Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: Lesley Cox on February 01, 2007, 12:53:06 AM
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Golly, February already, the year seems half gone!
Starting the month with a couple of berries, the fruit of Sorbus reducta which is beginning to run about in a rather unrestrained manner but the thicket is very attractive, I'll just have to move some other things out of its way. The fruit aren't fully ripe yet but the birds usually have had them by now. So far, a great crop is hanging on well.
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The second is Sorbus koehniana, a smallish tree and has pretty, dark foliage as well as a fine crop of fruit. They are usually listed as white but in the three fruiting years I've had so far, they haven't come closer than a pale jade green and often fall before whitening any further. They're lovely all the same, transluscent like pearls.
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there is a form of Sorbus reducta that does not sucker, Lesley. Is it in NZ? No seed at present, obviously, but would you be allowed to receive it, if you wanted to try it?
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Actually Maggi, that's the one I thought I had but obviously not. Yes, I could get some seed as it's on our "permitted" list for seed. It would be great to have some seed from a known non-suckering form.
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Lesley, I think your Sorbus koehniana is rather fetching. I looked at all the images for it on Google (all seemed to be spelled Sorbus koehneana) and indeed all are white, which makes one wonder if yours was raised from seed and is a colour break. now is the time for a bit of marketing strategy. Give it a varietal name like 'Limelight' or some such and propagate vegetatively to earn a yourself a small fortune.
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Part one
A couple flowering in the conservatory --
Littonia modesta raised from seed a long time ago finally in bloom.
I've just started 'getting into' ::) tender orchids.Cattleya loddigesii is a recent purchase and it's a beauty.Flowers open white and fade to purple.Stated to tolerate cooler conditions than most of the Cattleyas .
In the garden proper --
Despite total neglect Disa uniflora has a couple of flowers.
Lillium sps. Seed label says L.taliense which it's obviously not.Any ideas please?.
Viola pedata showing another flush .
The red Clintonia sps,(andrewsiana?),i showed on the old forum has this nicely coloured fruit.
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Part two
Dianthus jack scott.
Jack was a long standing member of the Otago Alpine Garden Group and built a wonderful garden on a hilled section in Dunedin.I remember seeing a large flowering specimen of Celmisia philocremna, healthy looking Physoplexis comosa and many many other gems.Unfortunately it was just at the very early stages of my alpine obsession so i ready didn't get to appreciate all before Jacks passing and the demolition of the garden.
Raised as Codonopsis grey wilsonii himal snow. ???Any ideas please?.
A couple of Allium sps.
Finally --I've not been all that great in achieving, good detailed ,really close up pics ,so after reading Marks comments i had a bit of a play around and set my camera to near enough his settings.The result-- an improvement at last.
Cheers Dave.
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You're right John, they do have very white berries don't they? Some nice pics in there. I'll ask my supplier about how he propagated his trees. He has the best tree nursery in the country (Blue Mountain Nursery at Tapanui, west Otago). But somehow, I'm not sure about a fortune in it for me. Tell you what, how about we share it?
As an aside, your Silene hookeri (Imgramii Group) is flowering superbly right now.The flowers are enormous, almost 5 cms across. Just a single seedling but there are about 30 of the white ssp. bolanderi and they too are in flower and are setting some new seed I think. So many thanks again.
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So many pretty things, Dave. The yellow of the Littonia modesta is superb. The Cattleya looks ready for a passing hollywood star. My Disa finished flowering a few weeks ago ( on my kitchen windowsill). hard to tell about the lily, not seeing scale of it, looks like L. longiflorum or a regale.
On to your next batch:
Lovely Dianthus does it smell good?
Codonopsis grey-wilsonii, formerly C. forrestii, is that nice blue. 'Himal Snow' as the name suggests, is white!
Thanks for the pix!
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Lesley, Glad your seeds have produced something good. Glad to take half of the fortune for Sorbus koehniana 'Limelight' ;D
Dave, some delightful plants and nice to hear of a hardier Cattleya. I reckon your lily may well be L. formosanum pricei if it is on a short stem of about 30cm.
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Hi Dave,
I think your Lilium is L. formosanum, a frequent imposter on seedexes but usually flowers quickly from seed (within 9 months so successive sowings could give you flowers 12 months of the year!).
The dianthus is an absolute darling! Quite distinct and I hope someone here will get around to importing it! Who is distributing it over there?
Your Littonia looks like a good form, the one I grow looks a bit smaller, but that may just be neglect on my part.
Lesley,
slip a few sorbus seed in your handbag for your trip over here!
cheers
fermi
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I no longer carry a handbag Fermi, I leave that to certain rugby players! Still a few in an envelope?
Not that we're talking rugby here any more than on the snowdrop pages. (What a fabulous place Colesbourne looks to be. Leaves Elderberry Bob's lot for dead. However Maggi, I have a nice word for you. There's a column in our weekly "Listener" in which people send words, made up or corrupted, to describe certain things. At present, the city fathers and mothers in Auckland, along with rugby's top dogs, and our Govt, are trying unsuccessfully to make up their minds about which of several stadiums should be the venue for the big games and the final, for the 2011 world cup. They refuse to agree with each other on the subject. A man in Wellington describes the pleasurable feelings Wellingtonians have in watching this process as "Stadenfreude."
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The little dianthus is a seedling from Dianthus pavonius and no, it's not scented. No-one is really distributing it comercially, perhaps Hokonui now and then, but it seems to get around with a plant or two at a show or salestable. It is very small overall and not the easiest to propagate so we need to be quite careful not to lose it altogether. I have a seedling from it which appeared nearby and it is very distinctly of the same parentage on that side at least. But it is larger and more vigorous and has white flowers on reddish stems. I think it is worth naming and may call it "Iceberg" after our recent visitors.
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Lesley, "Stadenfruede" --- I love it!!
Re Dave's lily, although the photo does not show exactly what sthe scale is, I "read" it as being a tall one! Thought that if it were short, Dave would have shown us all of it! If it is only 10inches or 25cms tall, then I'll go with L. formosanum, there's also L. formosanum pricei.
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I have what I'm pretty sure is the same lily (grew it from seed as mackliniae!!!) and I think it could be longiflorum or syn (I think) philipinense. Mine is about a metre high, in flower now and has a glorious perfume. The throat is yellow. I also have the shorty, which is formosanum var. pricei. But mine takes about 3 years from seed, not 9 months, though I just sow and grow like everything else, not under any kind of forced conditions.
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I zipped out and took a piccie of my L. philipinense and L. form. pricei. Here they are
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The above lily, the lower one, is just about 30 cms in height altogether. It is consistent at this though I read in an Archibald seed catalogue a while back that much of the L. f. pricei about has become taller over time, so perhpas it hybridises with the taller form. Mine sets good seed if anyone is interested and Dave, if you don't have this little one, give me a shout as I have about 30 in pots at present.
These two rhodos are flowering at the end of summer. R. forrestii repens does it every year but R. keleticum doesn't usually. And I'm really thrilled by the lovely new growth on this and another Rh. camschaticum, grown from Ardfearn Nursery seed donated to Otago Alpine Garden Group 3 years ago. Not flowered yet though there seem to be some little incipient buds. In any case, they'll have lovely autumn colour soon. Now I'm wanting the white form that Ian C showed on the old Forum.
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A a few more things out at what is quite a tired time of yearin the garden. We need rain and the weather is perking up so it is almost summertime at last.
First, a plant from John Forrest's seed , Silene hookeri Ingramii Group. In a plastic bag now, it will go into a raised bed as soon as we get decent rain again. There are at least two good seed pods so far.
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Then Thymus cilicicus which is very long-lived but I find a beast to propagate. The cuttings root well but on potting up, die off in quick succession. I found a couple of sssedlings just one year but haven't been able to collect anything that looked like seed since.
