Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Bulbs General => Topic started by: Rafa on February 11, 2007, 01:40:41 PM
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Hello,
I am beginning to see the results South African species seedlings
Sparaxis villosa
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How long did it take before it flowered? Are you growing it outside in the garden?
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Most of these little South African iris relatives are very easy and quick, sometimes flowering from seed in less than 2 years. I imagine British Columbia would be mild enough for many.
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Hi Rafa,
that's a pretty little irid which used to be called Synnotia villosa and you may find more info about it under that name. What other species from South Africa have you got coming along? Were the seeds from a collector such as Silverhill Seeds or from one of the seedexes?
South African bulbs are a favourite of mine but we have to be a bit careful here because they can easily become weeds. I try to be careful with the ones that increase quickly.
cheers
fermi
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Hello,
I have sowed the seeds in October 2005, so as Lesley mentioned, 2 years to have the flowering size.
The seeds of this specie are from Ron and Rachel Saunders. I'am very interesting in South African plants, specially Iridaceae (Gladiolus, Moraea, Ferraria....). Winter growing are in a glass house and Spring growing, outdoors. This one in particular was in a window. I am also interested in Ornithogalum, Albuca, Androcymbium Lapeirusia...
I grow other seeds from McMaster's, Summerfield, Dawie Human... most of the species are very young.
I thought Peter Goldblatt has included Synnotia in Sparaxis genus,http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0026-6493(1992)79%3A1%3C143%3APAOTSA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D (http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0026-6493(1992)79%3A1%3C143%3APAOTSA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D), I haven't full paper. So, what is the name Spararxis or Synnotia?
Best wishes
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A very nice plant Rafa! I have always passed the Sparaxis part in seedlists quite fast, from now on I will slow down. You are perfectly right in the accepted nomenclature, Kew accepts Sparaxis villosa
http://tinyurl.com/2b4ucd
But of course Synnotia is a validly publicated name so you are free to use that too.
Also being addicted to SA bulbous plants I am longing to see more pictures of yours!
Cheers
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Rafa, a really nice little plant and flower there. Glad to find other people growing SA bulbs. I've just started recently to try to grow a lot of species gladioli and bought myself the two books on Glad in Southern Africa and Glads in Tropical Africa. It's really a boost to have a bulb which does flower in a couple of years rather than ones which are going to take 6-7 (assuming you don't kill them in the meantime!)
I've had Gladiolus tristus flowering for a couple of years now, can't see any flower buds yet this year but it shouldn't be far away - I always wonder why so few people say how great the perfume is in the evenings, I bring mine into my house when they are in flower just to enjoy that scent and to hand pollinate it.
That and the other glads and the eucomis, watsonias, chasmanthes and polyxenas mean there's not much space left and I'm trying to get my next order from Silverhills down from the current huge size to something a bit more modest.
Lets have some more pictures here as the season goes on, and show up those who think the only bulbs are snowdrops, crocuses, fritillaries. . . .
Sue
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Sue, I presume you are growing in pots? What do you do with them over winter? I manage to grow Gladiolus callianthus in the garden as well as a batch in pots,and am able to leave them in all year round but haven't tried any other Gadiolus species. I nearly bought some Habranthus bulbs the other day but put them back because I didn't want to have to lift and store them. Maggi suggested leaving them in the pot outside but somewhere dryish. In Devon that could be a difficult spot to find.
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Hi David
Sorry to be so slow to reply, had a bit of a trying week, my car died on Sunday and has spent until today in intensive (and expensive) care at the garage, i was beginning to get a bit twitchy about whether I'd make Dunblane on saturday and trying to travel around rural Northumberland by public transport is a nightmare. Still car is now well, I'm much poorer - but to answer your questions.
Pretty much all the bulbs are in pots - my heavy clay is just not good (south african) bulb stuff. My Glads and watsonias live in a cold access frame along with some eucomis (E zambesiaca, E vandermerwei, E van Octopusoides) - the other bigger Eucomis live outside in pots in my fairly sheltered back yard. Habranthus I've got some in the cold frame.
I think given a free draining soil quite a few are worth trying outside, particularly the ones from summer rainfall areas like Glad flanaganii which I know people grow outside.
Sue
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Eucomis van Octopusioides?????????
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Hi David
Sorry to be so slow to reply, had a bit of a trying week, my car died on Sunday and has spent until today in intensive (and expensive) care at the garage, i was beginning to get a bit twitchy about whether I'd make Dunblane on saturday and trying to travel around rural Northumberland by public transport is a nightmare. Still car is now well, I'm much poorer - but to answer your questions.
Pretty much all the bulbs are in pots - my heavy clay is just not good (south african) bulb stuff. My Glads and watsonias live in a cold access frame along with some eucomis (E zambesiaca, E vandermerwei, E van Octopusoides) - the other bigger Eucomis live outside in pots in my fairly sheltered back yard. Habranthus I've got some in the cold frame.
I think given a free draining soil quite a few are worth trying outside, particularly the ones from summer rainfall areas like Glad flanaganii which I know people grow outside.
Sue
Thanks Sue, I will have a go and see what happens. Sorry to hear about the car, any car repair work is an "arm and a leg job" these days.
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Eucomis van Octopusioides?????????
Sorry this is me going in for shorthand when I'd had a trying day and couldn'd be bothered to write out vandermerwei. However I'm now confused as there seem to be two plants going around
Eucomis vandermerwei Octopus
and
Eucomis vandermerwei Octopusoides
I think they must be the same thing but does anyone know??
Sue
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Soory Sue, never heard of any of them. Can't find any reference to them either. Is it a hybrid? It sounds interesting, where did you get it?
Cheers
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Soory Sue, never heard of any of them. Can't find any reference to them either. Is it a hybrid? It sounds interesting, where did you get it?
Hi - my plant came from Pennard Nurseries at a show last summer this is their web site http://www.pennardplants.com/ (http://www.pennardplants.com/) The nursery info says it is a hybrid but not what it hybridised with.
Sue
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Eucomis octopusioides? E. hippopotomoides? E. rhinoceriis? E. o. `Whale of a Time?'
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Thanks Sue, the nursery photo is just showing the flower, but that looks real nice. Do it have that "interesting" Eucomis smell also ;)
About foliage the nursery write "dark green foliage resembling a small octopus". A bit hard to imagine perhaps.
Cheers
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there are some pictures of the 'straight' species in the photos on the African Garden website here http://www.theafricangarden.com/page2.html (http://www.theafricangarden.com/page2.html). Looking at those pics and thinking back to my plant of Octopus I'm not sure whether it is a hybrid or just a form with folliage that sits flattish to the ground and is more red in colouring.
