We are a month from the main show season – September – but a few quality flowers are appearing , reminding me that the market flowers are well of the pace , plenty of room for improvement . The Northern Daffodil Club has had their first bench show ; some nice flowers and very good miniatures and pots from Robin Hill stood out . Most of these early show flowers have been up in previous seasons but are still a good stimulant for the season ahead .
Demmo is just short of trumpet measurements but has been a useful breeder . I always enjoy the colour changes as the flower matures .The top of the trumpet is a good deep orange / red at maturity .
Habit , a recent gift from David Adams , shows that it is a classy Jackson trumpet . Very smooth , round perianth , big flower .
This Peter Ramsay seedling has a very long , definite trumpet . Over a centimeter clear of the perianth , a big flower that I have crossed with deep redcups , – hoping the length will stay and the red prevail . Sorry , I lost the very vigorous , seedling number . .
The best of the show flowers to date is this John Hunter Canisp line seedling . I posted an earlier flower from Graham Phillips . He is also very impressed and had chilled a bulb to obtain an early flower for breeding . JA H seedling 3 – 93 D is a very clean , sparkling white of good size and consistent . John is looking for a suitable name and registration .
Rapture is always a charmer — a big pot full here with thirty stems , – about twenty out at present .
Winter time is not as harsh here as in many other daff areas but the birds still appreciate a winter feed . These little Silver eyes ( also called Waxeyes ) like the nectar from the Banksia . The male looks very sharp in his bright coat ; his lady is a little less flamboyant .They are very active little birds — about 13 grams .
Love the Silvereye photos John especially the male against the blue sky.