August 2012 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Maggi Young]

Thanks, Marcus.

I did wonder about the name because I couldn't find any mention of it, other than Fritillaria sibthorpiana ssp. enginiana in the Fritillaria.org.uk site 
All references to ssp. engenii seem to relate to an Allium and  the Fritillaria sibthorpiana ssp. enginiana seems confined only to the frit group pages.

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Anthony, I'd like the door shut and bolted! Relatively mild today until another front rolls though tonight but mild again on the weekend. Typical late winter/early spring conditons, good for trout fishing but not for growing plants that are used to clear cut seasons. I was in Metsovo in NW Greece for a week in June. Its at 1500m with average day temps 28-30 degrees, evenings never below 20, clear skies, no wind, only one thunderstorm - plants literally rocketing out of the ground. 2 metres of snow in the winter - everything goes to sleep.

Lesley, yes it is a bit early for some frits, as I mentioned F. mutabilis is not usually even showing. But its on queque for obliqua, conica, davisii, argolica and erhartii (all the lowland Greeks) as well as messanensis and its tribe. Gracilis is usually the latest. As for the higher elevation dwellers, some forms of pinardii are out, stenanthera is squeezing up with it flowers trying to open at ground level, michailovskyi, ditto, bucharica, ditto.

I am most surprised to hear that meleagris is in flower! It is one of the last here - they are just poking above ground.

Are you still growing Iris "Sindpers"? My poor old stock have taken a battering over the last 2 wet years - most sad.

Cheers, Marcus

[Hillview croconut]

Couple more fritillaria:

Fritillaria forbesii - from Marmaris Peninsula, Turkey. Flower is very similar to F. sibthorpiana but it has very narrow, almost grass-like leaves.
Fritillaria thessala var. ionica from Corfu, collected as seed from Corfu by Alan Edwards

Cheers, Marcus

[Hillview croconut]

Hi again,

Whilst I am being sick and thoroughly fed up being indoors I thought I wouldn't waste my time entirely so I scooted around the nursery with the camera at lunchtime.
These pictures are a bit rough and not set up but anyway here goes:

Fritillaria messanensis - from Crete so I guess its ssp sphaciotica? Collected by me at Kedros and probably listed by JJA. I'll get back on this

Fritillaria conica - From a hill just outside of Pylos called Agios Nicholaos. This too would have been listed by Jim - so ditto.

Fritillaria obliqua - Collected as seed from near Marathon, a place called Schinias. In big danger of being swamped by McMansions but maybe the Greek financial crisis will postpone the inevitable.

Fritillaria davisii - maybe a hybrid, very strong and tall with a bigger stripe than I have ever seen in this species.

Cheers, Marcus

[Hillview croconut]

Another lot:

Fritillaria elwesii  - Gosh, maybe back as far as Ole Sonderhousen.
Fritillaria frankiorum - from Rannweg and Bob Wallis
Fritilllaria messanensis ssp atlantica - may not be a valid name according to Kamari but haven't checked Fritillaria Group pages. Maybe a JJA listing I'll check.
Galanthus Trymlet
Galanthus Primrose Warburg
Crocus tommasinianus Claret - obtained from Ray Cobb who thought it maybe was Oliver Wyatt.

Cheers, Marcus

[arillady]

Beautiful Fritillarias Marcus.

[Paul T]

Glorious Frits, Marcus.  Only one out here so far is F. tuntasia.  Many not flowering this year due to our wierd couple of last summers I think.  Hopefully majority will survive though.  Cracking colour on the tommie.

So how long before I should start hassling you for Trymlet? 

John,

I think that looks right for my memory of Narcissus 'Ice Wings'.  It was much larger than I was expecting as well when it first flowered for me. You expect so many of these types of breeding to be small, but they don't have to be. 

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Pat and Paul,

Next to oncos I would call fritillaria interesting rather than beautiful. I think you have settled on the best to collect Pat. Speaking of which, I am doing well with them this year. I have planted a lot in old potting mix in the ground and they are powering away. Lets hope they keep on doing so. Iris afghanica even looks happy and is not turning my spring sour by being a sook.

Paul, I looove that claret crocus. Don Schofield gave me a lovely ruby coloured one a few years back and thats a beauty. I also have Taplow Ruby, which I think might have disappeared in the UK, but that isn't as red.

Have to wait on the galanthus front I am afraid though it does look like a good increaser (famous last words). Have another from the Wallis' named Megan and that is better!

A few more pics to tuck into August - a bit of a jumble:

Galanthus nivalis Savil Gold
Galanthus Trym
Fritillaria ehrhartii
Crocus abantensis

Cheers, Marcus

[Lesley Cox]

Marcus, I bought 50 'Sindpers' from the Tapanui wholesaler about 5 years ago. I was going to pot them for sale in the early spring but left it a bit late and in the finish planted the lot in a patch on the sunny side of Quercus cerris. When they flowererd - or rather 30 of them did, every one was bucharica! I was pretty mad and phoned the supplier only to find they had gone into liquidation and there was no-one to talk with.

The next year half a dozen 'Sindpers' flowered so it was a matter of trying to isolate those and starting from scratch. This year, due I think to extreme drought among the oak roots, none has flowered at all and I'll have to lift whatever's left and pot for removal anyway. Hope there are still a few 'Sindpers' among them as my previous ones have died out.

Your Cr. oliv. bal.' Chocolate Soldier' is very vigorous. 20 flowers this year and at least 8 good corms, and babies. I also have a good seedling from Thomas H's seed of C. oliv. ssp balansae, a very strong rich orange but heavily NETTED rather than veined on the outside with the same mahogany colour. Small flower but intense colour. Just the 1 so far. F. caucasica is in flower and buds on many others (but not persica  )

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Lesley,

The ones you sent me from John Hughes? were great and I managed to list them over a long time. The last 2 winters have been unkind to junos in general and my stocks have plummeted but I still have a few and they look fine. What ever happened to all that stock (and the imperialis).

Its a bit of a let down when you discover you don't have what you thought you had - still better to have a few than not.

I have isolated some Crocus olivierii ssp balansae from my own collections on Samos but none have the totally solid colour of Choco. I should have taken some pics but too busy to do so at the time. Things falling behind a bit at present. The flu has struck Tassie badly and I have fallen victim.

Cheers, Marcus

[fermi de Sousa]

Sorry to hear that you're down with the lurgi, Marcus.
Here's Tulipa 'Stresa' we got from you last year,
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

A few more in our garden:
Babiana odorata - Silverhills Seed
Anemone heldreichii - Marcus
Muscari muscarimi - Marcus!

cheers
fermi

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Fermi,

Gosh that Babiana odorata is a cute thing. Is it scented? I like the contrasting anthers.

I am slowly getting better, thanks.

Cheers, Marcus

[arillady]

Yes the Babiana is highly scented - cloying if you put you nose in it. This is the first year I have flowered it from another kind forum member here in Oz - from Fermi according to my records. Thanks so much Fermi for this gem.
Paul the dark Hellebores have flowered well this year.

[Paul T]

Excellent, Pat.  So is it black enough for you? (I think it was a piece of a black one I sent, wasn't it?)  Your variegated is still doing well here, although I should repot it into something bigger.  It isn't multiplying due to the smaller pot (grown through into the ground of course!!  ) but it puts up a flower stem every year.  I love it.