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Genista aetnensis is a small tree and past its best now but the perfume is still wonderful, competing with the liliums to scent a large part of the garden.
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This "pink" is a seedling from `Whatfield Wisp" and called `Marybank' after the Nelson garden where I found it. The scent is typically clove and very strong.
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Campanula time is starting and these two whites are fully out right now. First C. arvatica alba
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then C. `Mist Maiden'
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Love the Silene Lesley --although it only lasts a season or two with me.
Maggi-- you are correct about size of the Lilium sps query i had.--A plant about 60 cm in height and looks very like a taller version of L.formosanum pricei ,(which i also have plenty of),so i presume it's L.formosanum.
Suppressing the urge to get away in to the hills i spent last weekend harvesting various Trillium seed pods which despite our cool spring/summer conditions were fat and plentyful and a start on repotting dormant bulbs.
During our winter i commented on the old forum that Narcissus rom. atlas gold was having a poor flowering season and the deep green lush looking foliage made me suspicious i might have 'mucked up' ,(excuse the pun :D),my fertiliser application.
The following shots show the end result --Might be 'old hat' to most of you but i've never had such a increase in bulb material --most parent bulbs have produced two/three young ones with many many extremely small ,(half pea sized),bulblets.
Cheers Dave
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"It is consistent at this though I read in an Archibald seed catalogue a while back that much of the L. f. pricei about has become taller over time, so perhpas it hybridises with the taller form."
Of course the alpine form does hybridise with the lowland one (though the difference in bloom times helps minimise this), but I think the intimation of the Archibald's note was that there had been some unconscious selection for taller forms, in the same way that L. mackliniae is said to have slowly changed since it's original introduction.
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Thanks Rob because while I remembered the Archibald note, I wasn't too sure about the gist of it. Perhaps the little lily has been the victim of the "bigger is better" syndrome that many hybridisers or selectors suffer from. Fr. imperialis seed in the post tomorrow, others still a couple of weeks.
Dave, I'm pleased to see your new avatar pic. More like you I think.
The N. r. `Atlas Gold' bulbs look about right to me. I find it increases hugely and you certainly seems to have quite a number of flowering size ones in there. Mine started off as masses of foliage last year but then all of a sudden there were several dozen buds, about 70 altogether I think. We here in the south seems to get more foliage sooner, if you see what I mean. I.e, the foliage is more mature at flowering time. The late Joan McLachlan in Timaru always reckoned that in the SH or in NZ at least, most species and hybrids grew to 5cms taller that the same ones did in the NH.
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I just looked up "avatar" in my Collins New English Dictionary and find that it means "Divine incarnation; the descent to earth of a god or some exalted being; a manifestation (in Sanscrit, descent). So is that really the word we want in the current context of the Forum?
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Re Avatar: Lesley, given my stated desire to become a goddess, it's fine by me! Nice pic of Dave though!
It makes a lot of difference to me to "see" the folks I'm "speaking" to !
Here, Lesley, it is R. forrestii repens that is the one reluctant to flower, while R. keleticum is very reliable. :-\ Funny old world!
Lovely things from your supposedly "tired" garden:
We must speak to Admin about the chances of introducing scent to the forum, these photos of fragrant flowers are driving me crazy... I want to smell 'em!! We can put men on the moon, etc..... why can't we get smellyvision??
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So avatar is appropriate then. It was Dave I was particularly thinking about. I know a couple of men who believe they are God's gift to women, but in fairness, I don't think Dave thinks along those lines. (I'd soon disabuse him of the thought if he were!)
The R. forrestii repens always has a few flowers in summer was what I meant, whereas keleticum doesn't with me. Both flower well in the spring though with f r, the more in summer, the fewer in spring.
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Here are a few pics of recent flowers in our garden:
Lycoris incarnata from bud to bloom in less than a week!
Then more rain-lilies, Habranthus robustus hybrid seedling, double-header (again!) and Zephyranthes rosea.
And continuing the campanula theme above, the double white Campanula "Warley White" which is known in parts of Australia as "Marshall Mitchell" because he was one of the people who imported it many years ago.
cheers
fermi
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Sorry, Lesley, I got confused about your meaning with the rhodo flowers, I'm with you now. Our keleticums will put on summer flowers but .f repens doesn't want to flower in spring, let alone summer, in Aberdeen!
You must be more gentle with Dave, you've told us he has two beautiful red-haired daughters and a man with red-haired daughters deserves considerable credit in my book, most goes to Hilda, of course! ;D
Fermi, loving your assorted rain lilies !Especially as I sit here looking out on the snow and my freezing rhododendrons!!
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Do you get seed to spare Fermi on the pink rain lilies? I have masses of what I grow as Habranthus andersonii (I think it is a tubispathus form now?) but can't seem to get the pinks going.
Nice to see Marshall's campanula. I guess he would have taken it back to Oz when I brought it here, in 1981, following the Nottingham conference. Nice man. It tends to have lighter coloured foliage here, a pale lime green which is pretty with the white.
Yes Maggi, I'll be gentle with Dave, poor wee man. Actually he's very large and being gentle would be like beating a rhino with a feather. But he knows I love him madly.
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And just while I think of it Dave, the Iris danfordiae arrived safely and yes thanks, it was 3 packets. Time will tell but if they're wrong this time, I think we should want our money back. I hope I'm not being paranoid about them, but did you notice a few dark grey streaks on yours? Please God, don't let it be ink spot disease. I'm dipping mine in a fungicide before planting.
The cuttings of Asteranthera ovata have at last rooted well. Took a while but they now have new growth and can't be removed from the pot with a good tug. I may leave the whole lot together to grow on rather than trying to separate them, and have a large potful. Potting individually, I may lose the lot.
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Hi Lesley,
I'm sure there'll be some nice ripe seed when you get to this side of the ditch in April!
Maggi,
It's nice to know the summer flowers can brighten your day in the middle of your winter!
We're currently having a "cool" break in the weather with temp's down to the mid 20's (Celsius) but the weekend should see them back to the mid to high 30's again! One minute the plants are been roasted and the next they're being blown out of the ground by wintry blasts!
Only one Cyclamen hederifolium in flower so far and no colchicums, but they have started already in the cooler areas like the Dandenongs ( where Tim lives!)
cheers
fermi
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Fermi/Lesley,
I had a look at a pack of Habranthus bulbs in a Garden Centre yesterday but had second thoughts and put them back on the grounds that my Maritime climate would be too wet for them in their resting period (I didn't want to buy bulbs that I had to dig up and store). In your climate do they get a dry rest?
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Happy Birthday, David! How about growing the habranthus and their like in decorative pots that you can move to an area under cover, or even under the lea of a hedge, to get a dryer rest, after you have enjoyed them on the terrace ?
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Maggi, fine, if they will take a little rain and I could keep them up close to the house wall down a North facing path, but I have absolutely no room to keep them in the greenhouse. I'm finding it difficult to get there myself.
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Fermi's probably do get an extended dry period but my own are flowering by the time the real dry comes (not this year - it's been wettish right through) in late summer. The coppery one is flowering now but as I said above, I don't do the pinks so well though I think that's because they were a bit soggy in winter. I'll keep trying though.
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I've been away for a few days. Not physically, just virtually, when there's around half a meter of snow over everything and much more in some places I can't face everyone else's floral abundance! But I'd like to comment about Leslie's Sorbus.
During a quiet time at a plant sale at our Botanical Garden last Fall I picked up Hugh McAllister's recent revision of the Genus Sorbus and was hooked. He's been growing them in the Ness Garden near Liverpool for about 30 years and has turned the whole genus upside down and inside out. Anyone trying to name a Sorbus ought to see what he has to say about it first. I found that over half of the exotic Sorbuses (Sorbi?) grown in our Botanical Garden and a nearby park needed relabelling. Amazingly I was able to find information on some of the original purchases made over 40 years ago! McAllister's book is as good as any detective novel once you get into it!
