April 2008 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Lesley,
I think Oxalis palmifrons must flower before the foliage so once you see foliage, forget flowers! I'll check the O. kaajvoegensis for seed!
Another Nerine to flower is a bright pink one I got from Peter Genat last year.

Here are the last flowers on the white Cyclamen graecum.

Here's the last colchicum, I'm not sure what sort? Maybe a C. speciosum?



And lastly some seed on Paeonia mascula ssp russii.

cheers
fermi

[Joakim B]

Nice flowers from down under.
Fermi the lovely reed of the "flesh" of the seed caps is great.
I have a hard time liking oxalis but You make it easier with this lovely ones. 
I hate the yellow weed that is almost everywhere in Portugal
Thanks to all who posts pics here 
I also like that You show us so lovely South African/South American as well as Your own native things that we should look out for and try to get here in the south of Europe that has similar climate?!.

Kind regards
Joakim

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

Is there enough interest in Australian native plants for me to post here (or perhaps start a separate topic would be better?) pics of some of the stuff I see in flower in the Australian National Botanic Gardens where I am working at the moment?  There are lots of things in flower at the moment that I've never seen before including assorted unusual species of Grevillea, Hakea etc and numerous other things in genus I've never even heard of before in many cases.  Not sure if this would be of interest or not, which is why I ask.

[Maggi Young]

Paul, I  think a new thread forAustralian Native Plants would be a great idea! Thanks for suggesting it....so, over toy you... 

[ashley]

Great idea Paul.

[David Nicholson]

I agree too. Maybe I don't always say but I love to see pictures of what you in the upside down world grow!

[Paul T]

Coolo.  I'll carry a camera around with me one day and photograph some bits and pieces.  Since working there I haven't actually had a chance to wander around, so best to take the camera with me while working to take a few snaps.  Theres a particular Grevillea and a Hakea that are what made me think of it..... keep meaning to photograph both of them.   

[Lesley Cox]

In a friend's garden a couple of days ago, I took these two. Luzula crenulata is the most perfect bun you can imagine. The flowers aren't up to much - I think it's a sedgey kind of thing - but the roundness of the cushion is immaculate.


Our native Gunnera prorepens is a great groundcover, weed suppressing and vigorous where it's damp. The bonus is these amazing red "candles," which are the seeds. The white thing is a chair leg which I couldn't avoid or move.


I only dropped in for a quick cuppa but after 3 hours came away with bags of plants including many I'd lost in recent years and haven't seen in any nurseries. They included Aphyllanthes monspeliensis, Potentilla verna nana, Teucrium polium, Origanum microphyllum, the gunnera and another hybrid one and G. hamiltonii, so I had a wonderful morning with a hugely generous friend.

[fermi de Sousa]

Paul,
great idea to show more Aussie native Plants!

Lesley,
great pic of that Luzula! Now that you mention Aphyllanthes, how do you grow it? I have a couple of seedlings which I'm concerned about as they will soon outgrow the seedpot! Should I split them up or just pot on into a bigger pot without disturbing the roots? I know you've mentioned growing this before so I hope you have some hints!
cheers
fermi

[Lvandelft]

What a wonderful Gunnera, Lesley.
G. prorepens never seen here.

[Anthony Darby]

Luzula sylvatica (Woodrush) grows in our woods locally, but that is a lovely plant. Is is easy to grow? Do you have any cuttings Lesley?

[Paddy Tobin]

Lesley,

Fabulous gunnera. The nearest to it growing here is Gunnera magellanica which, unfortunately, doesn't have such bright red flowers. On the west coast of Ireland Gunnera manicata (Sp?) has become an invasive weed. An impressive plant but certainly unwelcome in great number.

What are the dimensions of G. prorepens?

Paddy

[Lesley Cox]

Both these plants belong to my friend but I'm sure she'd be happy to supply seed and a few cuttings if anyone is interested. I have the gunnera here as well (from her) and could send some. The dimensions of this particular plant Paddy are (approx) 3cms high (10 in flower/seed) by more than a metre diameter, and putting out runners in all directions. Joan had put fresh woodchips on her paths and it was positively rushing into those. But her garden is very shady and damp all year round. It would be less rampant in a dryer place.

I used to have G. magellanica but it seems lost to everyone now. I've been trying to replace it for several years, with no luck. G. manicata is becoming a problem here too and is on DOC's hit list.

Fermi, when I had the Aphyllanthes growing (it got swamped by grass and I lost it altogether in the grass clumps) it was happy in full sun, ordinarily well drained and grew and flowered very well. It's entirely hardy and I don't think I'd put it in a pot. Some say it's difficult to propagate and I never had any seed but I did dig the clump every 3 years and pulled about half of it into quite small pieces to pot for the nursery. I don't think I ever lost a single one, so it may be a matter of timimg, to be successful. But, of course, I don't remember WHEN I did that, what time of year and it probably wouldn't have been at the same time every time. If I were you I'd certainly put one into the open garden. It should enjoy your conditions.

A silly story here: Several years ago there was a very well known English woman in NZ doing a round of public lectures. She was extremely boring, not speaking about the plants she showed, just putting up the slide and saying the name, nothing about where, how, or anything else about it at all. The one exception was Aphyllanthes monspeliensis. She showed a picture she had taken in Spain I think, of it growing in the wild, and she said that here was a very rare plant no-one in NZ would have ever seen before. Two sister-in-law in the audiense immediately leapt to their feet and said very loudly that yes, they did know it and in fact they had each bought a plant of it that very morning from my nursery, which they had.