Octobers flower displays

Supposed to be around for a while yet

Judy they are pretty ...here is me whinging about rain when we are hearing on the radio you gardeners up North are about to float away ...how are you coping with all the rain?

I'm right inland chrissy so nowhere near as much rain as on the coast.It's on the coast and just inland that is feeling the brunt of it.
Has your package arrived yet?

The Rondeletia amoena, that I have, is a small one grown as a cutting from my last garden....If you are familiar with Viburnum.carlesi they are very similar in appearance...for some reason I can only find them described as pink......the buds are pink but they open to white...and they are very fragant...
There is a pink variety of R.amoena...not as good as the white though. IMO.

This site has the best description.
http://www.igarden.com.au/plant-type.jsp?t=Rondeletia&q=Plant

This message was edited Oct 11, 2010 4:21 PM

Thanks for that link Cestrum...
I want that one...Crinum amabile! Yum!!!!!!

http://www.natureproducts.net/Forest_Products/Ornamentals/crinum.html

Isn't it beautiful....thanks Wayne.

Yes. Reminds me of the Queen Emma Lily (much smaller), that grew some time back in a garden at Bronte (coastal Sydney).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pikpix/4621080554/

Beautiful Picture of it Dianne it does look like the Viburnum C.
Does that mean it also prefers the more temperate climate too?

Wayne I agree isn't she beautiful, the Criniums are lovely plants.

Judy thanks so much for the ollie cuttings and seeds hubby just bought them in ...I will be so happy to get roots on them particularly the mini ...it makes a stunning small hedge.
I have water roots on the yellows I am just waiting for a bit warmer temps before planting them out.

When you find it Wayne,LMK cause I want it too! :0)

Gardeners are impossible aren't we? ...ha ha ha I still think it's better than collecting teapots or old clocks.

Yes it does prefer a milder climate..Chrissie....and it is very hard to find in Victoria...I bought my first one 20 yrs ago and I have had to grow it by cuttings ever since.
Most nurseries have never heard of it.

You are welcome chrissy are they still ok? if not I will send you more.. no wonder they call it *snail mail* they were posted last Monday..

Gosh, when I see everyones plants I want them all,it's so hard to be ruthless and practical and just grow what does best in our climates.

Here is one of my frangis bursting into flower,surrounded by red torch ginger leaves.

Here's the red torch

my hoya

native gardenia

black fire desert rose

old reliable shrimp, regardless of temps

Aahh...how beautiful are they all... but that torch ginger is absolutely spectacular...you should put it into the plantfiles Mya.

Yes Mya I agree with Judy that is beautiful ...they look like a Waratah don't they. Put it in the Files.

Judy they look fine ...thanks again ...loving the single red ollie too ^_^
We have had a long weekend here in NSW (Labour Day) last Monday so that is the reason probably, but they look fine.

I knew that one would grab your attention Judy! :)))
I do not think they would be much good for me without great care, given frosts. They would be lovely in Helen's garden.
BTW, your bulbs are all doing fine. Thank you.

Lovely to see what's in bloom on the other side of the fence. Not much happening here. Even my frangipanni hasn't begun to send out shoots yet. I seem to be behind everyone else.

Have this strange looking shrub growing down the back. It's been there a long time, doesn't do much, except in Spring it gets these flowers which I rather like. Not a very showy bush, just interesting, I think. No idea what it is.

Karen

It's a Feijoa Karen http://www.google.com.au/images?hl=en&biw=1400&bih=935&q=feijoa&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

Looks like a feijoa or guava: http://www.maggiesgarden.com/Plant_Profiles/Plant_This/Pineapple_Guava/pineapple_guava.html
It's supposed to set fruit though ...

Great minds, eh Judy?
Mya, many people would kill to be able to grow the sub/tropicals that thrive in your garden. Is that native gardenia a randia? Which species? (I have Randia fitzalani, but it has yet to flower.) Supposed to be scented--is yours?

Here's the first bloom on my Bauhinia acuminata. Smells like ... unbelievably, the beaumontia, but very faint. Perhaps if the plant was covered in blooms the fragrance might be more noticeable. It looks just like the white one I photographed on the street, except that this is a small plant and supposed to stay that way. Time will tell, I guess ...

This message was edited Oct 12, 2010 8:27 AM

Oh that is a lovely thing cestrum ...the orchid trees in Penrith smell beautiful when they are in bloom.

Karen if you buy another Feijoa you will most likely get some yummy fruit on that plant. Most but not all need another plant to cross pollinate.

Hey, thanks for the ID. That is certainly the flower. This bush is many years old but has never attempted to set fruit. That's a shame. Now I know what it is, I am a bit disappointed, but have always been fascinated by the way it flowers.

I do love that Bauhinia.

Karen

Karen, in your climate you could have bauhinias growing out of your ... pockets LOL
Once established, they seem to survive on just rainfall out here (not to mention the very cold winter nights, with occasional frost), so they would do even better closer to the coast. I've given away my seeds but there are heaps available on ebay. (Deminimus is my favourite supplier--completely reliable.) They germinate readily, grow quickly, and don't take long to flower --I've checked my records and that one was sown on 1 December 2008. I have brugmansia seedlings that are over 2yo and still to flower!

The bauhinias certainly do well here, in fact, they grow like weeds. I enjoy my neighbour's red one without the worry of having to try to contain it. It looks totally fabulous out in flower.

