Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Specific Families and Genera => Amaryllidaceae => Topic started by: fermi de Sousa on March 25, 2010, 08:01:11 AM
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The Nerine season started a few weeks ago here in the Southern hemisphere (in Australia at least!)
The latest to bloom is the bright, cerise Nerine rosea
[attachthumb=1]
[attachthumb=2]
Nerine fothergila "Major" started a bit earlier
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and there are a lot more to follow - not just from me!
cheers
fermi
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What beautiful colours!
Alberto
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Fermi,
They are all beautiful.
I am so excited about my one Amarcrinum pushing a scape for the first time. I hope to post a photo soon.
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I have a pot with Nerine masoniorum plants flowering now
(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o149/loevenstein/IMG_2652.jpg)
This photo was taken in the green house because the wind was blowing
(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o149/loevenstein/IMG_2660.jpg)
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Here is a pot with Nerine filifolia flowering now
(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o149/loevenstein/IMG_2663.jpg)
(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o149/loevenstein/IMG_2664.jpg)
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Such a rippling delight Heine - congratulations :)
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Fermi,
What's your secret for flowering nerines? I have a number of species but they seem very reluctant to flower with the exception of N. flexuosa alba. I know it's not the lack of summer dry or heat... because that's easy to supply around here. I was told necks above the ground, so I've planted or replanted N. fothergilli Major and Signal Red that way. I've tried supplementing with potash but still I'm lucky to score a scape or two although the leaves are healthy and the bulbs are multiplying. I recall reading on the forum that N. sarnesis or was it bowdenii, doesn't like it if it gets too warm (28C+). I'm wondering if that could potentially be an issue as the N. flexuosa alba which are flowering happily are actually in a spot that benefits from shade during summer afternoons, as that particular spot is shaded by a deciduous tree it gets full sun through to early spring. I've rarely seen Nerines flourishing on the Adelaide Plains although they seem to do well in sunny spots in Adelaide Hills gardens so I'm wondering if perhaps those 40+C days in summer just toast the embryo flowers in the dormant bulbs. Any suggestions welcome!
Thanks Anita
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Fermi,
What's your secret for flowering nerines?
Benign neglect! ;D
But that's only for the "hardy" ones like N. rosea, N. fothergilla "Major", N. undulata/flexuosa. Most of the hybrids seem to be derived from more tender species and they need protection from frost at our place so I grow them in pots which are put under cover during winter, even just shadecloth is usually enough. One problem with growing nerines in Adelaide might be the alkalinity - I've always presumed that they need an acidic soil.
I doubt that the high temperatures are a problem for most nerines as we had those 40oC days the previous year, but I admit that we had better flowering this year after a "milder" summer - which does also mean that they got more rain in the lead-up to the flowering season.
I don't think they like being divided too often - they seem to take a few years to settle down to flower after re-planting/re-potting.
These are just my observations here in our garden but they may have some bearing for yours as the climate is somewhat similar.
cheers
fermi
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I have been trying a few new (to me) species, I dont know N rosea, Bowdenii loves cool summers and grows well in full sun or under trees, In the west of scotland it is used as an edging for gravel drive ways. There it gets cool summers and circa 100 inches of rain, (2 meters) per year, alkalinity is not a problem for bowdenii.
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Here in North East Scotland (about 900-1000ml rain per year) Nerine bowdenii is also very popular as a border edging plant... there are a great many town gardens in Aberdeen with borders along their front paths that are stuffed to bursteing with these nerines.... the other most favoured path edging plant is Celmisia, larger hybrids, they grow really well. 8)
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Lots of them in Devon too. I've failed miserably with them every time I have tried but am trying again this year.
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I bought this as nerine hirsuta a year ago. It has been in flower for at least 4 weeks, obviously hardy as it had no protection other than overhead glass last winter.
Cameron McMaster tells me it is actually Nerine angustifoliaI have a similar plant bought as nerine angustifolia from Ron McBeth just starting to flower as this one is finised. It has more compact florets
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Peter,
thanks for posting this - I also got a N.hirsuta and didnīt know what it realy is.
