Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Bulbs => Bulbs General => Topic started by: ChrisB on October 19, 2007, 08:37:50 PM

Title: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: ChrisB on October 19, 2007, 08:37:50 PM
Now that we've put our order in (sorry but it just happened that way  ;D ;D) we  (Sue G and I) thought we should let you all know that Dave Fenwick has just today put up a whole host of bulbs that he is selling off from his collection http://www.theafricangarden.com/ (http://www.theafricangarden.com/).
We thought you might all have some money left over this month and want to spend it  ::)
Sue and Chris
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: mark smyth on October 19, 2007, 09:42:13 PM
beat you to it  :P. Did I post this already?
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: ChrisB on October 19, 2007, 10:22:14 PM
Had a look Mark, but didn't see anything so put this up as a new thread.  Hope you didn't get all the nerines before we get ours!!!!!!
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: annew on October 19, 2007, 10:24:54 PM
Does anybody have corms of Crocosmia 'Rowallane Yellow' to sell/swap?
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: mark smyth on October 19, 2007, 11:01:44 PM
 ;)

Thanks for the seeds, Anne
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: annew on October 20, 2007, 02:48:57 PM
My pleasure! :D
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: Maggi Young on October 24, 2007, 01:51:43 PM
Today I have received a super parcel of fat goodies from David Fenwick, super healthy looking bulbs, all newly lifted. Super!
 Some of the stuff I got :
Crinum x powellii 'Album'
Eucomis comosa 'Sparkling Burgundy'
Gladiolus papilo
Tulbaghia cominsii x violacea
Watsonia knysnana
Just got to hope they don't get too big a shock living up here after their life  down there in  Devon! ???

Dave says he will be listing more things as the season progresses, so keep an eye out!
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: Paul T on October 24, 2007, 02:14:48 PM
Maggi,

When it flowers I'd be interested to see the Tulbaghia.  I have T. cominsii in full flower here at the moment and it is lovely, so I am wondering what the cross involving it will look like.  No pressure on you to grow it quickly and perfectly or anything, honest!!  :o ;D
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: Maggi Young on October 24, 2007, 02:21:36 PM
Not that I'm worried, or anything, Paul,   :-\ but you can see a photo more quickly by following this link on David's site: http://www.theafricangarden.com/tulbaghiacominsiixviolacea.jpg



 Also: See these links, from The African Bulb Garden site, also of interest to many of us:

A Photo Flora of the Devon and Cornwall Peninsula    http://www.aphotoflora.com/
Produced by the author of The African Garden; a site dedicated to the
wonderful countryside in which we live. As usual, lots of nice images.

A Photo Fauna of the Devon and Cornwall Peninsula http://www.aphotofauna.com/
Produced by the author of The African Garden; as above a site dedicated to the
wonderful countryside in which we live. A new site dedicated this time to wildlife photography.
© David Fenwick 2007



 

Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: Paul T on October 24, 2007, 02:29:25 PM
Hmm..... so I wonder if that means the hybrid just looks like a smaller violacea?  The flowers definitely look like the violacea don't they?  T. cominsii is a tiny thing, well less than a foot high and almost covered in flowers for a long period of time.  Mine must have had 30 or 40 spikes of flowers and it's only growing in an 8 inch black plastic pot!!

Will investigate the links another time Maggi.  Must remember to look them up.  Was going to bed a while ago when I finished uploading pics in the southern hemisphere thread, but ended up reading your responses, then ended up posting a rhorodendron pic and now here again.  ::)  I love this place!!  ;D
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: ChrisB on October 24, 2007, 08:01:57 PM
Hi Paul,