Dave Fenwick who 'is' the African Garden is selling off some of his surplus bulbs to UK based folk only, just go to the site if you are interested. Sadly no Eucomis though, but lots of Nerines and far more Crocosmias than any garden could possibly want . . ;D ;D ;D
Sue
PS I can't remember anything about the smell, but I'd guess it was not one you'd want to bottle, however E zambesica has rather good perfume - at least the bulbs I have are scented not smelly.
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Are you telling me about this UK only sale just to raise my envy ;) (And those grinning faces!!)
I find the perfume of Eucomis quite interesting, my "better half" finds the smell of our E.bicolors digusting, while I find it, well not pleasant but interesting almost attractive! Are we talking pheromones here :o
Cheers
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Whilst we are on about South African bulbs, I have a bulb (providing is has survived the winter) grown from Silverhills seed of Scilla natalensis. It has yet to flower for me despite the bulb getting to quite a good size over the past 6 - 7 years. Does anyone know
a: whether I am just going to have to be patient because it does take 6 or 7 years to flower and
b: whether I'm doing the right thing by drying it out in my cold frame over winter - cold frame is a bit lower than ground level and thus doesn't get any frost in it?
Thanks for your help with this
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Chris
I don't think 7 years is unreasonable for Scilla natalensis as it makes a huge bulb. I have one that age that is also yet to flower but it had been hit by a late frost this season so that's set it back. I would think that a frost free cold-frame would be a good way of growing it. The size of the bulb indicates it would need a deep root run.
I have a "dwarf" form of this which has flowered in a 6" pot, but I got it as a mature bulb. Unfortunately it hasn't set seed yet.
cheers
fermi
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Thanks for the reassurance Fermi, I think I'll repot it. the bulb it is certainly getting to be a large size now, but I hadn't thought of putting it in a tall pot before. If I repot I'll give it a bit of tlc and see if i can coax it this year. Have you flowered your dwarf form?
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I also have Scilla (or Merwilla) natalensis from Silverhills seed. My were sown 4 years ago and is quite slow growing in our Swedish summers. Some nice pics of Californian plants here
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Scilla
I would say that the pictures indicates that they need deep pots!
Cheers
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Hello,
Here, there is one week left for the Ferraria crispa subsp. northieri to flower. I will post some pictures. I think I will take the plant out to some sandy place to take a picture with an appropiate scenario behind.
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Hi Chris
yes, I got it as a mature potted bulb and it flowered the first year, then went into decline and I discovered that the potting mix was holding too much moisture! It always pays to repot new plants into your "own" potting mix which suits your climate! I cleaned up the bits of rot and repotted it into a freely draining mix and it is now in full growth, so hopefully will recover enough to flower again next year.
It makes a lot of offsets as does the larger form when it is mature enough but these are difficult to remove as they stay attached to the mother bulb. I'm not sure how to treat these and whether they'd take to being cut off...or when?
Anyone with any experience of this?
cheers
fermi
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Hi Fermi,
Wow, you flowered it. Lucky you. What was it like, I guess you don't have any pics? Was it scented? I'm definitely going to repot it. The bulb is quite big now so if it does respond well to repotting maybe it will flower for me this year. The foliage is interesting without the flower, so I can hardly wait to see what it produces. I'll let you know if there are any offsets once I repot. Mine has a lot of grit in it, the compost that is
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From Fermi:It always pays to repot new plants into your "own" potting mix which suits your climate!
I could not agree more! WE always do this. Apart from the advantage Fermi outlines where repotting gets the plant into a mix you are familiar with and so much better able to water correctly, in removing the original soil you are also removing any bugs etc that may be lurking in there. We go so far as to wash off the roots of new plants whenever possible.
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Are you telling me about this UK only sale just to raise my envy ;) (And those grinning faces!!)
Dear Per Ake
I'd hate to raise your envy ;D. If Dave has anything you wanted I'd be happy to send it onto you. I've just got my order with him sorted and in the post to me today - so it should arrive for the weekend and some happy planting1
Sue
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Dear Sue
this is a very kind offer of you :) Unfortunately I am a bit short on cash right now, here you can read why
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=269.msg5963#msg5963
but I won't forget it ;D
Happy weekend planting, and when time is given please tell us what you received!
Cheers
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Hello,
Ferraria crispa subsp. nortierii
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Hi Rafa,
How many years before you got those amazing flowers on your Ferraria? I have one, can't remember which, but it doesn't look anywhere near flowering yet and I germinated the seed about 4 years ago at my reckoning. Well done!
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They should flower very soon then Chris. Are yours outside? I've tried 3 or 4 species and find they are sensitive to frost when in growth.
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Hi Lesley, It (just one) is in a pot outside. I'm close to the coast so we don't get quite as much frost and so on as further inland, but it has survived so far. I think the first year I put it in the cold frame, but since then its been outside in the pot. I guess I will just have to try to be patient.... my mother always said they forgot to give me any :)
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Ferraria crispa subsp. nortierii cames as an adult corms, from Michael Salmon collection. I am also growing Ferraria ferrariola, Ferraria schaeferi and Ferraria sp# by seed. Only in 4 months after sow they can make a little 1cm corm, so they have a quickly grow. Mabye in 2 years they will bloom.
Regards
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It's now officially autumn here in the Southern Hemisphere and the rain has helped bring the foliage on some of the spring flowering South Africans such as Lachenalia contaminata and Moraea polystacha. Hopefully I'll have some pics to show when they flower.
Some of the nerines should be in bloom over the next month.
cheers
fermi
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I have Gladiolus carmineus up and in bud already. It didn't flower until July-Sept last year but I have had it as early as April other times. Seems to depend on moisture rather than strictly season, though heaven knows, it's been dry here for a month or more. Pics later I hope. Seed from last year is starting to germinate at the same time. That's often the case though, seed of a bulb germinates at the same time the mature bulb is coming up.
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Here's a potful of Lachenalia aloides aurea - are the flowers usually this sort of double form??
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Nice potfull, Diane. Yes, they all seem to have this strange sort of petticoat and overskirt arrangement. The species I've seen, anyhow. It is a different look to a flower, I like it.
We don't grow any Lachenalias, though I have been 'accused' of that ! :o Many years ago at a show, after judging, as we were getting a cup of tea, another judge, who had been judging the open section (where our plants were) asked me where I had got my Lachenalia from as he thought it looked very different..........well, I said, that's probably because it is a Muscari macrocarpum! I hope that I and my colleagues were a bit more clued up in judging our section of the show!
