Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: fermi de Sousa on September 03, 2025, 10:58:14 AM
-
September is "Peak Daffodil" in southern Australia.
Here are a few in our garden:
1) A dwarf tazetta, possibly 'Minnow'
2) an unlabelled Div 2
3) Narcissus 'Bittern'
4) Narcissus 'Tête-à-tête'
5) Narcissus maybe 'Fenben'
cheers
fermi
-
Some Division 6 (derived from Narcissus cyclamineus) daffs
1) 'Rapture'
2) An unlabelled pink cup Div 6 with a few other daffs
3) Another unlabelled Div 6 which might 'Bezzababe'
4) A standard sized Div 6
5) This was received as 'Ruddynosey' which is a Div 1 (trumpet) but I suspect it's a Div 6
cheers
fermi
-
Last Weekend was the Ferny Creek Horticultural Society's Spring Show.
Here are a few pics; firstly from the Rock Garden Section.
cheers
fermi
-
More from FCHS:
1 & 2) Camellias
3 - 5) Rhodies
cheers
fermi
-
As I believe a certain moderator is fond of rhodies, I took a few extra pics of them
cheers
fermi
-
Vireya Rhodies at FCHS Spring Show
1) Rh macgregoriae
2) Rh 'Sarah Ormiston'
3) Rh blackii
4) unlabelled peach vireya
5) Rh 'Melbourne Cup'
cheers
fermi
-
A couple more Vireya Rhodies and others, including the Blue Ribbon winner, Rh cilicalyx
cheers
fermi
-
Hancocks Daffodils had a great commercial display as usual.
I'll not be commenting on how many I ordered!
cheers
fermi
-
Two more of Hancocks' daffodils and some of the exhibits in the Daffodil Section:
cheers
fermi
-
More daffodils at FCHS Spring Show,
cheers
fermi
-
What a truly lovely Show! Thanks Fermi!
-
Glad you liked it, Maggi.
Here are a few more from the Daffodils section,
cheers
fermi
-
More daffodils
cheers
fermi
-
Yet more of the daffodil exhibits,
cheers
fermi
-
The final exhibits in the Daffodil Section and a close up of what one of my friends called "a bit confronting"!
cheers
fermi
-
This what I have labelled as Asarum magnificum, but I wonder if it's really Asarum maximum?
cheers
fermi
-
A few non-daffodils!
1) Polygala chamaebuxus
2) Scilla libanotica
3 & 4) Bulbinella floribunda
cheers
fermi
-
Some of the Cyclamen persicum in the garden,
cheers
fermi
-
Some daffodils:
1) a new acquisition, Narcissus 'Josina Elizabeth'
2) Narcissus 'Joycelyn Newman'
3) Narcissus 'Matador'
4) A seedling from one of Doug Bryce's hybrids
5) Narcissus 'Katie Heath'
cheers
fermi
-
Fermi
Re the seedling in photo 4, it is a keeper.
I have never had OP seed set on the daffs that i grow, but HP gives seed set. Was the seedling open or hand pollinated?
-
Fermi
Re the seedling in photo 4, it is a keeper.
I have never had OP seed set on the daffs that i grow, but HP gives seed set. Was the seedling open or hand pollinated?
Hi Jeff,
Thanks, I think it's worth keeping and it's a seedling from one raised by the late Doug Bryce who introduced me to the Victorian Daffodil Society. I can't remember if it was a deliberate cross - I can't locate notes on its raising
cheers
fermi
-
More narcissus
- including the effect of Red Legged Earth-mites on a hybrid hoop
cheers
fermi
-
Some South African bulbs:
1) Moraea bipartita
2) Hesperantha cucullata
3) Gladiolus abbreviatus
4) Babiana hybrid (odorata x pygmaea)
5) Hesperantha vaginata (var stanfordiae?)
cheers
fermi
-
Anemone pavonina in the garden and in a pot.
Raised from seed from SRGC Seedex with several descendants in a west facing bulb bed,
cheers
fermi
-
1) Anemone pavonina x heldreichii
2 & 3) Anemone heldreichii
cheers
fermi
-
A few miscellaneous ones:
1) Tecophila cyanocrocus
2) Nothoscordum ostenii
3) Bellevalia macrobotrys
4) Trillium sp or hybrid?
