July 2017 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Parsla]

You are perfectly right Leslie,
Otto had told me George was a histriodes-reticulata cross.


And Jamus - you are indeed lucky.
But what a great selection you have.
And I'm sure all will multiply beautifully
Dumpy is rather fun too

Jacqui,

[Jupiter]

Thanks Lesley, I don't think i have George here. Lots of Harmony and others, and Katharine Hodgkin, which is a selection from histrioides, isn't it? That one isn't quite out either. I sowed some seed of species type histrioides which I'm hoping germinates. It's a favourite of mine with the spots.

Some of my new auriculas have flower buds! I'm excited. 

[Jupiter]

Jacqui I was reading about the Scilla, after Trevor Nottle gave me a nice one from his garden and I was curious. Apparently a few of them have been split off and named Fessia (the one from Trevor was in this category). Do you know which yours is? The Pacific Bulb Soc. wiki has current information. The one I have is Fessia greilhuberi.

[Parsla]

 
Hi Jupiter,

Sadly, It no longer has a label.
For which I (naturally) blame the very naughty magpies I feed each morning

There is another pot with leaves that looks identical  labelled scilla lingulata ssp ciliolata. But not yet blooming.
I may have divided from that one, although normally when I divide some go into the ground, hence the confusion.

But as for reclassification, I guess I'd best look...

[Lesley Cox]

Jamus, 'Katharine Hodgkin,' 'Sheila Ann Germaney' and 'Frank Elder' are all hybrids , not selections from histrioides. They all have the same parents and I think histrioides 'Major' is the seed parent and the Caucasian I. winogradowii is the pollen parent. Very early on when KH was first introduced by E.B.Anderson in the UK, he thought that I. danfordiae was the yellow parent but this was disproved at some stage and I. winogradowii was shown to be the one.

They are similar yet distinct and 'Sheila Ann Germaney' is my favourite with silvery blue colouring and slightly sky blue markings. I don't think 'Frank Elder' is in NZ but may be wrong. I've not seen or heard of it as being here. I bought a single bulb of SAG in 1993 when I was in the UK, for GBP10, a lot to me then but it did well and I have been able to distribute some in the years since. It is still very rare here though, as is KH.

[Lesley Cox]

I've had no success at all with seed of any of these including I. winogradowii from my own plants. Somewhere I saw a photo of the seed harvested while still quite green so I'm going to try that this summer if I get more seed. I don't every year. On yes, I'm pretty sure the green seed was Alan McMurtrie's and if anyone knows, he ought to.

[vanozzi]

Cyclamen repandum flowering two years from seed.

[Jupiter]

Some pictures from my garden this afternoon. I had to come home from work to meet a plumber, so took the opportunity to do a lap of the garden with my camera.

Iris 'Pauline'
Crocus chrysanthus 'Gypsy Girl'
Galanthus elwesii (I want to call this one 'grumpy face')
Galanthus S. Arnott
Galanthus woronowii  - these bulbs from Otto a couple of years ago produce tiny perfectly formed flowers! I love them.

[Jupiter]

Some more from this afternoon

Spindlestone surprise just getting going.
Saxifraga paniculata minutifolia
woronowii portrait
Cyclamen coum
Iris 'Katharine Hodgkin' just days away from full display

[Parsla]

Lovely plants Paul and Jamus,

Gosh, iris Pauline is beautiful.

I have just three from today.

1. Galanthus S. ARnott is clumping up a little each year
2. Narcissus Ben Bler has a phenomenally large bloom for a hoop petticoat
3. This is a teeny weeny eranthis hyemalis from the AGS Vic. i had thought extinct in the garden - to my delight it has popped up again  - wish it would multiply though. A small, but welcome, prize.

jacqui.

[fermi de Sousa]

A few things in flower now on our way out of winter:
Anemone coronaria;
Narcissus seedling ex 'Julia Jane';
Narcissus muñozii garmediae from seed from Rafa in 2008;
Narcissus 'Jessamy';
Narcissus 'Viristar'
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Aha! I wondered where that scent of Spring flowers was coming from!

[fermi de Sousa]

Aha! I wondered where that scent of Spring flowers was coming from!

Fred's fixed the button??
 
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

If only!  I think I've finally trained my brain to connect photos of good scents with memories of those!

[hamparstum]

Maggi...
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye."
It could hold for the nose as well
cheers