Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Bulbs General => Topic started by: David Nicholson on May 04, 2009, 03:55:15 PM
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We don't seem to have a thread for Calochortus so thought I would start one.
This genera is one of my latest obsessions and was prompted by buying Mary Gerritsen and Ron Parson's book 'Calochortus: Mariposa Lilies and their Relatives' early last year. It's published by Timber Press and is well worth the money if you fancy having a try at them. So far I have bulbs of C. barbatus; luteus, which I thought I had lost but haven't; palmeri, uniflorus and superbus. I'm growing from seed C. albus; albus rubellus; argilosus; barbatus; clavatus; gunnisonii; obispoensis; superbus and venustus.
Here is my very first one to flower Calochortus uniflorus. I love the blue anthers and the pink style and the white hairs in the eye of the flower.
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Lovely close up photo of your Calochortus, David, no wonder you are enamored with it.... the blue anthers, pink style and soft white hairs are so soft and graceful - As I know nothing about this bulb your posting has made me curious ::)
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It is indeed a lovely thing. In NZ however, it is on a noxious weed list (illegal to grow it) because of its propenisty for producing many small bulbils up the stems in all the leaf axils. I think the "weed" status is ridiculous. Yes, it increases quickly but so do a million other plants which haven't been slammed. Because of this status, we may not import bulbs of other species at this time. They are all classified as "requires assessment." This is a pain as Marcus Harvey in Australia lists quite a lot of species. We are allowed to get seed though, of quite a number and Ron Ratko in Oregon has an excellent selection. They are all interesting and beautiful plants, neglected by most people. I especially love C. amabilis which is one of the fairy lantern group.
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Lesley, it is lovely. I have seen it often in the wild, but
never in a garden. Is it in your garden?
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Looking good David !
I bet you hope it will grow like a weed .... ;D ;D
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This genera is one of my latest obsessions and was prompted by buying Mary Gerritsen and Ron Parson's book 'Calochortus: Mariposa Lilies and their Relatives' early last year.
Yes, those two have a lot to answer for! ;D
This is a great genus for us in Central Victoria as most should grow outdoors for us. So you're doing really well, David, as I imagine you have these under glass or in a frame
I've managed to get a few to flower from seed, including Cc superbus, splendens, clavatus, amabilis (not as vigorously as Lesley does!) and albus. And I've just bought some more from Ron Ratko to try! The NARGS Seedex is always heavy with them as well so join up if you aren't already a member.
There's always something to look forward to when you grow from seed!
cheers
fermi
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David and Lesley thanks for the pics of this great plants - I tried them several times but I was not able to grow this "weed" ::) - maybe it does not like lime?
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David and Lesley thanks for the pics of this great plants - I tried them several times but I was not able to grow this "weed" ::) - maybe it does not like lime?
I can't be absolutely certain Hans but I don't think the book I mentioned indicates that lime is helpful for any of the species.
Glad to see I'm growing a "noxious weed" Lesley but I bet it isn't in my greenhouse ;D
Fermi, they will all be under glass with me.
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I have uniflorus (syn lilacinus) in a pot for control's sake and the amabilis is in a raised bed with reticulate irises, crocuses etc and a lot of small alpines. At most I get 2 or 3 seeds any year from amabilis. So far as I can see, pulchellus is just about identical, unless I have either one wrongly named.
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I still can't work out how in heck I managed to lose uniflorus a few years ago. One year the pots were empty, no idea why. I've never got around to replacing it, but must one of these days as it was such a beautiful flower.
I grow a few of the others from seed, as well as some mature bulbs that I have bought at times. They do OK for me but not brilliantly, but I am thinking that I probably have them in pots that are a bit small. C. luteus is the one that has persisted for me the longest, and I have also flowered it from seed as well. I think that some of them I used to have got too much summer water because I watered my pots, but I am no longer as avid with summer watering and a lot of things have to more fend for themselves. Maybe that is why the seedlings coming along from the last few years are doing so well for me these days. ;D
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I've got superbus - uniflorus and luteus in bud right now.
Looking forward to them flowering as I've never grown them before...
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Here's my C. uniflorus in flower.
From just 3 bulbs I'm counting 20 buds ?? :o
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Beautiful. 8)
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how long does it flower for Luc? A lovely flower and blue stamens :)
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One flower seems to last about a week Robin - and how long from first to last flower, I don't really know but I still see new buds emerging so it seems it will be a while :D
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Here's my C. uniflorus in flower.
From just 3 bulbs I'm counting 20 buds ?? :o
You've done better with yours than I did Luc. I had only one bulb, and only one flower too :( It's a lovely little species though isn't it?
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Thank you David, but I just bought the bulbs last fall from Rob Potterton... I just put them in the pot... not much merits there I guess.. ;)
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The first time I have grown this one.
Calochortus argillosus,
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Very nice indeed Derek.
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A real beauty Derek - how tall does the flower grow plse ?
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That one is very pretty Derek, but then, they all are. Fortunately they are quite hardy here so can be grown among other things that act to hold them up as some are quite leggy. Growing through Betula nana or similarly sized shrubby things is a nice way to go. Helps supply the perfect drainage needed, too.
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A real beauty Derek - how tall does the flower grow plse ?
Luc it is a bit twisted but about 25cm and a lot of flowers on the stem.
Derek
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... one more for the wants list Derek... ::)
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Calochortus palmeri from the greenhoue today.
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What a color!
Gerd
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Wow - A real stunner David !
How tall plse ?
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Luc, a good 30cm but doesn't seem to flop as much as some of the other species do. This one came from Buried Treasure (Rannveig Wallis)
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It IS a little treasure !
Thanks David !
