November 2009 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Lesley Cox]

Here is Iris kamaonensis which opened yesterday, I bought this just 3 or 4 weeks ago from Louise and Peter at Hokonui. I'm not sure but it is probably from seed and the likely source would be Josef Halda. It is quite different from Bill's shown on a previous page. This is a combo of lavender, deeper purple, whitish and a tawny ginger colour and I think is very beautiful. The deeply recurved falls are strongly so, and when I straightened out one to photograph, the fabric creased.

[galahad]

That is beautiful, Lesley

[Lesley Cox]

Helen, some Watsonias can be very invasive indeed, from tiny stem bulbils I believe as well as many cormlets and perhaps seed too. Some Auckland cemetaries are totally infested with them and DOC (Dept of Conservation) is trying to have the whole genus prohibited from being grown. Stupid though, as so many are already well established and at least one nursery is breeding new forms. Most are perfectly well-behaved anyway.

[Lesley Cox]

Andrew you're right about A. ciliatum - and others - being difficult to photograph well. Here is one I prepared earlier (last year).

[maggiepie]

Lesley, I couldn't agree more.
Do you also have huge expanses of freesias  growing wild in paddocks and along roadsides?
I really miss freesias.

[Paddy Tobin]

Lesley,

Iris and arisaema - two beauties.

Paddy

[galahad]

Dactylorrhiza and Roscoea cautleyoides

[Lesley Cox]

Do you also have huge expanses of freesias  growing wild in paddocks and along roadsides?
I really miss freesias.

Well I certainly don't but a friend has the old Freesia burtonii growing en masse in a paddock and another which is a rather muddy cream colour likewise. The scent is incredibly good. I came home from my son's house a couple of days ago with a flower of the rose 'Mme Alfred Carriere' in the car. It wilted badly but even so the scent was amazing. Old fashioned rose which is superb anyway, overlaid with ripe pasionfruit and lemon verbena. I've ordered one for next winter.

[Tecophilaea King]

Thanks Lesley and Paddy for answering Helen's concerns regarding the Watsonia "Frosty Morn" while I was away.
I'll do the same for you next time.

[Tecophilaea King]

Here is Iris kamaonensis which opened yesterday, I bought this just 3 or 4 weeks ago from Louise and Peter at Hokonui. I'm not sure but it is probably from seed and the likely source would be Josef Halda. It is quite different from Bill's shown on a previous page. This is a combo of lavender, deeper purple, whitish and a tawny ginger colour and I think is very beautiful. The deeply recurved falls are strongly so, and when I straightened out one to photograph, the fabric creased.

That's a very nice Iris kamaonensis Lesley, what a gorgeous colour combination, another one for the wanted list.
Does this Josef Halda have a price-list? Have you bought seed from him before?

[Tecophilaea King]

Two more Hippies flowering in the nursery at the moment, one of them a rather nice dark seedling flowering for the first time.
The first one a rather excellent colourful species,  ideal for breeding with other species/varieties.

Hippeastrum blossfeldiae
Hippeastrum dark red seedling

[Tecophilaea King]

Arisaema ciliatum.  I don't know if this is the ssp liubaense or not.  It's always hard to get a decent photo as the flower is typically hidden between two leaves...   Andrew.

Thanks for showing your beautiful Ariseama ciliatum Andrew, now I know what what Arisaema species I've got.

[Tecophilaea King]

Dietes bicolor is a very easy, rewarding South African species, just starting to flower, with a long flowering season.
Better in half shade, it grows to a large clump with time.

Dietes bicolor.

[ashley]

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? 

[Ragged Robin]

I do so love this combination of colouring - a beautiful flower on your Dietes bicolor Bill