Karen

Smell........To knock your socks off.....to coin Ann's phrase "smells like a tarts boudoir" I have never smelt such a strong perfume on anything before.....as for the species,it could be anything as it's on the edge of our property bordering the National Parks.I'd say the previous owners must have planted it, as we have quite a few frangis along that side as well .The EPA are against anything "exotic" and are forever "warning" me to be careful what I plant but thankgoodness they have left the gardenia tree alone, as it overhangs onto the National Parks property and really they have every right to cut down what they deem as a threat to this environment if they so wish.

I've just done a search on Randia fitzalani and my tree is definately not that.My flowers open yellow than turn white,this flowers about 3-4 times a year for about 6 weeks,so pretty well have this amazing fragrance wafting around.Do you want a branch, hahahaha,notice i didn't say cutting, plenty of this to go around, BTW, I never water or fertilize it,and it's amazing.

Oh, yes, yes, yes, pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
But honestly, I assumed it was the one I had, just in flower.
PS If I were you, I'd take some cuttings for myself too, just in case National Parks changes their attitude. Or staff ... I mean, to plant somewhere safely away from the border ...

This message was edited Oct 12, 2010 9:44 AM

CestrumGot them wrapped around my little finger hahahahaha,(NOT) done, I'll send some next week.How do you strike your Beaumontia.I'm going to trim mine into some shape and I'd like to have a go at striking it.I bought it for $19 and would like some more scattered around as really nothing seems to eat or nibble at it and always looks lush and tropical.

Here's a picture of the rouge aerial shoots I'd like to trim........

Mya,your native gardenia reminds me of a Tabernaemontana sp .

Many thanks, Mya. I can't wait to smell a 'tart's boudoir' LOL

I wonder if your 'native gardenia' could be a tabernaemontana? Check out http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi?selectengine=catalog&first=1&number=10&lang=en&sale=1&screen_width=1024&search_op=AND&find=tabernaemontana Have you ever seen any fruit on it? That might help ID it.

How does one strike a beaumontia? Well, first you go to a garden talk at the local garden festival. Then you take home a piece of beaumontia, freshly cut off the vine that morning and kept in water since then, that the presenter has generously given out after the speech. You wrap it in wet tissue and carry it around with you for a few hours before getting home and planting it in a shady spot in a sandy mix with minimal water! Talk about luck LOL Since then, I had to try multiple times before getting one to strike (Chrissy has that one). What I would recommend is air layering. I reckon that should be the most reliable method. (Perhaps I should try that myself before cutting back my rampant vine.)

Again, Judy! LOL

Glad to hear the possums don't like it, such a pretty thing that it is.

This message was edited Oct 12, 2010 10:09 AM

Ok I'm just off to catch a ferry but I'll be back later to compare leaf pics of my unnamed gardenia and the Randia fitzulanii,which I also have (didn't realise that's what it was cause on the front of the tag it just says Ridgey-didge natives gardenia yet on the back it has it's botanical name of Randia fitzulanii, which i had never bothered looking at.It has yet to flower after 2 years in the ground, how big is your shrub cestrum.

Catch the ferry? That sounds so exotic! I inadvertently caught the ferry one time I drove out here. Thought I would avoid the Ipswich freeway and wondered, vaguely, about the 'Ferry' signs, until I got to the river without a bridge! Fortunately, the ferry was working that day ...

I wonder if your native gardenia might be a Larsenaikia ochreata. I've never heard of it before either, but it is known as a 'native gardenia' and it has six petals. Check this out: http://www.sgaptownsville.org.au/Larsenaikia-ochreata.html And this: http://www-public.jcu.edu.au/discovernature/planttownsville/JCUDEV_005986
This too: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42087530@N02/4823383774/

I reckon that might be it! Seems it was called Gardenia ochreata (see http://www.flickr.com/photos/72793939@N00/2903750113/), then renamed as Kailarsenia ochreata (see http://gvcocks.homeip.net/PlantFamilies/Rubiaceae/Gardenia/kailarsenia_ochreata.htm) and now changed again to Larsenaikia ochreata, a name that is unknown to almost everyone!

This message was edited Oct 12, 2010 1:06 PM

Oh, forgot about my Randia. Mine was planted out about three years ago in a shady, sheltered spot against the south side of the house, under the tree fern and behind the brugs. Hasn't flowered yet, is about 90cm high and looks healthy. Here tis:

It looks just like a gardenia!

This message was edited Oct 12, 2010 10:36 AM

Wow....after the last few posts I feel as though I am in a foreign country...apart from the Fejoia which I have grown and the Bauhinia, which is in the local Botanical gardens..

I am totally ignorant of all the plants mentioned...

Now I have to look them up so I will know what you are all discussing....they must be all wonderful...especially those that smell like " A tart's boudoir "

Jean and Colleen are you familiar with the plants mentioned? or like me you have to look them up also.
Mya, I am still trying with the Frangipanis.....How are your seedlings?
Dianne

common name of yellow mangosteen ...said to smell of gardenia.
http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/yellow_mangosteen.htm

I wonder what a tart's boudoir smells like? ^_^
It is not called yellow mangosteen here but it is supposed to resemble them in taste. It's the same thing though.

http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/plant/Native-Gardenia-Randia-Fitzalani.htm



This message was edited Oct 12, 2010 9:48 PM

Here is that Azalea that I mentioned in another post.
The perfume at night is lovely.
Alba Magnifica