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On Saturday our local group visited a few gardens in the Dandenong Ranges including the nursery of Peter Genat who's dad had started breeding nerines a long while back and he's been doing his fair share as well. He mainly sells to the cutflower trade but is now also selling bulbs to wholesalers and will sell retail as well. He went with us through the fields and would "rogue" out seedling bulbs which had appeared amongst named (and un-named) cultivars. un-named bulbs were sold at $2 each and named ones were $8. Most of us got a bagful each!
Here are some pics of the fields and individual flower-heads but most were un-named clones for the cut-flower trade.
I'll post some more in a separate post!
cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
Does he still grow/breed Lilies?
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Hi Rob
Peter still as a lot of liliums around but I'm not sure if he's doing any breeding at present as we didn't ask!
Here are a few more nerine pics.
cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
"Here are a few more nerine pics."
Almost good enough to tempt me away from my obsessive interest in lilies. Thanks.
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Well, Rob,
they maybe not be Liliaceus but they fit the bill of being lilies!
Nerines are probably one of the easiest bulbs to hybridise and the climate in Southern Australia is ideal for growing them to flowering size quickly.
My problem is that here in central Victoria we get severely enough frosts to demolish the foliage and it takes ages to build up the bulb again to flowering size! A few of the hardier species such as N. rosea and N. flexuosa alba ( now N. undulatifolia????) withstand the frosts but others need a bit of protection.
cheers
fermi
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I should hasten to add that Peter's nursery beds usually look a lot cleaner than in these pics but the fire restrictions came in a month earlier than usual last year and he didn't get a chance to burn the beds clean of weeds!
cheers
fermi
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Another delightful novelty for me... a nerine field! And a good range of colours to please anyone, i would have thought. I do like the striped pink pudica and the others with a central stripe... just so different to anything we have. Thanks for the visit, Fermi !
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a stunning collection of photos. Does anyone see an evail alien in the second photo of Ferrari crispa?
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More South African bulbs are coming into bloom.
First another hybrid nerine, possibly "Ariel"
Next a lovely yellow Oxalis with foliage like a miniature confier, O. kaajvoegensis. and lastly 2 pics of the lovely Moraea polystachya
cheers
fermi
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for some reason those pics didn't post!
I'll try again!
I'll also re-post the Lachenalia viridiflora I just posted under the Southern hemisphere thread.
cheers
fermi
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Beautiful plants Fermi, specially to me Moraea, as is on of my favourite genus!
Thanks for sharing!
Here Moraea elegans
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I've just posted a few pics of winter flowering nerines on the Southern Hemisphere thread:http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=555.msg13927#new
This one is the most prolific (I only have one of each of the others!) and it produces lots of flowers as long as we don't have a severe frost before the flower stems elongate: last year we had virtually no flowers due to the harsh frosts.
I'm not sure if it really is N. flexuosa, but it seems very much like the one we call N. flexuosa "Alba" which flowers in May. I was told that it's now called N. undulatifolia or something like that, but I didn't take much notice at the time!
cheers
fermi
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Hi Rafa
That Moraea elegans is lovely but unfortunately it's a prohibited plant here; I think it may be poisonous to cattle or something! We used to grow them when they were still Homeria and I particularly liked the apricot coloured ones (H.collina?), very distinctive in the paddocks!
cheers
fermi
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That apricot is an appalling weed here. Many years ago my mother had it come up in an area where she'd planted something from a nursery. Not knowing what it was, she took it the local MAF office and was practically arrested. They had posters in their lobby about it and how terrible it was and that it was illegal to have it on your property. Within an hour they'd send a couple of guys to her house and they dug the patch where it was - didn't ask or discuss it mind you - and took the soil for nearly a metre down and a metre all around the few bulbs there were. What they did with it I don't know but as you can imagine, my ma was very distressed. It is a dreadful weed, no doubt about that with thousands of bulbils forming on every bulb, and they detach at the slightest touch or vibration but it is also poisonous to cloven hoofed animals, I believe can be deadly.
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I've posted other South African bulbs pics in the "early Spring in the Southern hemisphere" thread, so here are a few new ones.
An orange flowered Spiloxene; the flower is about 2cm across. Any suggestions for a specific name?
next two close-ups of Gladiolus pritzelii.
cheers
fermi
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Again very interesting pix of your gladi's Fermi - definitely a genus I need to examine more carefully.... ;D
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In 2003 I aquired seed of Romulea tempskyana from the exchange. This beautiful fellow has just emerged - except that I think 'tempskyana' should be blue. This colouring is definitely South African but can anyone give me a name? The total height is about 6".
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Hi David ,
I'm sorry to say : but this is a ordinary Zephyranthes tubispathus !
I have in this time a lot of different Zephyranthes with different names and from different sources -it is all the same -it is really a pity !
Hans
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And it's South American, not South African.
Romulea seeds are quite like those of Crocus; small, globular and tan to mid brown. Habranthus/Zephranthes seeds are black, flat, glossy and roughly triangular. Like a glossy black frit or lily seed.
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Hmm, at least I could spell Romulea! And sorry, but I cann't remember what the seed looked like. But 'ordinary' or not, Hans, I have not grown it before and it is most unusual.
Thanks for the information.
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It is a lovely colour, isn't it? And eventually it''l make a nice potfull for a late show!
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Hi David,
if that Habranthus had flowered in one of my Romulea seedpots I would've presumed that a seed had blown in from nearby. This Habranthus frequently turns up in the Seedexes as one of the rarer rain-lilies such as H. gracillifolius. I like it a lot but dead-head it as soon as its flower goes over as the seedlings can turn up a few metres away from the parent plant.
cheers
fermi
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Fermi, your seed from April is starting to germinate today, along with Iris flavissima, from Gote, sown in August 2005 so 2 full years. But great to see it at last.
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So, not in the 'New, Rare or Difficult' class at Discussion W/E 2010 then ;). I will have to sort something else out.
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No David. You'll have to find a Gethyllis for that ;D
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Fermi,
Your orange Spiloxene could be Spiloxene linearis. It doesn't quite match mine in that it looks a little more spidery, but that could easily just be age of flower or conditions. S. linearis is the most glorious orange. Mine came from my friend Lyn here in Canberra a few years ago as 6 seeds..... they germinated and have done rather well. Hers never multiplied at all, but apparently the seed produces multiple bulbs or something because I have a lot more than just 6 seedlings. When mine flowered for the first time last year I mentioned it to Lyn and she told me hers had died, so it was great to be able to give her a few corms back during summer. I have about 5 or 6 of them in bud at the moment and will be hand pollinating to get seed from them. If that is the only way to multiply them then that's the way I'll go..... I think that these would be truly stunning in a solid group!! The colour is just so strong.
