November 2009 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Tecophilaea King]

OK, one more exquisite, nicely scented Crinum macowanii hybrid flowering for us for the first time. Not bad don't you think?

Crinum macowanii hybrid.

[Paul T]

Beautiful, Bill.  Just beautiful.

[Tecophilaea King]

Iris gracilipes I think, one of the last smaller, charming irises to flower in the nursery.

Iris gracilipes.

[Tecophilaea King]

Fine hippeastrums Bill, grown & photographed to your usual high standards

Once an attractive seedling like this is identified, how would it be bulked up for commerce? 

Ashley, I am not sure if this Hippeastrum hybrid is good enough for the trade, just one of many hybrids released every year.
If it got potential, the bulbs can either be chipped or tissue cultured in large numbers in very short time.

[Lesley Cox]

A couple of weeks ago I posted a pic of this super little Glad, but in bud, for possible ID. It seems it's likely to be G. carneus and I'm in love with it. It may grow taller though in the garden, just 35cms in the pot. No idea where it came from though


Iris setosa hookeri (or s. nana or s. dwarf form etc). Grows to just 15 cms with me.


Iris barbatula. The group of 3 are about to be planted out, the other (a 2007 pic) is in a raised bed, not blooming yet in shade.




A lovely South American is Ourisia coccinea. But I find it very sensitive to lack of water, much more so than the reputedly difficult O. microphylla.


I really like this yellow form of Primula cockburniana, normally a harsh orange. Apparently it comes true from seed though as I plan to plant them out side by side, this may not continue. The first pic is in shade with others waiting for a big planting over the next couple of days and the second in the sun.




And finally, last year I mentioned some hybrid seedlings from Saponaria lutea. I didn't think to take a picture then until the flowers had gone over but have caught them this time though there aren't so many. Also awaiting planting out. The seed was collected from S. lutea, a soft straw yellow and the other parent is pumilio, behind the seedling, for comparison. The colour is very pretty and I may name it and propagate by cuttings. From the batch of lutea seedlings, there were 5 like this, all identical.

[Lvandelft]

The seed was collected from S. lutea, a soft straw yellow and the other parent is pumilio, behind the seedling, for comparison.

Lesley, this seems to be a very good and rich flowering hybrid. You really should name it!
I wonder about your S. pumilio with so many flowers.  Here it is only known as very shy flowering.

[Lesley Cox]

Luit, S. pumilio flowers very well for me, outside on a raised bed. Here is a pic of the original on top with the lower plant a seedling from it. I get a lot of seed and quite a lot of self-sown seedlings. The colour is a little richer than the picture suggests.


And this little patch is made up of seedlings from my own seedling S. 'Gala Day' ('Olivana' x ocymoides) insect-pollinated with pumilio. You can see the pumilio in some of the flowers. There are perhaps half a dozen seedlings here and all are very tight little pads of foliage, lovely plants for troughs or pots.


I was a bit annoyed that the seedlist (SRGC) just received, listed S. pulvinaris and said go to S. pumilio. They are NOT the same plant, but are quite different and distinct. I used to have pulvinaris and lost it so would like to replace it but didn't order the pumilio as I had donated some of that.

Would you like some seed of pumilio and some of what will be assorted seedlings, later in the summer?

[Lvandelft]

Would you like some seed of pumilio and some of what will be assorted seedlings, later in the summer?

Yes  please!
But your S. pumilio is really a wonder to me Lesley, so many flowers.

[Lesley Cox]

Like 'Olivana' it makes a halo of flowers, around the outside. Older plants have the flowers sprinkled over the top as well.

[Rogan]

"...but I haven't yet managed to succeed with the trigger plants.  I love them and would love to be succesful, but as yet I haven't managed it."

I grow my Stylidiums as I would a carnivorous plant - in a gritty / peaty soil standing in a few mm of rainwater, and a little afternoon shade. Thus far they are thriving and flowering well.

[Paul T]

Thanks Rogan.  Wouldn't have thought of treating them like that.

[Maggi Young]

Bill was making posts here that I though worthy of a move to the Trasvel and Places to Vist area, so you'll find his thread : Te Puna Quarry Park in Tauranga there.
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4576.0

[ajbroome]

Folks,

My Stylidium graminifolium flower buds are still a wee way off opening but I did notice a second spike coming on the other day.

I grow mine much like Rogan (in fact, in an outdoor tray that I used to use for Sarracenia before I got my glasshouse).

Information on the various species can be found at: http://www.triggerplants.org/ or via the YAHOO group that I run (PM me for details if you're interested).

Andrew.

[rob krejzl]

Try looking out for Stylidium armeria, the tetraploid form of S. graminifolium. It makes floral spikes so rigid that they can hardly be bent, with each spike so thickly clothed with flowers that there is no stem visible between them. Much greater presence in the garden.

[Lesley Cox]

That sounds exceiting Rob. Is there a picture anyehere?