The most important thing he found was that there are a very large number of apomictic tetraploids, both in "the trade" and in the wild. These reproduce asexually, and although they have seeds, the seedlings are exact clones of the single parent tree. This means that a lot of the "selected varieties" in the trade are meaningless, and it's not necessary to graft or take cuttings - you get better plants from seed. Others, such as the European S. aucuparia and our S. americana are dipoids and reproduce - and hybridise - in the usual way.
So to get to S. koehneana: The one sold by nurseries under this name he traced back to Botanical Gardens in Copenhagen and St Petersburg; it's one of those apomictic tetraploids, and has been renamed S.fructicans (I was able to trace the ones grown here in St John's back to Denmark via Norway and its description fits well with S.fructicans.) There is also a diploid, correctly named S. koehneana, but it is not grown commercially. I'm not saying that Leslie's plant must be S.fructicans, but it's a possibilty.
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That's very interesting Howard and I'll look out for the book. As yet I've not spoken to the owners of the nursery mine came from though I will when I get around to it so don't know how they propagated but I'll certainly try some of my fruit and hope they germinate.
I just went out to see if the fruit had seed in and they have, just a single seed with 3 or 4 undeveloped ones in each berry. The fruit are holding on the tree much better than in 2 previous years that it has had any. The top leaves are going quite a deep chocolate colour and the pale green almost translucent fruit look lovely among them.
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Its sounding more like S. fructicans every minute, here's a description based on McAllister's:-
Multi-stemmed shrub up to 2.5 m. Leaves have numerous small toothed leaflets which turn first chocolate and then fiery red in fall. Flowers and fruit white. Black buds with white hairs at the tip and along the scale margins.
I was surprised to hear that yours were starting their autumn colours already, it was only 8 weeks ago we were in your part of the world in late spring (seems like dream!) But with your much milder winters things get started earlier and ripen earlier too I suppose. We were surprised to find what we think of as autumn flowers already open in NZ in November (e.g. Foxgloves).
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Well Howard, mine's already about 3m high and only 3 years old but many things do grow taller here than in the UK for instance. Nor is it multistemmed, just a single trunk but there are a couple of below ground suckers which I intend to remove as I have crocuses, snowdrops and a few other things underneath so I want a canopy, not a bushy plant. I'll report on the fire colour later. I don't think it was especially red last year, not compared to say S. sargenteana, aucuparia or hupehensis (you can tell I like the rowan family). I'll have to wait until spring to observe whether there are black buds with white hairs at the tips. Whatever it is I think it's a beautiful small tree.
The start of autumn colour usually depends on how dry we have been. Very dry, early colour. This summer has been cool and damp but there's still colour starting on willows and poplars and the first orange on Acer palmatum vars. Other things are still bright green.
I think we have wild foxgloves in flower just about all year round. Certainly spring through late autumn
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Hi Lesley,
Maybe yours is a graft? McA says they are sometimes grafted as standards. Are the leaves of the suckers the same as those of the top?
S. hupehensis is even more of a mess! I'd don't have the book at home, so this is based on my notes. There are two taxa in cultivation called S. hupehensis, one with white berries and one with pink - both with several horticultural variety names. McAllister found that both are apomictic tetraploids, and calls the pink berries ones S. pseudohupehensis and the white berried S. glabriuscula. The type specimen for S. hupehensis is diploid and identical to a plant already named S. discolor, so the name S. hupehensis is now invalid. S. discolor is not widely in cultivation.
Of course you don't have to agree with McAllister, but as far as I can see his work is becoming accepted by botanists, even though it will take some time to get into Nursery circles! It seemed pretty persuasive to me, but I'm not a real botanist.
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The leaves from the suckers are identical in every way - size, shape, colour, texture, dentation -so I think not a graft. There's no obvious graft ring either above or below ground.
As for hupehensis, I don't think I'll get into that one. I have a pink berried form under that name and one which starts white then turns pink just as the fruit are beginning to shrivel. Their autumn colour tends to be dark, plummy red.
There are many new hybrids in the Sorbus family, some with enormous fruits and leaves whose autumn colour sears the skin, it's so hot. They are gradually getting around NZ and I am always on the lookout for a new one as I'm totally obsessed by autumn colour.
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Something a bit different, Puya berteroniana flowering in the garden of the Botany Department , University of Otago. It is a bit past its best but has given us a marvellous display over the last few weeks. It is a native of Chile. The origin of this particular plant is a mystery.
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Across town in the Early Bulb Display thread, there are a couple of pics of an NZ raised narcissus called `Betty Mae.' I don't know it and don't know the lady herself but at last year's NZAGS show I bought a campanula called `Betty Mae.' It must be a seedling from our own very special `Maie Blyth,' though larger, looser and somewhat coarser (sorry BM) but has the same wide, flat flower with a thick, waxy texture and a little crimp or pleat in the middle of each lobe. I wonder it it is the same lady? and who is she?
The lady in question is Betty Clark, see more in the Dunblane Early Bulb Day pages. M
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That's a lovely and unusual campanula, Lesley, and the Puya looks unreal!
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Following Maggi's second note about `Betty Mae' in the Dunblane Early Bulb Disply page, I DO know her. I know Betty Clarke quite well in fact and she certainly is an enthusiastic grower and hybridiser of dwarf Narcissus. Perhaps not so much nowadays, but many good things came from her little nursery in Ashburton.
I had a look through the member list here on the Forum (218 at present). It astounds me that there are no names from north of the Waitaki River in NZ, none to recognize as such any way. No-one from Christchurch at all which those there at least, would claim to be the alpine gardening "capital" of NZ. Not that we in Otago and Southland believe that of course, but the largest part of NZAGS's membership is from that region. Where are the Anns, the Joans, the Melvas, Kims, Adrians, and Dolinas; the Jennys, Andrews and Marions and hundreds of others who are dedicated growers of alpine plants and dwarf bulbs. Do they even lurk a little?I can see that when Ian visits us next January, he and we in the south will have to do a massive public relations and publicity excercise to re-educate those poor, deprived and starving people.
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Finally had a chance to download some pics, so here they are!
Firstly a campanula growing in Otto's driveway in pure clay and gravel, C. x stansfeldii. Of course, he lives in the Dandenongs in relatively moist conditions but nonetheless this is exposed and bleak albeit well-drained!
The next is a Zephyrathes grown from seed as Z.fosteri, but may not be! Nice deep colour anyway.
The third is Talinum rugulosum grown from seed and flowering well for a third year in a row! Actually the best flowering so far, so I'd better collect seed as it'll probably take this endorsement as "the kiss-of-death"!
cheers
fermi
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A few more from our garden.
An Australian native bulb, Calostemma purpurea, the garland lily.
The first bloom on Cyclamen graecum growing in a raised bed outdoors.
Two pics of a bulb received as Ismene festalis, one of the "Peruvian daffodils" in full bloom 2 weeks after being planted!
cheers
fermi
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And before you ask, Lesley, yes, the pink Zephs have set seed! Have your MAF list ready!
cheers
fermi
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Glad to see more "sunny" pix form Fermi. Cold and damp here again.
Lesley, I think some of the more northern southern Nzers may lurk a little. As with those who only lurk here, to whatever degree, I too wish they would come out and share. My hope is that eventually we will prod them hard enough to put finger to keyboard!
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Thanks Fermi, Z. tubispathus is OK for MAF. So we'll swap it with the white (pale green) Sorbus.
