February 2017 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Jupiter]

Stunning Anita, you have a great collection of bulbs. Did you get flowers some of those Amaryllis you showed me which were refusing to flower? I might ask you for some Zephranthes seed at some point. I'll swap you for poppies.

Otto, after seeing your post I went and made a few cuttings of my Leucoraoulia x loganii and was thrilled to find that the lower side branches had rooted down into the gravel and I was able to make several cuttings with roots attached! I'm hopefully they will take quickly. I shall report their progress. The junos are in the raised bed now Otto. Now the nervous wait. When would you expect them to show their noses above ground generally speaking?

[Maggi Young]

Via Tim Ingram - a link to a fine article - (in Russian- use google translate!)- great photos, on the flora of the sub-Antartic islands  ...
http://haritonoff.livejournal.com/338583.html

[ashley]

Via Tim Ingram - a link to a fine article - (in Russian- use google translate!)- great photos, on the flora of the sub-Antartic islands  ...
http://haritonoff.livejournal.com/338583.html

Thanks Maggi.  This also came up recently on the megaherbs thread. 
The photos are mostly (or all?) by young Kiwi photographer Edin Whitehead.  For anyone who wants to read more I recommend Edin's fascinating travel logs here. 

[Maggi Young]

Thanks Ashley, I wasn't sure if it had been flagged up or not and reckoned a second mention wouldn't hurt since I hadn't time to check! 

[Maggi Young]

More heartache and angst for the folks in Christchurch -  the fires seem out of control
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/89420865/houses-evacuated-as-christchurch-fire-spreads

[Cfred72]

How awful. What an anguish for the people who live in the neighborhood ...

[Arum]

Yes Fred absolute heartache. But prayers have been answered & we have awakened to light rain this morning. It has been a lot quieter overnight & we are told the fire has been contained.  At least 11 homes have been destroyed in the Port Hills blaze, which started as two fires on Monday night and forced the evacuation of around 450 homes - sending more than 1000 people to alternative accommodation. People are naturally very anxious to return to their homes.
Edna

[Leucogenes]

Hello Jamus and Thomas , just read your discourse on Bolax and Azorella , To the best of my knowledge Bolax gummifera is not growing in Australian gardens - looks desirable . Woodbank Nursery (Ken Gillanders ) in Tasmania some 15 years ago sold Bolax glebaria which turned out to be Azorella trifurcata . xLeucoraoulia  loganii tends to  open up in the middle of the cushion and dies back after 3-4 years , so it is important to take cuttings yearly which root easily ,as does Leucogenes grandiceps and Ozothamnus  (Helichrysum ) coralloides .





Interesting report on the three NZ-PLANTS. I envy you the beautiful x Leucoraoulia loganii. Leucogenes lives with me only 5 years and I multiply it also by cuttings.
From Helichrysum coralloides I have three young plants from a mother plant of a friend. This is already 16 years old.

[fermi de Sousa]

Lycoris incarnata in flower in the rock garden;
Aster spathulatus (now Symphyotrichum spathulatum) grown from seed from Rocky Mountain Rare Plants (which sadly closed a few years ago);
Monarda punctata from seed from Gardens North;
Eremophila 'Summertime Blues';
Pelargonium ionidiflorum;
cheers
fermi

[Robert]

Hi Fermi,

Your Symphyotrichum spathulatum (Aster occidentalis) seems to have a reasonably deep colored flower considering your hot summer weather. I have grown many from seed and very few hold their flower color well in our garden (a typical bane when high elevation species are grown in the hot lowlands    ). Although there are 3 varieties of this species and a fair number of species in the Genus that grow in California, I have only grown plants from seed gathered in the Crystal Range (local). Maybe I would have better success trying seed from other areas. They are very widespread in there distribution.

Thank you for sharing. 

[Jupiter]

Colchicum bivonae; It must be autumn.

[Jupiter]

Same again but all three blooms open together now. The colour glows in the garden and draws visitors to it for a closer look.

[fermi de Sousa]

Jamus,
that's a beaut, but it looks more like one of the Hybrids such as "Conquest" AKA 'Glory of Heemstede'
http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/ColchicumHybrids
cheers
fermi

[Jupiter]

Ah yes I see what you mean Fermi. Beats me, I have nothing to make a comparison against not having grown many of these. I have one small bulb of Colchicum variegatum from Marcus, but it skipped a year last year and didn't flower. I don't even grow autumnale. The leaves put me off; so scrappy and lank.

[Cfred72]

Once the Colchicum in bloom, it can be said that autumn settles ...