October 2020 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

Spring continues apace here in southern Victoria.
Daffodils are finishing and tulips have reached their peak.
South African bulbs are also flourishing.
Here are a few:
Lapeirousia divaricata
Geissorhiza monathos
Moraea atropunctata

and Paeonia cambessedesii is in full bloom
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Tulipa hageri 'Splendens'
Geissorhiza monathos
Moraea aristata
Babiana cv - purple - probably a form of Babiana stricta
Ixia - yellow orange seedlings
cheers
fermi

[cohan]

Looking great, Fermi-- it's nearly always spring, somewhere It would be a nice way to travel around the world, following spring!

[fermi de Sousa]

Back in March I took 4 cuttings of Weldenia and potted them in perlite with a bit of coir peat. This week I unpotted them - 4 decent sets of tubers and 2 single roots now potted separately
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Great result, fermi!!  Well done!

[fermi de Sousa]

Thanks, Maggi.
I'm hoping to be able to pass some onto others of our group - if we are able to have our annual "Bunfight" - plant exchange - at the end of the year.
Here are a few things in flower this weekend:
Tritonia securigera
Iris xiphium
Ixia odorata
Silene davidii
Campanula wanneri
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Babiana spathacea - tends to flop over if not grown in full sun!
MBI 'Blue Flirt'
Tritonia crocata
Gladiolus meliusculus from NZAGS Seedex2008 - much paler than the one I had posted earlier
Geum 'Jess'
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Lachenalia mathewsii - thanks to Paul C & Colin E
Wachendorfii paniculata - the only flower to open - a bit damaged by frost but all the other buds aborted
Oenothera acaulis
Banksia blechnifolia
Viola stojanovii - a freebie which came up in a pot from Alan at our Plant Swap
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

Muscari pallens exJJA 0.690.550 from seed from Ashley
Saruma henryi - not hugely vigorous but at least it has returned after a torrid summer followed by a cold winter
Horminum pyrenaicum alboviolaceus - one of my "iso-purchases" from a Victorian nursery by mail-order
Cistus creticus - a gift from a friend who visited last year with the local MGS group
Narcissus 'Sun Dial' - a late daffodil
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

This year Puya chilensis has decided to send up 3 spikes!
cheers
fermi

[ArnoldT]

Fermi

That's amazing.

[David Lyttle]

Hi Fermi, I gather  from my daughter in Melbourne that Victoria is in the process of coming out of lockdown. She has been getting rather grumpy about it all.  I am interested in your Puyas as I have a batch of P. alpestris that I am not sure what to do with. They are more lethal than Aciphyllas which is saying something. Several years ago a  Puya berteroniana growing in the Botany Dept here in Dunedin flowered. It was quite a sight with deep blue almost iridescent flowers. I gather they are rather erratic in their flowering habits.

best wishes,

David

[fermi de Sousa]

Thanks, Arnold and David,
the Puya thrives on complete neglect and an occasional drink in summer (only because the neighbouring plants get watered).
The lockdown is slowly lifting but each time there is a relaxation an outbreak seems to occur. It's not a good time in Melbourne but the restrictions are less strenuous here in the country.
I would love to grow some of the blue flowered species and will get around to doing so one day!
cheers
fermi

[ashley]

A few years ago seed-grown Puya berteroniana flowered here too but then died of exhaustion.  A savage plant that I mistakenly planted near a path, but stunning & worth the wait.
I hope your magnificent P. chilensis survives Fermi.

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Ashley,
I don't think that Puya chilensis is monocarpic - this plant has flowered twice before but only a single stem the previous two times.
1) Linaria aeruginea
2) Gypsophila repens & Anthemis cretica
3) Gladiolus communis subsp. byzantinus
4) Banksia blechnifolia
5) a dwarf dianthus grown from cuttings from our friend Viv - but not labelled - any suggestions for what it could be?
cheers
fermi