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Three years ago I was horrified to find a smallish plant of blackberry in a part of the garden which was a bit neglected. There were a few ripening fruit so I decided to harvest them, then heave the plant out. That didn't happen and the following year there was a much bigger plant and even more luscious fruit so I thought "I'll just harvest those, then get rid of the plant." Last year the plant was huge with a whopping crop of fruit. I made blackberry jam, b and apple jelly, b pies and we ate handsful every time we went outside. But once the fruit was harvested, I was definitely going to get it out.
This year (now) I have already taken 5 kilos of fruit and haven't even started yet. I've never seen such a huge crop anywhere. When I go to pick them, the dog comes too and sort of mouths them off the branches, slobbering red drool all down his white front. When I reach a particularly succulent branch, the fruit is all covered with dog saliva so I have to be a bit careful what I take. And he has a major advantage as he doesn't seem to mind the prickles whereas they savage me! The berries have that wonderful autumny taste and scent, slightly lipsticky when fully ripe and like nothing else on earth.
But that's all right for now. When I've finished the harvest, I'm definitely going to get the whole thicket out, though it may take heavy machinery to achieve this.
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Lesley, blackberry and apple pie,mmmmmm! A virtual one please to keep me going until September when ours are ready.
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David, I forgot to tell you, my sister and her husband went to meet Lesley last weekend at the Market and they saw your ACTUAL cake.. complete with walnuts... I'm told it looked absolutey scrumptious in real life, and Ann and Bill know a goodlooking cake when they see one, I assure you!
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What am I? Someone's ruddy cook?
Sorry David, it's just that my hands and ankles are ripped to shreds at present and stinging quite a lot. I pick the fruit every 2 or 3 days, so at the weekend I'll get onto it. I suppose you'll want a jug of cream as well?
They saw just part of it Maggi, the quarter I'd taken for Susan or I'd have offered them a slice. But yes, it did look quite good.
David, I'll bet yours aren't in the middle of your rock garden!
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What am I? Someone's ruddy cook?
No, no, Lesley, my sweet, you are our official tubby cook!
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David, I forgot to tell you, my sister and her husband went to meet Lesley last weekend at the Market and they saw your ACTUAL cake.. complete with walnuts... I'm told it looked absolutey scrumptious in real life, and Ann and Bill know a goodlooking cake when they see one, I assure you!
A virtual slice each would have been nice and you can have my walnuts Maggi
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What am I? Someone's ruddy cook?
Sorry David, it's just that my hands and ankles are ripped to shreds at present and stinging quite a lot. I pick the fruit every 2 or 3 days, so at the weekend I'll get onto it. I suppose you'll want a jug of cream as well?
They saw just part of it Maggi, the quarter I'd taken for Susan or I'd have offered them a slice. But yes, it did look quite good.
David, I'll bet yours aren't in the middle of your rock garden!
Lesley, were I there I would of course minister to your every first aid need, and , if you are insisting a jug of cream would go very nicely. My blackberries aren't in my rock garden but are on the banking of the main railway line from Cornwall to London Paddington, built by one IK Brunel, one of whose viaducts, backed by woods, overlooks the estate I live on. A ten minute walk from home and across a bridge at the commencement of the viaduct takes me straight on to the lower slopes of Dartmoor. One of these days it might even be dry long enough to take a walk!! I would have said svelt cook! :)
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David N.
you can have my walnuts Maggi
I would have said svelt cook!
Lesley, this man is a silver tongued devil, we should keep him!
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Lesley, when you get tired of Blackberry and apple pie/turnover/fool/jam why not try your own Blackberry vodka to help while away those long winter evenings.
I made some this year with a surplus I collected off the railway line at the bottom of my garden and it's just about ready to drink - I think i'll be able to use it like cassis (made some of that too this year when a friend's blackcurrant bushes were loaded with fruit).
Here's to happy drinking!
Sue
PS drinking alone is not good, so the garden is always open ;D
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Are virtual drinks on offer as well Sue, if so put me down for a few please. 8)
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I would have said svelt cook! :)
What a lovely man you are David - and what a liar! But the comment is treasured all the same because it's the first I ever had with that particular word mentioned. Silver-tongued indeed Maggi, and certainly one of my favourite Forumists.
I like the idea of blackberry vodka. How about gin too? So long as one doesn't get the virtual hangover as well.
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And blackberry can even be a life saver. There was an item on our telly a week ago about a young man, very experienced sky diver, who leapt from the aeroplane at around 9000 metres and his parachute didn't open properly. He continued to free fall for a few thousand metres trying to manoeuvre the tangled cords into a position where they wouldn't catch the emergency chute when he opened that, but couldn't and eventually pulled the cord on the emergency one but it DID get tangled and wouldn't open either so the free fall continued to earth where, by great good fortune, he fell into a thicket of blackberry. The bounciness of the stiffly arching branches quite literally cushioned his fall and he wasn't even unconscious, just badly scratched and bruised and I think had a broken arm or something. He was wearing a helmet of course and had missed falling on a tree stump by just a few centimetres. How lucky was that. He was looking forward to his next dive!
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I bet he was berry glad that he fell in the thicket ::)
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We will have to put up with the jokes, though, Lesley, I think it is worth it!
I have often wondered how strong the "tents" that are made by bramble thickets are : now I know! The arching stems look very sturdy.
Lesley, yes, I have made bramble gin...though not for a long time, price of gin is too high! But the bramble (Blackberry) gin is scrummy!
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Oh David!!! ::)
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Here's a link to the story, complete with video. Lucky chap.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/jersey/content/articles/2006/12/20/michael_holmes_fall_feature.shtml
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Crikey, Mick, that's one scary video. Thank goodness the poor guy is going to be okay.
Loved the way his pal comes up to him, after witnessing his fall and says, "Mikey, are you all right?"
What a question after a fall like that! I note that Mikey says "no!"
So, Lesley, you'd better leave your bramble patch, you never know when someone might need it to cushion a fall from a plane.
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A few from the garden yesterday--
Collomia debilis v. debilis from North America --NZAGS seed sown 8/06--sticky foliage which has a strong musky scent.
Earlier i showed a shot of Rupicapnos africana just coming into bloom.SRGC seed sown 2/06 .Now enjoying the warm dry conditions of late with a more substantial crop of flowers.
Purchased as Roscoea auriculata ?.
One of the lantern type Calochortus sps.
Finally from the conservatory Plumeria rubra acutifolia a recent arrival--Lovely lemon like fragrance.
Cheers Dave
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Here is a "new" plant flowering in the shade-house.
It's Pelargonium quinquelobatum grown from one of last year's Seedexes.
The colour is not as pink in real life, it's more a creamy grey with a pinkish cast.
the flower stems are quite long but that maybe because of the shade.
The foliage is distinctive as well.
cheers
fermi
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Hi Fermi --Nice Pelargonium. Looks like a bit of grey coming through on the foliage as well.
If i can go back a couple of pages to your earlier posting of the garland lily.--Calostemma purpurea.
It looks very interesting and as i'm having one or two successes with your natives was wondering whether it will cope with year round moisture.What conditions do you find it prefers and any idea on how long to flowering from seed?.Thanks.
Cheers Dave
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I love the Plumeria Dave - such delicate colours !
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Very clever you are Dave to flower a frangipani in Invercargill, even if it is in a conservatory. The Roscoea is probably right, it seems to have those wide flanges on the flower.
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Maggi, leaving the bramble is really not an option or I will have no garden at all in another year or so, but on the other hand, your suggestion is not silly. Last week, again on the box there was an item about a bag of ice which fell to earth from an areoplane and crashed through someone's roof, making a large hole before landing in the sitting room. It happened in Christchurch I think but the mad thing is that a PREVIOUS bag of ice had also fallen to earth and through a roof, also in Chruistchurch, just a couple of weeks before. Assuming the plane is all sealed up when at height, how the heck could they have got out of the plane in the first place?
