Recent Posts

1

Grow From Seed / Re: Clitoria ternatea ...an experiment !

« Last post by Hans J on December 11, 2024, 08:23:21 AM »

Hello Véronique ,

thats interesting that you have similar problems with this plants !

In a german book for climbing plants is written that this plants like warm + fertilizer ...but that was no problem here

Also is there written from a other Clitoria which seems more easy :
Clitoria mariana
I have searched ...but I cannot find a good source for seeds in Europe
If anybody has a idea ? ( maybe our members from USA ) ?

Hans

2

Grow From Seed / Re: Codonopsis

« Last post by Véronique Macrelle on December 11, 2024, 08:18:08 AM »

I received some rare but old seeds (from 2015!): Codonopsis bomiensis seeds.
They will be sown in the spring but as soon as I received them, I wanted to do a viability test. I tested 10 seeds with a few special treatments to try and ‘wake them up’.
Result: 5 seeds out of 10 grew well.
 A sixth germinated, but seems to be dwarfed, and will probably never produce a mature plant.
 50% germination after 9 years in storage! I think that's an excellent result.

the seedlings are growing so well that i feel obliged to pamper them under an artificial summer. but i'm not sure what to do next (a rest or not before the summer of 2025?).

as usual, some Violas have germinated at the same time (jumping seeds in the soil) but I've already found that they make good companion plants, especially for Codonospis which like a leafy environment (of course, climbers!) and also because they attract aphids to them (I still have spontaneous generations of aphids).

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Grow From Seed / Re: Clitoria ternatea ...an experiment !

« Last post by Véronique Macrelle on December 11, 2024, 08:02:17 AM »

I've always wanted Clitoria ternata, especially the blue one.
but I've had the same problems as you, Hans; and even worse, because I've only ever obtained a 20 cm plant that died at the end of the saiosn...
 it's probably because the seeds are too old and refuse to grow properly.

unfortunately i have a lot of things to germinate this spring. but i would be very interested to know if your seeds of the year give birth to more vigorous plants.

I need more positive experiences to motivate me for this species.

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Plant Information and Portraits / Themidaceae

« Last post by Robert on December 10, 2024, 10:44:08 PM »

> Triteleia laxa  El Dorado County, California

The Brodiaea Family, Themidaceae, is a diverse group of bulbous perennial corms found from Central America through Western North America. The University of California currently recognizes 7 Genera and 45 species native to California. This includes a large number of endemic species.

In California, the Themidaceae are a highly adapted group found within almost every floristic province within the state. Most have evolved to a Mediterranean type climate where the corms become active with cooler temperatures and the commencement of precipitation in the autumn. During the spring months they grow rapidly and produce flowers from March through June depending on location and the species. During the hot, dry summer months the corms go into dormancy and spend the summer resting until the cooler autumn temperatures and precipitation begin the growth cycle again. An exception to this pattern are some of the high elevation, mountainous species which break dormancy in the spring with snow melt and continue with active growth into the summer before going into dormancy late in the summer season.

In this thread I will limit my discussion, for the most part, to 4 Genera: Brodiaea, Dichelostemma, Dipterostemon, and Triteleia. The discussion will be based on my extensive field studies of these plants primarily in El Dorado County, California, as well as my field studies throughout Northern and Central California. At times I will include comments concerning my ongoing breeding work with these species.

My hope is that others will share their experiences with the “Brodiaea’s” so that we can all benefit from the information. The Themidaceae are likely adaptable to a larger range of climatic/horticultural situations and applications than are currently in use today. We just need to experiment and trial these plants over a broad range of environmental conditions to gain a better understanding of their capabilities as ornamental plants.


Triteleia ixioides ssp. scabra  El Dorado County, California

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Pleione and Orchidaceae / Re: Pleione 2024

« Last post by Tim Harberd on December 10, 2024, 11:20:13 AM »

Hi Marc,
      It was a funny year here. ... I spent so long looking for trouble (virus) that I didn't enjoy the flowers that much!

      I'll endeavour to post more photos next year....

      Meanwhile: Following on from the 'Experiment' post: Just harvested about 95 bulbils. Total weight 14g. None of the 4 pots were remarkably better or worse than the others. My feeling is that it wasn’t a particularly good growing year, for pleiones or just about anything else either!

