March 2025 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

March is "officially" the start of autumn in Australia. Despite the temperatures staying in the 30s (Celsius) these colchicums started into bloom on the 1st of the month!
cheers
fermi

[Robert]

Hi Fermi,

It is nice to see the blooming Colchicum in your garden.

Colchicum species work well for us too, here in hot, dry interior California. I enjoy the large, bold foliage of Colchicum macrophyllum and similar species with large foliage. These types are looking especially nice in our garden right now.



Our “dormant season” is during the summer – July and August for the most part. I am doing what I can bring more flowers into our ornamental garden without using common summertime bedding annuals; I use these elsewhere in the vegetable garden to attract beneficial insects and butterflies. This year I will trial new Symphyotrichum spathulatum accessions from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Eurybia integrifolia and Doellingeria breweri are two additional California native species that will likely provide mid-summer flowers with a good degree of drought and heat tolerance. If all goes well, I will trial these species next year.

Many plants are blooming in our garden now. I hope to post photographs soon. The California native annuals are looking especially nice right now.

[fermi de Sousa]

Our “dormant season” is during the summer – July and August for the most part. I am doing what I can bring more flowers into our ornamental garden without using common summertime bedding annuals....

Hi Robert,
You might've noticed that there was no "February 2025 in the Southern Hemisphere" thread because it is our main dormant season. Summer bedding annuals take too much water to keep them looking good, so we tend to avoid them. It's been a very hot and dry summer and it's extending into "autumn". Today it reached 37.7^oC and we're nearly at the equinox. There a cool change expected tomorrow with a bit of rain - I always say "I'll believe when I see it!" (I'm a curable optimist).
Two weeks ago I put the sprinkler on one of the beds and a week later Rhodophiala bifida burst into bloom. Today only one or two flowers are open.
Pics from last week:
1-3): a hybrid swarm between the blood-red form and the orangey-red form.
4-5): The dark-red or "Ox Blood" form which has overtaken the orangey-red one in "commerce" - no one really sells Rhodophiala in any huge number, it's only available from bulb specialists.
And don't tell me this is now a Zephyranthes - I think the taxonomists are getting drunk on power and I won't re-label these for at least 10 years because it could easily be shifted back!
cheers
fermi

[Leucogenes]

Hi Fermi

I share your opinion on the need for prestige of some taxonomists. It's very tiring when  moleculargenetics constantly gives rise to new classifications of names. Stand firm and use the old names... just like me.✊

Your Rhodophiala bifida are stunning. Thanks for showing them.

Best regards
Thomas ✌️

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Fermi

I share your opinion on the need for prestige of some taxonomists. It's very tiring when monocular genetics constantly gives rise to new classifications of names. Stand firm and use the old names... just like me.✊

Your Rhodophiala bifida are stunning. Thanks for showing them.

Best regards
Thomas ✌️

Thanks, Thomas,
I hope you are enjoying a beautiful start to spring in your part of the world.
The end of summer is when the Amaryllis belladonna and its hybrids come into bloom.
Here are a few in our garden
cheers
fermi

[Robert]

Hi Fermi,

It is nice to see your autumn bulbs coming into bloom. Spring is arriving here in our part of Northern California. The first of the Dipterostemon capitatus ssp. capitatus are coming into bloom now. Triteleia laxa is not far behind. Slow but steady progress is being made developing new and hopefully superior forms. This year I will be evaluating selections of Triteleia bridgesii and making appropriate crosses. I believe this species has great potential. It just requires some time and effort – something I enjoy doing. I will be posting Themidaceae photographs as the season progresses, as well as reporting on any new results and findings.

[MarcR]

Hi Fermi

I share your opinion on the need for prestige of some taxonomists. It's very tiring when  moleculargenetics constantly gives rise to new classifications of names. Stand firm and use the old names... just like me.✊

Your Rhodophiala bifida are stunning. Thanks for showing them.

Best regards
Thomas ✌️

Hi Robert,
You might've noticed that there was no "February 2025 in the Southern Hemisphere" thread because it is our main dormant season. Summer bedding annuals take too much water to keep them looking good, so we tend to avoid them. It's been a very hot and dry summer and it's extending into "autumn". Today it reached 37.7^oC and we're nearly at the equinox. There a cool change expected tomorrow with a bit of rain - I always say "I'll believe when I see it!" (I'm a curable optimist).
Two weeks ago I put the sprinkler on one of the beds and a week later Rhodophiala bifida burst into bloom. Today only one or two flowers are open.
Pics from last week:
1-3): a hybrid swarm between the blood-red form and the orangey-red form.
4-5): The dark-red or "Ox Blood" form which has overtaken the orangey-red one in "commerce" - no one really sells Rhodophiala in any huge number, it's only available from bulb specialists.
And don't tell me this is now a Zephyranthes - I think the taxonomists are getting drunk on power and I won't re-label these for at least 10 years because it could easily be shifted back!
cheers
fermi

fermi  & Leucogenes,

I share your opinion.  I have long believed that fhere should be 2 separate phylogenies: one for academia and one for horticulture.
The horticultural phylogeny should change only when academic changes are horticulturally useful.