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your welcome Renate, that is why I put the corections here, you put many usefull posts too :D- thankyou
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here my small Nerines start with flowers :D
Nerine masonorum
enjoy
Hans
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I've no masonorum out yet, but here's platypetala nearly finished, It had no heat last winter so its quite hardy :D
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more Nerine in flower :
Nerine laticoma
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I do so Hans ;D
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Beautifull Hans :D
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Hans,
The laticoma is beautiful, why in some pictures does the inflorescence and flower head seem SO much bigger than others? I've recently acquired a bulb of this species, just waiting on a bloom :)
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Good photo of the greenhouse with Exbury/Vico Nerine hybrids here:
http://johngrimshawsgardendiary.blogspot.com/
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more Nerine in flower :
Nerine lacticoma
I love this Nerine, Hans, it looks as if it is in your rock garden - how tall does it grow?
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Great link Brian, I have been to this blog before so was pleased to rediscover it through your suggestion
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I have the same problem with Nerine: no flowers for me yet. I have only the N. bowdeni. 2 large bulbs (flowering size) and many little. Last year I was told not to water them during summer. I tried this. Now they have healthy leaves, and no flowers at all. :-\
I think Fermi could have right. I repotted them every year and got down the new little bulbs. Maybe I should not...
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Parts 2 and 3 on John Grimshaw's Blog now.
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Good photo of the greenhouse with Exbury/Vico Nerine hybrids here:
http://johngrimshawsgardendiary.blogspot.com/
Thanks for pointing this out Brian - a wonderful Blog !! :D :D
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A quick plug here: the Nerine & Amaryllid Society AGM takes place at Holton Village Hall near Oxford, from 10.30am on Saturday 30th October 2010. Sales table, plant beauty contest, illustrated talk...
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Good photo of the greenhouse with Exbury/Vico Nerine hybrids here:
http://johngrimshawsgardendiary.blogspot.com/
Thanks for pointing this out Brian - a wonderful Blog !! :D :D
It is! Thanks, Brian :)
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I only have a few Nerines due to the lack of sunny spots in the garden, but these are a couple that I'm very fond of:
Nerine sarniensis
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b349/DavePoole1/sarninensis2.jpg)
Not exactly certain which hybrid this is, but it seems hardy here in South Devon and has been treated as an 'ordinary' garden plant for the past 5 years.
Nerine flexuosa 'alba'
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b349/DavePoole1/flexuosa.jpg)
Lovely thing this - tough as anything and utterly reliable, flowering every late October without fail.
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I only have a few Nerines due to the lack of sunny spots in the garden, but these are a couple that I'm very fond of:
and with good reason Dave, lucky to be growing them in sunny South Devon ;)
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Yes we do seem to be able to get away with quite a few things here. In the past, everything I thought I knew about sarniensis told me that it should be given an almost dry, sunny summer and completely frost free winter. Here I grow it with the 'shoulders and neck' of the bulbs exposed and the leaves were turned greasy dark green during last winter's 'episode', but they recovered and there was no damage to the bulbs either.
There's a very congested clump of bowdenii in one spot that is gradually producing fewer flowers, but the bulbs were planted about 14 years ago so they'll need some attention soon. I may dispose of them altogether and replace with 'Zeal Giant', which is a big bruiser of a Nerine and exceptionally showy. I must admit to being rather taken with some of the Rothschilds' varieties - especially the dusky purple hybrids. Whether they would be as successful here is uncertain, but the notion is fast becoming one of those itches that I feel I must scratch!
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I'll tell you what Dave, you have a good scratch and I'll try sarniensis outside ;)
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DaveP, pure sarniensis might not thrive, but sarniensis crossed with undulata (there are lots of these, including 'Mansellii', 'Glensavage' varieties, 'Bennett Poe') or sarniensis crossed with bowdenii (Zeal varieties & a number of others) might do well. Certainly 'Mansellii' is grown out of doors in Guernsey as a cut flower crop.
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Our "second nerine season" is underway here in Westfield, Indiana, USA. The sarniensis hybrids finished a few weeks ago and now scapes are showing on bowdenii, undulata, and humilis. This is actually the first year that the humilis have ever bloomed. When the blooms open fully, I'll try to get a couple pictures.
In our continental climate, they all have to grow in pots and spend the winters inside the greenhouse.
Jim Shields
in central Indiana, USA
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Hello Jim, great to see you posting. 8)
Even as your plants are blooming you must be hoping that even with them undercover, the winter is not too hard on them... or you.