Suggest you contact David about your descriptions.  He is the National Collection Holder for Tulbahgia in the UK and knows a great deal about them.  Very approachable, amenable chap he is.
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: Anthony Darby on October 25, 2007, 07:38:18 PM
Many years ago I was sent a Crinum X powellii by a friend after I had seen them flowering in her garden in New Barnet, Herts one July. I checked my plant book and it suggested that the bulbs should be planted three to an 8" pot. I found such a pot and sat the bulb on the pot, as it was fully 8" in diamter! ??? I then planted it in a sunny border in the garden. The following year it produced a flowering spike which was destroyed by the frost before it opened that November. I dug it up and put it in a 12" pot and kept it in the greenhouse for several years, bringing it out to flower on the patio in August.
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: Maggi Young on October 25, 2007, 07:43:34 PM
Mike and Polly Stone had a wonderful stand of Crinum x powellii just oustside their kitchen window at Askival... it was a picture of health and I have wanted to try it here for ages. Given the depth we are opening up with the removal of this sorbus, I am hoping that the bulbs will be deep enough to keep frost free and I am prepared to give some early season cover if it is needed.
These bulbs from Dave Fenwick are extremely large and healthy, I must say... one would be hard pressed to fit into a twelve inch pot!  8)
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: Paul T on October 25, 2007, 10:08:22 PM
Crinum x powellii isn't bothered by at least -9'C here.  And the bulb is totally exposed as they have grown up to the surface over time as they clumped.  The largest bulb here would be about 8 or 9 inches acroos, perhaps a bit larger, witha miriad of satellites around it.  Actually, the clump I'm talking about is 'Alba' rather than 'Rosea' but we're talking the same type of thing.  Definitely not something where frost is a problem to the bulb itself, at least for us.  They should flower in summer though, not during frosts.  I get flushes of flowers if we get summer storms, a response to the rain during the hot and dry of summer.
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: SueG on October 26, 2007, 01:51:15 PM
Maggie
I planted a crinium when I moved to my garden and while it's not dead, it's certainly not happy next to a southwest facing wall, so this thread has made me think I'll have to dig it up and try it in a pot to see if that gives it a new lease of life.
Chris B and I - our bulbs have arrived, so I'm seeing Chris tomorrow to get mine!
Sue
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: Maggi Young on October 26, 2007, 03:06:57 PM
Well, they're planted now, so I'll really have to keep my fingers crossed.

I think the difference between Paul's -9 C and the same here is that it is much  damper -9C here!
Yuck!
 
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: Anthony Darby on October 26, 2007, 03:44:42 PM
The proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating. Even 50 miles north of me has a much drier (and warmer?) summer climate, and the Moray coast is Scotland's banana belt.
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: ChrisB on October 26, 2007, 07:15:59 PM
And I've just planted out eleven different agapanthus he has just sent me, but I do have the sandy, free draining soil so I'm hoping they'll be ok.  We've had such weather lately!  All the bulbs arrived for mine and Sue's order last week, some with little extra bits in and so on, but all in spanking good condition and very generous proportions too.  I'm well pleased.  Hoping that A. 'Windsor Grey' lives up to expectations, it looks so nice in the picture!  Also planted out a dozen Crocosmia pottsii tall form and two Watsonia knysnana, so from a boring old bed of Inula hookeri that I have had too long, I've now got a mini African bulb bed  ;D
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: Maggi Young on October 27, 2007, 12:56:34 PM
You just couldn't restrain yourself with those Agapanthus, could you, Christine? You see, I was very good and didn't get any of those... though it was a tough decision to make!
Title: Re: The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!
Post by: ChrisB on October 27, 2007, 01:07:08 PM
 :D Yes, Maggi..... I had to have them.  Hope I've not been too optimistic about them growing in the garden.  I know they are weeds in other parts of the world nowadays, but I just love them.  And now I'm off out to dig out even more things I've grown quite tired of, so there will be even more space in my garden soon.  But really, I have to make room to move a number of things from my gravel bed.  Then I can concentrate on growing more alpines in that area.  Its funny how one gets tired of plants.  I've grown Inula hookeri for ten years now and enjoyed its amazing flower opening act, but its time to move on.  I'm aiming to grow one of everything in my lifetime (with the exception of certain weeds lol) and the clock is ticking....
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