November 2013 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Anthony Darby]

I'll get busy with the paint brush Marcus.

[Ezeiza]

The corms must be something else. This Sisyrinchium is no bulb, just a common perennial root wise. As a mater of fact only one Chilean species could claim being a "bulb". Palmifolium is a favorite of one Brian Mathew.

[Anthony Darby]

Not checked what is in the pot, so if it's rhizomes fair enough. This was the only illustration I could find of the roots. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sisyrinchium_palmifolium_Blanco1.100-original.png

Update: curiosity got the better of me and I tipped the pot out and washed some compost off the roots. Rhizome would be flattering it. There are just roots coming straight from the centre of the base. The Wiki entry is totally wrong.

Here is a pic of the whole clump.

[fermi de Sousa]

First flower on the weekend from Weldenia candida (a kind gift from Otto)
cheers
fermi

[ranunculus]

Hi folks,
The Bookeroos have come to the end of their month long lecture tour of wonderful South Island, New Zealand.  We are sitting in a motel room in beautiful Christchurch with a beer in our hands and a suntan on our brows after the most amazing final day on sun drenched Mount Hutt, where the flocks of vegetable sheep were temporarily outshone by the glorious blooms of the accommodating buttercups.  Our thanks to our guides today who conveyed us to such giddy heights - our final day in this alpine paradise could not have been bettered.
We fly home in the morning via Singapore and Munich with our hearts, our heads and our memory cards full of recollections of superb hospitality, warm and appreciative audiences, new and renewed friendships and landscapes, gardens and plants of the highest order.
We send our love, our undying gratitude and our heartfelt thanks to everyone we met, encountered or shook hands with on this tour and we reserve our warmest thanks for Steve Newall who arranged, organised and oversaw our trip from inception to completion.  Steve kindly sponsored and part financed our visit as a very generous personal contribution to the various garden clubs and societies on the South Island and our tour would not have been possible without his enthusiasm and involvement.
We will be contacting all our incredibly welcoming hosts, the relevant group officials and the owners of all the gardens we were thrilled and honoured to visit as soon as the jet lag wears off but until then may we pass on our love, our thanks and our very best wishes to you all - you couldn't have been kinder, more welcoming or more memorable if you had tried - and now to sleep to count the vegetable sheep to enhance our dreams of beautiful New Zealand.

[David Nicholson]

Safe home Cliff and Sue.

[Maggi Young]

No surprise that you have been so warmly welcomed by those generous Kiwis, Cliff and Sue.  I think you have been lucky with the amount of flowers you seem to have seen on the mountains - seems like it is a good season for them- judging by Doug's pix, for sure.
Have a horrible feeling all you might see in - and of-  the Scottish Mountains in February is ice and snow - but heigh ho- we'll be just as pleased to see you here!

[Lesley Cox]

Cliff, I guess you and Sue are safely home by now. I am so sorry I couldn't come to your presentation last Thursday night and the meal beforehand. I was looking forward to seeing you both again but whatever was wrong with me - I think and ear infection probably - made it impossible. I couldn't stand properly without falling, was sick and dizzy for 3 days and couldn't have driven the car to save myself. Roger had to go in the opposite direction that night of all nights. So please accept my regrets and apologies and hopefully I may have another chance some day.

So pleased you enjoyed New Zealand. From the reports I've had, NZ certainly loved having you both with us. I'm please you saw some buttercups. Maybe next time we can take you south to see the best of the "lush" species, RR. lyallii, buchananii etc.

Keep well, both of you, and continue to dream of those beautiful buttercups.

With love to you both.

[fermi de Sousa]

Flowering now in our garden,
Triteleia bridgesii (from NARGS Seedex seed)
Gladiolus wilsonii (also from NARGS as G. permeabilis)
Triteleia laxa 'Allure' (as corms from Lambley Nursery)
Triteleia laxa 'Silver Queen'(ditto)
Sisyrinchium palmifolium (from seed from Forumist Santiago)
cheers
fermi

[Hillview croconut]

 Some lovely plants there Fermi. The range and diversity of your collection never ceases to amaze me. Cheers,  Marcus

[Ezeiza]

Anthony, the old time illustration is of Eleurtherine latifolia, a tigridioid, subtropical, with beetroot red bulb tunics.

[Ezeiza]

Fermi, your S. palmifolium has the flower stalks as tall as Anthony's?

[fermi de Sousa]

Fermi, your S. palmifolium has the flower stalks as tall as Anthony's?

Hi Alberto,
this one is in the garden in full sun and the foliage is about 30cm tall and the flower stem 5 cm taller;
cheers
fermi

[Anthony Darby]

Hi Alberto,
this one is in the garden in full sun and the foliage is about 30cm tall and the flower stem 5 cm taller;
cheers
fermi

My seed came from the same source.

[fermi de Sousa]

Flowering now in our garden,
Triteleia bridgesii (from NARGS Seedex seed)
Gladiolus wilsonii (also from NARGS as G. permeabilis)
Triteleia laxa 'Allure' (as corms from Lambley Nursery)
Triteleia laxa 'Silver Queen'(ditto)
Sisyrinchium palmifolium (from seed from Forumist Santiago)
cheers
fermi

Trying again, so hopefully these pics will expand properly,
cheers
fermi