I'm thinking here that it's going to get tough..... nerines ( bowdenii) in nearby gardens are going over while mine have yet to open.....at least I don't have much in the way of "specials" to fret over. :-X
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Thanks, Maggie,
The greenhouse is heated, so they will be fine unless the power goes out when the temperatures are too far below freezing. We are USDA cold zone 5, but our summer Heat Zone is somewhere around 7 or 8.
The bowdenii were tested outdoors in the ground for two full years, some time back. Out of ca 40 bulbs, only a half-dozen survived and none ever showed any sign of blooming while outdoors.
The bowdenii do spend the summers outdoors in their pots now, in a lath house with irrigation. They seem to like it.
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Here is one I call "Den's Dwarf." It came to me labeled Nerine gibsonii, but Graham Duncan says it is definitely not gibsonii. I think it is probably a form of angustifolia, but with much shorter peduncles than any other angustifolia I have had. It makes a delightful potful of flowers on 6-inch stems in late summer or early autumn. It sets abundant seed, especially if I help it along with a fine-tipped painter's brush.
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looks attractive Jim
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Welcome Jim.
Here is Nerine Blanchefleur fully open. The crystalline detail on the petals is visible.
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Here is a Nerine laticoma, the first bloom on a batch of bulbs received in 2000 from Cape Flora Nursery in South Africa. This bloomed in August, 2010. The leaves on laticoma are characteristic: linear, strap-like, over 1/2 inch wide. For more notes, see:
http://www.shieldsgardens.com/Blogs/Garden/201008.html#e2b
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In the Happy Travelers thread
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6123.120;topicseen (http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6123.120;topicseen)
I described several gardens and places where we have been in October when we returned from the Discussion Weekend in Scotland.
Exbury Gardens is one of these gardens, which we merely visited to see the Nerine Show.
Here are pictures we made in the glasshouses where we were welcomed by Mr. Theo Herselman.
He explained everything about the collections and the maintaining of them.
Exbury Theo Herselman
Exbury Nerine sarniensis
more to come
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This is Nerine heaven - fantastic!
Gerd
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When I saw his name I thought Mr.Theo Herselman was Dutch.... but with the nerines I suppose he might be from South Africa.... or both?
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Paradise indeed - super Nerines, glorious colours :)
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more Nerine:
All named plants are pictured here:
Nerine sarniensis Annie Darling
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When I saw his name I thought Mr.Theo Herselman was Dutch.... but with the nerines I suppose he might be from South Africa.... or both?
The name is Dutch indeed but Theo came from Zimbabwe. He told us why and how :o :o :o (No further comments here!)
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Exbury Theo Herselman 2
Exbury Nerine orange's 2
Exbury Nerine pinks
Nerine sarniensis Best Head
Nerine sarniensis Dingaan
Nerine sarniensis Cardinal
Nerine sarniensis Ceres
Nerine sarniensis Curiosity
Nerine sarniensis Caractacus
Nerine sarniensis Hedwig
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Nerine sarniensis Keira
Nerine sarniensis Lavender Dust
Nerine sarniensis Louise
Nerine sarniensis Lucy Loo
Nerine sarniensis Mazoe
Nerine sarniensis Morning Star
Nerine sarniensis Mysore
Nerine sarniensis Pink Frost
Nerine sarniensis Mzilikazi
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Well, you might have been a little disappointed by the scale of the display the day before, Luit, but you cannot have had any such feeling when you were shown all these delights - what a terrific range of plants and colours.
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:o :o :o
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Luit - Splendid to get into Exbury, thanks for the tour. Pink Frost, Best Head and Pink Frost are particularly fine.
Is it possible to increase the size of your picture of the white Hedwig so we can have a closer look?
Thanks
johnw
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Beautiful pictures, Luit. Theo Herselman is always very friendly & obliging if people want to visit the Exbury nerine houses in October (they're only open by special request).
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Is it possible to increase the size of your picture of the white Hedwig so we can have a closer look?
Thanks johnw
John you are lucky because I could not resist to buy a few plants and one of them is Nerine Hedwig, so I made some pictures at home.
You do have a good taste ;D ;D 8)
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Luit,
very impressive pictures, I have never seen so much different Nerines at one place.
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Hi all,
formery I liked Nerine - now I start to love them.
The flowers last for such a long time and this year is the first year with lots of flowers for me. I think fermi is right with his thought about repotting Nerine. I read this and had a look at mine in the last weeks. My observations is that most of the Nerine I planted two to three years ago and leave them in the pot or replanted it without disturbing the roots are flowering this year very well. From others, I got in the last two years only one or two of ten flowered this year.