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Hi Dave
Do you know if MAF will let Calostemma into NZ? Maybe Lesley can bring you back some seeds? I find that Calostemma like similar conditions to nerines, but can take a bit more frost. They germinate quickly the way amaryllis belladonna seeds do, often while still attached to the seed-head. I have flowered one in 24 months from fresh seed but usually they take around 3years, I think.
I have one plant of the yellow form but it hasn't flowered this year and last year set seed but they didn't germinate! I think they come from further north and may need frost free conditions to sprout. Hopefully it'll flower again this year and I can try again!
cheers
fermi
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Yes Fermi, Calostemma purpurea is on the permitted list, actually as purpureum, so if you have a few seeds ready in April, I'd be delighted to bring them for Dave.
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In 2005 I was sent some Australian seed of both Nerine pumilus and N. humile. I didn't get them sown for a few weeks and when I went to do it, found they had sprouted in their paper bags and made tiny bulbs already. Quickly sown with their little leaves upright and sticking out of the compost they've made nice little bulbs and I reckon the delayed sowing has probably saved me a year. I wonder if this technique will work with Calostemma? It certainly does with larger, hybrid nerines.
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Is nothing happening down here? Last post was a week ago.
Poor David N is hanging out for his blackberry pie and I finally got it made, the fruit getting a bit smaller and less succulent over the last week or so, with rain needed. We had a little a couple of days ago, but now it's as dry as ever.
So here it is David, hope you enjoy it. It's nicest with a good dollop of cream of course.
I had to give serious thought about how to crimp the edge, and called to mind Albert Steptoe and his very attractive edging made with his own false teeth but in the end, I went for my mother's method of pulling up the edge with the handle of a dessert spoon, between the 1st and 2nd, then 2nd and 3rd fingers. Hands carefully washed of course.
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Here is another pic of the putative Sorbus koehneana whose fruit are finally going a good white and still haven't fallen off. I'm surprised that the birds are showing no interest, nor in S. reducta so far. Most unusual.
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A couple more in flower at present. The Asiatic gentians are well under way but coming out rather patchily and not making good photos. In particular, Gentiana depressa is disappointing after the one the year before last. It's a really good mat now (was shifted before flowering last year so I didn't expect much then) but has only about 60 flowers/buds and opening just a few at a time.
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some good seedlings are first a pure white, then a very pale delicately washed blue and than a deeper but still soft blue
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Astilbe simplicifolia is lovely in late summer, with pretty, lace-like flowers and glossy foliage in a reddish bronze shade.
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Like several others, Rhododendron hanceanum nanum is doing an autumn flowering and using up most of its developing buds so there will be few in the spring
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An finally Cyananthus microphyllus, like the gentians is opening just one or two at a time, instead of being its usual blue plate-like mat.
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Beautiful Gentians Lesley, what a heavenly blue !!!!
By the way - has anybody heard from Paul Tyerman lately - it's been ages since we last heard from him ???
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Lovely pie and plants, Lesley.
I've been missing Paul T., too. I expect he is poorly at the minute, hope he is soon feeling better and back with us.
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Leslie, Dave & Fermi,
Great displays from down under, good show.
Paddy
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Nice to see your Gentiana depressa Lesley, mine is looking rather sorry for itself and is only third the size. I hope it will rally.
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Lesley, that was one great pie. I need a re-post of that every week please!
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Lesley, that was one great pie.
Good grief, he's scoffed the lot! >:(
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Re Paul, I've heard nothing for months. He sent a private email pre Christmas if I remember rightly, just to say "Hi." He didn't mention his health at all at that time, but back in October when Tim was here, he mentioned that Paul was or had been working for someone and was pretty busy. I'll see what I can find out.
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Hi everyone,
been a bit busy elsewhere but have cadged a few minutes to send a few pics.
First the lovely pink-with-blue-tips Lycoris sprengeri; not much stem development on some for some reason - probably too dry!
Then a couple of Aussies, the Fissure Bottle-wort ! with its insignificant flowers but distinctive disc-like fruits.
Lastly the new foliage of Banksia blechnifolia doing its best to impersonate a creeping fern!
cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
That Lycoris looks delicious.
Paddy
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I agree with Paddy here Fermi - the Lycoris is a beauty !
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Me too. I've tried Banksia but they all seem to "damp off". Do you get seed off your Gentiana depressa Lesley? I'd like to try it.
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Anthony, I remember from the year before last that you were interested in seed but so far, there hasn't been any. I look very carefully for it, but nothing. All the "regular" Asiatics set masses except the pure white. G depressa is very easy from cuttings. Would you like me to send some? Now could be a good time from non flowering rosettes. I do cuttings in my spring so maybe they'd be OK going into yours?
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That would be excellent Lesley, cuttings root well in sunny D. Is it a lime lover or hater?
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I'm very busy the next few days Anthony so will send some off on March 19th. A couple of small packages to send out that day. I don't really know whether lime or not but mine does very well with gentians of the general "sino-ornata" type, so probably not. It has a well drained, gritty, humusy compost along with most other "cool" things I grow.
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Maggi, I haven't heard from Paul Tyerman for ages but after your post above, I had an email from a North Island contact who lurks here. He heard from Paul around a week ago and says Paul takes part frequently in an Australian Yahoo bulbs group, so presumably all is reasonably well with him.
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Here are a couple of the first Sternbergia sicula to flower in the rock garden. They usually don't start till April, but this area had received some water recently.
They were grown from seed many years ago received from Rannweig Wallis as "Sternbergia sicula ex Crete".
cheers
fermi
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These look very nice Fermi. Does it set seed for you?
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Hi Lesley,
I haven't found any yet, but maybe this year; is it on MAF?
cheers
fermi
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Yes, begosh, it IS. But it wasn't around Christmas time, only lutea so someone must be updating from time to time.
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Well, Lesley, the bees were certainly enjoying themselves in the Sternbergia flowers yesterday so there maybe some seed in the spring or whenever they ripen!
Here are a few more "autumn bulbs":
Lycoris (x) elsae in bud, then the first flowers opening in the morning and fully open that afternoon, then more in the clump the next day giving a good display.
This is reputed to be a hybrid of a couple of Chinese species and is lovely in full bloom but sadly not a long display.
cheers
fermi
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Well! I'm now a full member so I'd better post something more!
In the third pic above, in the background can be seen another Lycoris, L.radiata, here's a close-up pic taken with the flash the night before and another in the morning.
The Lycoris are of course Asian counterparts of the South African nerines, this is a poor pic of an undernourished N. fothergilla major which hardly deserves the name, but it's had a hard life outdoors!
Lastly a development on the pic of Cyclamen graecum posted awhile back as it's decided to produce more than one flower at a time and also some foliage!
cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
These are outstanding. However, L. radiata has my preference over L. elsae.
L. elsae is one of those in between colours that does not appeal to me. Let it be one or the other but not this lukewarm mixture. L. radiata, on the other hand, is quite clear in what it is, a good vibrant colour.
All excellent plants - I am simply expressing a preference.
Paddy
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Paddy,
we'll have to agree to disagree on the lycoris as L.x elsae remains my favourite; however, I should add that they are all beaten into second place by the nerines which usually last much longer and come in a huge range of colours and shades, though none have the true blue found in the tips of L. sprengeri. Unfortunately for me the nerines don't seem to be as hardy here as the lycoris for some reason! I can grow the lycoris in the open garden without frost protection but the nerines' foliage suffers badly and the flowers are affected.
Dave T,
the Calostemma has set some seed so if I can get them to Lesley before they germinate she may be able to bring them safely through MAF restrictions for you.
cheers
fermi
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Great Fermi --Thanks for remembering.I'll contact you privately as i don't want to take the risk associated with any delays.
