Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: Lauren on August 23, 2008, 09:34:10 AM
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I thought the other thread was getting a bit long (nine pages!) so I thought I'd start a new thread for the last of the winter flowers before spring arrives.
Firstly, blooming for the very first time for me, is my Tecophilaea cyanocrocus! How exciting!! Such a stunning flower and I've never seen one in person.
The second photo is a Crocus that Paul Tyerman sent to me several months ago. Unfortunately the texta I used on the plant labels have completely faded :( So if anyone (Paul?) can tell me which one this is I would be very grateful!!
Lastly I thought I might show you a view of my main garden bed from this afternoon. Some of you may remember I am new to the house (a year next month!) and this first winter here was spent planting all my poor potbound perennials that haven't grown in open soil for nigh on 7 years. It looks a bit empty at the moment, but once everything comes into leaf & the perennials emerge I think it'll look okay. My delphiniums have already started growing, they are on either side of the Daffodils. Also planted along the right hand sign is a japanese maple, Liliums, Euphorbias, Gladiolas, Tulips, and a couple of small leafed Rhododendrons. Over in the corner it's a bit shady so I've put my Dicentras & Epimediums there, as well as my Rhodo "Fragrantissimum" and R. nuttalii, which also has flower buds for the first time. Moving over to the left of the photo I've got more Delphiniums there, 2 Roses, Irises, Peony, Dahlia, and Campanula glomerata. There's a small apple tree over there aswell. You can't see them in the photo but further to the left there is 2 raised vegetable gardens which we had to bring in soil to fill them. The soil in the garden wasn't good when we first moved in, very clay-ey and compacted. We spread a load of sandy topsoil on it after my dad cut out the lawn, and then my sister & I went to a friend's farm for an afternoon and collected a uteload of cow manure!! I turned the soil over with my fork at every opportunity, and it has helped the soil immensely and am now seeing earthworms in it for the first time. It has gone to needing a pickaxe to plant my tulips in the Autumn, to being so soft & aerated that if I walk on it (which I try not to do) my foot sinks into the earth! Much easier to plant my shrubs in now. Oh I forgot about my blueberry bushes that I planted in the beds today too :-) Apparently they have good autumn colour.
Thanks for reading :-)
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Lauren,
Crocus corsicus!! Congrats on the Tecophilaea. Brilliant!!
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Thanks Paul!! I will have to get a better texta. I put it in the sun today to make it open up a little. It only had 5 petals but I guess that was because the bulb is young still. So is it a spring flowering species technically? The Tecophilaea I grew from seed, from ebay of all places, I was very skeptical as to the authenticity of the seeds but my patience has paid off!
Cheers,
Lauren
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Lauren,
Winter/spring flowering. They're finished here. Those were fairly small bulbs, and fairly late in the season if I recall, so not much in the way of flowering isn't a surprise. The others were Crocus imperatii ssp suavoleons from memory (just for your reference). Growing the Tecs from seed is even more impressive. Were they mixed from different colours, or all supposed to be the same? I lost my var leichtlinii last year (it has the white throat) and was mortified, but the other varieties are still OK, with T. violiflora growing really well but never flowering for me. Congratulation again.
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Lauren,
I forgot to mention re marking labels..... always write on the bottom of the label as well as the top. That way if the top fades in the sun the bottom will still be fine. Worthwhile investing in a 2B pencil as well, and write on the label with that too. I tend to use pen and pencil on the label, so it doubles the chance of at least one of them not fading or rubbing off, and I always right at the bottom of the label too, so if it fades at the top or the label snaps off it is still readable at the bottom.
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Paul ,
I potted up a few Tecophilaea c. var. leichtlinii for you to take home , when you are down here in Olinda. As for the other species in the genus :T.violiflora , I grew it for about 15 years ,and as it never flowered ,it ended up in the rubbish bin!