I would love to get S. canaliculatus, which is more spidery like S. capensis but is a similar bright orange but with a dark peacock eye in the centre. There are some very nice Spiloxene out there. Even the little Spiloxene alba (formerly Hypoxis stellata) looks great as a mass and flowers for so long. It is a little enthusaiastic with it's spreading at times, but is easy to pull out. Lovely clean white flowers that open in the sun.
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When mine flowered for the first time last year I mentioned it to Lyn and she told me hers had died, so it was great to be able to give her a few corms back during summer.
Paul is so right... one of the great joys is to be able to return a plant (or bulbs) to the friend who gave you them in the first place , then lost them.... We have been able to do that this year with a dactylorhiza variety....ours are doing well but the friend who gave us it has lost his, so some are going "back home".
This is also one of the best reasons for distributing rare plants as soon as you can! ;) Some folks are tempted to hoard rarities to themslves :P but it is often in the giving away that one is assured of a return and thus continued pleasure of the plant. 8)
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The below is very true,
"The best way to keep a plant is to give it away".
Does anybody the source of it ?
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The below is very true,
"The best way to keep a plant is to give it away".
Does anybody the source of it ?
Andrew, I read somewhere that the saying could be attributed to Marjorie Fish of East Lambrook Manor fame.
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I thought it might have been Reginald Farrer who said it ... well, we're all saying it now, because it is so true :)
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sounds more like MF than RF but I thought it was Vita S-W :D
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Here's a largish Lachenalia which was grown from Silverhill Seeds a few years ago.
L.bolusii flowering in the Shadehouse.
cheers
fermi
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"Largish"?? It looks huge!
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Maggi,
it's only about 8", or 20cm, tall in flower; the leaves can get a bit longer but they flop over when they are that tall!
A stray seedling lachenalia is flowering in the Rock garden and I can't remember its name!
it has a short, spotted leaf and clear yellow, outward facing flowers. Here are a couple of pics, the first to show the leaf and the second to show the flowers.
[attachthumb=1]
[attachthumb=2]
cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
Lachenalia reflexa, if memory serves me correctly.
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Hi Paul,
not quite reflexed enough but I wonder if it's a hybrid between that (which used to be in a bed nextdoor to it) and L. arbuthnothiae which is also in flower (but a long way away!)
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Moraea villosa is in bloom as well.
[attachthumb=2]
[attachthumb=3]
cheers
fermi
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The markings on that Moraea are just stunning. The BD may have a mutiny on his hands.....these plants will not do well outside here so I feel the need for glasshouse space..... ::)
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Fermi,
Could those be a cross between villosa and aristata, rather than pure villosa? M. villosa couldn't be more variable than I have seen, but up until now I had always seen much rounder more "filled in" flowers on villosa. Yours looks more of a partway between it nad aristata to my eyes, but as I said it may be more variable than I realised.
Found M. debilis in flower here today for the first time. Very cute flowers in that same sort of colour scheme. One of my M. villosa is in flower at the moment with big rounded flowers with lots of markings. Some of the villosa variants I've seen have the most beautiful markings, then there are the hybrids of course. Such a wonderful genus!! Great pics.
Sorry that my Lachenalia reflexa memory was incorrect. :-[ Between that and the paeony flowering comment I'd better keep my thoughts to myself. :o
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Paul, you maybe right about the Moraea - I haven't scrabbled around to find the label, yet! I can't remember where I got it from.
Although Sparaxis are practically weeds around here, I still love'em!
Here's a mixed patch of the usual orange form and a creamy white.
[attachthumb=1]
cheers
fermi
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After posting the last pic I realised that it didn't really do justice to the markings inside the flowert so I took another pic this morning (more sun, so the flowers were more open, too!)
[attachthumb=1]
Also in flower is the rather unobtrusive Lachenalia contaminata with its maroon spotted flowers.
[attachthumb=2]
[attachthumb=3]
cheers
fermi
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Fermi you have a great collection of plants!
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The more I look at the great pictures of the South African stuff the more I mean to grow them regardless of our climate.
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Have a go David, after all you are not too far from David Fenwick
http://www.theafricangarden.com/
and you do have the warmer side of the country! :(
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David is selling his National Collections due to ill health
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Fermi,
Calling Sparaxis "weeds" somehow doesn't sound right to us Northern hemisphere mortals ! ;D
Are we doing something wrong ??? ???
Great pix and great plants though !
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Yes, Luc, one man's weeds are anothers dream!
I have just read in the paper that the National Botanic Garden of Wales has succeeded in flowering and fruiting bananas outsdie this year.....at this rate I will only have to fight the BD for garden space and not glasshouse space. You'd think he would be glad of the chance to expand his collection into these fabulous plants, wouldn't you? It's the Erythronium, the Crocus and the Narcissus that are the sticking point.... he loves them SO much!
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Presumably David Fenwick is still carrying on gardening, albeit in a changed way as he says
I will still have "The African Garden" and it will still be full of African bulbs and plants, however the management of the garden has to change, and thus in the future many bulbs will be 'naturalised' and allowed to grow together, and to cut down on weeding and maintenance.
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Have a go David, after all you are not too far from David Fenwick
http://www.theafricangarden.com/
and you do have the warmer side of the country! :(
..... and the wettest Brian! but, as you say, David Fenwick manages it. Strange really, his garden is no more than a 15 minute drive from where I live but I have never been, must put that to rights next year.
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Luc,
as I've said, I still love'em! Many South African plants, especially bulbs, have "gone feral" in Australia and are endangering our local flora. I've been known to remove such "weeds" from the bushland - but then re-plant them in our garden! Our climate is similar in many ways to the Southern Cape so garden escapes can cause a lot of damage. Unfortunately some of my favourite genera such as Babiana and Moraea are very restricted or are prohibited for import into Australia for this reason.
Another common escapee is the ixia, but these are captive in my sandbed!
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These are yellow and orange forms of Ixia maculata. Later in the month the pale blue "Teal" Ixia will flower but I'm yet to re-establish the wonderful green Ixia viridiflora!
cheers
fermi
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Beautiful Ixia's Fermi !
I guess South African bulbs prefer being captive in your sand bed to a stay on Robbeneiland ;D
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You illustrate well the danger to native flora, Fermi. Perhaps we should be grateful we have to struggle with some things, or our little island would be in worse fix than already, I'm thinking of the Himalayan Balsam, which is more widespread than ever this year.... soon the whole country will be in shades of pink. :-\ It is such a pretty plant, but so invasive.