The planted bulbils were of a fairly uniform size, the harvested ones are not! I weighed the best 10 at 4g, which means those ones have roughly quadrupled in weight.

I’ll replant the lot, in four pots of fresh compost, and weigh them again next year …. I wonder how long it will take to get a flower!

Tim DH

6

Grow From Seed / Re: Josef Jurasek- Seed List 24/25

« Last post by Grahame Ware on December 10, 2024, 06:30:04 AM »

Good stuff! Thanks Maggi.

7

Grow From Seed / Josef Jurasek- Seed List 24/25

« Last post by Maggi Young on December 09, 2024, 06:35:41 PM »

For those interested, this is the  Seed List 24/25 from Josef Jurasek in the Czech Rebuplic.
   Jurasek Seed List.pdf (39.59 kB - downloaded 57 times.)

8

Flowers and Foliage Now / Re: December 2024 in the Southern Hemisphere

« Last post by Robert on December 09, 2024, 05:23:01 PM »

Hi Fermi,

It is nice to see Brodiaea coronaria blooming in your garden.

Thank you for sharing information about the climatic conditions in your area. If I understand correctly your climatic region has some Mediterranean aspects as well as occasions with sub-tropical, summertime humid type weather. It appears that you have the potential to get much more summertime precipitation than we get here in our part of Northern California.

I do have a few questions regarding your Brodiaea coronaria specimen. I understand that you are extremely busy, so if you do not have the time to answer my questions it is completely understandable.

By any chance do you know the origins or history of your Brodiaea coronaria seeds? I am looking for information much more detailed than “it came from the NARGS Seed exchange.” Brodiaea coronaria has a large range from Central California northward to British Columbia. I consider the maritime climate of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia to be much different from that of interior Northern California. A species can make considerable adjustments based on climatic variables. I see this all the time in my field studies. By any chance do you know from what region your seed was derived? Was it wild collected seed? If of garden origin, where did the seeds come from? If of garden origin, how many generations removed are they from wild derived seed, and were the plants grown with other species of Brodiaea? Concerning Brodiaea coronaria, the University of California/Jepson Herbaria states, “Morphologically variable; Populations may represent separate lineages of hybrid origin. Study needed”. Based on my field studies the situation may be much more complicated. Certainly much more study is needed. Seeds and plants of garden origin can further complicate an already complicated situation. I completely understand if you do not have this information, but I thought I would at least ask. For me these are important things to consider.

A few more questions:

How long have you grown Brodiaea coronaria? Does it bloom consistently for you, or is this the first time it has bloomed for you? Does it tolerate summertime irrigation? Some Themidaceae are tolerant of summertime irrigation.

Good fortune with your garden this summer.

9

Flowers and Foliage Now / Re: December 2024 in the Southern Hemisphere

« Last post by fermi de Sousa on December 09, 2024, 12:27:12 PM »

Hi Maggi and Carolyn,
I fell in love with Conanthera at my very first AGS Vic Group meeting when someone exhibited Conanthera bifolia. I first saw Conanthera trimaculata at Kew when Tony Hall showed me around the Bulb House.
Here are some more "blues":
1) Campanula zanzegura growing in a trough
2) a Hebe hybrid
3 & 4) Brodiaea coronaria grown from seed from NARGs
cheers
fermi

10

Grow From Seed / Clitoria ternatea ...an experiment !

« Last post by Hans J on December 09, 2024, 08:47:49 AM »

I have now tried several times to grow this species from seed
Last year I sowed seeds and grew 2 plants of the species with blue flowers ...unfortunately no flowers - overwintering did not work out .
This year I ordered new seeds (blue and white flowers)
The blue-flowered ones germinated quite well ( 4 seedlings ) of the white-flowered seeds I only got one seedling to germinate ... the plants all grew well ( in the greenhouse ) but the flowers were poor ... maybe the seeds were already old ?
At least the white-flowered plant flowered ...the blue-flowered ones: nothing ( although the plants were much bigger )
I pollinated the flowers and they even set some fruit ...
I disposed of the blue-flowered plants as they didn't survive the winter last year ... I brought the white-flowered plant indoors so that the fruits could ripen ... I was able to harvest some seeds in the last few weeks.

If you are interested I can give you some of the seeds

Hans