August 2017 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Jupiter]

Lovely plants Graham. I like your mixed Crocus and Galanthus group.

The sun came out briefly today, just long enough to (almost) open the Crocuses. I took pictures because they have forecast storms tonight with heavy rain, strong winds and even... (swallow), hail.

1. Crocus minimus
2. C. vernus 'Lavender Stripe'
3. C. tomassinianus, nice mix of colour forms from Otto
4. another angle on the same group above
5. Iris retic. 'Violet Beauty'

[Jupiter]

6. I. retic. 'Harmony'
7. Harmony again
8. I retic. 'Purple Gem'
9. Galanthus 'Magnet'
10. Gal. 'Spindlestone surprise'

[fermi de Sousa]

Graham,
weather's not too bad here
Here are a few things in flower this week:
1) Iris planifolia
2) Pomaderris obcordata & Eremophila glabra
3) close up Eremophila
4) Pomaderris buds
5) close up Pomaderris flowers
cheers
fermi

[Jupiter]

Fermi I love your Iris planifolia, I'm yet to have any juno flowers here. Maybe next year...
Pomaderris obcordata is new to me.  Can you tell us a bit about it? I like it.

A couple of unnamed Hellebore seedlings. 

[fermi de Sousa]

Fermi I love your Iris planifolia, I'm yet to have any juno flowers here. Maybe next year...

Be patient, Jamus, it took me 3 years to flower my first Juno from seed (this one, actually, back in 2010 )

Pomaderris obcordata is new to me.  Can you tell us a bit about it? I like it.

The pomaderris actually comes from the border of Victoria and South Australia near the Little Desert.
We got it quite a few years ago from Goldfields Revegetation Nursery (Mandurang, near Bendigo) but it no longer appears on their plant list
We've been growing it in a raised sand-bed in full sun and I think that has helped keep it compact - plus the fact that it got "trimmed" severely by parrots when it was just about to flower for the first time
I'm hoping that it will grow from cuttings,
cheers
fermi

[Jupiter]

Thanks Fermi. Australia definitely hasn't been properly explored for good rock garden plants but you're leading the way. I am germinating seed several species from the clifftops on Kangaroo Island this year for trialing in the rock garden. I'll share the results if anything makes it that far.

[Mini bulb lover]

I am germinating seed several species from the clifftops on Kangaroo Island this year for trialing in the rock garden. I'll share the results if anything makes it that far.

That sounds interesting Jamus!

I went for a walk in my local nature reserve to see if I could find any Australian terrestrial orchids (I moved into the area about 18 months ago). You could say I found a few. I believe they're Pterostylis nutans?

[Mini bulb lover]

After sowing the seeds in 2013 I now have some flowers from Alan McMurtire's bee pollinated Iris reticulatas. (Also posted in the Iris section)
 
04BS
04IH
04IM

And I love the leaves of Pelargonium barklyi. Easy to grow here in a shaded position.

[vivienne Condon]

Two very exciting things happened today, Tom Mitchell Crocus veluchensis from collected seed in Croatia coll. No. TCM12-458 opened today nothing like any of the Crocus veluchensis that I grow. The second was a seedling Galanthus has flowered with unusual marks, Galanthus elwesii foliage.
Toms Muscari tenuifolium from Georgia, Jahuari Monastery at 580meters Coll. No TCM12-308 also flowered today along with Erythronium caucasicum 471 910 1/00 from Archibald seed, you will be proud of me Ian as I got down and looked up into the flower. I am not sure if I have put this in the Archibald file

[vivienne Condon]

What a mess I made of that it is a while since I put posted anything on the forum but I have never been good at it anyway Will try again with some of the photos

[vivienne Condon]

The Crocus veluchensis

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Viv,
it's always great to see something new flower from seed
I posted a pic of this on the Narcissus Thread:
Narcissus jacetanus ssp jacetanus grown from seed from Rafa
I had to take it in to work to be able to get a pic in daylight
cheers
fermi

[vivienne Condon]

Thank you Maggii I am sorry about the mess.
Fermi what a dear little Narcissus don't you love their simple form, perfect little daffodils, but so short in stature.

[Maggi Young]

No worries. Vivienne!
 fermi, I liked your cute miniature  daff too!

[Jupiter]

A nice surprise yesterday. Romulea sabulosa.