Cheers Dave.
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Fermi,
Of course we will all have our preferences. To me the Lycoris look fabulous, though I recognise they are very close in appearance to the nerines. As regards the nerines, when I lifted and spread out some clumps in the garden it was a case of bucketfulls of bulbs, such that I could not put them all back in again even though I spread them out quite a bit. They multiply with great vigour here and form very dense and congested clumps after a few years. It is a good few years before they need to be lifted and divided, so they are not too much bother.
Paddy
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Fermi,
I've been looking for seeds for lycoris. Does the Lycoris elsae you grow produce seed and if they do would you be in a position to share me a few if you don't plan on using them yourself?
You can contact me privately and I can provide you with my mailing address.
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The rain we got last week has brought out more of the rain-lilies!
First, 2 views of a Zepheranthes I raised from seed as Z. fosteri, then 2 of a honey-bee attacking Zeph. (Cooperia) smallii.
Another pic of Z. rosea which I also posted last year. And finally 2 pics of Z. "Ajax" which has flowered for the first time in 7 years! Must've just been the right conditions for it as there are a few more to come.
cheers
fermi
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The rain has also prompted more Sternbergia and here are S. lutea and S. sicula for a comparison. The first of the S. sicula is a particularly fine-petalled form but from the same batch of seed as the ones I posted a week ago.
cheers
fermi
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To complete the hat-trick, a Merendera montana (?now Colchicum montanum) and Acis autumnalis (was Leucojum autumnale); as it's no longer a leucojum can it still qualify as a leucojock?????YES! Ian
Last is a poor flower on what I have as Colchicum "Atropurpureum": any comments? If not that, what is it?
cheers
fermi
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You'd have to call it a Leuco-aussie Fermi, or perhaps Leukozzie.
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I'm still hoping for flowers on Leucojum roseum (Acis rosea) this year.
cheers
fermi
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I saw C atropurpureum at RBG Edinburgh last year. Fantastic DARK pink, almost purple. Your plant looks about the same size and shape but not the same colour :(
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I remarked to Thomas recently that i had very few Crocus species and lo and behold this is what i found this week in one of the many troughs i was gifted from up country awhile back --i'm sure not all flowered last autumn so it appears some bulbs took a couple of seasons to adjust to the shift to a moist cooler climate..
Crocus banaticus --lilac ,white and in between
Crocus ??.
Finally--Another Colchicum to accompany Fermes one of a few days ago--
Colchicum autumnale alboplenum
Cheers Dave.
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Great pics Dave and everyone else. The COlchicum atropurpureum looks right for what I have as that. Maybe we here in Aus have a lighter colour form? It always comes down to what was imported or grown from seed here.... so may not be the same as the "normal" for the northern hemisphere.
Love the double white Colchicum.... I had it and Waterlily briefly before they both died. No idea why they did it but it was a dark day when I found their pots empty!! <sigh> Almost all my Colchicums have finished now... just C. speciosum album still in flower and lookign stunning. Also flowering are lots of different Cyclamen, Lycoris radiata (rarely ever flowers for me either in pots or the garden), Nerine species (angulata, masoniorum, humilis, rosea) and a few hybrids, a pink Rhodophiala, Habranthus estensis (a favourite Habranthus of mine), Sternbergia lutea (which apparently may actually be S. sicula, sold in Aus as lutea?), Dahlias, Cannas, Tricyrtis of various colours and types and a few other bits and pieces. All in all a rather nice little selection about the garden although not majorly colourful due to still being in severe drought despite some small rains which have left the paddocks around here bright green. We're definitely in what is called a "green drought" here in Canberra.
I too have very few Crocus as yet..... just one little pulchellus out so far. Having checked a few pots I am thinking that many will not flower but rather have split into smaller corms instead of maturing into flowering size. Most likely a response to our spring heat and drought at that time. <sigh> Hopefully the rest of them are still in there though..... I've only checked a few pots of the early things like pulchellus, banaticus etc. I don't expect any flowers at all from banaticus which is a real shame. They're a favourite of mine. my friend Lyn here in Canberra has already had her banaticus flower and finish.... despite being in the same city we can be weeks apart in our flowering of things. She has a much more protected garden than mine.
Nice to be back up here. Sorry for the long absence.
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Welcome back Paul, yes, it's been a long time and we've missed you. Hope you are well?
Your C. banaticus are lovely Dave, especially the top dark one. I have the first of my whites out today, in a patch where next door's cat had a dig recently so they're a bit scattered. Also a couple of pulchellus and kotschyanus. Your unknowns above are speciosus.
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Fermi, my Acis roseum are finished now. Just a last couple of flowers at present. I meant to take a pic but didn't get round to it. Trying to get a hundred jobs finished before my holiday.
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Lesley,
Thanks for the welcome back. Not too bad health-wise at the moment thankfully.
Fermi,
My Leucojum roseum are pretty much finished now, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything in regards to yours! LOL
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Three pics of single blooms out now. The crocuses and colchicums haven't really got going yet which means they're quite late. Or dead! One crocus however, is C. mathewii, an import from Tasmania a year ago. I thought it is a spring flowering species? This has a very strong but not particularly pleasant scent.
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Then Gladiolus carmineus which seems to flower any time from April through to August. It was late winter last year, mid autumn this year. A mere 15 cms in height.
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and finally Gentiana acaulis. This particular plant flowers very palest blue in spring and pure white in autumn. No seed yet.
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There will now be a deathly silence from this neck of the woods for the better part of 2 weeks, as I spend time with super friends in Australia. First in the Dandenongs east of Melbourne then in Tasmania and then in the Blue Mountains of NSW. But I expect you will be positively inundated with pictures when I get home on the 20th April.
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Lesley, be safe, have a great trip and let's see all the pictures.
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Lesley,
Looking forward to an interesting post on your return. Enjoy the trip.
Paddy
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One specially for Paddy who just loves figures. The "crow flies" distance between Dunedin and Melbourne is 1400 miles or 2253 Km! ;D
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David,
I refuse to rise to the taunt! Haaaaaaaa
Paddy
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Lesley,
Gladiolus carmineus has just finished here as well. Still only a couple of Crocus pulchellus here as yet.... my friend Lyn here in Canberra already has had half a dozen species in flower. Some of them I know will flower for me this year as they do every year, but they aren't even up yet in MY garden despite being finished in hers. All in the same city. LOL I love the Crocus mathewii. I hope mine from Marcus does as well.
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I said there would be a deathly silence but you know me, I can't keep my mouth shut even for a couple of days. I am at Otto Fauser's house now and he has generously let me use his new computer, but Otto is looking over my shoulder as he is new to computing and to the Forum. He is a beginner but will learn quickly I'm sure.
We have a nice picture for you of the four Antipodean stooges, taken yesterday and you can see we were somewhat under the influence of a bottle of red. Perhaps this a record - four southern Forumists together at one time in the same place. At the top are Fermi de Sousa and Tim Orpin and below, yours truly Lesley and Otto himself.
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To your good health - the four of you !
Hope (and see) you have lots of fun !
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I suppose it would be impossible for any of us to guess what the four photographed above were talking about.
Lesley et alia, enjoy yourselves, lovely to hear from you.
Paddy
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Happy Hols, Lesley! Hope you can cope with her, Lads!
Otto! A very warm welcome to you, we look forward to sharing more good times with you. Since Lesley, Tim and Fermi mention you often, I think we already feel we know you. So good to have you join us!
Cheers!
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Hi again folks,
a bit of a break for the Easter Hols, but back to work and the computer today!