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As Ian Y's newest BUlblog shows, Calochortus vary tremendously within each species, especially their central markings. As I have C. palmeri, it is pink with a roundish, brownish area in the middle. Mine grows (outside) to about 40cms but as David says, is quite sturdy in the stem.
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Looking just as good Lesley ! The sturdy stem is definitely an asset !!
Another one I'll be looking for !
Oh that wants list.... ::) ::)
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So far - Calochortus superbus opened 3 flowers for me - All different ! :D
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Superb Luc ;D
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Superbus Luc ;D
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Luc,
Beautiful, particularly the middle one. I assume they are on 3 different plants, not 3 flowers on the same plant? ;)
;D ;D
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Thanks folks - I agree : 'superbus' is a very well chosen name for this species.
I obtained 10 bulbs from Rob Potterton last year and from what I can see, I'll get blooms on 8 of them - I'm curious what the others will look like.
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Lovely pictures! I grew what looked like Calochortus superbus once from a cheap pack of "mixed C.", they flowered (http://planteliste.net/slides/calochortus_superbus.jpg) in the garden for a few years, until unfortunately getting swamped by a moster Geranium. I think I read somewhere that the Dutch stock was selected for better tolerance to garden conditions, is this true?
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I'm afraid I can't help here Arisaema - I grow them in pots and have stopped watering them (as per what I read about them) as soon as the first flower opened. I intend to keep them bonedry over the Summer and hope this works fine. I'm not an experienced Calochortus grower - this is the first year I'm growing them. :-\
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Thanks, Luc! If I find them offered again I'll give it another try away from any oversized Geraniums, they seemed to do ok in the ground, but it may just have been beginners luck and a couple of dry summers.
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Calochortus superbus looks just like painted porcelain, Luc, It's beautiful
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Calochortus venustus from Broadleigh in 2000, flowering now. Only one bulb. I think I started with 3.
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Very nice indeed Roma.
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Love it Roma - could you tell us how high the stem is ??
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Luc, Calochortus venustus is 42cm high.
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Here's my last Calochortus to flower : C. luteus - again quite some variation in the flowers ! :)
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You grow them very well Luc, do you keep them outside?
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Wonderful photos of your C. luteus, Luc, and a a really lovely colour :)
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Thanks David and Robin !
They are in big pots - potted up back in September last year, they stayed outside only protected from rain. Watered only once or twice, they remained outside except for the weeks when we had hard sustained frost - I then got them inside in the frostfree veranda. After the frost they went outside again, in the open, until they started flowering. Since then I stopped watering them and keep them inside again when rain is threatening. I have only 3 pots so I can move them in and out without too much hassle. I intend to keep them completely dry and warm in the veranda until repotting time in September.
It's my first experience with them so I'll have to wait and see what the results are next year. :-\
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Thanks for posting these pics, everyone.
I've just planted some of these varieties so will be looking forward to seeing them flower towards the end of the year! ;D The ones from previous years (CC superbus, albus, clavatus) are starting to make top growth already.
cheers
fermi
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I'm very much in learning mode as far as Calochortus are concerned and these would perhaps have benefited from deeper pots (deeper than the 9cm. suare plastic pots I used) and some support in the growing stage for the lax growth. The flowers are a bit past their best but since I wanted pics for my own files I thought I would post them here.
Calochortus superbus
Calochortus luteus
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My late mother grew Calochortus in her rock garden, always where the stems could come up through something and so have the necessary support. There would be a Calochortus flower sitting on top of Jasminum parkeri or a daphne.
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Super looking Calochortus in this thread, we only have seedlings here and so this thread is a real treat and taste of things to come, keep posting please!
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Calochortus barbatus, seed from South West seeds in 1991 has been flowering for the last two or three weeks. The label says small form but it looks rather like subsp.chihuahuaensis in the Calochortus book. I do not think I have the seed list any more or if I do there is little hope of finding it. It is a summer grower so does not need watering till June and is kept dry over winter.
Last year was the first time I got seed and now have some seedlings coming along. This year is the first time I remember (at least recently) more than one bulb flowering - and they are different!
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How lovely, Roma .... it really does look like it wants to be a fritillaria, though, doesn't it?! ;D
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A very beautiful but obviously temperamental little gem Roma !
Thanks for showing !
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A beautiful little flower like a pixie cap - 'scuse my ignorance, Roma, but I would like to know if they are sepals on top of the petals?
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Calochortus barbatus varies and most of mine are plain yellow with minimal speckling of light tan/brown. It also varies in height, up to about 30cms occasionally, but again, most of mine are less than 10cms. It seeds but also makes numerous stem bulblets and for that reason, is sometimes thought to be weedy but I don't think this is justified. It can flower from seed in less than a year depending when it is sown.
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Calochortus barbatus ... It can flower from seed in less than a year depending when it is sown.
Hi Lesley,
being from the warmer parts (Mexico?) I presume it is frost tender - does that mean it should be sown in spring rather than autumn?
cheers
fermi
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It never occurred to me that it may be tender. Certainly it gets no protection here. In a pot but in the great outdoors all year round.
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Roma,
Beautiful Calochortus!! The first pic almost looks like an open Fritillaria. Great colouration. 8)
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Fermi,
C. barbatus self-sows for me here in zone8/9. Never see the seedlings before the end of winter.
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"A beautiful little flower like a pixie cap - 'scuse my ignorance, Roma, but I would like to know if they are sepals on top of the petals?"
