July (winter) in the Southern hemisphere, 2008

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

Today's pictures.....

A couple more Helleborus, a pic of the clump of Narcissus 'Galligaskins' which I posted the pic of yesterday, but this time showing the whole clump as it appears presently, and a couple of pics of some [i/]Cyclamen coum[/i], including the near pure white which I shared seed from last year.

Enjoy.

[Lesley Cox]

Your cyclamen are just a bit earlier than mine which are beginning to show a little colour in the buds, still at least a week away yet. We've had heavy snow over the weekend, mostly gone now except in the shady places but still bitterly cold and windy. 7C if we're lucky today and less, taking windchill factor into account.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Forecast 9'C here the next few days, snow on the mountains around us.  We of course are a fair bit further north than you though.

As to the Cyclamen coum..... I've had some out for weeks here now.  Most of them have flowers out already, with some being in full flower already while others have just a few.  This is in the garden and in pots.  Nice to see them.  A couple more Eranthis putting up flower buds at the moment too, so they're all very mixed up.

[fermi de Sousa]

Paul,
I love that white cyclamen! I hope the seed I got from you lives up to the pic!
We had a meeting on saturday and I got a pic of a friend's Iris "Sindpers" just after she'd packed it away!

In the garden yesterday we discovered that we aren't the only ones to enjoy the early narcissus,

The mexican Hawthorn is starting to shed its foliage and fruit

cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

It's hard to beat Iris x Sindpers at this time of year isn't it?
A very attractive pussycat Fermi.

[Paul T]

Fermi,

Nice to see the "wildlife" is enjoying the flowers as well.    Love that iris.

[t00lie]

Raised from seed as Scoliopus bigelovii flowering today in one of the troughs.
It flowered for the first time last year quite early as well .

My other Scoliopus bigelovii have not yet raised their heads above soil level--they normally poke up in September.

Not sure why this one should flower weeks ahead of the others although i've just had a thought --what does S. hallii look like ?....

Had a 'google' but that's of no help.

Anyone got any pics for comparision.Ta

Cheers Dave.

[Maggi Young]

Hi, Dave, that is indeed S. bigelovii.... see Ian's Bulb Logs for pix of it and S. hallii

http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/190303/log.html

http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2006/030506/log.html

[Lesley Cox]

You know the old saying Dave. "if it LOOKS like Scoliopus bigelovii and WADDLES like Scoliopus bigelovii and QUAKs like Scoliopus bigelovii, it's probably not a duck."

Be happy to have an early flowering form.

[t00lie]

Thanks girls.

Maggie----I had searched the forum but did not think to have a peek at Ian's Bulb Log.

Leslie--"quack quack"

Cheers dave

[fermi de Sousa]

Lesley,
you forgot to say "and if it smells like a wet dog - it's Scoliopus bigelovii"!

Just a single bloom this year on Narcissus "Tiffany" (at least that's what I got it as!), another of Blanchard's "fabric group".


And still flowering despite cold weather, frosts and sleet!: Salvia thymoides,

cheers
fermi

[Paul T]

Fermi,

Both nice.  Can't recall having heard of either of them before, or did someone post a pic of 'Tiffany' at one point recently?  Very nice, either way.

[Lesley Cox]

Oddly Fermi, because I usually do, I haven't sniffed my Scoliopus. Must remedy that later. But I sure know about the wet dog smell. Our English Springer spaniel leaps into every patch of water he can find, whether the sea, a river or lake or any puddle of dirty water, wherever it may be. Even leaps into the bath or shower if not shut forcibly OUT of the bathroom.

[Lesley Cox]

Just home from town a few minutes ago. Dunedin is wall to wall people at present because of a test match (Tri Nations) between All Blacks and South Africa. For the moment the weather is holding up with an unexpected hot nor'west wind so very mild out at the moment. Due to change to southerly though, this evening. Been trying to book a table somewhere to eat out tonight. Impossible until around 11pm.

[Lesley Cox]

Yesterday my two children and their spouses and 4 of my 5 grandchildren dropped in for food (and I hope to see me as well), in town for Saturday night's big rugby game.

Ben, aged 11, put his head in the fridge as is always his first action when he visits. Now I'm not known as a domestic goddess, but even I was brought up short when he retreated, saying, "Mmmm, that could be useful, home-made penicillin." I spent the rest of the evening cleaning out the refrigerator.

Here is the first for the year of the gorgeous Narcissus romieuxii `Atlas Gold.' There are going to be hundreds of flowers this year.