Here are a few pics:
first a hybrid rain-lily, Zepheranthes "Ajax"
and 2 of my first autumn crocus, C. pulchellus
A Colchicum lingulatum which couldn't wait to flower!
and finally a geranium relative which I got as G. marginatum but which I think is Monsonia emarginata, note the seed pod ripening to the right of the flower!
cheers
fermi
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Hi again,
as Lesley mentioned, she is staying with Otto, so we had lunch together on Monday then had a walk in his garden.
Here is a pic of his "garden gnome", Biarum davisii
and 2 of his lovely form of Crocus niveus with 8 petals!
and one whose name I've forgotten! but possibly C. caspius?
cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
The 10 petalled Crocus look great. They do give a different appearance don't they? Biarum davisii just won't flower for me..... that is actually the first shot I have seen from anyone in Aus who has flowered it. It multiplies bery well, but is definitely shy to flower for normal people (but hey, at least they're behaving properly for Otto! LOL). Then again, with the company they would be keeping in that garden then they would have to behave or they'd be upstaged by all the other wonderful things there!! <grin>
I have finally had some other Crocus flower for me now as well as the C. pulchellus...... C. serotinus ssp salzmanii opened a flower today in one place in the garden (main clump elsewhere in the garden is not in any evidence, even when scratched down 1cm below ground), and I notice that one of my clumps of Crocus goulimyi in the garden has buds up. Finally!!
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Lesley,
Nice to put some faces to names. Thanks!!!!!! That would have been an interesting room to be in.... imagine all the info I could have learnt, just from listening in to their gardening conversations!! <sigh>
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Hello Paul, nice to hear from you again, hope you are well. I'm still at Otto's house but on the way south to Hobart today.
Pleased you have a Weldenia now. Be nice to it. Plenty water while in growth and dryish in winter but not arid.
Take care, Lesley and Otto.
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Howdy All,
Here's some pics of what has been flowering in my garden in the last couple of weeks.....
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Arum pictum is the only Arum species to flower in autumn as its leaves emerge. This is NOT to be confused with Arum orientale 'Pictum' which is a cultivar of that species.
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Bessera elegans are like littel satellite dishes, with striking white markings on a strong orange background. Now if they just faced upwards instead of downwards it would be much easier to view and photograph them. ;)
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My Bougainvillea as mentioned in another thread to John F. Lovely strong colour for so many months. I am intending to send it up onto our garage roof (that is the garage wall behind it in the pic) which will be stunning from the road.
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Fuchsia 'The Pearl' (I think?) is a strong grower that has long arching branches with these small flowers hanging underneath.
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Habranthus estensis is one of my favourites of the genus. Comparatively big flowers for the genus, carried on scapes of up to 3 or 4 and looking like miniature Hippeastrums
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I grew from seed Hypoxis rooperi and have had it flower for the first time in the last week. This delighful little flower is maybe 2cm across, nestled right in the centre of the leaves. Very cute.
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Lycoris radiata flowers rarely for me. Stunning when it does. Such a strong colour in such a dainty flower.
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This is Salvia 'Black Knight' which is a bit over 6 foot tall and flowering like mad at the moment. The birds and the bees love it too.
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And lastly here is a pic of part of my garden. When the mongrel blackbirds haven't shifted the mulch around there are stepping stones running up the middle. At the moment there are the last of the Colchicums, mini Dahlias, Gazanias and Salvias in this area, soon to be joined by Nerines, Crocus, Hemerocallis (always an autumn flush of flowers on them) and a few other bits and pieces.
So there are a few bits and pieces from my garden. I hope you all enjoy them.
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Absolutely wonderful thread folks.
Great to see so many splendid images from such friendly folk.
Look after Lesley lads, she is a national treasure!
Welcome back Paul...the photos are breathtaking.
Greetings and salutations from East Lancashire.
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Here's a few from the garden but hopefully will post a selection from a weekend visit to a Nerine Nursery (tomorrow, if I have time!).
First a white Cyclamen graecum grown outdoors in full sun.
Next a Large flowered Colchicum: any suggestions to a name?
And can you spot something in the next frame?
Yes, it's Narcissus viridiflorus!
cheers
fermi
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Jings, Narcissus viridiflorus in the garden! If only. :( Crocus mathewi is an autumn flowerer Lesley. My three seed pods on C. michelsonii are still green, so I haven't forgotten. Shouldn't that be Arum italicum 'Pictum', Paul, and not A. orientale 'Pictum'?
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Cliff,
Thanks for the compliment, but "Breathtaking" is a tad overstating it! LOL Yes, it's nice to be back and taking part again.
Fermi,
Now I have to go and work out where I put my Narcissus viridiflora. No idea, so could already be flowering and wouldn't even know. I think I have one in a pot nad one in the garden, or something like that. Or did I just have one and put it into the garden? Hmmmmmm... ?? Now you've got me, not sure. Anyway, given how most things are running in the garden this year (Crocus etc in particular) it could still be a while off. Then again the autumn snowdrops are early so who knows! <sigh>
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Enjoyed your plants, and seeing part of your garden too Paul. That Fuchsia is particularly nice.
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Thanks Anne. Glad you are enjoying them. I think I have a pic of the whole Fuchsia if you're interested? The flowers are of a similar size to the normal "cigarette fuchsia" (common name here. I think it is F. magellanica?.... the red and purple one of the same shape as my pic) but it grows a bit more as a shrub rather than sending up the big water shoots from the base like magellanica (I do hope I have the right name for the one I am talking about). I love it, even if it can get a bit large! LOL
I've been buying various interesting ferns in the last few months which I must post some pics of at times. A number of them I have no idea of names of, but they're different to anything I have seen before. I also now have 3 different Asplenium scolopendrium after seeing the variety of them in another thread here in the SRGC. So VERY nice!! I can feel yet another addiction coming on. ;D I must check and see whether sporangia are maturing on the variegated Adiantum for you too... last time I checked they were still green.
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AAAH! Ferns ;D - now is the best time when all the croziers are unfurling, so much variety in the way they uncurl. Hope they don't get nobbled by frost.
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Not much chance of frost yet where you are, eh Paul?
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We visited a nursery on the weekend I've posted a few nerine pics from there at http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=249.30
Here's a sample.
cheers
fermi
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Anthony,
We have historically had them this early, although not for a few years now (thankfully!! <Whew!>). Usually at least the second half of may, but often now not until June. It wasn't that long ago that I used to think of the end of April as being the danger period start, but now I'd be saying second week of May I start getting paranoid! LOL The tree dahlias are starting to produce their buds now I notice, so that means that they won't be too long. 10 years ago it was always the case that the tree dahlias opened their first couple of flowers then BAM they were toasted black (we used to say it was within a week of the first flower opening, and we were generally right). The last few years they have got into full flower before they get hit though.
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Back on deck again, having arrived home this morning after a midnight flight into Christchurch. I need some sleep but Australia and NZ square off in a pre-semi-final world cup cricket match tonight, starting 1.30am here.
Pics will come later and probably in several new threads as there were quite distinct and different parts to my holiday from home gardens and nurseries to botanic gardens and bush walks. I took around 500 pics but WON'T show them all :)
Places and plants were magnificent and beautiful but the people were just amazing. Warm, loving, generous and hospitable and I had a truly fabulous time, enjoying literally every minute. A million thanks to all my super Aussie friends.
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Lesley,
Looking forward to seeing the pics. Such a shame you weren't up this way, but unfortunately I couldn't afford to come down to Victoria to see you while you were here (if I had the cash I would have too..... would love to have met you in person).
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Forum traffic slowed down noticeably in your absence Lesley. It was absolutely wonderful having you over and I am very glad that you enjoyed yourself. The time went too fast. I agree that you might need to start a new thread. I will be interested to see how your Aussie photos look on the SRGC site.
Paul, you are always welcome to stay at my place should you venture down to Melbourne.