They are sepals Robin, but with monocots they are called "tepals" as sometimes it is difficult to tell the se-pals from the pe-tals! ;D
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I was just reading Robert Rolfe's appreciation of Kath Dryden in the latest AGS Bulletin and spotted this Calochortus quote attributed to Kath. " Keep them dry from flower-fall until the following February or March. The flower power from such small bulbs is phenomenal. A bulb lasts about 5-7 years here. They must have full light and hate being under glass while in sprin growth"
Last year I watered my Calochortus around 1st September with all my other bulbs and thought it too early so this year had not intended to water the Calochortus until 1st October. Now Kath has made me think, and if she's up there watching she's probably saying "Exactly what I intended young man".
Is Kath's watering regime viable? What do otheres think?
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A good move to follow dear Kath's advice for the more desert species of Calochortus, David.
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Hi David,
My two-pennorth: The more alpine species such as tolmei I generally water in early october as you intend, with the mariposa types following in november. Many years I just water the lot (including mariposas) in october anyway, they don't seem to mind.
I did notice when repotting them last week that C.amabilis has quite advanced roots already despite being bone dry.
Incidentally - I find with all Calochortus that they grow better crammed into really small clay pots (3 bulbs to a 3" pot). They are plunged but it means that during the peak growth season in spring they get watered and fed virtually daily but never get over-wet. I think this is why they do well for me. The best I ever had were potted the same way but not plunged. In april and may I had to water twice daily to prevent them drying out. They really seemed to like this but it was back in the days when I still had the time...
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Darren, you've got me worried now, and I suspect Luc will be as well, as we had both read that Calochortus bulbs benefit from deep planting. This year I have re-potted from 9cm square plastic pots, which I use for the majority of my bulbs, into 2 Litre rose pots!!
I thought deeper planting might provide more support for the relatively lax growth some of the species have but your results seem tp prove the opposite. It's a funny old world!!
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Didn't mean to cause any anxiety! I actually haven't tried deep planting so cannot comment.
I did note from the recent frit group bulletin article on growing frits in 'Seramis' that Paul Cumbleton finds Calochortus do well grown the same way - in deep pots of pure Seramis. I'm experimenting with it this year with some spare bulbs and we will see how I get on. I have also sown seed directly into deep pots of a mix of perlite and Wilcos pink cat litter (which is calcined moler clay the same as Seramis but with smaller & more variable particle size and much cheaper & easier to obtain). I have sown some cape bulbs in the same mix and germination and growth so far (after 6 weeks) has been superb.
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Thanks for the expert opinion Darren - very interesting !
David is right.. I did read somewhere that Calochortus need "big" pots and fairly deep planting.
Having grown them only for the first time the past season, I'm definitely NOT a specialist, but they did quite well for me in the mix of 50 % J.I. 2 and 50 % grit in 2 liter pots. I also applied the I. Young watering regime of September and October storms... the first leaves showed already in December... they flowered ok at the normal time.
I had therefore decided to start watering them later this Season, I was thinking of November...
From reading the above... different growers = different methods...
;D ??? ::)
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Very interested in your seed sowing method Darren, let's know how you go on as time goes by.
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The Calochortus season has started in this hemisphere!
Calochortus amabilis has survived a few years in the open rock garden and this year looks like it will set seed!
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Others aren't far off bloom!
cheers
fermi
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Good luck with it Fermi, I never get more than a single seed in a single pod. :(
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Congrats, Fermi. Very nice.
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Very nice indeed Fermi.
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Calochortus amabilis here is a little earlier it seems Fermi.
And another Calochortus species whose name escapes me.
Both were a hit with the Sydney Cottage Garden club members who had to walk from the main road as the very long bus would have bottomed out at the bottom of the access road to our property. Good for them. Pity was it was all up hill on the way back.
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Wow, Pat. I've got to work out how to grow them better here. ::)
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Paul this east facing bed does not get watered at all apart from natural rainfall. I have a couple of junos in the same bed. Above them is a few pogon iris species such as Iris purpureobracteata, the subbiflora x revoluta clump, two suaveolens and a few other species.
The rocks may help with a slightly cooler root run in summer.
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Pat,
So they all only get morning sun? What time does the sun go off them? The best I could do would be a north east wall, which would get morning sun through winter and full sun through summer (the way tree shadows fall etc). Does that sound like it might be worthwhile? I'd never thought of Calochortus in a spot like that, but if you reckon it might work. I can put a sleeper height in to give better drainage as well?
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Gosh I did not mean only morning sun Paul. They get the brunt of the summer sun all day except when the sun is nearly setting. The rock behind them might shade them for an hour more than if they were just on the hillside. Just imagine an east facing hillside with a angle of about 30 degrees and the plants are halfway down this hillside from the horizon - maybe 2/3rds down the hill if I think a bit more about it. No trees within cooee - so it is exposed. I do have a bulb which was seed grown in amongst a few young eucalypts but that does not do so well.
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Paul I am far from an expert where Calochortus are concerned - I just happened to find the right situation for them. The bed is slightly raised too. Learning by experience is so much more valuable.
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Pat,
Yes, but your climate is similar enough to mine to be helpful, and why completely reinvent the wheel when you can get some pointers from other people's knowledge. ;D When you mentioned easterly I thought you had meant it was facing that way..... but your comments have still lead me to think of a place I hadn't thought of, and the wall behind them might work similarly to rocks to reflect heat, while also keeping it a little warmer in winter so that it isn't quite as frosty for them (which I understand can be a problem for a few of the species). Close to the wall will also keep it drier in summer..... in fact the wall I am thinking of is less than 2 metres from my crocus garden that has worked so well the last couple of years. The wheels in my head are turning (you can probably hear the grinding sound like crunching the clutch in your car ;)) and it could be interesting to see the results. Thanks so much for your experiences of where you are growing them..... I'll let you know what happens with mine now. ;D
Thanks again. 8)
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Paul you are welcome to pick my brains anytime. We do get frosts here but they don't seem to effect the Calochortus - amabile, and luteus.
