September 2017 in the Southern Hemisphere

[fermi de Sousa]

Supposedly spring here but as usual for the first week winter has returned with a vengeance!
Wind, rain, sleet - snow down to 400m ASL!
Much nicer on the weekend where I took these pics at the FCHS Rock Garden Group meeting:
1) part of Bench display
2) more of the bench including Jon B's Tecophileas
3) in the garden: jade-green Iris tuberosa
4) Narcissus Douglas Bank
cheers
fermi

[David Nicholson]

Supposedly spring here but as usual for the first week winter has returned with a vengeance!
Wind, rain, sleet - snow down to 400m ASL!

Nice pics-ASL

[Carolyn]

above sea level!

[David Nicholson]

Ah, thank you Carolyn, I was thinking 'Australian Soccer League' but couldn't think why

[Jupiter]

More buds open on the hybrid onco, PT0426.

[fermi de Sousa]

Spectacular flowers, Jamus.

Today we visited our friend, Cathy, who has a garden in a cooler climate than ours.
Here are some pics from her place:
1) Crocus - we think it's C. sieberi;
2) Erythronium sp
3) & 4) Galanthus snogerupii (please note, Otto, that it is not dead!)
5) seedling cyclamen - but what species?
cheers
fermi

[Jupiter]

Wow that's late late flowering for snogerupii! and for the little Crocus too. However the Erythroniums seem far ahead of mine. Nature works in mysterious ways. 

This little Aubrieta is just getting going up in the rock garden. I like how the plants are interacting here.

ps: Fermi do you think your friend's cyclamen could be persicum? I think the markings and wavy margins are a match.?.?

[Otto Fauser]

Good morning Fermi and Jamus , Fermi I am indeed surprised to see Galanthus ikariae ssp. snogerupii in flower now in September . Here it always starts the winterfl. Snowdrop season in May . The seedling lvs. are Cyclamen repandum  ,also you forgot to name the Narcissus growing at Ferny Greek Hort .Soc. N. minor 'Douglas Bank'.

    Jamus your photo of the stunning Pat Toolan Onco Hyb. is superb !Here no buds yet on any Aril species or crosses -but I am still hoping . Thanks to you I too have 4 flowers on the jade green Iris tuberosa - see Fermi's photo of it also taken at the Ferny Greek Hort . Soc . garden where we enjoy much sunshine and good air movement .
For this reason I have now planted most of my Aril Irises there and hope for better growth and blooms. My garden is too cool and shady.  Is the Daphne in the pot Daphne
xrollsdorfii 'Wilhelm Schacht' -it looks very healthy and might flower soon .

[tonyg]

Spectacular flowers, Jamus.

Today we visited our friend, Cathy, who has a garden in a cooler climate than ours.
Here are some pics from her place:
1) Crocus - we think it's C. sieberi;
2) Erythronium sp
3) & 4) Galanthus snoperupii (please note, Otto, that it is not dead!)
5) seedling cyclamen - but what species?
cheers
fermi

The crocus is not C. sieberi - this always has a yellow throat.  Most likely C. tommasinianus or a hybrid of it with C. vernus.
The cyclamen seedlings - at first glance I though the leaf shape reminiscent of Cyclamen repandum but the leaf markings are more typical for Cyclamen hederifolium.  A check of the tubers would settle it - smaller, smooth skinned, rooting from the base in C. repandum; larger, more rough skinnned and rooting from the upper surface in C. hederifolium.

[Jupiter]

Hello Otto, yes the Daphne is 'Wilhelm Schacht' , well spotted! I'm happy to hear that the Iris tuberosa I sent you is flowering. It's a beauty isn't it? I will send you some more aril irises when they look a bit stronger. I'm waiting for warmer weather to spur them into growth.

Here are some pictures from my garden today.

1) Amazing dark blue Anemone blanda from Otto.
2) Moraea aristata
3) Sedum spathulifolium
4) Soldanella montana alba
5) Sparaxis elegans

[Maggi Young]

Amazing dark blue Anemone blanda from Otto.

Fantastic dark colour!

[Parsla]

Wow! re the oncocyclus iris.
But also other beauties like fermi's narcissus and late snowdrops, and the range of colour in that sedum jamus.

I have a few to share from yesterday.

1. Pseudomuscari chalusicum is being pushed around by the shrubs - may have to move it.
2. Anemone nemorosa virescens with its greenish bracts. Took me awhile to appreciate it but it has an endearing shyness .
3. An old narcissus, but new for me. Narcissus 'Grand Primo'.
4. The Hawera narcissus are starting to open...

[Parsla]

And two more.

A lovely erythronium - washed over with the palest yellow, although i seem to have lost that in the photos.

[Jupiter]

Beautiful Erythroniums Jacqui, I love them but find them a bit challenging in my marginal climate.

Look at this! A juno!! Iris bucharica, a kind gift from Otto. I'm surprised that it has flowered now, so late when other people's have been and gone.

[David Lyttle]

Visited the Dunedin Botanic Gardens last weekend. Most of the collection of large magnolias was a bit past their best but there were still a putting on a good display.

Magnolia campbellii in the upper garden. This perhaps Dunedins best-know and earliest flower magnolia still a few flowers hanging on.



Magnolia ' Lanarth' quite brilliant especially close up.





And tucked away in another border Caerhays Belle



and just because it was there Rhododendron arboreum