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Theme Changer

 Topic: Gardener's Question Time...

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  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #60 - May 26, 2012, 12:29 AM
    Quote from: osmanthus on May 26, 2012, 12:28 AM
    They aren't dyed. Those are genuine colours resulting from cross breeding using natural genetic variation. Smiley

    I like the white ones too, but some of the coloured ones are also cool.

    Sounds fishy. I'll stick with the white ones. Tongue
    Self ban for Ramadan (THAT RHYMES)

    Expect me to come back a Muslim. Cool Tongue j/k we'll see..
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #61 - May 26, 2012, 12:35 AM
    Cheesy It's no different to having different coloured flowers for any other species. You just get plants that have characteristics you want and breed them to accentuate those characteristics. Same as with cats and dogs and horses.
    Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #62 - May 26, 2012, 12:37 AM
    I hate mutts.

    But I know that people do that with tomatoes and stuff, but still. Flowers should be totally natural. grin12
    Self ban for Ramadan (THAT RHYMES)

    Expect me to come back a Muslim. Cool Tongue j/k we'll see..
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #63 - May 26, 2012, 12:43 AM
    Nah bollocks. There have been some really cool flowers come out of plant breeders' work. I know what you mean though. I do think some breeders stuff things up by trying to get too fancy.

    Hibiscus are a good example. I like the singles, but think the doubles are a mess. Same goes for sasanqua camelias. They look much better as a single (even though I'm not that rapt in them). OTOH, the formal double japonicas can be really elegant.
    Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #64 - May 26, 2012, 12:48 AM
    *pretends to know what Os is talking about* Indeeeeed.
    Self ban for Ramadan (THAT RHYMES)

    Expect me to come back a Muslim. Cool Tongue j/k we'll see..
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #65 - May 26, 2012, 12:52 AM
    Short version: singles are more like the original form. Basic flowery thing. Doubles are when they stuff lotsa extra petals in. It relies on a natural genetic quirk that (you guessed it) doubles the number of petals.

    It can work really well if done properly, or it can just make the thing look like a scrunched up fluffy mess. Depends. Smiley
    Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #66 - May 26, 2012, 12:54 AM
    Oh right!!! Smiley I don't like the sound of this double thing, it sounds like wearing too many petticoats or something.
    Self ban for Ramadan (THAT RHYMES)

    Expect me to come back a Muslim. Cool Tongue j/k we'll see..
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #67 - May 26, 2012, 01:02 AM
    Yes it can give that effect. That's when I don't like it. Some breeders just seem to think that if it's fancier it must be better. Silly buggers. Tongue

    Oh handy tip for ya: frangipani flowers are cool for decorating cakes (among other things) but the sap is nasty so a lot of people wont use them for that. However, if you get a tiny bit of aluminium foil and wrap the ends of the stems, you can hide that in the icing so they look cool but don't bugger your cake. Smiley
    Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #68 - May 26, 2012, 01:07 AM
    You're so smart Os!  far away hug far away hug far away hug Thank you!
    Self ban for Ramadan (THAT RHYMES)

    Expect me to come back a Muslim. Cool Tongue j/k we'll see..
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #69 - May 26, 2012, 01:07 AM
    Not that I have frangipanis...I guess I could use that for other flowers though.
    Self ban for Ramadan (THAT RHYMES)

    Expect me to come back a Muslim. Cool Tongue j/k we'll see..
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #70 - May 26, 2012, 01:14 AM
    I was making a Christmas cake one time, and most people over here put plastic holly and stuff on them even though it's the middle of summer and there's no holly anywhere. Seems a bit silly. So I thought I should use something else.

    Just don't try it with anything that is really toxic. Like there's no way I'd do it with oleanders, just in case. Those are just too dangerous. They look great in a garden, but you don't want to get the sap or anything else anywhere near your mouth.

    Most flowers should be fine though. Just do a bit of research if you aren't sure.
    Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #71 - May 26, 2012, 01:16 AM
    Oh yeah, Australians have summer/winter mixed up. Roll Eyes

    And thank you! I'm gonna try it with lilacs dance Although I might have to wash them, like what if they have dirt in their creases? That's gross.
    Self ban for Ramadan (THAT RHYMES)

    Expect me to come back a Muslim. Cool Tongue j/k we'll see..
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #72 - May 26, 2012, 01:20 AM
    If it stays in there and you don't eat the flowers, no problem. grin12 I'd just brush them off and give them a bit of a shake. No need to drown the poor things.
    Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #73 - May 26, 2012, 01:23 AM
    They're flowers, they won't drown.

    But I guess I'd inspect them first. Smiley
    Self ban for Ramadan (THAT RHYMES)

    Expect me to come back a Muslim. Cool Tongue j/k we'll see..
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #74 - May 26, 2012, 01:32 AM
    Yes but if you wash them, then you have to dry them. Too much bother. Tongue

    Give them a shake. Check for stowaway bugz. Bung 'em on the cake. The flowers that is, not the stowaway bugz.
    Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny
  • Re: Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #75 - May 26, 2012, 01:36 AM
    I'm going to put them on cupcakes! dance Thanks Aunty.
    Self ban for Ramadan (THAT RHYMES)

    Expect me to come back a Muslim. Cool Tongue j/k we'll see..
  • Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #76 - January 23, 2013, 09:35 AM
    Hey David, do you know what these are called?