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...and now for a mystery - this bulb (?) was found growing in a gravel pan at nearly 10,000' in the Drakensberg mountains by my brother in Dec. 2006. Does anyone have an idea what it may be?
I hope to return later this year to get better pictures and hopefully a specimen or two for positive identification.
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Some sort of Haemanthus, Rogan? And what is the little pink flower, lower right of pic?
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Could be a Massonia...
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Rogan,
Massonia of some sort by the look of it, would need the flower for ID purposes I would imagine, and then by someone more experienced than me. Definitely looks like Massonia leaf or something closely related.
Fermi,
Do you still have Ixia viridiflora? I grow it here and can likely spare a corm or two at the end of the season or set seed on it for you if you'd like? I also like the Ixia polystachyas as they flower extremely late in the season after almost all the other Ixias are finished. I have Ixia curta in flower here at the moment..... a miniature type only about 8 inches tall and bright orange with a dark throat. The other hybrids are just starting to bud up with a couple thinking about opening.
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That's something else on my "to do" list... find out why Haemanthus are amaryllids and Massonia are Hyacinthaceae.... there is so much I don't know about these cute foreigners! 8)
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Do you think the little pink could be a Rhodohypoxis Maggi? It seems the right shape and there's a little bit of leaf that's similar. And it does come from the Drakensburg.
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Not heard of Rhodohypoxis 'Maggi', but would expect it to be much more brightly coloured. 8)
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I've seen many in my time but never seen 'Maggi' either but mentioning said plants can I sneak a Kiwi Joy bulb in the post, Lesley?
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Absolutely not thanks Mark. Maggi, comma, when I have a really special Rhodohypoxis or something else excellent and in need of a name, it shall be `Maggi,' comma, with my love.
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Dear Maggi (not Rhodohypoxis 'Maggi', or anything else - gad, you try and have a serious conversation...! ::)),
Briefly, Amaryllidaceae have an inferior ovary (situated below the petals or floral tube), Hyacinthaceae (ex. Liliaceae) have a superior ovary (above or between the petals). Of course there is a lot more to it than this, but in simple terms (the terms I understand), that's basically it. Iridaceae also have a superior ovary, but only three stamens - Amaryllidaceae and Hyacinthaceae (Liliaceae) have six.
Don't ask me about Myosotis (Boraginaceae) - the flowers are far too small ;)
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I managed to get another picture of the purported Drakensberg Massonia sp. from my brother, this time with some flowers. Growing at 10,000' it should be quite hardy. M. jasminiflora and M. pygmaea are the only species that I can find information on that seem to grow anywhere near the Drakensberg - intriguing!
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I see there is someting up that mountain at 10,000 ft which likes to eat plants, Rogan. :P
As to the inferior ovary, superior ovary stuff.... I got disillusioned with that when reading of other plants.... "these have an inferior ovary.... except in X and Z, where the ovary is superior" ....... blooming botanists... can't believe a word they say! ::)
I do appreciate you taking the time to tell me about this case, though, I'm prepared to believe it... meantime! 8)
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The flowers are not at all Massonia-like are they? Andrew Broome may know.
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Lesley said...
> The flowers are not at all Massonia-like are they?
> Andrew Broome may know.
Well, I can't claim to *know* but the flowers don't look like either of the Massonia spp that I grow (M. depressa and M. pustulata),
both actively growing for me at the moment. Also, the leaves look wrong to me.
Sorry I can't be more helpful. :(
I'd be happy to have a go at growing it though. :)
Andrew.
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Rogan,
Given my recent history I'll probably be wrong but...... my first thoughts on seeing the flowers were that it would be Massonia pygmae. Right sort of colour and can vary quite widely in how many flowers per head. The M. jasminiflora that I grow have smooth leaves, but that doesn't mean anything really of course) and a more filled in flowerhead (i.e they make a complete head of flowers, not just a few) but that could also be better culture here than when being grazed in the wild. I don't grow pygmae unfortunately as yet. The flowers by the look of it fit the superior ovary tag by the look of the flower to the top right, where you can see the green ovary inside the petals.
Anyway, hopefully there are others who are SURE of the ID, whereas I'm only working frmo my minor experiences. Sorry if it is a red herring on my part.
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More South African bulbs are hitting their straps and here are two that are still the in pots, the first because it might be TOO happy here and the second because it can be taken to meetings!
First, Hesperantha bachmannii, white reflexed petals that open up inthe late afternoon but have a peculiar scent.
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and side on the show the reflexing of the petals.
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Second a lovely blue lachenalia, which I think maybe L. orchioides var. glaucina which I received many years ago from a couple in our group who have since departed so it's a nice reminder of them very spring.
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and closer up,
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cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
Interesting, as both of those have already pretty much finished for me. Makes a change from the fact that you're usually a few weeks ahead of me in flowering anything.
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Along the roadside in Central Victoria you can often find "garden escapees" like this "sad glad", Gladiolus tristis.
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from memory, it's beautifully fragrant but only in the evening, presumeably to attract night flying pollinators.
cheers
fermi
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Sad thing I haven't growing in my garden... :( beautiful Glad.
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Glad tristis is really beautiful. Formerly 3 subspecies they are now all just tristis apparently. I keep them separate as they are quite distinct....... Fermi's looks ssp tristis (cream with darker veining on the outside), then there is ssp concolour (pure cream with no markings) and the ssp aestivalis which is the same as tristis but has dark splashes on the inside of the upper 3 petals. I have the aestivalis flowering at the moment if anyone wants me to post a pic. Does change the appearance of the flower a bit, but whichever of the three they're all beautiful. The perfume in teh evening is very strong, but virtually undetectable during the day. There are also a couple of other closely related Gladiolus species that are similar in appearance (i.e size, shape, height etc) but with different colouration to them. These can interbreed and I imagine would make some interestingly marked hybrids.
Probably more information than anyone wanted to know, but hopefully someone might find it useful.
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Scented glads? I feel a Dame Edna moment coming on. Yes, please,
possum Paul, pics!
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Hi,
Gladiolus Tristis is a beatiful plant. I've 3 bulbs planted now. I hope they give me flowers, i've never scented their perfum.
I'm about to receive some seeds from S.Africa, they have great plants. My fear is if the grow well here, but i'll try.
Cris
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Thanks for the useful info Paul ! Totally unknown plant to me - I definitely have to take a closer look at the Glad family one of these days
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A wonderful plant and Maggie, the scent is stunning.
