April 2013 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Lesley Cox]

I don't think we have those down this way but I have found a few snails this week, the first I've had in my garden for 23 years so I'm NOT HAPPY!

[Anthony Darby]

We have snails - the British species Helix aspersa! Mind you, we have plenty of beautiful British thrushes to eat them.

[fermi de Sousa]

Whilst cleaning up the other day I uncovered a slumbering lizard (skink I think) preparing for his winter hibernation. A little while later I actually picked this second, almost identically sized, one up in a clump of leaves and had him in the bin before I even knew it!

Thank goodness you weren't tossing it all in the shredder!
We have a resident Blue tongue who appears occasionally to scare the beejezzus out of us till we realise it's not a snake!
So do you think Jon's colchicum is cupanii or psardis? I ask out of self interest as I managed to get one from him at the FCHS Plant swap last week!
cheers
fermi

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Fermi,

Now you have my imagination drifting off to a reptilian mulch episode a la Fargo!

It is impossible to come down on one side or the other re your colchicum question just from a pic. Both have 2 emerging leaves at flowering, the flowers are very similar and they flower at pretty much the same time. As I said before the only clincher is the corm characteristics. Colchicum is a hard genus to get a handle on. Hasn't C. cupanii been recently sunk into another species?
I don't know about other forumist but I am somewhat frustrated by the plethora of recent changes across a number of genera. Makes it pretty hard to maintain a "valid" collection these days.

Cheers, Marcus

[Hillview croconut]

Sorry, after a quick web search, I stand corrected, it was psaridis that has been equated with another species. M

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Everyone,

A quick dash outside (to relieve myself of the pain of completing my tax return) gave me an opportunity to take a couple of quick shots of uncommon crocus here in Australia. Note the variation of flower colour.

Crocus robertianus - Beautiful and somewhat rare (and scattered) Greek crocus. Its not a splitter so seed raising is the only real option with this one.

Crocus mathewii - Classic form collected as seed south of Elmali in SW Turkey

Crocus mathewii - Not so beautiful and so common form from a seed collection on Baba Dag near Fethiye.

Cheers, Marcus

[arillady]

All are beautiful Marcus.

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Pat,

Yes I think so too. Susan doesn't share my passion for them. Too flimsy and well ... insignificant she says. But I love that ephemeral, fugitive quality and because they are so intricate and jewel-like its like finding buried treasure. Its such a lovely surprise every year that I never tire off. And as for the Greek crocus that I have collected as seed .... its like receiving a postcard from there every time they flower.

Cheers, Marcus

[Anthony Darby]

I can empathise with that. Do these set seed Marcus?

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Anthony,

Yes - I am assiduous at pollinating. Can't trust the honey bees to do the job. Bumble bees are sometimes cooperative but they much prefer the autumn flowering salvia!

Both species are reasonably good pollen producers but others can be a pain. I hand pollinate all the species I have at the nursery and the early spring flowering species in the field.

Cheers, Marcus

[arillady]

Uhm how's your back Marcus?

[Mini bulb lover]

Colchicum psaridis is now c. zahnii (is that what you were thinking of Marcus?). All these name changes are a constant test of memory (to which I'm barely getting a pass mark for). 

Ptilotus exaltatus "Joey" is an Australian native with an unusual flower. It's recently become popular in cultivation here and I can see why. It's performed really well for me over the last few warm, dry months.

[fermi de Sousa]

 A few pics from the weekend
Some hybrid nerines and N. rosea in the shadehouse
A first flowering on a seedling from a pale red flower - a nice salmon form!
Oxalis palmifrons
Nerine 'Ariel' - I promised Lesley I'd post this but I think it was in refereence to another thread!
Oxalis massoniana
cheers
fermi