In every case an observation I will continue.
Some pictures of the Nerine flowered this year, N.undulata, N.bowdenii (an unknown Hybrid) and the white one are still flowering. The first N.undulata and N.bowdenii opend flowers at the beginning of Oktober.
Maybe anyone has an idea what the white one could be.
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Possibly a sarniensis hybrid. They are a varied lot, and without a label it's hard to be sure.
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Jim,
thank you. It is always difficult without a label when there are so many Hybrids as in Nerine. As the floweres are short and compact with broad petals it is a big difference to all other Nerines I had flowering till now.
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Renate, I would suggest that your unknown white is Nerine bowdenii Alba ~ partly because your plant doesn't appear to have any leaves at the moment (& therefore unlikely to be a sarniensis hybrid), also N. b. Alba has some pink in the flowers, but there are bowdenii clones (such as Bianca Perla) that are pure white.
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Luit,
I have never seen so much different Nerines at one place.
So did I Renate :)
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Luit,
I have never seen so much different Nerines at one place.
So did I Renate :)
I think most of us will never see such a collection, which is why it is so exciting to be able to share these photos... thank you!
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My pleasure Maggi ;) :D
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Malcolm,
indeed, is has actually no leafes and lost them at the same time as bowdenii while the N.sarniensis are still in growth. I have never seen N.bowdenii f.alba, maybe there is someone with a picture ???
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Renate, I showed one in October in the Weekly Lisse Flowershow ( and many others in the weeks afterwards :) )
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4969.msg169583#msg169583 (http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4969.msg169583#msg169583)
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Here is a white bowdenii that bloomed for me for the first time a year ago. The bulb came from Cameron and Rhoda McMasters' the Croft Nursery 10 years ago as a very small bulb. I assume it was a seedling produced from white parents.
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Here is a white bowdenii that bloomed for me for the first time a year ago. The bulb came from Cameron and Rhoda McMasters' the Croft Nursery 10 years ago as a very small bulb. I assume it was a seedling produced from white parents.
Jim - Is the bowdenii growing outside for you? And does it have enough time to make seeds? Yours appears to be a true albino. Lovely.
My bowdenii 'Pink Triumph' was zapped in the first hard frost Sunday night though the leaves remain untouched.
johnw
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Here in central Indiana (USA), we grow our Nerine in pots. Some may summer outdoors, e.g., bowdenii, but all winter inside a heated greenhouse. I did experiment with one lot of bowdenii from Aad Koen in Monster, the Netherlands. It was hardy outdoors over winter for Aad, so I tried about 30 bulbs of it outdoors here. After two winters, I had about a half dozen surviving bulbs of it, none of which had even tried to bloom. I moved them back into pots and now they bloom reliably every autumn. One is already in bloom here, pictured below.
Our climate is USDA cold zone 5, with lowest winter temperatures occasionally hitting -25 C (about -13°F). Our summers are warm (average July afternoon high temperatures 86°F/30 C) with warm nights and high humidity. The summer-rainfall Nerine species do well outdoors in summer here, and winter inside.
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Jim - My bowdeniis took 20 years to start flowering outdoors, since then they flower every year. They grow close to the house foundation. Maybe you should try a few spares again? Hopefully new seedlings I have of v. wellsii - or what was known as wellsii won't take so long otherwise I won't be seeing them.
johnw
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Besides the bowdenii "Koen's Hardy" I have some v. wellsii reaching bloom size. I have not tested the wellsii outdoors in the ground.
I could set out a few Nerine bulbs near the foundations of the greenhouse. I already have crinums and a couple Zantedeschia surviving there. Hymenocallis liriosme also survives and blooms there.
We do get several Crinum species and hybrids to survive and flower planted out in the open field and left in the ground all year round: Crinum bulbispermum, of course, but also C. variabile. These are both much hardier than Nerine are in the ground here. Has anyone ever gotten a [Crinum x Nerine] cross? Maybe I should try C. variabile x N. bowdenii.
I had hoped to try some hybrid Nerine for cold hardiness, perhaps bowdenii x krigei; but I have never been able to get that cross to take. I did get [krigei x filifolia] a couple times, but the ones tested in the ground were lost the very first winter. How cold-hardy is Nerine laticoma? Is it frost-resistant?
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Whoops - see Nerine 2011
johnw