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Thanks Otto. I think I'll have to make sure I don't mention anything else I'm missing until I get back from visiting you. You'll end up with nothing left in your garden by the time I leave. I do appreciate it, but I'm feeling a bit guilty.
Interesting that your violiflora never flowered.... not sure I actually know anyone who has ever had it flower, at least in Australia anyway. It's one of the reasons I didn't actually offer to give Lauren some of my non-flowered violiflora....... because it is a disappointment for that reason. :'(
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Lauren,
wunderful flowers of Tecophilaea and C. corsicus 8)
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Lauren,
looks like you'll have a great time filling all that space! A new garden is always exciting.
Here are a few pics taken yesterday in our garden;
The astoundingly beautiful Romulea hantamensis;
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This is the sole survivor of a potful I started with from Gordon Julian (in Tasmania) back in 2002! And no germination from any seed so far! Would smoke water help?
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Another Rod Barwick "hoop", Narcissus "Mitimoto",
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Back in the rock garden, Ipheion peregrinans"Rolf Fiedler" is showing a bit of variation
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This one seems a bit darker and 'true to type',
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cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
That Romulea is amazing. :o Never seen a colour combination like that before. I must admit that if you'd not provided the genus I would probably have been stumped. Romulea certainly isn't something that would have sprung to mind for me for that flower. Good luck with germinating more.... they are gloriously coloured!!!
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A beautiful Romulea Fermi.
I know now what's wrong with My Pictures that some aren't there when I go to upload them. Well no, I don't actually but the man down the road does and thinks he can fix it (maybe), so I'll take my hard drive in on Wednesday and he can have it for a few hours while I go down to Blue Mountain Nurseries to collect some Galanthus 'Emerald Hughes' which are being dug for me. Sad to say, Margaret Hughes died last week (her funeral was on Friday) but life - and nurseries - go on.
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Lesley, did you get my PM? Sent Friday, I think.
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Oh Golly David, yes I did but forgot all about it in frantic weekend. I'm emailing pics to Tim Orpin for my Aussie talk, market, other stuff and still trying to decide what to SAY for the talk. I'll get to it later today. so sorry.
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Oh Golly David, yes I did but forgot all about it in frantic weekend. I'm emailing pics to Tim Orpin for my Aussie talk, market, other stuff and still trying to decide what to SAY for the talk. I'll get to it later today. so sorry.
What, Lesley, trying to decide WHAT TO SAY-I don't believe it!! ;D
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David,
It is all about selecting which bits to say. I did a small talk at a garden club a couple of hours north or here last month, and it was trying to keep it down to the 40 minutes that was the problem. I warned them at the time that my friends would tell them that I could talk under water, so they were warned. As it happens I completed discussion of each of the 70 pictures and only ran about 2 minutes over. Pretty amazing for me!! :o So it really is trying to work out which bits to say and which bits not to, and I'm assuming the same would apply to Lesley. ;)
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Yes, I'm sure it's not easy, not a problem for me being the weak silent type! ;D
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Of course David, of course!! :-X
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David,
It is all about selecting which bits to say. I did a small talk at a garden club a couple of hours north or here last month, and it was trying to keep it down to the 40 minutes that was the problem. I warned them at the time that my friends would tell them that I could talk under water, so they were warned. As it happens I completed discussion of each of the 70 pictures and only ran about 2 minutes over. Pretty amazing for me!! :o So it really is trying to work out which bits to say and which bits not to, and I'm assuming the same would apply to Lesley. ;)
No, I've finished my notes now and I plan to go on a bit. What time do the pubs close in Aussie? :)
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Do they close at all in Aussie, I thought they were a very sophisticated nation? ;D
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A few things on the move here.
----A couple of Corydalis solida currently in bloom for the first time.
From seed of C. solida George Baker sown feb 06 x NARGS .I'm keen to have a go at pollinating this with a small paint brush as it is such a lovely red.
