Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Bulbs General => Topic started by: Milan H. on November 25, 2012, 09:34:01 AM
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Good day. Going to sow seeds from 20 species of the genus Calochortus. I need advice on how to use the substrate. Colleagues from California recommend peat and compost substrates. I do not know whether this is appropriate in wet Europe. Consult please.
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Hi Milan and welcome to the Forum. I used to grow a few Calochortus and rapidly found out that my conditions were far too wet (that's WET!!!!!) for outdoor cultivation and tried some in the greenhouse. This were not particularly successful also, mainly I suppose that they didn't receive the attention they needed and I didn't have the space available to grow them well so gave them up.
This doesn't mean that you would not be successful but if you are going to try I would strongly advise you to get hold of a copy of "Calochortus: Mariposa Lilies and their Relatives" by Gerritson and Parsons, Timber Press 2007, freely available, and sometimes quite cheaply, from some of the internet bookshops. I would do this before you sow your seeds as some species, but by no means all, require stratification and there is a useful list in the book. They all require, I think, a free draining gritty compost with some humous and again the book provides details of a number of mixes used by American growers that can be adapted. I used my normal bulb mix of John Innes No. 2 with plenty of added grit and sand and this seemed to suit them in pot culture. If you can't get hold of the book let me know and I will scan copies of the pages concerned for you.
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many need very deep pots, tulip conditions for most, but it is a diverse genus.
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I was told to hold water off them untill December then keep the compost slightly moist then as the temp warms more water and feed.
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I believe that may be good general advice Dave, but are there not some from Mexico, as well as the majority from California ?.... some are prairie plants, others are alpines. I advise checking which type of Calchortus you have Milan.
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Hello Milan!
Try this page of the Pacific Bulb Society as a good source for Calochortus information :
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Calochortus (http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Calochortus)
And .....there are notes about the genus in the JJA Archive master seedlist, accessible from www.srgc.net (http://www.srgc.net) and this little pdf gives an overview :
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Just like David I can only advise you to get hold of the book:
Calochortus: Mariposa Lilies and their Relatives by Mary E. Gerritsen, Ron Parsons
It is extensively and contains on the spot information about cultivation. I found Calochortus difficult and not really suited for outdoors cultivation in Western Europe. The hardy species usually need snowcover and cannot stand humid winters like in western Europe. Maybe in Czech it would be easier.
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I believe that may be good general advice Dave, but are there not some from Mexico, as well as the majority from California ?.... some are prairie plants, others are alpines. I advise checking which type of Calchortus you have Milan.
I agree with you 100% this was advice given to me a while back but as you say this is a wide variety of habitats this genus uses.
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Dry air conditions prevalent in California are misleading. I have seen growers in California using fine builder's sand in their mixes with success, something that would kill bulbs in other more humid parts of the world (MOST, that is). As mentioned, first you have to be certain if yours seeds are of winter or summer growing species. Those that are alpine will have to be grown much like tulips.
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I too endorse the book Calochortus: Mariposa Lilies and their Relatives by Mary E. Gerritsen, Ron Parsons
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I have a mystery Calochortus species grown from seed (label lost!) that seems to respond to water at any time of the year - I have never quite seen the likes of it before. I sowed seed, and subsequently treated it as an autumn / winter grower which seemed to suit it quite well, then I inadvertently flooded the pot in early summer and voila, up it came - two seasons in one year! The bulbs have just gone dormant again (yellowing leaves) and now I am dying to see if they respond to water in late autumn - I'll give them a few weeks of dry rest (and heat?) before trying again. Which species this is is a mystery to me and I'll just have to wait until it flowers for an identification (which should be soon now). It is certainly a tough enough plant as my warm climate doesn't really suit most Calochorti and I do not treat the bulbs in any special way - maybe it's not a Calochortus species after all... ;)
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Any pics of the foliage, Rogan?
cheers
fermi
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I'll try to get a reasonable pic of the yellowing foliage this weekend, Fermi, if that would be of any use - I'm looking forward to it flowering as a Calochortus species this easy to grow is certainly a worthwhile addition to the collection.
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The Calochortus season has started again here in the Southern Hemisphere!
Calochortus catalinae in the shade-house
Calochortus superbus
Calochortus luteus x2
Calochortus splendens in bud
cheers
fermi
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Super series, Fermi !!
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Thanks, Luc,
Hopefully there'll be a few more soon!
cheers
fermi
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Very nice, such beauties Fermi - I do so kill mine though... :'(
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And to think that I will be missing the Calochortus species while away. :( Only amabilis was in flower when I left home.