5) Gagea fibrosa
-
Some Tulipa clusiana forms:
1) A pale seedling ex 'Tinka'
2) 'Tinka'
3 & 4) 'Lady Jane'
5) type form
cheers
fermi
-
More from South Africa:
1&2) Gladiolus gracilis
3)Gladiolus watermeyeri which is strongly violet scented
4 & 5) Gladiolus hirsutus - wich we got from Gilles Lardy, he did a great talk about Gladiolus at the recent AGS Vic Group conference "Flora of the Veld" - though he did stray into the Northern Hemisphere ;D
[He'd be a great speaker for one of your zoom meetings!]
cheers
fermi
-
More from South Africa
1) Geissorhiza inequalis
2) Lapeirousia oreogena
3) Babiana cedarbergenis
4) Pauridia gracilipes ssp. speciosa
5) Hesperantha latifolia
cheers
fermi
-
Some Tulipa clusiana forms:
1) A pale seedling ex 'Tinka'
...5) type form
1) More of the pale seedling of 'Tinka'
2) The Type form of Tulipa clusiana showing the dark centre
cheers
fermi
-
Anemone pavonina in the garden and in a pot.
Raised from seed from SRGC Seedex with several descendants in a west facing bulb bed,
Now the tulips are infiltrating the anemone bed!
This was identified as Tulipa fergana group by one of the Tulip Experts on the Forum,
cheers
fermi
-
Tulipa agenensis ssp sharonensis hasn't multiplied as well as the others.
We grew this from seed sent from Israel by Forumist Miriam, back in the day before phytos!
cheers
fermi
-
Tulipa agenensis ssp sharonensis hasn't multiplied as well as the others.
We grew this from seed sent from Israel by Forumist Miriam, back in the day before phytos!
cheers
fermi
Those were the days!
Now the tulips are infiltrating the anemone bed!
This was identified as Tulipa fergana group by one of the Tulip Experts on the Forum,
cheers
fermi
Those T. fergana are doing really well!
-
Hi Fermi,
Tulipa clusiana types do well in our summertime, hot, dry garden. 'Peppermint Stick' does especially well. Tulipa agenensis spp. sharonsis looks good. Is finding low winter chill tulips an issue in your climate?
-
Those were the days!
Those T. fergana are doing really well!
Yes, Maggi!
The tulips look even better with a bit of sun!
cheers
fermi
-
Hi Fermi,
Tulipa clusiana types do well in our summertime, hot, dry garden. 'Peppermint Stick' does especially well. Tulipa agenensis spp. sharonsis looks good. Is finding low winter chill tulips an issue in your climate?
Hi Robert,
at present our winter temperatures drop low enough that most tulips are fine.
Our big problem is that imported bulbs are treated with chemicals which seems to shorten their life! The commercial bulb operations here import most of their bulbs from overseas and they are treated with chemicals such as Methyl bromide. We've been finding that perfectly good looking bulbs produce a crop of flowers but the bulbs don't persist. Virtually buying annuals!
cheers
fermi
-
Methyl bromide remains in use here for fumigation, main use is for export logs, also imported second hand vehicles.
While there are alternative fumigants we still use the chemical, it is used at ports and there has been debate for decades about safety especially for residential communities close to port areas where the chemical is used. I have used the chemical during my days as a research chemist, highly reactive and a dangerous chemical if not used under controlled conditions.
Not sure of the impact of use for bulb fumigation but I have had a off shore delivery of seeds impounded due to a larvae being found upon inspection at the border and I paid for fumigation, which was MB. Not a single seed germinated and I was convinced that this was due to the fumigation procedure.
The sooner use of the chemical is banned as it is in many countries the better, but here and in AU its use continues.
-
Fermi,
Thanks for the information and the heads-up concerning imported bulbs.
In our part of Interior Northern California, lack of winter chilling hours can be an issue with some ornamental species as well as fruit trees. We grow Citrus, both Mexican and Guatemalan Avocados grow in our neighborhood. It is common to see Bougainvillea blooming in our neighborhood. It pretty mild here during the winter.
So far, I have observed that many Tulipa species and hybrids grow well in our garden. Some perform better after the winter has been "cold" (longer flowering stems, the new growth emerges strongly in the spring). A few have not done well and have died off. Some of my early hybrids have grown and performed well for many years, even after a mild winter. There is still a great deal for me to explore with the Genus Tulipa, however I do make slow and steady progress.
Thank you for the "heads-up" concerning the use of Methyl bromide on imported bulbs. I am not sure on the current status of Methyl bromide and its use on nursery stock is here in the U.S.A. However, back in the 1970's and 1980's I purchased both fruit trees and seeds treated with Methyl bromide. They all were dead on arrival. In the 1970's Methyl bromide was used to sterilize soil. It killed everything in the soil.
Recently, I purchased some bulbs at a local nursery. Some were imported, some were domestically produced. I will see how they grow, or don't grow, during the coming season. If I note any unusual results, I will let you know.