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Tim,
There is a dangerous offer!!!!!! You might get me for a month though!! I reckon it'd take me that long to see everything I want to down there!! LOL
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We are all waiting happily to see Lesley's Aussie pix when she recovers from the cricket ! It is good to have you back, Lesley . Wonderful that you had such a great trip to see your chums.... next time we should all go!........ Must start buying a lottery ticket again! ::)
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Lesley,
Delighted to hear you have such an enjoyable trip. We regularly read from our southern hemisphere correspondents that you wish you had such and such a plant available to you but, you know, I reckon we would all love to take a trip way down south to see all the fabulous plants you have. It's a case of the far off hills being greener, I think.
Good to have you back and looking forward to EACH AND EVERY ONE of the 500 photographs.
Paddy
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A small note here for Otto who is at this very moment, trying to post some pics, with the help of a very computer literate but non Forumized friend.
Mike and Otto, I should have mentioned that when you downsize the images you want and save them with another name, save them as jpeg files. You may remember Otto that when I was at your house and we downsized some crocus pics, they were as some other kind of file and we couldn't post them until we had resaved them as jpegs. Good luck.
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Hello Otto and Hi, Mike! Hang in there, it'll work out eventually and we're are looking forward to the rsults.
Best Wishes from Aberdeen!
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As for the cricket Maggi, I wish we'd had nothing to do with that particular game and I don't expect to recover from it, the worst one day international defeat that we had ever suffered. Still in the semis but a bad pyschological blow.
I've had a quick look at my Australian pictures and some are over exposed, I think due to the different light quality there. Most are usable and those that aren't at least will be good memories for me. I'm going to start with a few here then go on to some new threads for specific venues and gardens.
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Talking of Aberdeen Maggi, I was told a story (and saw half the results) about an Aberdeen foundry which was commissioned to make two large and ornate statues/fountains, one for Launceston in Tasmania and the other for Buenos Aires in Argentina. The two were made and shipped off but to the wrong places so that Launceston has this huge edifice in a public garden, topped off with a very ornate pineapple. Apparently the Argentinians have Tasmania's version with heaven knows what on top. Kangaroos maybe?
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Aberdeen has been the home of some very accomplished Founders, Lesley but it has always been tricky to get a parcel properly sent, of whatever size!
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Here's a first small batch to set the mood. Taken on the road into the Cranbourne Botanic Garden near Melbourne and more at this fascinating place will come later. Australia is full of all kinds of wonderful wildlife. I saw many animals, birds and butterflies but almost nothing stayed still long enough to photograph. The snake below is the only one I saw.
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Just to set your mind at rest Maggi, the snake in the bottom pic is a fake but has been known over a number of years, to scare the living daylights out of many people, especially in the almost dark, when I first met it. It's made of a rubbery material and is quite mobile when touched.
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Goodness me, I had no idea that koalas could go so fast.... 25 mph is really moving!
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I havent folowed through from the emails to this thread. Great to see gardens and plants down there
Fermi how hardy is your Monsonia? If it is could I beg some seeds?
Australia seems to have moved to take up residence in one of my troughs
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What is it Mark?
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Australia!
The plant? Erigeron chrysopsidis
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it too has put on huge growth since the end of May last year when this photo was taken
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NOW I get it - but Australia after a couple of tectonic plates have moved a bit. Sorry I was so dense.
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Mark,
you had me there; I thought it was an aberrant form of helichrysum!
Here is a pic I've been waiting 7 years to take!
Galanthus peshmenii grown from seed from Rannweig Wallis sown in 1999!
I think it did manage to flower a couple of years ago but I never saw it in bloom, just found the spent stem!
Note the improvised flower-holder-upperer fashioned from a dead conathera flower-stem!
cheers
fermi
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Mark,
sorry, I'm not sure how hardy the Monsonia is but it survives -7oC here.
I'll try to catch some seeds for you! Like most Geraniaceae they tend to be a bit quick out of the gates!
Lesley,
we're waiting for those pics!
Glad you enjoyed your time over here on the west island!
cheers
fermi
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Fermi I'm sort of waiting too in that I'm trying to work out an organized way to do them. I'll probably start with the latest and work backwards, perhaps start tonight. I have a lot of Market stuff to do today (shouldn't be here) and I'm also suffering very badly from an appalling game of cricket through the early hours. Please someone, pat me on the back, let me cry on your shoulder, hold my hand and whisper in my ear that it will be all right dear.
And the autumn which I'd hoped to use for major garden works and seed sowing, has turned to drear, with just 1 good day since I came home, the rest rain, drizzle and cold, thick fog. Suitable for ANZAC day I suppose.
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Lesley,
what I would give for a bit of drear and rain! We've had a whole 5mm (rain, not drear) for April so far! Should get some on the weekend (when else!). At least you don't have to worry anymore about the blasted cricket!
Perhaps you could start a new thread for all your pics? "Lesley's Look at Lovely Localities"?
I've finally potted up the bulb seed from the overseas seedexes before heading off to Prague next week; I'll save the other sorts for when I get back at the end of May. I can't believe the time has arrived! I'm looking forward to the conference but also to meeting other forumists there!
cheers
fermi
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Right, I'll go with that then.
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Fill your boots Fermi! 8)
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For Anzac Day, the poignant song by Eric Bogle:
"The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"
When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of the rover.
From the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my Matilda all over.
Then in nineteen fifteen the country said, "Son,
It's time to stop rambling, there's work to be done."
And they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun,
And they marched me away to the war.
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As our ship pulled away from the quay,
And amidst all the cheers, flag-waving and tears
We sailed off to Gallipoli.
And how well I remember that terrible day,
How our blood stained the sand and the water.
And of how in that hell that they call Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.
Johnny Turk he was ready, he primed himself well,
He showered us with bullets, and he rained us with shell,
And in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell,
Nearly blew us right back to Australia.
But the band played Waltzing Matilda,
As we stopped to bury our slain.
We buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs,
Then we started all over again.
Now those that were left, well, we tried to survive
In that mad world of blood, death and fire.
And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive,
But around me, the corpses piled higher.
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head,
And when I woke up in me hospital bed
And saw what it had done, well, I wished I was dead.
Never knew there was worse things than dying.
For I'll go no more Waltzing Matilda
All around the green bush far and free,
To hump tent and pegs, a man needs both legs,
No more Waltzing Matilda for me.
So they gathered the crippled, the wounded, the maimed,
And they shipped us back home to Australia.
The armless, the legless, the blind and insane,
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla.
And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay
I looked at the place where me legs used to be,
And thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me,
To grieve and to mourn and to pity.
But the band played Waltzing Matilda
As they carried us down the gangway.
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared,
Then they turned all their faces away.
And so now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me.
And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march,
Reviving old dreams of past glory.
And the old men marched slowly, all bones stiff and sore,
They're tired old heroes from a forgotten war,
And the young people ask,"What are they marching for?",
And I ask meself the same question.
But the band plays Waltzing Matilda,
And the old men still answer the call.
But as year follows year, more old men disappear,
Someday no one will march there at all.
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me ?
And their ghosts may be heard as they march by the billabong,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me ?
A fine song, showing the futility of conflict, I am pleased that we can come together from aroundthe world in friendship in this forum.
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Hear hear :)
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I heard this very song on the radio today Maggi. Poignant indeed! But in our TV news and after all the items about ANZAC Day commemorations, dawn services etc throughout NZ and Australia and at Gallipoli itself, there was an item about and interviews with, several Turkish men who continue a tradition of tending the graves and gardening at the cemetries of the ANZAC soldiers. They do what their fathers and grandfathers did from the earliest days. It was quite moving and these Turkish men quite obviously have a bond with the dead soldiers and the many family members who visit each year from this part of the world.
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I expect that there are days like this of remembrance for the Turks, and their lost generation.
Something we might all remember, eh?