    "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor E. Frankl

    'Life is just the extreme expression of complex chemistry' - Neil deGrasse Tyson
  • Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #77 - January 23, 2013, 03:37 PM
    Looks a bit like a Camassia, but not quite.

    What season does it flower? What colour is the flower? Was it growing in the wild? (Loads of questions to mask how crap I am.)
  • Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #78 - January 23, 2013, 04:29 PM
    Ah, it's ok, thanks. I just wanted to give the post a title. I could use a descriptive name instead.

    Growing at the back of a garden, it was around during autumn time. The previous owner was a garden architect, it was really a pretty garden (overgrown since the then owner didn't look after it).
    "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor E. Frankl

    'Life is just the extreme expression of complex chemistry' - Neil deGrasse Tyson
  • Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #79 - January 23, 2013, 06:57 PM
    If autumn, not a Camassia. Might possibly be a Gaura.

    Nice plant, though. Looks natural, not a blowsy hybrid. Sorry not to be more help.
  • Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #80 - April 15, 2014, 12:23 AM
    Bumping this. I need a bulletproof* way to do hibiscus cuttings. Anyone here done them successfully?

    (I already know how to fuck them up Tongue )


    * And don't fucking say "Wrap them in Kevlar" or I'll get out my voodoo dolls.
    Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny
  • Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #81 - April 23, 2014, 07:47 AM
    Figures you lot would be useless at doing hibiscus propagation. Tongue

    Anyway, here's an item from the Department of Unexpected Coolness. This afternoon, will pigging around doing something else in a neglected corner, I noticed some long, narrow leaves that I'd walloped with the brushcutter (a couple of them were just lying on the ground). I recognised them, since I'd seen similar leaves before, and looked around until I found where they'd come from.

    They'd come from the bunch of scruffy-looking things in this pic:



    Why is this cool? Because they are Sprekelia formosissima bulbs. In English, that means that once they're planted and well fed for a while, they'll end up looking like this:



    If I had to buy the things, they'd be $15 a pop for a decent sized one.
    Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny
  • Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #82 - April 23, 2014, 08:57 AM
    Sorry,  I was drunk and on the road when you asked about Hibiscus cuttings. They're dead easy, surely. My Dad brings cuttings back from Ethiopia and roots them in bog-standard compost on the kitchen windowsill.

    I've always found ripe (but not wizened) wood works better than new growth. Not too wet, not too dry. Not too hot, not too cold. You know the score.

    As for those Sprekelia bulbs, WOW. I've been potting up some of these today...



    ...but that's in a different league. (Pancratium maritimum in case you're wonndering.)


    Oh, and do you know of an Australian seller of palm and cycad seed?  I've had disappointing results with seed bought from a specialist in Germany.
  • Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #83 - April 23, 2014, 09:51 PM
    Hey that one is pretty cool. I hadn't heard of it before. Afro

    Re palm and cycad seeds: I get heaps of the buggers just lying around. I sometimes wish they'd stop seeding. Tongue Well, the palms anyway. The cycads are less prolific.

    I've never looked around for seeds for sale, but I'm sure they're available. Have no idea on export laws or how they'd travel though. Which species are you after?
    Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny
  • Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #84 - April 23, 2014, 11:15 PM
    I'm after pretty much anything that can take a little cold. Osaka is on roughly the same latitude as Los Angeles and Rabat,  Sydney and Buenos Aires, but, despite not being continental, gets colder than any of the above (chill winds of Communism from the north). Little or no frost, though,

    So... Archontophoenix, Laccospadix, Howea, Syagrus, Rhopalostylis, Lepidozamia, Macrozamia, to name but the common ones.

    The Japanese not being fascists, importing cleaned seed is no problem.
  • Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #85 - April 23, 2014, 11:53 PM
    If you're after large numbers of seeds you could try Seedworld Australia. They're on the NSW south coast, so should have a good idea on the relevant climate.
    Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny
  • Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #86 - April 24, 2014, 12:35 AM
    That's the sort of thing I'm after. Most of the stuff on there does okay here, but I want smaller quantities and a wider range of species. They seem to be a big supplier to landscapers, and diversity is never their strongest suit.

    Aussies on Ebay is my best lead so far.
  • Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #87 - April 24, 2014, 02:13 PM
    TBH I don't really understand why some people are so keen on palms. There are other things I'd rather grow. I'd commit murder for some Lignum vitae seeds. grin12
    Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny
  • Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #88 - April 25, 2014, 01:39 AM
    Just got back from the Caribbean. Should be in lignum vitae's natural range, but I've never seen it there.

    As for palms, I was no fan either until I had an epiphany. I don't like the way they are normally planted (formally, in lines),  but love them as a counterpoint to dense, varied vegetation. Also, they provide tall structure without casting too much shade.
  • Gardener's Question Time...
     Reply #89 - April 25, 2014, 02:59 AM
    Oh yeah tell me about the lines thing. Roll Eyes They can work well in clumps that more or less emulate how they naturally occur (IMO) but they're done to death over here. Lines of the bastards all over the place. The biggest problem with them is that they don't just drop nice little leaves that are easy to deal with. They fucking bomb anything underneath them, and then some sod has to clean up after them. Frequently.

    Anyway lignum vitae is an awesome looking tree when in flower, even if it takes yonks to grow. Ity's not that common a tree even in its natural range though. Listed as endangered these days (unfortunately).
    Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West. bunny
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