Then from seed of C solida mixed (no further info as label has faded--sigh!), a nice cream form with just the slightest tinge of lavender .
----Also first flowering of Iris unguicularis ssp cretensis sown july 04 x NZAGS ,although i wonder if that is correct ?.
Cheers dave.
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Your I. cretensis looks right Dave. More than mine did. It turned out to be I. sibirica! The red corydalis is splendid.
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Do they close at all in Aussie, I thought they were a very sophisticated nation? ;D
I thought I'd ramble on indefinitely David and stop people going for a drink after ;D As for being a sophisticated nation, pub-wise, they, like NZ have a real problem with teenage binge drinkers and believe me there's nothing sophisticated about THEM at all, at 4 in the morning, throwing up everywhere. In my opinion, pubs down under are open WAY too long!
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Dave,
That red Corydalis solida is stunning. I guess that means that all my seedlings have died out now, if I don't have them obviously growing? Is this the time that C. solida should be well up and growing then? No signs of Corydalis amongst my seed pots, so looks like they're gone. Must search out which pot they "should" have been in to check. Such a shame.
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Great Corydalis Dave !!
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Thanks Luc, Paul and Lesley.
Paul -- although all of my C.solida are up ,not all are in full flower yet.The mixed patch ,(where i located the cream one), has a few plants of different colours yet to fully open.It will be interesting to see what eventuates .
C. solida seem to enjoy our cool moist woodland garden.While easy to grow, i understand drying out at certain stages of their growth can be fatal.
C. paczoskii has flowered and is in seed.
Cheers dave.
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Don't give up quite yet Paul. My C. solida seedlings are still coming through. The seed (from the UK and Sweden) took 11 months to germinate from VERY fresh seed.
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Dave,
your Corydalis solida seedlings are a stunning colour ,they have more orange in the red , than my C. s. 'George Baker', which I imported from England many years ago , mine should be in flower next week , strange that the southern tip of N.Z. is ahead of Australia in flowering. Your Iris u. ssp. cretensis looks identical to mine.
Angie Orpin told me today that the seeds you sent are beeing held by our Quarantine ,Tim will speak to them tomorrow from California.
Lesley , when you come over next week , do not despair , you will be amongst civilized,cultured Australians !
Ciao Otto.
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Thanks Otto
We reached 17c here today and i'm pleased to see so far that the colour of the red has not faded.
If the seeds i sent are not released eventually, let me know and i'll see what i can do to send another batch.
Best wishes to all you folk in Aussie for a wonderful conference.
Cheers Dave.
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Lesley,
The C. solida seedlings grew well last year, so it isn't them germinating that I am waiting for. I know they're one of the pots in the shadehouse, but short of going through them one by one I doubt I will find them unless they shoot (as they'll be different to everything else then). here's hoping they're still to return.
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Dave,
lovely red corydalis!
Here are a few things from our garden over the weekend,
the first flower on Cyclamen libanoticum,
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And the first flowering on a scilla raised from seed as S. ingridae,
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Can anyone verify this?
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And more daffs, of course! This "Little Tyke" looks all tuckered out!
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And this clump of "Tracey" has done well over the last few years.
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And a "new" Reticulata Iris for me is "Pixie"
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cheers
fermi
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Fermi
The Scilla is very nice - how long did it take to flower?
Pixie is a reticulate Iris I have added to the garden this year.
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I don't know 'Pixie.' It looks very close to 'Harmony.'
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Glad to see you posting again Lesley - this must mean you have finished your preparations and you are relaxing. Good on you - with me it is generally the night before, and I kid myself I work better under pressure.
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Far from finished Arthur but had to come up for air for a while. Last time I went to Oz my suitcase was packed a week before but this time I still have to buy some decent clothes so as not to disgrace myself. I live in rags around the garden. I'll be packing 10 mins before I leave for the airport.
