January 2010 in the Southern Hemisphere

[anita]

Hi,
A few things coming up in the garden in Adelaide.
Just in bloom this week Hymenocallis festalis (or Ismene festalis depending on which reference I'm looking at). Also Crinum powelli alba which has actually been flowering for about two months now. Amaryllis belladonna, which for some reason goes by the common name of Easter lily here, although my garden diary indicates that the first blooms are up on or around January 10. I'm always amazed how fast these blooms move. The first shoot showed above ground on Jan 13 this year and 5 days later they were 60 cm high and in full bloom.
I've read that it's possible to hybridise Crinum and Amaryllis and given that both are in bloom I might give it a shot, although I'm not sure if C. powelli is actually fertile.
I'm also attaching Hymenocallis littoralis which actually bloomed back in December but I haven't had a chance to download the images until today.
Cheers Anita

[fermi de Sousa]

Wow, Anita,
that's early for Belladonna lilies (also called "Naked Ladies" because the flower comes up without foliage) but I said that to Bill about his Lycoris and look what flowered on the weekend!
Lycoris incarnata on 24/01/10


And starting to fade by 27/01/10


cheers
fermi

[Hristo]

Beauites Anita, the Hymenocallis littoralis is a classy little number!
More reasons to be jealous of the Southern Hemisphere!

[Ragged Robin]

Fermi, I love the way your Lycoris incarta flowers are growing through the silver grey foliage of ? - the colours and forms complement each other perfectly 

[fleurbleue]

...
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2510.msg58844#msg58844  ..... white form in the garden of Dave Lyttle in NZ


This white Myosotidium hortensia is wonderful Maggi !  

[Maggi Young]

This white Myosotidium hortensia is wonderful Maggi !

It is lovely, isn't it?

I was just thinking how beautiful the pure white Crinum powellii alba is,  that Anita shows us.....just  a delight to see. 

[fleurbleue]

I love all white flowers... and dark purple also 

[fermi de Sousa]

Fermi, I love the way your Lycoris incarta flowers are growing through the silver grey foliage of ? - the colours and forms complement each other perfectly 

Hi Robin,
this is one of those "serendipitous associations" as the artemesia mat has grown over the bulbs without any prompting from me.
This was bought as Artemesia schmidtiana "Nana" but isn't herbaceous, so is possibly something like A. pedemontana. If anyone knows for sure what it is, please let me know!
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

A. pedemontana lanata?

[Lori S.]

This was bought as Artemesia schmidtiana "Nana" but isn't herbaceous, so is possibly something like A. pedemontana.

I'm amazed to hear that A. schmidtiana 'Nana' would be herbaceous in your climate, given that the woody lower branches tend to winter over even here... ?

[anita]

Just a couple more things from the garden.
Lilium leucanthemum, the photo's not the crispest as the flower stem is about 7ft high (2m +)and sways in the slightest draft (and I'm not the steadiest on the step ladder either!). I've three plants established in the garden that seem to be thriving despite the spells of 41degC and above that we've had over the past couple of years. Two year old seedlings raised from these plants are coming into bloom for the first time this year but are only about three feet (1m) high, which is nice as I can actually smell the lovely scent at that height.
Zephyranthes Big Dude, which is actually about 5cm across has just come into bloom... probably thinks the deep soak I gave the bed last week was summer rain, I expect more over the next few days as they usually flower as a small clump. According to the Pacific Bulb Society website Big Dude is a selection of Z. Labuffarosea.
And finally a very early Cyclamen libanoticum. I don't know what it thinks it's doing up so early... usually it's at least another month before I see any flowers.
Cheers Anita

[mark smyth]

Fermi this is what my Oenothera acaulis looks like - dead showing where flowers and seeds were, the flower and Colchicum cupanii coming up from under a plant

[Lesley Cox]

You will likely get self-sown seedlings of the Oenothera in the spring Mark.

[Hristo]

Anita, like your from of labuffa rosea, I have a smaller flowered form here ( as a windowsill subject  )

[fermi de Sousa]

Fermi this is what my Oenothera acaulis looks like - dead showing where flowers and seeds were, the flower and Colchicum cupanii coming up from under a plant

Hi Mark,
thanks for the pic - I'm happy to trade seed for that one - and yes, it's on the "allowed list" on ICON.

Hi Anita,
that 7 foot tall Lilium maybe a form of L. formosanum or L. phillipinense as L. leucanthemum looks a bit more like L. regale, having a shorter more substantial trumpet. Zeph. "Big Dude" looks spectacular - please get a pic of the clump when it flowers!

In part of the Rock Garden which has been watered this week a lone Acis autumnalis (syn Leucojum autumnale) has emereged,


cheers
fermi