Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Bulbs => Bulbs General => Topic started by: Alex on August 31, 2009, 06:28:21 PM

Title: Today's flowers
Post by: Alex on August 31, 2009, 06:28:21 PM
Although these photos don't really do it justice, Habranthus martinezii is always good value at the beginning of Autumn - and if anyone likes it, I'll have plenty to spare next Summer (although it's cheap to buy anyway)! The second picture shows the potful from a distance and shows the beginnings of this season's repotting and plunging, still not yet half done.

Also the first of the year's Cyclamen, C. graecum album.

Cheers,

Alex
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: David Nicholson on August 31, 2009, 07:22:18 PM
I like Habranthus martinezii Alex, very pretty. When do you start watering it please, as I have a couple of bulbs I bought last year that didn't flower for me.
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: Alex on August 31, 2009, 07:41:22 PM
Hi David,

I start watering around now, but as it has this year it's usually started to put the buds up before this happens.

Alex
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: David Nicholson on August 31, 2009, 07:53:52 PM
Thanks Alex, I think I had better investigate my pot. I think I was a little bit thrown as in "Growing Bulbs:The Complete Practical Guide" Brian Mattthew says it is ".... most definitely a winter grower and will flower well in autumn only after a good baking in summer". The words "baking" and "summer" are not usually spoken in the same sentence in my part of the world. ;D
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: Alex on August 31, 2009, 09:11:00 PM
Quite - it seems that nobody has spoken of baking for many years, perhaps because we've finally realised that being surrounded by a thin layer of compost in a pot is not the same as being 2 feet below the surface of the ground in habitat, hence conditions should not be reproduced....

Yours may be fine and planning to put on a grand display, this time last week mine could not be seen and shot up from nothing to flower in probably 4 days.

Alex
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: Maggi Young on August 31, 2009, 09:17:16 PM
Quite - it seems that nobody has spoken of baking for many years, perhaps because we've finally realised that being surrounded by a thin layer of compost in a pot is not the same as being 2 feet below the surface of the ground in habitat, hence conditions should not be reproduced....

Yours may be fine and planning to put on a grand display, this time last week mine could not be seen and shot up from nothing to flower in probably 4 days.

Alex

Hear hear to that, Alex!  There are, I believe, fine lines to be drawn between giving bulbs a warm ripening period and literally "baking" the poor souls. in nature the bulb may be in warm conditions generally but also may be being kept marginally moist at depth .....so many variables to take into consideration..... that's why I have kept the BD for so many years.. he really is most useful in such matters!  ;) ;) ;D
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: Lesley Cox on August 31, 2009, 10:30:55 PM
If it's baking you want David, try the "Cooks' Corner."
Alex, your pots are so wonderfully NEAT! ;D
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: Paul T on September 01, 2009, 12:01:29 AM
Lesley,

I'm not taking his photos out into my garden and showing MY pots.... they might start wanting the same conditions!!  :o :o  Nothing anywhere in my garden is that neat.  ::)
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: Anthony Darby on September 01, 2009, 12:00:54 PM
Alex, you must be really disciplined to afford all that space around your pots? :o
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: Alex on September 01, 2009, 08:14:56 PM
I do admit to being a bit of a neat freak with the greenhouse. I suppose I have left a bit much space around some of the pots, but I just can't face up to redoing it all!

Alex
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: David Nicholson on September 04, 2009, 08:04:20 PM

...................Yours may be fine and planning to put on a grand display, this time last week mine could not be seen and shot up from nothing to flower in probably 4 days.

You were right Alex I have one 6cm shoot showing but can't see any signs of the other two yet.
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: David Nicholson on September 08, 2009, 07:34:42 PM
....... and here's the flower to prove it. Only one out of three, but it's a start.

 Habranthus martinezii 1
 Habranthus martinezii 2

Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: Darren on September 11, 2009, 09:25:51 AM
Habranthus tubispathus yesterday. Will look even better today and will probably be all over by tomorrow in this sunshine....

Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: David Nicholson on September 11, 2009, 09:56:56 AM
That's a very interesting colour Darren, or is it just a trick of the light?
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: Darren on September 11, 2009, 10:03:04 AM
No it really is that colour David. I did actually desaturate the red in this picture as the brown background had come out too red to start with.

The plant is a weed really - It produces seed very quickly and germinates in the surrounding pots before I remember to catch it! 
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: Darren on September 11, 2009, 12:30:14 PM
What a difference a day makes....

And the second picture nicely illustrates the weedy tendencies.

Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: Maggi Young on September 11, 2009, 12:38:11 PM
Tee Hee!!  ;D The Members of this Forum just have the very BEST weeds ever!
 Amuses me no end!  :D
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: Calvin Becker on September 11, 2009, 01:35:26 PM
That's quite an impressive weed Darren, as Maggi mentions! :)
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: Armin on September 18, 2009, 07:49:58 PM
Darren,
my eyes got bluffed when looking to your Habranthus tubispathus. :o

In the first view actually thought of Crocus angustifolius "Cloth of Gold". :o ::) ;D
A bit strange flowering time ??? ::)
Very nice!
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: mark smyth on September 18, 2009, 08:38:18 PM
Habranthus tubispathus a weed. I only have four and cant wait until it's a weed. I have just empted two seed pods in to the same pot as the parents. I suppose I should put them in a pot of their own.
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: cohan on September 19, 2009, 06:25:02 AM
What a difference a day makes....

And the second picture nicely illustrates the weedy tendencies.

really nice--love the colour (the other species shown earlier was lovely too!) and i'm with the others in admiring your class of weed!
this genus is new to me--what's it like in foliage?
Title: Re: Today's flowers
Post by: Hagen Engelmann on September 19, 2009, 08:55:07 AM
Oh, Darren, I have never seen these fine autumn treasures. Fantastic.
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