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Pat,
Thanks. I have luteus and a number of others grown from seed. C. luteus is one I had for years that did well for me even in a pot. I always loved uniflorus, and despite the fact it produces bulbils very easily I managed to lose it one year for some reason. I keep meaning to replace it as I loved it's clean lavendar colour with the darker throat markings. I also had that lovely amabile for a few years too, until it succumbed in a pot. That is why the idea of a garden for them is nice, and I might just get away one it in that location. ;D
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A couple of Calochortus flowering now, C uniflorus and C elegans var nanus. bye Ray
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Wow, Ray. Both beauties. The second one is so fuzzy!! Very, very cool. What conditions do you grow yours in?
See Pat, I told you that uniflorus is gorgeous. I loved it's simplicity and the great colour.
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Lovely stuff folks. Wish I could grow them as well as you all do in the upsidedown world ;D
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Beautiful Ray ! Both beautiful !! :D
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Yes would be good to grow some of the other species - all mine seem to be yellow species.
Lovely Ray.
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Ray your uniflorus is a deeper shade than the rather washed out one we have here. Lovely. And the fuzzy-wuzzy is a real delight. :D
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Hi Paul,dont do anything special for my Calochortus,just grow in full sun and apply water when in growth.
Hi Pat,no luck with your C uniflorus?
bye Ray
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Ray the C uniflorus is OK - a leaf in a pot!
C amabile now has seedpods forming and C luteus in full flight
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Glorious, Pat ! :D
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Wow, Pat, you can really see the inflated seedpods, can't you. :o
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They are gorgeous Pat and so much earlier than mine. C. amabilis isn't even in serious bud yet. ???
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With a few 30C days I guess we are earlier!
Yes the seed capsules are very decorative.
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Pat,
your patches of calochortus look well established compared to mine! I just got C. luteus this year from Marcus Harvey and the first ones have just started;
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I also have a couple of them coming on from seed but they're a week or two off blooming.
Calochortus superbus also grown from seed shows a little bit of variation,
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cheers
fermi
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Lovely blooms Fermi.
Just took a couple of photos of my Calochortus patch.
Calochortus superbus is the cream.
So I have in that patch: C amabile, C luteus, C superbus (as shown) and C venustus which says white on the label but the buds are lilac. The bloom on this last one was too snail chomped to look any good.
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Very nice indeed Pat and Fermi, I hope there are more to come.
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Great Calochortus Pat and Fermi !
They look gorgeous like that in the open garden..; something we can only dream of.. :-\
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Totally agree with Luc, really lovely to see, thanks Pat and Fermi :)
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Pat and Fermi,
Excellent pics. They're great plants, aren't they!! 8)
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Great to see Calochortus in the open garden! They are really special!
Thanks for showing Pat and Fermi.
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Calochortus was one of the bulbs I had wanted to grow since my first visit to California - sentimental and all that. When I met some great people I wanted to grow something from their area to remind me of them - can't always do that of course but I was pleasantly surprised that Calochortus is one of them.
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I also have a couple of them coming on from seed but they're a week or two off blooming.
The first of the seedlings (from NARGS Sedex as Calochortus luteus 'compact form' ) has opened!
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It doesn't look the same as the first of the tall ones
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but is similar to another one
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Calochortus suberbus is living up to its name!
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cheers
fermi
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Superb indeed Fermi, as they all are. They obviously love your climate. :)
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A couple of Calochortus flowering now.bye Ray
Calochortus luteus
Calochortus albus var rubellus
Calochortus sp.
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Great stuff from Down Under guys !
Superb Calochortus.
Fermi, that compact "Luteus" if it is, looks glorious - a real show stopper !
I love the shorter ones.. for obvious reasons ! 8)
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I agree with Luc, really wonderful shows in your photos and some superb close ups to drool over 8)
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This Calochortus splendens was grown from seed;
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last year our marauding echidna broke off the only flowering stem! This year the flower made the sensible decision to come up through a patch of DB Iris to protect itself!
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Who says plants aren't sentient ;D
Another flower has opened amongst the C. luteus "Compact Form" seedlings,
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which is different to the first one with its more obvious sepals, which also opened a new flower
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cheers
fermi
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A couple of Calochortus flowering now.bye Ray
Ray,
I like your C. albus "Rubellus", it's one I've had trouble raising from seed.
Your unknown looks interesting - Have you got the Book "Calochortus: Mariposa Lilies & Their Relatives"
By Mary E. Gerritsen and Ron Parsons? you maybe able to find it in there.
cheers
fermi
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Hi Fermi,yes I have that book and I think that it is a form of C venustus,the pic of one of the forms
in the book is very similar/same as mine.bye Ray
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The last of my Calochortus to flower is one I got from MH this year,
Calochortus obispoensis.bye Ray
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What a strange bewhiskered flower
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A little hairy monster... ;D
But a beautiful one !
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Very nice indeed Ray. Not a common one here.
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The last of my Calochortus to flower is one I got from MH this year,
Calochortus obispoensis.bye Ray
Hi Ray,
not one that I've grown :-\
I still have C. weedii ssp vestus yet to flower - I got it from Marcus last year but I can't remember if it produced a bloom - this year it's about 2 ft tall and has quite a few buds on it.
cheers
fermi
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Well, that Calochotus weedii ssp vestus (syn C, fimbriatus) is still in tight bud!
So here's a pic of some bulblets which I unpotted yesterday.
