Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Bulbs General => Topic started by: Jan Jeddeloh on January 12, 2020, 03:46:13 AM
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Quite excited to finally get a bloom from one of my tecophilia seedlings. I don't know when I planted the seed but it's taken forever. Next year I hope the straight Tecophilia cyanocrocus will also bloom but this year I have to be content with the leichtlinii form.
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Good for you, Jan. While I've had several seeds germinate, I never get the bulbs to blooming size. I could blame that on the weather, but I think it's the gardener's fault. ;D
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I have a few pots of plants I've grown from seed and from purchased bulbs. I've never had a flower.
I just checked on my pots. One has leaves just emerging, and another has very long narrow leaves (67 cm long - 27 inches). Could this really be a tecophilaea?
I've googled, but all photos are of the flowers, and no one mentions what the leaves are like.
Diane
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Diane, while the leaves can extend a bit in full growth, after flowering, they never get to be as long as yours seem too. At most they'd be about 20cms (8 inches)
Here are a couple of photos from Ian's Bulb Log which show the leaves at flowering ....
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
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Thanks, Maggi.
Ian's plants have leaves not just shorter, but also a lot wider than mine.
I wonder how many years it will be before I discover its true identity.
Diane
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I think the tecophilia like spending the summer in my plunge bed. I can keep them pretty dry without desiccating them and relatively cool. I was out in the greenhouse yesterday and it looks like I might get a second bloom this year after all.
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I don't see a thread for these so i post them here
Two different forms of yellow Ipheoin/ Nothoscordum
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Last year this was described as a hybrid. From the Wallis’
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My Definitely-Not-Tecophilaea is blooming. The leaves are now a metre long (42 inches). Two flowers and a couple of leaves, emerge from a small bump 25 cm up from the soil surface.
In the photo, I have propped it up on a stick as it can't hold itself up at all. Perhaps it is native to a cliff somewhere and is used to hanging down.
When I get a name for it, I will toss it in the compost. All these years, for this?
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Hi Diane,
a few years ago I got seed from one of the Exchanges which looked suspiciously like romulea rather than tecophilea. I never bothered sowing it. I think that might be what you've got. I'd be wary of putting it into the compost though!
cheers
fermi
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My Definitely-Not-Tecophilaea is blooming. The leaves are now a metre long (42 inches). Two flowers and a couple of leaves, emerge from a small bump 25 cm up from the soil surface.
In the photo, I have propped it up on a stick as it can't hold itself up at all. Perhaps it is native to a cliff somewhere and is used to hanging down.
When I get a name for it, I will toss it in the compost. All these years, for this?
I don't know enough about the family, but may it be another member of the Tecophilaceae? Such as Tecophilaea violiflora ? ( it does look a tad pale though) It seems to have the right growth pattern for that.
Or even a Conanthera or Zephyra elegans? ???
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My Tecophilaea have new shoots but always die off before flowering.
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My Tecophilaea have new shoots but always die off before flowering.
That's odd - are they frosted ? Too wet, too dry?
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romulea I'd be wary of putting it into the compost though!
Yes, I can see why you say that, as R rosea and R minutiflora are noxious weeds in Australia.
I sowed seeds of Romulea minutiflora ex S Africa in 1996, so that is probably what it is.
OK. Into the garbage.
Just noticed - it was offered in the SRGC seed exchange this year.
My South African books give its maximum height as 20 cm. Maybe mine was stretching desperately for light in my dim winter light. Well, correct or not, it's out of here.
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Maggi, they are in pots in an un-heated greenhouse. I was told when I bought them to with-hold water until after December then give a little water once a month until they flower. They send up new shoots in February which stay white and then they shrivel.
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Maggi, they are in pots in an un-heated greenhouse. I was told when I bought them to with-hold water until after December then give a little water once a month until they flower. They send up new shoots in February which stay white and then they shrivel.
I think that may keep them too dry, ian. Here they are watered from September 1st and as they grow they get progressively more water and keep watering them until you see the plants die back. The bulbs are pretty small and need all the help they can get to build their strength to flower.
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Thanks Maggi. I,m just back from joining a queue at a well known supermarket. I gave up after 10 minutes and going nowhere.