But a glorious, sunny day today. No wind and 18 degC at present (mid morning). Amazing how one's spirits are lifted after a month of rain. David, you should try it some time. ;D
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The Scilla is very nice - how long did it take to flower?
Hi Arthur,
It came from the 2005 SRGC Seedex and was sown on 19 June 2005.
Here's another first flowering, but not as what it was supposed to be (Lapeirousia oreogena!) but as a Romulea, but not an unattractive one.
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Which appears to be close to R. cruciata without the central markings, as seen here
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And has the same cruciform foliage when seen in cross-section:
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cheers
fermi
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This pot of Oxalis obtusa looked a bit odd
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And then I realised that O.flava has "infiltrated" the pot with its larger foliage!
Here's an un-infiltrated pot!
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In the Rock garden a clump of Ipheion sellowianum (now Nothoscordum....somethingortheother)
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And the clump of Babiana pygmaea is looking even brighter!
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cheers
fermi
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Lovely stuff Fermi, can our Spring be far away!
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Not exactly Spring out here... ::) but you sure give us the feeling Fermi ! Love the Ipheon or whatever it's called now !
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And the first flowering on a scilla raised from seed as S. ingridae,
Can anyone verify this?
cheers
fermi
Looks very similar to my version of same received from a reputable source ... now you need someone to consult a reference book for you to make sure!
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Thanks, Tony.
cheers
fermi
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I took these pictures about 3 weeks ago and did not get round to posting them at the time- as you can see at that time it was not yet spring!
The olive groves of Halfway Bush were still blanketed in snow.
Meanwhile Galanthus nivalis was coming into bloom on the Otago Peninsula
As was Rhododendron falconeri.
This particular Hellebore is a survivor. My grandmother grew it and it is still flourishing
Back up on the hill the sheep are clustered round a large old specimen of Griselinia littoralis
For all you Scots gorse blooming in profusion and a much more pretty shade of yellow Sophora microphylla
Finally a local, the silver tree fern Cyathea dealbata
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David
Thanks for some glimpses of Spring - my favourite time of the year.
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Tis the season for daffs in our garden!
Just two to start off!
Narcissus "Angel's Whisper" a Glenbrook Bulb Farm Triandrus Hybrid similar to the NZ Hawera which flowers a little later.
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And a clump of a small "jonquill" which I still think is N. wilkommii, though I stand to be corrected (actually I can't stand being corrected, so why pretend?)
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cheers
fermi
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Any reason why it can't be N. fernandesii - Blanchard says "usually solitary, horizontal, 30mm diameter "etc etc. whereas fernandesii "1-5, ascending, 28mm diameter" etc.
Do you have Blanchard's Narcissus A Guide to Wild Daffodils Fermi? Just a stab in the dark Fermi. I do love these little Narcissus species. I used to buy seed from Monocot Seeds - does his still have a seed catalogue?
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If it's fermandesii then it is different to what I have under that name. Much more of a flared cup on Fermi's I think, although I'll check that for sure on the weekend when I am home while it is light. Whatever it is I love it Fermi. Great form to it, and obviously SO healthy.
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I've been too busy with this *** talk lately for pictures (I have it under control now) but had to take one yesterday of Iris ret. 'Natascha' the closest commercial form, to a white.
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Then this morning, there was proof positive that winter hasn't lost its grip yet. This little series is of frost on Roger's 2 cars. (2 of Roger's cars :-X) The patterns are beautiful.
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I've been too busy with this *** talk lately for pictures (I have it under control now) but had to take one yesterday of Iris ret. 'Natascha' the closest commercial form, to a white.
Glad to hear that the talk's under control! ;D
"Natascha" is very desirable! :o
Here are more pics from the garden and indoors;
Some of the "true" Jonquills, Buffawn and Treviathan,
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A close up of the little jonquilla-type,
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And a South African bulb which I brought to work to be able to photograph when it opened in the daylight! Geissorhiza corrugata,
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cheers
fermi