Gladiolus tristus was the first bulb I grew and flowered from seed a couple of years ago - it is quick and easy with the first flower two years after sowing (must be if I can do it) ::).
The perfune in the evening is beautiful and I deliberately bring the pot into the house so that I can enjoy it when I get home from work in the late winter/early spring. The seed I got from the Hardy Plant Society exchange contained all three of the different colour forms and I have now got a nice big potful with the shoots already showing. It lives in my cold greenhouse and gets no special treatment - I've not split out the colour forms - too lazy I suppose. I have found that if I want seed I have to hand pollinate in the cold north.
I think in most of Britain, in a sheltered spot on sandy/free draining soil it will grow outside, but as I don't have a)shelter or b)free draining soil, it's a pot plant for me
Sue
Oh and I'm now growing all sorts of other small species glads just because of this one, still waiting for their flowering though.
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Another South African grown from seed form Silverhills, in the neglected old sandbed (now a favourite with the cat and the echidna, but thankfully not at the same time!).
Not a spectacular plant or flower but nice to have and a late bloomer compared to most of the babianas I already grow: Babiana spathacea.
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cheers
fermi
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Could we have some pics of the echidna please some time Fermi. Not something most of will see around the sand beds.
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I would like to see some parrot, parakeet (not budgies) and finch photos. How often do these visit gardens?
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Lesley,
I did post a pic of "Errol" last year, but haven't photographed him lately.
Mark,
I'll do my best to get some pics, but I have enough trouble getting the flowers to stay still long enough to get a shot!
Back on topic: here's the bright little Tritonia crocata just starting into bloom, sometimes called the "Flame Freesia" it's a lot later than most freesias and crosses within its genus to produce some nicely coloured cultivars, less garish than the type.
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cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
I photographed exactly the same thing this morning with the intent of posting a pic. :o You beat me to it again!! ::) ;)
Might be garish, but a clump in flower is such a blaze of colour that it is well worth it. I've had Ixia curta flowering here for the last few weeks as well, strong yellow-orange colour with black centre and stands out like anything. So bright and cheery.
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Hi Paul,
please post yours as well! And the Ixia curta, too! I'd like to compare ixias as I have a couple labelled such but I won't see them at midday to take a pic when they are fully open so you'll beat me to it with one of yours.
cheers
fermi
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This is my Tritonia crocata. I has a cultivar name but the label is long gone. I have them in troughs and the garden
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here's the bright little Tritonia crocata just starting into bloom, sometimes called the "Flame Freesia" it's a lot later than most freesias and crosses within its genus to produce some nicely coloured cultivars, less garish than the type.
Given that most hybrids are "accused" of being too garish and so much brighter than their parents, it is refreshing to hear ofthese hybrids which are more restrained in their colouring! ;)
That said, while Mark's form is lovely, there is a lot to be said for the sock-it-to'em colour of the parent... VERY cheering!
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Maggi remind me next summer when they are dormant to send you some or now that are just coming in to growth again can I lift some now?
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I recently came upon this little Tritonia on a hillside in the Little Karoo - is it a form of T. crocata?
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Rogan,
Unusual form to it, but very lovely. That upper petal being so prominent and the dark anthers gives a great effect. Trinonia species are quite variable in habit, size, flower form etc, so I can't be any help in identifying. I don't recall having seen a flower of that form before, but I am not a serious Tritonia collector.
Mark, Fermi etc....
I've always wondered why some taller hybrids are labelled under the Tritonia crocata name. To me they resemble far more Tritonia lineata, with it's veining etc like in your picture. There are named ones of lineata like 'Bridesmaid White, 'Pretty Pink' and 'Prince of Orange' (or is this one labelled as crocata?) and they are relatively tall and stand up, whereas the crocatas I have seen are short (Freesia size) with a flower arrangement similar to a freesia rather than going "up" a stem (if you know what I mean). I also find that the Tritonia lineatas can travel quite readily and I have to wonder as to them being stoloniferous or not. T. crocata is well behaved and stays as a nice modest clump. Then there is Tritonia deusta which is very similar...... just to confuse things. This is all assuming that what I have seen as each of these IS actually correctly labelled. ::)
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Mark, thanks for the offer, I'll remind you if I remember! I wouldn't lift them now.
Rogan, I have no idea as to the correct naming for your white Karoo Tritonia, I can only agree that is it lovely. It is a real pleaseure to me to see these things from the wild.
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Paul my plants are short and with no tape at work I would say no taller than a cheque book
Rogan I'll give you all my orange Tritonia for that white one! I wish I knew of you when I last visited Durban. My relatives know nothing about wild flowers
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Mark,
They look so much like the taller types in flower form, but then again that may also be something to do with sun intensity for you, which obviously is different to us here. Right at the moment it is unseasonably hot here, with 31'C both days over the weekend and a minimum of around 15'C last night (Yuk!), all of which are rather warm for now to put it mildly. Given the height of summer isn't until January/February it isn't looking promising! :o
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sun intensity!! More like lack of for most of the time
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Exactly!! ;D Given here at the moment we can very easily get sunburnt if we're not careful, and bushfires already breaking out around the Sydney region etc...... our warmth factor is a tad higher in spring than yours. Then again, our spring 31'C is probably higher than most of your summer isn't it? ;) :P
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Rogan --your plant looks very much like Tritonia pallida which is found in the Karoo Mountains .
Cheers dave.
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Rogan I'll give you all my orange Tritonia for that white one! I wish I knew of you when I last visited Durban. My relatives know nothing about wild flowers
It's a beauty - I have asked the landowner to collect seed, so if we're lucky I'll have some to go around at a later date.
Thanks to all who have come up with suggestions for a name, I'll have to stop being so lazy and consult the reference books!
For someone as besotted by horticulture as I am it seems very odd that there are people in the world who know very little about wild plants - send them up to me and I'll educate them! ;) And the next time you're in Durban...
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Rogan what has happened to the man in Durban who grew and sold SA bulbs.
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I'm not very well informed on Durban nurserymen, but are you thinking of Greg Petit (Green Goblin), who no longer sells plants to the public - as far as I know, or Geoff Nichols (Silverglen Nursery) who has now left the trade?
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Howdy Mark et al,
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A quick pic of my Tritonia crocata, such a glorious colour.
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That's a yummy colour, Paul, and looks so good next to the silvery foliage of its neighbours.
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Maggi,
Yeah, the good old silver-leafed Gazanias. You just can't beat Gazanias for lasting colour in our climate. In that area I have 3 different silver leafed ones, one orange, one pink, and one yellow flowered.
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I assume everyone interested in this thread has seen this page?