I do grow many of our bulbs from seed. Acquiring quality, true to type, genetically diverse seed that works in our growing system is becoming increasingly problematic. For us there is definitely a need to think creatively outside the box. Sharing pollen has worked in the past and may still be a viable partial solution. Now that I am well beyond retirement age, good contacts through the university system have dried up. I like challenges, so I just seek creative solutions. As long as I stick to my 5 and 10 year plans, my plant growing project continue to progress.
Hi Jeff,
Your comments, from a chemist, are interesting. When I was in my 20's I worked at a fruit trees nursery. I was head of propagation - seeds, rootstocks, budding and grafting, etc. Methyl bromide was used at the time. Somehow, I had enough sense to stay well away from the fields where fumigation was taking place. The growing fields were down the road a good distance. Good days just to be off work and stay home. Methyl bromide is nasty stuff.
-
Hi Robert
Came across the following;
Methyl bromide fumigation is a process using the chemical methyl bromide (bromomethane) to control and kill quarantine pests on goods, primarily for international export and import. While effective as a biosecurity tool against invasive pests, methyl bromide is a toxic, flammable, ozone-depleting substance that has been subject to strict regulations under the Montreal Protocol. Modern fumigations in New Zealand now require advanced recapture technology to recover the gas and reduce emissions, with 99% required by 2035, and mandate community notification and record-keeping.
-
Hi Jeff and Robert,
we can only hope MB gets banned soon but who knows what will replace it?!
cheers
fermi
-
Some more tulips:
1&2) Tulipa clusiana 'Cynthia'
3 & 4) Tulipa stapfii
5) Tulipa Little Beauty
cheers
fermi
-
Tulipa 'White Emperor'
cheers
fermi
-
This is Serapias neglecta, Tonkins https://www.tonkinsbulbs.com.au/ (https://www.tonkinsbulbs.com.au/) who supplied it could not rule out that it's a hybrid - I'm just happy to have another serapias because it seems to be the only orchid genus I've had any success with,
cheers
fermi
-
Hi Jeff,
I have a funny, but true, MB story to tell sometime in the future.
Hi Fermi,
I have been enjoying the Narcissus and Tulipa photographs. Thanks for sharing.
Here is one for you. Do you grow Acis tingitana? It is a fantastic January blooming species in our garden. See photograph below.
Today is a work day up at our El Dorado County farm. It is harvest season and cover crops need to be planted. Our Tells Peak trip to the Sierra Nevada Mountains is next week. I am looking forward to this.
[attachimg=1]
-
Bring it on.
Cheers
Jeff
-
[attachimg=1]
Fermi,
I thought you might enjoy this. Tulipa clusiana ‘Peppermint Stick’ blooming in our garden.
-
Hi Fermi,
I have been enjoying the Narcissus and Tulipa photographs. Thanks for sharing.
Here is one for you. Do you grow Acis tingitana? It is a fantastic January blooming species in our garden.
Today is a work day up at our El Dorado County farm. It is harvest season and cover crops need to be planted. Our Tells Peak trip to the Sierra Nevada Mountains is next week. I am looking forward to this.
Hi Robert,
yes, Acis tingitana is one of the first bulbs I got from my friend Otto.
I have a different clone from Hillview in Tasmania before they shut down.
Tulipa 'Peppermint Stick' looks close to the type species Tulipa clusiana f clusiana with the dark purple central blotch. I prefer the name "The Lady Tulip"
cheers
fermi
-
Last few from last month:
1 & 2) Gromwell, a type of Lithospermum, which spreads by suckering.
3) Moraea tripetala
4) Anemone coronaria
5) Hybrid Narcissus triandrus 'White Marvel'
cheers
fermi
-
Hi Fermi,
I have one seed accession of Acis tingitana. They are quite variable in plant height and flower size. I have attempted to self the flowers several times without success. During January of this year, I hand cross pollenated the flowers and have a good crop of seed that I just planted. Some of the resulting seedlings can be tested in the open garden and some tested at our El Dorado county farm for cold hardiness.
Currently I am out several generations with Acis autumnale and A. rosea. With Acis rosea I am breeding for enhanced pink coloration. I have one blooming accession of Acis nicaeensis and hope to cross pollenate them this coming spring. Results are slow.
I also grow several clones of Tulipa clusiana. Currently I am developing a new site where it will be easier to work with them. To date, I have no results to show for my efforts with them. Hopefully the new site will change this situation. According to Jepson's Tulipa clusiana has naturalized at a site near Riverside, California. They do produce seed easily here in Sacramento.
'White Marvel' is a nice N. triandrus hybrid. I enjoy working with Nacissus triandrus. I will likely have a new crop of blooming hybrids this spring. Maybe something good will show up.