December 2014 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Matt T]

I gather that Limonium taxonomy is complicated with a lot of microspecies and apomixis. Thankfully none of this prevents our enjoyment of the plants themselves. If you can send some seed that would be great. Will drop you a PM

[Jupiter]

I've just had an email from a very kind and helpful plantsman who identified the little Limonium as Limonium companyonis. A bit of googling and I'm now convinced that this is right. Believe it or not it is a weed, predominantly of coastal areas in Australia, but a very pretty one I think.

[Hoy]

I am not afraid of that kind of weed!

[vivienne Condon]

I still think that the Limonium is bellidifolium have a look at lexicon.freenet.de Limonium bellidifolium some one, some where must know the truth?
still wondering Viv

[Jupiter]

Viv I thought the same but if you look at these pictures bellidifolium looks quite different.

https://blakeneypoint.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/matted-sea-lavender-limonium-bellidifolium-gouan-dumort/

[fermi de Sousa]

Flowering their heads off at present are some of the Emu-bushes; here are some pics:
Eremophilas
Eremophila bignoniiflora x polyclada hybrid
Eremophila 'Summertime Blues'
cheers
fermi

[Jupiter]

They are beautiful fermi and very well captured. I've always liked Eremophila. I wonder have they caught on overseas at all? I suppose the Americans are growing them?

Very dry and windy here, we are officially in drought.

[Hoy]

I would love to grow them in my garden but that is impossible I assume!

[Robert]

They are beautiful fermi and very well captured. I've always liked Eremophila. I wonder have they caught on overseas at all? I suppose the Americans are growing them?

Very dry and windy here, we are officially in drought.

Thanks Fermi. I agree with Jamus, the photographs of Eremophila look very nice. I would not mind growing them myself.

Jamus,

Most likely Eremophila are grown here in the U.S.A., unfortunately I have never seen them at the local nurseries around our parts. This is not saying much as the nurseries around here are not known for there selection of plants. It has been years since I have visited any nurseries in the San Francisco Bay area. In the past that was the place to find interesting plants. I'm clearly city phobic which I'm sure does not help my cause.

12-13cm of rainfall the last 24 hours. Maybe our drought will be ending. I certainly hope so. Finally some good snow in the Sierra Nevada too.

[Jupiter]

The impression I have of California is, you name it someone is doing it/tried it. Robert many of the Emu bushes are great garden plants with beautiful silvery foliage. They respond well to pruning and I've seen them hedged.

We won't be getting anything like 120mm (we use mm for rainfall down here) until autumn. The most we can hope for is a good summer storm which we often get around Christmas.

[Robert]

Jamus,

Thanks for the information.

Any of the "doing it/tried it" ain't happen around our parts. Most of the intense horticultural activity is in the coast part of California, anywhere from San Diego to the Oregon border. In the past there were incredibly talented horticultural people in this part of the state. My guess is that this is still true. I lost track of all this decades ago, however this information may be helpful to you, in this age of the internet.

[vivienne Condon]

Weldenia candida looking lovely at the moment needs to be covered in Winter does not like it too wet, and hates the small amounts of snow and hail we get occasionally.

[Jupiter]

Wow Vivienne, your Weldenia is fantastic! I'm off to read about them now. I love this forum, always something new. 

[Hoy]

I have already read about it!

I would love to grow anything like that in my garden but neither the winters (too wet) nor the summers (too many slugs) would allow me

[vivienne Condon]

Thank you Hoy and Jamus for your lovely comments, Hoy you have mentioned these slugs or slugges (is that how you spell it) before on the forum, you can drown them in beer in a dish, I know that is one way I get rid of them. Do you have a lot of them in your garden or do they come in from the neighbours? It must be very difficult for you to garden if everything is being eaten.