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=904.0
We have taken down a couple of trees that were not doing very well and there is one other for the chop meantime... Ian is beavering away to excavate enough of its roots to allow the stump to be winched free.
We always thought that the resaon this tree was never really healthy was that it had never made decent root growth, it having been containerised for far too long beofre we got it... now Ian is uncovering its nether regions, this seems NOT to have been cause of its malaise.... the damn thing is anchored with 17cm diameter roots, going every which way... Uncovering enough to cut/loosen the trunk is hard going, especially since Ian is reluctant to clear a large enough area round about to make the task easier....so I am leaving him to the task..... but....I hear you sigh, why am I telling you all this here ?
Well, when the stump is ready to winch and we get the brute lifted out, there will be a reasonably sized area that is dug to a considerable depth and, being in a sunny spot, will make a super home for the SA bulbs I have just received from Devon. ::) ;D :D :)
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That Tritonia looks nothing like mine but like Maggi says it's lovely. Composites are my big love especially the SA daisies.
Rogan yes it's Greg I was thinking of. Any idea what he supplies?
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Howdy All,
Have had this in flower this month......
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Spiloxene linearis is the most amazing brilliant orange-yellow flower about 3 inches across. Whole plant is only about 6 inches tall or so. Flowers open in the sunshine and positively glow. Collected a bunch of seed off it yesterday with more still to come. Nice story to it was that it was originally given to me as seed a few years ago by a friend who had 2 bulbs that never offset. She collected a total of 6 seeds, all of which germinated for me. Mine have also offset as they've grown, unlike her purchased bulbs. Last year I mentioned a first flower on mine and she told me that hers had since died..... so during dormancy I gave her a half dozen corms. It really shows the benefits of sharing things around, as you just never know when you might lose something and need some back!! ;D
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Could I beg some seeds?
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Hi
I took pics of these tritonias at a garden in Castlemaine today
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And these ixias,
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cheers
fermi
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Mark,
No problem. Email on it's way to you.
Fermi,
Those tritonias are as far as I know the lineatas I was talking about. That may be what is sold as 'Bridesmaid White' or something like that.
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Rogan yes it's Greg I was thinking of. Any idea what he supplies?
No idea at the moment, but I will try and find out for you.
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I'm not sure if this is a species or a hybrid ixia. It's known as "Teal" or just as the "Blue ixia"
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We visited a friend on Saturday who has a lot of the cerise ixia and the dark centred yellow (?I. maculata) and there are a lot of intermediates in her garden - some are now in ours in Redesdale! Hopefully they'll survive the transplant!
cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
I've grown it for years under 'Amthystina' and also seen something called 'Elvira' which to my eyes at least is exactly the same thing. Wonderful in a clump as they do tend to stand up straight, unlike so many of the other Ixias. ::) Great colour too.
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I have a chance to buy a Lapeirousia oreogena is anyone in the UK growing it? (I know Paul Tyreman is in Oz because he posted a picture of it in the Early Spring in Summer Hemisphere thread on 5 August last-and it's beautiful) What I am trying to find out is if it likely to thrive outside in my wettish! but mildiish! climate or whether I should put it in the greenhouse. Mind you, if it thrives in my winter greenhouse with the vents fully open day and night and the door open all day, it'll be a good 'un.
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Now lumped in to Freesia and very hardy here
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Now lumped in to Freesia and very hardy here
Not sure that is correct Mark but I have given up trying to make sense of Botanist's taxonomic ramblings. As far as I understand it Freesia laxa-previously Anomatheca laxa, was also previously Lapeirousia cruenta and Lapeirousia laxa. As far as I can tell Lapeirousia oreogena is still Lapeirousia oreogena but by the time I've had my Horlicks could well be something else!
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BT World seeds says
Anomatheca cruenta - Anomatheca laxa
Anomatheca cruenta 'Alba P.' - Anomatheca laxa Alba Purissim
Anomatheca cruenta 'Alba' - Anomatheca laxa Alba
I also found
Anomatheca cruenta = Anomatheca laxa
Anomatheca cruenta 'Alba' = Anomatheca laxa 'Alba'
Anomatheca laxa = Freesia laxa
Freesia laxa = Anomatheca laxa
Lapeirousia cruenta = Anomatheca laxa
Lapeirousia cruenta = Freesia laxa
Lapeirousia fistulosa = Anomatheca fistulosa
Lapeirousia laxa = Anomatheca laxa
Lapeirousia laxa = Freesia laxa
Lapeirousia laxa 'Alba' = Anomatheca laxa 'Alba'
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There are many references when I googled the names
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As far as I can tell Lapeirousia oreogena is still Lapeirousia oreogena but by the time I've had my Horlicks could well be something else!
Lapeirousia oreogena is OK, as you say, David. The current up to date taxonomy of monocots is on Kew's website http://www.kew.org/wcsp
The taxonomists have obviously been having lots of fun in coming up with some daft new ideas. I see that daffodils are now onions and all the little blue blubs are now asparagus. I expect crocuses will turn out to be a cabbages and the contents of our bulb houses will all end up in the soup.
Diane
(currently submerged under AGS seed donations, trying to compile this year's list)
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Thanks for clearing that up Diane. Now all I need to know is if anyone UK based is growing Lapeirousia oreogena?
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I'd go for the glasshouse if I were you David, unless you can keep it on a patio or under the eaves somewhere.
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I'd go for the glasshouse if I were you David, unless you can keep it on a patio or under the eaves somewhere.
Thanks Lesley, I may buy a couple and keep one in the greenhouse and one on the patio and then compare.
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David, have you seen the ones for sale on eBay? http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/exotic-plants-de/ (http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/exotic-plants-de/)
Sue
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Thanks for clearing that up Diane. Now all I need to know is if anyone UK based is growing Lapeirousia oreogena?
David,
A few people are growing Lapeirousia oreogena. There was one on display last year at a meeting of the South African Bulb Group, but I can't remember whose it was. I have this year sown seed of it, but only one has germinated - this is pretty much par for the course as many of the Lapeirousias are notoriously erratic about germinating. I would guess that hardiness for outside is untested but it should be OK under cold glass and definitely so under just frost-free conditions. It's a great shame they are so tricky to germinate as they are superb plants - especially oreogena!!
