LILIACEAE

0148 AGAPANTHUS

Also known as African Lily, Lily of the Nile. Agapanthus species and cultivars have long, strap-like, fleshy leaves that form dense clumps of evergreen or deciduous foliage. Tall stems tower over the foliage bearing heads of bell-shaped or tubular flowers, in shades of blue to purple or white. In frost-free climates, flowers of evergreens appear over a long season, elsewhere summer is the principal flowering season. INFORMATION FROM: Gardening Australia. IMAGE BY: Hazel Hogarth TAKEN: October 2009. Hyde Park Sydney

_AAA3065 Agapanthus 18.10.2009

_AAA3073 Agapanthus 18.10.2009

_AAA3054 Agapanthus 18.10.2009

_AAA3050 Agapanthus 18.10.2009

_AAA3044 Agapanthus 18.10.2009

0837 BOKASSA TULIP Baby doll

While tulips had probably been cultivated in Asia from the tenth century, they did not come to the attention of the West until the sixteenth century, when Western diplomats to the Ottoman court observed and reported on them. They were rapidly introduced into Europe and became a frenzied commodity during Tulip mania. Tulips were frequently depicted in Dutch Golden Age paintings, and have become associated with the Netherlands, the major producer for world markets, ever since. In the seventeenth century Netherlands, during the time of the Tulip mania, an infection of tulip bulbs by the tulip breaking virus created variegated patterns in the tulip flowers that were much admired and valued. This phenomenon was referred to as "broken". Breeding programs have produced thousands of hybrid and cultivars in addition to the original species (known in horticulture as botanical tulips). They are popular throughout the world, both as ornamental garden plants and as cut flowers. FROM: Wikipaedia IMAGE BY: Hazel Hogarth TAKEN: October 2008

0156 PARROT TULIP Super Parrot

They have a past steeped in romance, they have been a muse for art, poetry and passion. The Tulip has obsessed nations taking flower power to the extreme. It has earned its name as Queen of Bulbs. Tulips may have a reputation as `difficult customers` but in most cases this is undeserved. When you buy a bulb the flower is already pre-formed, ready to bloom. All you need to do is plant them into well drained soil in a sunny spot, fertilise and water, then wait for the show! FROM: Tesselaar Pty Ltd. IMAGE BY: Hazel Hogarth TAKEN: September 2008. Bowral.