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Hi Pat,
I'll try to post pics of mine so you'll see some from here at least while you're away on GP duty ;D
Here's a look inside the Calochortus splendens flower,
cheers
fermi
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Thanks Fermi
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This Calochortus was grown from seed as C. venustus but looks more like C. superbus; others in the batch look more like C.venustus with a stripe above the basal blotch - one of them should be open soon,
cheers
fermi
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... others in the batch look more like C.venustus with a stripe above the basal blotch - one of them should be open soon,
cheers
fermi
The first of the ones that I think look like Calochortus venustus
cheers
fermi
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Calochortus umpquaensis is the latest to flower here,
cheers
fermi
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Very excited as today the first flower on a different clump of Calochortus venustus opened! ;D
cheers
fermi
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Very excited as today the first flower on a different clump of Calochortus venustus opened! ;D
cheers
fermi
A good reason to get excited, Fermi !
It looks gorgeous !!
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Remarkable flowers, Fermi. I'm hoping that once I've finally settled in the Western Cape, Calochortus spp. will appreciate their new home as much as I will - we don't do very well in a hot, humid climate! :P
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Remarkable flowers, Fermi. I'm hoping that once I've finally settled in the Western Cape, Calochortus spp. will appreciate their new home as much as I will - we don't do very well in a hot, humid climate! :P
Hi Rogan,
when are you moving? Let me know and I can try to save you some seed,
cheers
fermi
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Thanks Fermi for posting the Calochortus flowers. Home after 5 weeks in London. There is plenty of spent seed pods which are empty. There is a yellow Calochortus flowering at present. The main garden has not been watered while I have been away so it is tinder dry.
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Glad to know that you're back safely, Pat.
We have flowers open on a dwarf form of Calochortus luteus right now; grown from NARGS Seedex seed from Betty Lowry in 2006, I think,
cheers
fermi
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Looks like the same Calochortus without going out with the torch. Flowers near the ground.
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Hi Pat,
You should also have this one - Calochortus argillosus, which came into flower today during 30oC heat,
cheers
fermi
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Looks like you have the ideal climate and conditions for Calochortus Fermi.
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The yellow Calochortus and also spent pods of other Calochortus.
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Looks like you have the ideal climate and conditions for Calochortus Fermi.
Yes, David, after many years I'm coming around to the belief that one should grow what suits the climate not just what you want to grow - except those that we have to keep in the Shade-house ;D
The yellow Calochortus and also spent pods of other Calochortus.
Hi Pat,
the empty pods in front look like tulipa, the thin ones which still have seed in them look like the calochorti,
cheers
fermi
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Like you Fermi I try to grow what will do well naturally or have some others in the shadehouse. Knowing which other species grow in association with plants that do well are always sought too. Yes tulips in the calochortus area too like you said Fermi.
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It is encouraging to see interest in some of our California native Calochortus and other California bulbs. Here on our farm in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains we have devoted most of our land to the native flora and fauna. Calochortus superbus grows on our farm, as well as various Brodiaeas, Dichelostemma, and Triteleias. Unfortunately rampant development in our area has ravaged the habitat of C. luteus and the natural hybrids with C. superbus. There is considerable variation in C. superbus, white being the most common color. There are also yellow, lavender, and purplish forms. Thank you, everyone, for being willing to grow our natives where ever you might live.
The road crews removed our favorite clump of Erythronium multiscapoideum that grew near the road to market this past September. It is getting difficult to find them at the lower elevations now. Fortunately the are still millions growing in our isolated canyons farther up the mountain.
This is our third season of severe drought. We need rain!
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Robert thanks for the information on the native habitats. It was during my trip to the USA in 2002 that I saw many American native plants while with US heritage rose friends - hence my desire to grow them. When I saw the first flower on a bulb grown from seed at home I knew that they might succeed here so I then started seeding out more species. I do love them.
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The post with photograph on Nov 12 appears to be C. venustus. Calochortus superbus almost always has a yellow ring around the glands near the base of the petals. Many hybridize freely both in the wild and in the garden, so ID is sometimes difficult. In our area the whole C. nudus / minimus complex is mess with so much hybridizing between the different populations. That's my best shot. I enjoy seeing the photographs.
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Greetings Pat I had to do some imaginative thinking to come up with some idea of your growing conditions in South Australia. South Australia must be as large and varied as California. Most of what I know about the region comes from an old National Geographic magazine about the Murray River and the terrible drought of the past. I think of your part of the world as being somewhat warmer than ours. Right now I can look out the window and see the last of the snow from the storm last Friday - Saturday. It will be gone soon. In the past two weeks we have gone from 15-20 C and no frost, to -6 to -8 C at night, 2-4 C during the day and some snow. Now it is back to 10 C during the day and the forecast is for warmer temperatures. Normally in these parts we get frost in late October. All of November was dry with record or near record warmth. Needless to say the plants are confused and stressed. Some of our seed pans of bulbs are germinating now, too early!
I have to admit that my knowledge of plants, including Calochortus, is limited to those that grow in our area and plants I've grown over the past 40 years. I can always learn more. I'll sign off for now. My wife and I are leaving for a much needed vacation from the farm for a few weeks. The rest will be good.
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Here's wishing you Happy Holidays, Robert - in every sense of those words ;)
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