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David, have you seen the ones for sale on eBay? http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/exotic-plants-de/ (http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/exotic-plants-de/)
Sue
Shows how old fashioned I am Sue I'm not used to EBay and couldn't find any Lapeirousia on your Link
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A few people are growing Lapeirousia oreogena. There was one on display last year at a meeting of the South African Bulb Group, but I can't remember whose it was. I have this year sown seed of it, but only one has germinated - this is pretty much par for the course as many of the Lapeirousias are notoriously erratic about germinating. I would guess that hardiness for outside is untested but it should be OK under cold glass and definitely so under just frost-free conditions. It's a great shame they are so tricky to germinate as they are superb plants - especially oreogena!!
Paul, thanks for that I will give it a try under my cold glass.
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I don't know anything about germinating S African bulb seeds, but wonder if that smoke stuff the Wisley people showed on one of their logs recently might help? Just a thought......
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Chris, I did actually try the smoke treatment on the lapeirousias but it doesn't seem to have helped in this case. Graham Duncan from Kirstenbosch was visiting last week and he said that they have the same trouble with germination; he did also say that seed pots should be kept for two or three years as they tend to come up in ones and twos over a few years.
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Wonder why we always seem to want to grow the most difficult plants. If they came up like mustard and cress I wonder if we'd be as enthralled with them....
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Hmmmm... The Lapeirousia oreogena didn't have any problems germinating for me. They were held dry until autumn as ( do with the majority of the South African winter growing seed) and they germinated just fine. Maybe they're a species that isn't so difficult to germinate? Maybe I was just lucky. 8)
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More South Africans in flower! Both ixias!
Ixia monadelpha growing in a sandbed and perhaps dwarfed because of this.
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It should have more of a contrasting "eye" but it's still attractive,
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The next one, Ixia rouxii, definitely has a contrasting centre! But appears a bit dirty due to the old flowers hanging on after discolouring, I think,
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cheers
fermi
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here it is David http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280065846353 (http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280065846353)
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Fermi, what a lovely Ixias. Is the first time I see that ones. I've just seen and cultivated the hibrids that we buy in the market.
Never imagined that exists a such beautiful Ixias.
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Thanks for that Mark, I'll get my German/English dictionary out ;D
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Fermi, what a lovely Ixias. Is the first time I see that ones. I've just seen and cultivated the hibrids that we buy in the market.
Never imagined that exists a such beautiful Ixias.
I was about to write exactly the same thing Paul, but you said it better than I could.
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Thanks, Cris and David, re the ixias, they have a tendency to run wild over here but they are easily controlled as they usually are fairly shallow rooted. They hybridize easily too so the colours can be quite varied over time!
Here's an interesting Moraea which I received as a "freebie" in a pot with something else! It took a couple of years to come into flower so may even have "stowed away" as a seed or two! After a few years I still only have two plants despite it setting a fair amount of seed (I've donated it to the Seedexes previously) so I wonder if it needs special treatment to germinate?
It's the tall growing, afternoon flowering Moraea gracilenta and it certainly is graceful!
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The flowers are gone by the morning but the spikes stay in bloom for many weeks.
Another South African bulb is the quaintly named Chincherinchee, Ornithogalum thyrsoides. This poor speciman is a bit overwhelmed by the artemesia carpet but still manages to put up a few spikes.
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cheers
fermi
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Hello Fermi!
I have an Ornithogallum thyrsoides in a container, it did bloom this year, but I dare not plant it in the garden, as I understand it's not hardy enough (those bulb vendors never tell you the whole truth! >:( ).
As it is a native plant for you, do you know what temps it could actually withstand?
Thanks in advance
Zephirine
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Fermi, what a beautiful Moraea. Here the are one specie growing wild, I think it were called Gynandriris sisyrinchium.
I've sown some Moraea Elegans in sept29th, but nothing yet. It's normal?
I've also Ornithogalum, a little wild form (I don't remember the name), I let you a pic of them in the wild.
And O. Thyrsoides and O.Dubium.
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Many or most bulb/corm seeds can take months to germinate. Srom late september to mid November is a very short time so I wouldn't be worrying yet. You may have nothing until the spring.
Here Ornithogalum dubium is quite tender. The colours are wonderful though. Bright yellows and oranges.
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Lesley,
How cold actually DO you get there? I know you get snow where you are, but no idea of actual minimum temperatures. O. dubium grows outside here jsut fine, both in small pots and in the ground. Given up on the orange version as it jsut sits as a dormant bulb and never shoots, while the yellow form grows and multiples and flowers it's little head off. I have a theoretical white form about to flower this year for the first time from seed. While I'd like at least one to be white, I'd love some variance in colour as I would love a whole range of different colorus of these. Now if I could just strike a nice orange one that actually grew each year I'd be extremely happy, as they're a glorious colour. I know I am not alone with this, as there have been various discussions over the year with various other people saying they have trouble with the orange one as well.
David,
If I'm the Paul you were referring to.... it wasn't me who made the comment. 'Twas Cris. Ixia rouxii is a stunning Ixia, but looks like mine that flowered last year unexpectedly (I thought I'd lost it a couple of years before) has not returned this year. Maybe it is skipping another couple of years for some reason. The deep colour to the centre is great, so I hope it still remains there as it is a favourite of mine and was a gift from a friend in Western Australia originally.
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Generally where I live (on a highish hill, always with a bit of catabatic drift), we get about -3 or -4 C as a minimum but this year we had -9 on several nights, coldest for many years and I lost a lot of things I've always taken for granted as hardy. Dunedin city has a degree or two colder than my place and the airport on the Taieri Plain another couple colder. I've never attempted to grow Orn. dubium do don't really know how hardy it might be but I've heard from others that it has to be grown in a glasshouse down this way.
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Lesley,
Well we get to -8 or -9'C most years and they do thrive here, even in 4 inch tubes (which means they obviously get quite cold at the bulb/root level). I just love em!! ;D
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Mark, I, quite by chance, came across this address the other day: http://www.africanbulbs.co.za/default.asp This is Greg Petit of Green Goblin fame - he has some interesting stuff.
Incidentally, your Pelargonium seeds are in the post.
I was surprised to find this Ammocharis flowering in our collection the other day:
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What a wonderful exhibit, Rogan. I've bookmarked the supplier! Thanks for sharing it with us.
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Wonderful Ammocharis, Rogan.... something else I have not seen inthe flesh.
Check out this week's Wisley Log for more great South Africans....http://www.srgc.org.uk/wisley/2007/221107/log.html
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thanks Rogan. What a plant! I see Paul Christian sells it
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Some incredibly beautiful and intersting plants in the new log from Wisley. Move over snowdrops ;D
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Those Wisley shots make me drool........
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This Wisley log is just more icing on the cake. Fantastic, expecially as I am just sowing some Haemanthus albiflos seeds from Paul. I now know exactly what they need. Brilliant. ;D