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As you can see 25 were sown on the 9th of June 2008 and I think just about every seed germinated! However there are more than 25 bulblets as many have increased along the underground part of the stem! Hopefully a few will reach flowering size next year.
cheers
fermi
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Wow, Fermi. Congratulations. I must knock my pots of seedlings (I have about a half dozen or so) out and see what they have done/are they still alive. I have plans for a garden for them after your and Pat's pics of them, and I have the spot worked out as discussed in a topic a month or so ago. Hopefully some of my seedlings survive now to be able to plant. ;D ;D
You lot are definitely inspiring!! Thanks. 8)
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Nice when something does as one hopes. Looking forward to the flowers. Your climate Fermi seems to suit Calochortus very well. Similar to California perhaps.
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Your climate Fermi seems to suit Calochortus very well. Similar to California perhaps.
Which is what gave them the clue to look for gold around here - well a bit north of here exactly ;D .
Unfortunately I wasn't as thorough as I thought when I applied for my AGS seed as AQIS confiscated C. elegans! >:( It isn't on ICON (the "allowed" list) so I intend to spend some time over the summer filling out weed risk assessments (WRA) to endeavour to get more calochortus onto ICON! With sources like the seedexes and Ron Ratko and other seed collectors there is a good chance to introduce new species to Australia.
cheers
fermi
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Yes, and since most are so very difficult to grow, I can't imagine
any of them running amok in Australia.
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I imagine a lot of the dry land species are packing their bags in anticipation of being allowed into Australia!
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Simon,
there are about 50 species of Calochortus allowed in as seed and I haven't tried them all yet! I'll work at getting a few more allowed in and then try them as well!
In the meantime, Calochortus weedii ssp vestus (syn C. fimbriatus) is still in bud,
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so you won't get to see a pic of the open flower till next year!
cheers
fermi
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Looks very promising Fermi !!! :D
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Fermi, are you allowed C.kennedyi? I imagine that would like some parts of Australia very much!
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I'm sure it would. It liked me too for a couple of flowerings then absented itself in a damp year when we had rain in summer autumn and winter as well as the previous and following spring. Such years are just a memory from long ago. :'(
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The pics I've seen of the species are stunning. Apparently there is also a yellow kennedyi, but the pics I have seen of the orange are breathtaking.
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The glowing orange one wins everytime for me...
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Or even close to scarlet! Mine was from seed that came to me in a mysterious way I've never figured out. One day an American woman arrived on my doorstep and said she was a real estate agent who was attending a conference in Christchurch and she had been asked to bring to NZ with her, a package of seed for me. The seeds were from Wayne Roderick. Of course I accepted gratefully but I had never in my life had any contact or correspondence with WR (this was about 1982, as I recall) and other than writing to thank him for the seeds, I never have had, since. I can't imagine how he would ever have heard of me or known that I was interested in such things. The package contained several Calochortus species, erythroniums and frits, all as seed. The woman had hired a rental car and driven the 100 miles from Christchurch to Timaru, in order to give them to me.
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Sheer personal magnetism, possibly Lesley ;D
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If I thought that David, I'd have made better use of it over the years. ;)
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Are you planning an autobiography at some point Lesley? That is a remarkable story!
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No, not really Simon. If I'd gone with my intention of keeping a garden diary through the years, maybe. I've started a garden diary maybe a dozen times and I think only one ever got further than January and not far after that. A pity really because there have been many exciting or interesting or downright scary things happen to me over fifty years of gardening. This is true of all gardeners of course so we should all try to record what happens and our experiences. Thank goodness so many Forumists are happy to share their good and bad times and the many incidents that make up a gardener's life. :)
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Lesley,
I might have experiences of the negative kind to add in the near future..... I have a young wild rabbit that appears to have taken up residence in my garden. ::) I'm in the city, we aren't SUPPOSED to get wild rabbits!! :o I guess the fact that we have open paddocks and the edge of town within 100m from here is the problem. ;D
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They're very tasty, Paul........ ::)
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Yes Maggi, but there is the small problem of legally capturing them within city limits etc. One can't just put out a rabbit trap, in case someone wanders along and puts their foot in it. The same goes for shooting the darn thing. :o I looked out my office window this morning to find it sitting under a magnolia chewing away on the grass...... at other times of year that area is Galanthus in flower. :o :o
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Then if Elf isn't game, you need to borrow Susan Band's Heather or Lesley's Teddy.... Lily doesn't do hunting... though for the next few days I have Molly here... she does!
Or speak nicely to a neighbour with a really MEAN Siamese...... :D
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One can't just put out a rabbit trap, in case someone wanders along and puts their foot in it.
You can try an ancient technique. I remember watching a TV show in which
an anthropologist demonstrated rolling plant fibers between his palms to make
twine which he then made into a snare, placed on the ground with the rest
of the line up and over a branch. I can't remember whether he had to hide
behind a bush and pull on the string when the rabbit hopped onto the snare,
or whether it happened automatically.
I just found a picture: http://www.m4040.com/Survival/Skills/Hunting%20and%20Snaring/Snares/Rabbit%20Snare.htm
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Be veeewy kwiet, we're hunting wabbits!! ;D
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I haven't been overly bothered by rabbits over recent years but this morning went to see if Haberlea ferdinandi-coburgi has been helped by the little bit of rain we had yesterday. It had, but all the foliage of the rosettes had been shorn off at ground level. A little further along in the same bed all the foliage had been stripped from Polygonatums humile, graminifolium and hookeri, the whole lot, just bare stringy stems left. It had to be a rabbit, though we had noises round the house last night that Roger thought were a possum.
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A Friend of mine had a similar problem living in a built up area where shooting and traps were out of the question. Throwing tennis balls at them every time they appear puts them off after a while.
