became ASI President about 5 years ago - it was suggested that I should. No you can join any of the other groups without being a member of the AIS.
I know what you mean Bill when nearly all the society subs fall due around Christmas - or so it seems. I try to join for 3 years at a time if the dues are not too much - otherwise it is yearly memberships.
I don't want to offend anyone in the UK but the subs for different UK groups are fairly steep compared to many of the US societies. At least the exchange rate for us Aussies is really good at present - just when the subs are not due ???
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Bill that Bulbine is really lovely and looks as though it could cope really well in the heat.
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I happen to notice in the SIGNA 2008 seed list that there is stilt some seed avalable that I might be interested in.
Would it be worthwhile purchasing this old iris species seed and what would be the viability and percentage of germination, if at all?
Has anyone ever bought old iris seed, were you happy with what came up, if any?
Does iris seed have to be fresh for best results? Thanks.
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Bill,
I've had very old Iris seed germinate, well over 5 years in age. I don't think you get as much germination, and it may take longer for the seed dormancy to break, but they certainly aren't short lived, or at least not the ones I have tried anyway.
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In my experience lots of iris seed stays viable for many years. Onco seed may still germinate up to 20 years later ... or so the story goes.
I keep all iris seed pots for years without tossing.
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OK, the next installment of my Victorian holiday snaps (you can run screaming now! ;D)....
As mentioned previously, we managed to visit Viv Condon's garden....
I've included a couple of pics of her garden (including one or her adding an extra splash of colour! ;D) as well as numerous pics of some of the treasures I photographed in her garden. These include a lovely purple Muscari cyanea var violacea (looks a bit more blue in the pic, but it is a gorgeous purple..... and Fermi generously gave me a pot of this very species when I was at his place), a couple of forms of Trillium pusillum ssp ozarkianum (or at least sown as that ssp, there is a lot of difference between them), some of her wonderfully dark leaved Trillium rivale, and Narcissus 'Pango'. Just a snapshot of some of the beauties we encountered there. ;)
I have also posted a few pics in the identification area of some of her Asarums, which we would like to find names for. Thanks for any help anyone can provide.
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After Viv's, we had a proper look at Otto's garden finally. Here's the first installment of some of his beauties, but there are more to come....
A patch of Cyclamen libanoticum that has naturalised beautifully into a drift.
Cyclamen repandum
Fritillaria michailovskyi
Fritillaria obliqua
Fritillaria rhodokanakis
A gorgeous double picotee Helleborus
Juno 'Warlsind'
Juno aucheri 'Shooting Star'
More shortly.
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And a couple more for now.....
A lovely Primula species which is growing in a garden atop a sleeper. I just love the way this has grown out and along the sleeper. It just looks so natural, something I can only hope to emulate in my garden here. Would be much easier here if we had a similar rainfall. ;)
I was going to post some more, but I'm getting tired and am going to head to bed soon. Work tomorrow. ::)
Lastly, here's another version of the pic from our restaurant get together, giving a little more detail I think. 8)
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This interesting shrubby South African Bulbine frutescens is an appealing, lush-looking plant even when not in flower.
This native plant has succulent green leaves with attractive spikes of yellow and orange flowers, blooms for a long time and always manages to attract attention.
Ideal for grouping under trees or tucking into tight planting areas
very nice! how large is this plant (height in particular)
i'm, always intrigued by this genus, (being a long time fan of cousins aloe, haworthia, gasteria) especially the succulent species..the larger less succulent species seem to be more usually available...
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Thanks Bill and Pat. OK, so if it can be done electronically now, could you email me the application form please Bill. You know I'm fatally addicted to irises. Your babies are really nice. Mine are budding up but not one out yet. Been very cold here most days. My Acacia pravissima which I need in large quantities to decorate the railway station platform (Market, spring celebration tomorrow) is going to be right on cue for once. Other years it has been way past its best by end of September.
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Lesley, this useful?
http://www.signa.org/index.pl?Membership
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Thanks David, that's VERY useful and the e-membership triennial looks like the best way to go, very economical compared with the regular kind. Our dollar is worth about 73cent US at present so quite affordable. I'll get onto to it right away. Might even give Paypal a go as creditcard currency conversion charges are dearer than PP's dollar.
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Lovely Primula sp. Wouldn't mind that growing in my garden 8)
Nice group photo, everyone looks great.
Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures.
Angie :)
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No problemo, Angie. I'll try to upload some more tonight, but I don't finish work until 7pm so it might not end up happening. ::)
Glad you enjoyed them.
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Enjoyed them too Paul.
It really is instructive for me to see what others are doing in their gardens. Many thanks.
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very nice! how large is this plant (height in particular)
i'm, always intrigued by this genus, (being a long time fan of cousins aloe, haworthia, gasteria) especially the succulent species..the larger less succulent species seem to be more usually available...
Cohan, our plant is approx.12 inches (30 cm.) in height and can spread up to 3 feet.
Uses and cultural aspects:Bulbine frutescens is often used in landscaping where a drought-resistant, tough groundcover is required. It also has its value in the home garden.
The fresh leaf produces a jelly-like juice that is wonderful for burns, rashes, blisters, insect bites, cracked lips, acne, cold sores, mouth ulcers and areas of cracked skin. This plant is ideal to grow and is a useful first-aid remedy for childrens' daily knocks and scrapes. The Rastafarians make an infusion of a few fresh leaves in a cup of boiling water. The strained drink is taken for coughs, colds and arthritis.
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No problemo, Angie. I'll try to upload some more tonight, but I don't finish work until 7pm so it might not end up happening. ::)
Glad you enjoyed them.
Angie,
I didn't end up finishing work until 8:30pm, so I definitely won't be making a big push to upload the pics tonight. I'm pooped! ::)
Bill,
How does the Bulbine handle frost? If it is so good for cuts and burns etc, and it were frost hardy, then it might be a good alternative to Aloe Vera in colder climates? Or is it tender as well?
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very nice! how large is this plant (height in particular)
i'm, always intrigued by this genus, (being a long time fan of cousins aloe, haworthia, gasteria) especially the succulent species..the larger less succulent species seem to be more usually available...
Cohan, our plant is approx.12 inches (30 cm.) in height and can spread up to 3 feet.
Uses and cultural aspects:Bulbine frutescens is often used in landscaping where a drought-resistant, tough groundcover is required. It also has its value in the home garden.
The fresh leaf produces a jelly-like juice that is wonderful for burns, rashes, blisters, insect bites, cracked lips, acne, cold sores, mouth ulcers and areas of cracked skin. This plant is ideal to grow and is a useful first-aid remedy for childrens' daily knocks and scrapes. The Rastafarians make an infusion of a few fresh leaves in a cup of boiling water. The strained drink is taken for coughs, colds and arthritis.
thanks for the details, bill..interesting about the medicinal uses...similar to some aloes.
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Angie, the Primula is from the Petiolaris group and if anywhere at all, you should be able to find it - and grow it - in Scotland. There seems to be some puzzlement about its ID and it is likely to be a hybrid involving, perhaps, PP. scapigera and/or bracteosa. There was one available in NZ some years ago when Jim LeComte was alive, called 'Scapeosa' between the two but whether this is it I don't know. It is very stoloniferous as the picture shows. Any UK thoughts would be welcome. It grows extremely well too, in the Blue Mountains gardens of NSW in Australia.