Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: fermi de Sousa on April 01, 2016, 01:05:41 AM
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Today really feels like Autumn - the sun is out but is no longer searing, trees are wearing their "fall" colours, and "Autumn bulbs" are in bloom!
This is Nerine Ariel an old hybrid which I got from my mentor in rock gardening, Mrs Ruth Tindale, 30 years ago!
cheers
fermi
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Lovely RED Nerine Fermi, it's very autumnish here too but too dry unfortunately. We badly need some rain.
Androsace lanuginosa is flowering its head off in the crevice garden.
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For the bigger rock garden: Grevillea lanigera 'Mt Tamboritha form'
cheers
fermi
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My first peshmenii flower! Please excuse my over exuberance with the photography but I am very happy to see it flowering. :)
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Oxalis massoniana just popped it's first flower of the year.
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My first peshmenii flower!
Pea green with envy Jamus. Find a feather or a tiny brush and get busy. Some seeds will help you build a swarm of offspring for your rockgarden. Cheers Anita
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Narcissus viridiflorus now coming into bloom in the garden, growing through a protective mat of Teucrium subspinosum,
cheers
fermi
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Thanks Anita. It'd be amazing to have a clump. I'll do as you suggested and hopefully get seed set.
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Thanks Anita. It'd be amazing to have a clump. I'll do as you suggested and hopefully get seed set.
Jamus, I'm no authority on Galanthus biology, but tickling my G. reginae olgae with feathers has resulted in successful 'selfing' so there's a reasonable chance for seed set. I've now got three years worth of seedlings on the go as a result. Only a handful of plants but faster than waiting for the bulbs to multiply and less frightening than carrying out various surgeries to encourage accelerated bulb/corm production. A bit of messing around but so worth it to enjoy true snowdrops in our snowless climate!
My Galanthus are yet to show noses but I like Fermi I do have a couple of N viridiflorus, although my potted handful seem to be sulking this year after repotting in December. Only a flower or two from a dozen shoots. The good news is that there are a number of seedlings coming up in the pot which is great.
The best bulbs in the garden at the moment are Crocus goulimyi Mani White and its seedlings which are all coming into bloom now. So far all of the Mani white seedlings are white suggesting that it will breed true if given a little bit of distance from its lilac cousins.
For those of you not familiar with Mani White here's a shot of the parent clump posted a few years ago. http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=7014.msg198599#msg198599 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=7014.msg198599#msg198599)
C goulimyi is a delightful Crocus, with its triangular shape, and given how well it's going in my garden, well adapted to low-chill sunny climes. I'm surprised that C goulimyi is not more widely grown in Mediterranean climate gardens with milder winters where other crocus fail.
Cheers Anita
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Anita, C goulimyi is stunning isn't it? Thanks for the link to your pictures back in 2011. You have some big clumps in your garden! Please, PLEASE save me a little seed. I'm quite enamored of the form, that lovely triangular outline.
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I'm enjoying this little clump of Crocus laevigatus at the moment.
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I am enamoured by this little Oxalis species, aff O. pendulifolia flowering at my doorstep - one of the first to announce the approach of cooler autumn weather.
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Hi Rogan - how ironic that such a lovely warm colour as the Oxalis speaks to you of Autumn! Odd old world, isn't it?
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Hi Rogan, that's a fabulous Oxalis. We have rather a lot (rather too much actually) of your flora over here in Australia, but that's one that hasn't turned up here yet.
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Anita, C goulimyi is stunning isn't it? Please, PLEASE save me a little seed.
Jamus, I'll get busy with some feathers and should have some seed come spring, especially with the sunny days we are experiencing now. Will PM you when seed's ready.
For those of you concerned with my feathery obsession. I use discarded feathers from my hen to pollinate flowers. I use a different feather for each cultivar avoiding cross pollination. Saves having to use multiple brushes and having to clean each time! I leave a feather in each pot or alongside plants in the garden to facilitate pollination. Cheap and compost easily once discarded.
Anita
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That's primary recycling, Anita - well done you! I'll bet the feathers do a great job of pollination too!
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I have been to Anita's and met her feather dispensing chook. She's an important member of the house hold and pretty too. For the non-Australians reading this 'chook' is a colloquialism for chicken.
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I have been to Anita's and met her feather dispensing chook. She's an important member of the house hold and pretty too. For the non-Australians reading this 'chook' is a colloquialism for chicken.
For some reason I am thinking of Cilla Black...
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I can understand that chuck ;D
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Coincidentally, Emma Thick just showed this on FB ..... which she thought would be useful for a pal .... not sure if Anita - or her chook - would go for it, but couldn't resist!
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A note has arrived from NZAGS - they've changed their subscription rates - they also have Paypal available to make payment - NZ sub $36 NZ esub $33
NZ Over 65- $34 esub $31
Overseas $41
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I don't know who Cilla Black is, maybe her fame didn't reach down here to the antipodes? ::)
Don't show that pram to Rebecca, please... I won't be able to handle all the attention we'll attract down at the shops. :-[
An interesting colour variant of Correa reflexa photographed at Island Beach, Kangaroo Island on the weekend.
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I don't know who Cilla Black is, maybe her fame didn't reach down here to the antipodes? ::)
A 'singer' who had a voice that could strip paint.
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Some flowers open today. Crocus serotinus from El Aspinar, Spain. Seed from Rafa and sown July 2011, and this is its first flower! Cyclamen purpurascens from Ashley and sown August 2014. C. cyprium and C. mirabile.
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My first Narcissus viridiflorus is out. Two bulbs in this pot, and one has three flowering spikes. These were grown from seed kindly sent by Rafa. I have some N. obsoletus still coming out, so I'll try some crosses.
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A few things in flower today:
1) A fourth clump of Nerine rosea is now in full flower; beside it a nerine we bought last year at the Easter Plant fair near Adelaide as "Orange nerine" - it is possibly what we call Nerine fothergilla 'Minor'which is presumeably a form of Nerine sarniensis;
2) Oxalis meisneri with Oxalis palmifrons in the background;
3) Moraea polystachya
4) Strumaria salteri
cheers
fermi
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I like the Moraea. Is it normally an autumn flowerer?
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I like the Moraea. Is it normally an autumn flowerer?
Hi Anthony,
Yes, it starts at the end of March or beginning of April here and continues on for months. Grows easily from seed ;)
cheers
Fermi
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Hi Anthony,
Yes, it starts at the end of March or beginning of April here and continues on for months. Grows easily from seed ;)
cheers
Fermi
I would be very interested in seed. I'm getting loads of Narcissus obsoletus seed this year. Also Zephyranthes, e.g. macrosiphon 'Hidalgo Form and primulina etc. if you are interested.
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Why didn't someone tell me that Oxalis palmifrons was invasive? ::)
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Hmmmm, Jamus,
You're a bit young to be claiming "old timers disease" ;D
And I'm not the sort to say "I told you so"! (I'll just point out that you responded to my question about using weed killer on it http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=13339.msg337609#msg337609 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=13339.msg337609#msg337609)).
Did it at least produce sme flowers?
cheers
fermi
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I know Fermi, my memory is clear of you warning me against putting it in the rock garden. I didn't think it would spread DOWNwards, For some reason I imagined the bank of sheer stones would be a barrier to its movement. I'm going to enjoy it in situ this year and then do some surgical weed control next. Flowers, no. Not yet.