Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Bulbs => Bulbs General => Topic started by: John85 on August 07, 2011, 08:03:22 AM

Title: Tritonia disticha rubrolucens
Post by: John85 on August 07, 2011, 08:03:22 AM

How hardy is it really?
Is  it indispensable to put a cloche over the clump during the winter?
Is it eaten by mice or voles?

Title: Re: Tritonia disticha rubrolucens
Post by: PeterT on August 07, 2011, 08:22:58 AM

It survived last winter frozen in a pot at - 15C all December and much of February, and is flowering now.

Title: Re: Tritonia disticha rubrolucens
Post by: John85 on August 09, 2011, 09:53:41 AM

Thank you Peter.
If it is so hardy I wonder why it is not seen more often.
Does it produce viable seeds?

Title: Re: Tritonia disticha rubrolucens
Post by: Ezeiza on August 09, 2011, 04:17:00 PM

That is quite a point. Difficult to obtain germination from commercial seed.

Title: Re: Tritonia disticha rubrolucens
Post by: PeterT on August 09, 2011, 07:07:16 PM

John, it sets a few seeds each year, I sow a lot of these Irids, it brings a sense of elation when one finally grows and flowers. All to often I assume summer (or winter) dormancy and get it wrong. Even more often nothing germinates any way. Then trial and error kills off seedlings if they need to be kept cool or hot etc. It is very hard to collect obscure plants from seed without information about them.

Last spring I was told that Solaria, Gethyllis etc require darkness to germinate, you might be interested to hear Alberto?