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you mean.... exercise!! :o :o :o Noooooooooooo!! ;D
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Most Rabbit traps don't actually kill the rabbits you have to do that bit yourself so there isn't much danger to other wild life. Sometimes a hedgehog wanders in but as long as you check them everyday that isn't a problem. At the moment I am catching pheasants in them as they were doing serious damage to my Frit bulbs, a whole bed pretty well eaten before the snow came. Pheasant breasts for dinner tonight. Yummy
Susan
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Throwing tennis balls at them every time they appear puts them off after a while.
But they usually appear after dark and frequently at 2 in the morning. :o ???
Last night while still daylight (until about 10.30 at this time of year), Teddy saw off a huge black cat. I've seen it here a couple of times and knew he was aware of it but this time it came to the back door and started in on Cain's left over dinner. (He always leaves a little for the morning). Teddy exploded through the door and went at Olympic sprint speed down the back drive after the intruder. He didn't come back in for nearly an hour so I hope there's no mangled body in the neighbour's paddock. Not sure who the cat belongs to. but I'll keep an ear out for reports of missing pets.
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Lesley,Teddy is a good dog,pet him for me and tell I said so. ;D
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I'm doing it now Michael. I, like you, don't dislike cats and have had several over the years but I don't like their habits in the garden, among the seed pots and in the pile of potting compost. I only took to dogs when I met Roger 20 years ago. We had both for a while but lived on a state highway then and Diesel, my ginger cat was hit by a car. He was missing for a couple of days then I found his poor broken body where he had hauled himself at least 30 metres up to the house and taken silent refuge in a shrub. We took him to the vet but he was too badly injured and had to be put to sleep.
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just looking at this thread now..
alplains lists 8 species, rated zone 4-6, some from fairly high elevations..
http://www.alplains.com/
ron ratko has more species, he doesnt give zone ratings, but by the elevations and latitudes, rather less hardy, i suppose--probably down to z 6, but not more..
i was going to check beavercreek, but the site seems to be down again..
edit: i got on to beavercreek, there are 5 or so species listed as seed, zone 3-4
http://www.rockgardenplants.com/seedcatmain.htm
and a similar number (not a the same) as plants, rated zone 4-5 with a question mark
http://www.rockgardenplants.com/plantcatmain.htm
so those that are growing them undercover in balmy places like u.k. and belgium--the protection is more from moisture than temperature? or you are growing more tender species from farther south/lower elevations?
i'm tempted to attempt them--but only the hardiest species, outdoors; how long is it from seed to flowering, typically? just a couple of years?
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Maybe three for some species.
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Cohan, I have C.eurycarpus, nuttalii, venustus and kennedyi growing in frames outside. If I get them to adulthood my aim is to try a few outside. The first 3 were chosen becauseof their altitude/ zone rating and the last was a 'why not'. ;)
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I have had a few Calochortus from Alplains seed. They do okay outside here in a gritty bed along with everything else. They don't come up and flower every year and tend to be a bit long and floppy. I bought quite a bit more seed this year to add to the others. The best year I had was when I had various types mixed up in a poly box unwatered in the greenhouse.
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I haven't tried them outdoors here !
I'm afraid our wet Summer spells or our occasional equally wet Winters would get the better of them.. :-\
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.... and mine! :(
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i guess we all have something to work around--water, cold, drought-always something :)
even here, much nearer some of these western sites, i cant say for sure whether my summers will always be as dry as some of these dryland plants are used to, but i should be able to work around it with extra drainage..
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Sunset magazine has devised 24 climate zones for the Pacific coast,
and I think Calochortus grow in most of them. There must be a few
species even for me in my soggy winter conditions.
Mary Gerritsen's book on Calochortus has four pages on growing
conditions for the various species.
Here are the possibilities:
1. summer moisture, winter dormant - from Mexico - don't want frost
2. late autumn, winter and early spring moisture, summer drought
3. cold to cool moist spring, summer dry with very infrequent moisture, possibly some winter moisture
4. cold to cool moist spring, summer dry with very infrequent moisture, cold winter storage
5. cold to cool moist spring, summer dry with very infrequent moisture, desertlike
6. cold to cool moist spring, summer dry with very infrequent moisture, winter moisture
7. cold to cool moist spring, summer dry with very infrequent moisture, desertlike, some winter moisture
8. winter spring and summer moisture, dryer in autumn, cold winter storage may be required for plants from higher elevations (just one species likes these conditions: palmeri)
#2 and 6 are closest to my conditions.
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interesting list! good to remember the complexities of an area which from farther away may be assumed more uniform..
i'd be pretty much number 1, with occasional forays into 4, maybe...lol
this makes me think of Pediocactus many of which are from the u.s. north/northwest, often at altitude; soemone (i think it was an article at mesa gardens) said they do much of their growing in the cool moist spring-presumably areas where snow melt is the main moisture, and summers dry..that was rather the case here this year, but not always; on the other hand, my summers are not usually so hot that i think many of these summer resters will feel obliged to do so (i know some are obligate, not all); this is true of mexican/south american cacti, which will grow through the summer (indoors) here...
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We have Opuntia at sea level.
I don't think you are going to be growing any from 1 - that summer
rainfall should have alerted me - we don't get rain then, but Mexico
does, and that's where those ones are native. They don't like frost.
#4 species: ambiguus, apiculatus, bruneaunis, coeruleus, elegans,
eurycarpus, excavatus, gunisonii, howellii, longebarbatus, lyallii, minimus,
nitidus, nudus, nuttallii, subalpinus, umpquaensis, westonii
That's a good number to experiment with.
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We have Opuntia at sea level.
I don't think you are going to be growing any from 1 - that summer
rainfall should have alerted me - we don't get rain then, but Mexico
does, and that's where those ones are native. They don't like frost.
