January 2008 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Martin Baxendale]

Oh dear God, Rob! Don't tempt me to get back into raising lilies from seed! I've enough problems with all the snowdrop seedlings! 

[fermi de Sousa]

oops, I meant Dietes vegeta (syn iridioides),
cheers
fermi

[Paul T]

Some photos from today.  Been meaning to take more pics all week, but last week's heat frazzled me somewhat and I haven't been so bouncy.  Got out and took some pics today, and tomorrow hoping to get back to going through Crocus pots, and finding what I've done with the darn Cyrtanthus breviflorus.  Too many pots!!     I know where pretty much everything is, but that one is currently eluding me!!   

A couple of Agapanthus which are looking lovely right now.  BP is actually darker than PC, but it was in the sun so it appears paler.  Still a lovely flower.  The PC is pretty much spot on for colour.  Both of these have a lot of Agapanthus inapertus in their parentage as they have the mophead flowers rather than the big round head of the "praecox ssp orientalis" types.

Clerodendron ugandense shouldn't grow for me here, but it does in a protected place against the house in full sun.  I think it should be an autumn flowerer but for me it flowers whenever it feels like it when it isn't dormant in winter.  Glorious blue flowers.

This is a little Tradescantia relative called Commelina coelestris which has absolutely pure blue flowers.  Simply stunning!!  Did I mention I like blue flowers??    Seeds occasionally but isn't anything like it's more weedy Trad brethren.  I wouldn't be without it given a choice.  Flowers only last a single day, but you get them over long periods.

And lastly for this post..... Erica colorans 'White Delight' is a fantastic flowerer, which is probably one of the few flowers that are permanently in my garden.  Their main flowering is autumn/winter, but there is ALWAYS at least a few flowers on it, providing food for the honeyeaters.  I have put a second plant in last year (which is the one in the photograph) as I wanted more food for the birds year-around.  Despite space constraints I will likely put another in before too long, as having flowers permanently on it is just so worthwhile. 

[Paul T]

Here's a couple more pics.....

This is what I bought as Gladiolus primulinus hybrid.  Lovely markings and good grower, flowerer and multiplier unlike some Glads.

Grevillea bipinnatifida is the most glorious deep red, with deeply cut leaves that are decidedly non-grevillea looking.  I can photograph the leaves if anyone is interested.

And I thought y'all might like some more Liliums.....

The glorious Lilium henryi and Leslie Woodriffe, which is a favourite of mine.  Once LW settles in properly she'll be 8 feet tall or more, with a lot more flowers per stem than she has now (currently there's about a dozen).  Big, outward facing flowers in a great colour combination.  Too good for just one picture!!

I hope you all enjoy the pics. 

[ranunculus]

Beautiful images Paul.....yet again.

[Lvandelft]

Stunning Agapanthus Purple Cloud, Paul!
Does Black Pantha have black stems?

[mark smyth]

Nice surprise today Fermi! Thanks

[rob krejzl]

Oh dear God, Rob! Don't tempt me to get back into raising lilies from seed! I've enough problems with all the snowdrop seedlings! 

No, I can see that getting between a man and his snowdrops would be a foolish idea when the white fever hits....     ...after all you seem to need to be very close in order to tell the difference between them. At least I can tell the difference between my things without use of a hand lens.

[hadacekf]

Super pics and plants!

[Martin Baxendale]

Actually, Rob, that reminds me I have to repot some L. monadelphum seedlings in new compost before they start into growth, take some scales off some bulbs of the lovely pink L. longiflorum 'Elegant Lady' that I don't seem to be able to buy any more (if the vine weevils haven't eaten them yet) and check on some L. chalcedonicum scaled bulbils in the lean-too. Don't tell the snowdrops, but I do still mess around with the odd lily or two!    

[Paddy Tobin]

Paul,

Great selection of plants. It's been ages since I grew the Commelina, what a lovely blue indeed. I've never seen that Clerodendron previously; Clerodendron bungei is our more commonly grown one. The dark blue agapanthus are brilliant, a favourite plant. L. 'Leslie Woodriffe' is an outstanding colour but I have to opt for the Irish-connected L. henryi.

Actually, they're all great - I was getting long in the list here. Great photographs, Paul.

Paddy

[rob krejzl]

Martin,

I have to admit that I actually grow a few snowdrops.

[fermi de Sousa]

Paul,
you are well ahead of us with the Liliums! L. henryii is still away off and L. Black beauty ( a smaller version of LW) is still in bud.
In the Rock garden the Oreganoes are in full flower or at least in full bract!
Here's the very popular Origanum "Kent beauty"

Next is one I got from a friend in the hope that it's O. amanum, but it maybe the cv "Buckland"; any clues from other growers?




My partner, Will, asked me why some of our plants have "Use by"dates!

I explained that the bread-tags are a handy way of denoting flowers (in this case Habranthus "Russell Manning") that have been cross pollinated: the tags are wide enough to write details of the cross and less likely to be blown away than a paper tag!
cheers
fermi

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great stuff Paul !
I join Paddy in his praise for the Commelina : what a great bleu shade, terrific ! 
Thanks again for sharing !

[Lesley Cox]

Definitely O. amanum in the plant Fermi, as evidenced by the relatively large flowers but not the species itself which has small, bright green and non-hairy foliage. My 'Buckland' died so I can't compare.

Thanks for the note re bread bag tags. A genuine, recycle use which I'll go with from now on. Might also save them to write details and place in the bottom of seed pots since I seem always to have some where the original notes on the label have faded beyond telling.

A case in point is this below. If anyone can suggest an ID I'd be very pleased. The seed was sown in 2003 I think or perhaps 04 but has just germinated this past autumn/winter. I've looked right back though the records of all my seed sowings and the only thing it could possibly be is either Disporum cantonensis or a couple of Alstroemerias. But in each case I sowed only 4, 3 and 5 seeds respectively and I've potted up 12 of whatever these are. The seeds still attached to the seedlings looked like Lathyrus species but surely no pea would have taken up to 4 years to germinate and anyway, I've no record of having sown a pea except the ones I do each year, such as LL. laxiflorus and nervosa.