#4 species: ambiguus, apiculatus, bruneaunis, coeruleus, elegans,
eurycarpus, excavatus, gunisonii, howellii, longebarbatus, lyallii, minimus,
nitidus, nudus, nuttallii, subalpinus, umpquaesis, westonii
That's a good number to experiment with.
i've seen some pictures of Opuntia fragilis growing on islands off vancouver(i forget exactly which or whether they were intracoastal, probably)--great huge mats on rock..
no, no mexicans, except indoors, in which case they have to be very small...lol
several of the #4 species are on the beavercreek list, which is where i would start.. he just mentions growing them in sand, scree, rock chippings, but nothing complicated otherwise..
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Good luck, Cohan; to me they are all wrth trying!
Finally, Calochortus weedii ssp vestus, syn C. fimbriatus opened a bloom on Christmas Day!
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The plant has now dropped the first bloom but has more to open from these buds as they unfurl,
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I love the way the inner surface of the petal is so heavily haired,
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And the opening flower looks great in the morning light,
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cheers
fermi
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thanks, fermi--i am looking at several different seed lists (all kinds of things!) and there will be some hard editing to do, so not sure yet what will make the final cut...lol
this is a really nice flower--love the colour and shape..
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Great details to the flower, Fermi. Definitely rather hirsutus as well as fimbriatus. ;D
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Wow !
A truly gorgeous flower Fermi !!
How tall is it plse ?
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Really interesting and lovely shots, Fermi, is there a reason for the plethora of hairs?
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Really interesting and lovely shots, Fermi, is there a reason for the plethora of hairs?
Testosterone? :D
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I actually think the beard suits him!!
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I hope to take advantage of the bulbils some produce. If I find
a plant I particularly like, instead of going back to California two
months later to collect the seeds, I can just take a bulbil while the
plant is still in flower.
I hope.
I have only just read about the bulbils, and I have never
noticed any in the few wild calochortus I have seen.
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Calochortus uniflorus produces them Diane. That is why I am stumped as to why I lost mine a number of years ago. I really must get it again as I loved the flower on it (very simple, elegant mauve with dark eye). One year it just disappeared, despite the fact it produced bulbils! ::)
Good luck with your collecting. Hopefully with bulbils you can collect from a couple of different clones as well, so that you can then get seed with more genetic variability in your own collection. 8)
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One year it just disappeared
Even glyphosate hasn't made mine disappear Paul.
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Calochortus uniflorus (syn lilacinus) is a prohibited plant here, as distinct from just not permitted. C. barbatus also produces bulbils but they don't leave the flowering stems easily until it is in its dying stages, when the seed is ready in fact.
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My plan doesn't seem so promising, then. Lesley, you say the bulbils
don't drop off till the seeds are ripe, when presumably the stem is
getting ready to die. However, maybe they are ready to propagate
prior to that. Has anyone tried deliberately picking them?
One example that may be similar: Filberts are ripe before the little cap
that holds them on the tree dries enough to release them, so I used to pick
them fast to beat the squirrels to them. It doesn't work any longer, though,
as the squirrels just put their timetable forward.
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Are your filberts what we call hazelnuts or hazels? I'm surprised you have ever beaten the squirrels but NOT surprised that they've fast forwarded. I find anything I want to eat from the garden such as vacciniums, gaultheria fruits, the so-called NZ cranberry (Myrtus ugni) is already eaten by the time I'm judging it ripe. Hens love the last one, blast them.
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Yes. Filberts = hazelnuts. I used to supply the neighbourhood. Then
some fool brought some squirrels over to Vancouver Island. I was
actually excited the first time I saw one - I rushed out with an offering
of food for it.
Now it's crows and cherries. I need to find one that ripens white as
the crows like them when they're still pink. A dozen trees, and I now
have to buy cherries, presumably from a place where they shoot crows.
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One year it just disappeared
Even glyphosate hasn't made mine disappear Paul.
Rob,
Well one year my 2 pots of them were empty...... maybe I had very selective mice or pests or something. No glyphosate near them (maybe that is the problem..... they need a little glyphosate to keep them going? ;D ;D ;)).
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I just received some Calochortus seed. Do you think it is too late in the year to try germinating it? As I understand, it wants stratification just above the freezing point. Any one know for how long? Maybe I can pop it in the fridge for a month. We are soooo cold this Spring, I may get away with it!
jamie
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Hi Regelian,
Look at this website, you will find some infos according to the species you have get seeds of : http://www.onrockgarden.com/
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It would be helpful to know what species you have Jamie. Some are winter growers, some are summer growers, some need a period of stratification and some don't ;D
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Nicole,
thanks for the great site! None of my species are listed, unfortunately, but I have it securely bookmarked for the future.
David,
I have the following spcies: C. albus, C. albus rubellus, C. fimbriata, C. barbatus, C. clavatus, C. luteus, C. superbus, C. uniflorus, C. palmeri. Do freezing temps actually kill any of these seeds?
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Another interesting site Jamie :D :D :D
http://www.theseedsite.co.uk/plantindex2.html
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With the exception of C. fimbriatus which I don't know, all the others are quite easy from seed, with no stratification or other treatment, here at least but of course mine have come in the first instance from the UK seed lists and so have been sown in summer, likewise my own seeds. As to hardiness, they're fine here, but again.....we don't have a lot of frost below -5C. Rotting of the dormant bulbs is more likely
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Thanks, Lesley,
that helps a great deal. I'll just sow and go. I just hope our winters aren't too cold for their long-term comfort. I plan to place them in my new dry slope garden, which is designed for aril iris hybrids. Best drainage.
jamie
ps: happy b-day, belated
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It will be interesting to see how they cope with cold winters Jamie.
I have just a few species in pots which I bring inside when big frosts are forecasted...
I also stop watering and keep the pots 100 % dry right after flowering.
So far so good.. :D
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Jamie of your species only barbatus is a summer grower, all the others are winter growers. I have checked in Gerritson and Parsons who recommend stratification for palmeri. Otherwise it's worth taking a chance sowing a few now but I would save some and try again next September.
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Thanks, David,
as I have only a pinch of seed or less, I think I'll just chance it in a petri dish and see what happens. If there is no germination in 4 weeks, I may try GAC-3.
jamie
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My first Calochortus of the 2010 season.
Calochortus splendens 'Cupido'
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That seems quite early for a calochortus David?
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A pale pink beauty, lovely David
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That seems quite early for a calochortus David?
Yes it is Lesley. This is one that seemed to be widely available from garden centres last year so probably micro-propped by the Dutch industry.
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It resembles C. uniflorus very much David !
I'll be posting a pic in the next few days.
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Your right Luc it does look like Calochortus uniflorus. When I got it last year I Googled it to try to find more about it and found a Site that described it as splendens. I've just tried again and found Jim McKenny's Site and there it is as Calochortus uniflorus 'Cupido'. Where's Jim when you need him? ;D
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I'll second the C. uniflorus ID.
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Thanks Mark.
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Some calochortus pix in this thread:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5080.msg154546#msg154546
8)
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Calochortus venustus.
Calochortus venustus detail.
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Very nice Michael.
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Very distinctive markings Michael
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Thanks folks.
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Luc G and I have been sharing views on our mutually awful Calochortus seasons. Apart from C. uniflorus 'Cupido' none of my others have managed to put up a flower.
Perhaps the winter this year was a bit colder than Californian bulbs would like but I also changed my cultivation method and this may well have had an effect. This year I grew then in deep plastic rose pots, in the past in 11cm square plastic pots, and I do wonder if I got my watering right given the additional compost involved.
Any views anyone?
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My first calochortus ever!
Calochortus longebarbatus which I bought last year from
Roger Barlow of Beaver Creek Greenhouses in Fruitvale B.C.
It is growing on the front bank next to the street, along with
cistus, peony species and Pacific Coast iris.
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Diane,
that's a stunning little be-whiskered chap - nice markings too!
cheers
fermi
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A really super species Diane.
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Love it Diane !
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Fantastic Diane and I do like your photo with promise of more to come :) :)
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Recently I was corresponding with Panayoti Kelaidis, and he sent me photos of his Calochortus meadow garden... holy moly I want to construct such a garden. Amongst clumping grasses, he grows lots of Calochortus, here are some but not all the species growing in this meadow garden in Colorado, USA. :o :o
1-2 views of Panayoti's Calochortus meadow garden
3 C. luteus
4-6 various red-flowered C. venustus
7-8 color forms of C. superbus
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Holy moly just about covers it. That stuning red venustus would be a good sub for those who can't grow kennedyi. 8)
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I agree with "Holy moly" !! 8) :o ;)
Gorgeous flowers Mc Mark - thanks for showing these !! :D
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WOW!!! Doesn't that make you want to go out and naturalize? :o
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Wow again!
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I'll need to make sure the BD is sitting down when he sees this! ;D
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Calochortus barbatus out in the rain today.
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Out in the rain or not, it sure gives me a sunny feeling Michael !
Beautiful !
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Lovely Michael.
By the way Calochortus growers may be interested in this article recenly added to the PBS Wiki.
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/HowToGrowCalochortus
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Dave,
thanks for the link! I often forget about their WIKI, which is full of great info and fotos.
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The Calochortus season has started here!
I thought I'd lost Calochortus uniflorus but it has re-appeared and flowered this year!
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And Calochortus amabilis is still going strong, fighting through the dianthus and dichelostemma!
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CC suberpus, splendens and argillosus aren't far behind!
cheers
fermi
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Calochortus splendens from NARGS Seedex 2006
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Calochortus amoenus NARGS 2007
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Calochortus albus
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cheers
fermi
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Fermi,
Very nice. Good to know it isn't only me that can lose (or in your case, only think you've lost) uniflorus. Mine disappeared one year, having thrived for many before that. Still no idea why. I've had amoenus flowering here this year for the first time from seed as well. Still have to set up a Calochortus garden here.... planning to, but not yet done. ::)
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A few Calochortus taken today
And if I can find it another taken about a week or so ago of amabilis.
DSC_2214.Calochortus umpquaensis ex MH09.2.11.10
DSC_2215.Calochortus.superbus ex MH09.2.11.10
DSC_2216.Calochortus clavatus ssp recurvifolius ex MH09.2.11.10
DSC_2217.my Calochortus luteus 2.11.10
DSC_2151.Calochortus amabilis 28.10.10
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Beautiful, Pat. :D
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My amabilis is just out yesterday and persists as a single bulb, as it has for 6 years or more of flowering. I get the occasional seed and the first seedling opened yesterday too. Not worth a picture after Pat's lovely clump. :(
I see on the PBS Wiki link on the previous page, that Mary Sue Ittner is mentioned yet again in connection with bulbs. That is so often the case that she must have an incredible collection and the knowledge and skills to go with them. Maybe she's a sort of American version of the Bulb Despot, but perhaps not so despotic? ;D
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Pat,
that's a lovely lot of calochortus, but the C.clavatus looks a lot like the C. luteus. ???
C. superbus has also just started here and I nearly missed this Calochortus catalina which was growing up into the acacia! I took the pic in the evening yesterday, so it had closed up a bit.
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cheers
fermi
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Yes Fermi there does seem to be a bit of a mixup.
You do grow some lovely Calochortus. I am really happy I 'found' this genus and that they grow well here.