Nerine 2020

[johnw]

'Joyous' and 'Tamila' are unique, lovely.  Ashley - how did you handle the virus outbreak?  The Society recommends cutting back on nitrogen which seems to cause it to awaken from dormancy, white ones seem particularly siuceptible.  The DMR once gave us a variegated Iris foetidissima & a white berried form one of which turned to be viral and wiped out all our I. foetidissimas; she had forewarned us!

johnw

[ashley]

I burned it John, once the problem became obvious.  Yes nitrogen may have exacerbated the signs.

[johnw]

Seems to have been a wave of first flowering reds this year.  This one looks promsiing and one of the latest.

Nerine PS-10-20 [('Tibet' x ('Wavebush' x 'Foudroyant')-27320b)]-30710

johnw
drizzle

[Maggi Young]

Nerine bowdenii  trials  report from the  RHS trials  2012-2017

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/plant-trials-and-awards/Nerine-bowdenii-Final-11JUN2018.pdf

[Diane Whitehead]

In the trial a pure white one is called Blanca Perla.  Many suppliers call it Bianca Perla - I guess someone misread the L as an I and the mistake was widely copied.

The Bianca Perla I bought is not pure white, though.  Its buds are pale pink and when it opens, it is almost white with pink stamens.  It looks like one called Ostara, though that is part of a group of mixed-up misnamed ones that the trial decided to call Stefanie.

I feel like just calling my plants by their colours - so I have bowdenii Bright Pink, Pale Pink, Really Pale Pink, White.

[Gail]

In the trial a pure white one is called Blanca Perla.  Many suppliers call it Bianca Perla - I guess someone misread the L as an I and the mistake was widely copied.

The Bianca Perla I bought is not pure white, though.  Its buds are pale pink and when it opens, it is almost white with pink stamens.  It looks like one called Ostara, though that is part of a group of mixed-up misnamed ones that the trial decided to call Stefanie.

I feel like just calling my plants by their colours - so I have bowdenii Bright Pink, Pale Pink, Really Pale Pink, White.

Even the RHS are confused - they use 'Blanca Perla' in the trial report above but in the nice AGM hardy Nerine RHS Grower Guide that they have just published they have it as 'Bianca Perla'.

At Ken Hall's National Collection;
Ostara


Stefanie


I think if you removed the labels it would be difficult to choose between them by flower colour, apparently the Dutch 'Rowie' and 'Nikita' are similar, so your solution certainly makes sense!

'Ella K' is another white with peachy/pink buds;

[Diane Whitehead]

Here are two bowdenii  I bought:  labelled Bianca Perla and Bicolor, though I suspect neither may be correct.

[johnw]

Gail - Congrats on your NAAS first prize photo of Narcissus virdiflora this morning.  It was a good meeting wasn't it.

johnw

[Gail]

Gail - Congrats on your NAAS first prize photo of Narcissus virdiflora this morning.  It was a good meeting wasn't it.

johnw

Thank you John, yes excellent and of course a Zoom meeting allows for an international gathering - just a shame not to see everyone, and share coffee and cake! I did enjoy Michael's talk.
For those who don't know this was the Nerine and Amaryllid Society first Zoom AGM. Actually the first AGM meeting I've attended but they usually hold a 'beauty contest'; show and tell for plant addicts and this year it ran virtually.
http://www.nerineandamaryllidsociety.co.uk/2020-beauty-competition
Michael Myers gave a lecture on Snowdrops and Snowflakes, a subject close to my heart!

[Gail]

Nerine 'Mr John' - my camera sensor finds these really deep coloured ones tricky, the purple stripe down the centre of the petals is more pronounced to my eye.

[johnw]

Some late ones in flower today after a very early Nerine year.  Just too lazy do the reaching to locate the codes.

johnw
a grey, chilly 6c after summer-like weather

[johnw]

And lastly this one which has just opened.

Nerine PS-02-13 'Quest'  x  ('Zambia' x 'Ken Scott')-24113b

A catchy flower but with only 6 flowers it had better improve in the future or else it will be culled.

johnw

[Diane Whitehead]

Mine generally have 5, 6, or 7 flowers.  I like them well-spaced so I can see each individual flower.

[Maggi Young]

Mine generally have 5, 6, or 7 flowers.  I like them well-spaced so I can see each individual flower.

I take  your  point, Diane  - this  is  something  which I think is  overlooked  in the   Show  world  for  bulbs- where  only  an enormous  potful, crammed  with  iris  reticulata or  crocus, for  example, ever  stands  a  chance  of  winning. Trouble, as  I see  it, is that none  of the  flowers  can  be  seen properly  and  admired  for  itself in that situation.  More  sparse  planting  can  certainly  be  better  in a  show  pot, or  in a  clump of  flowers  in the  garden - so we  can thoroughly  admire the  individual blooms!

[brianw]

I rescued a number of Nerine bowdenii, a couple of years ago, from a family garden before the house was sold, and planted them out in a spare bit of my garden. They almost all flowered this year and rather than leave them, I cut them in several batches for indoor display. I was surprised than a good proportion of them formed seeds heads indoors, so kept them in water long after the flowers were over to see how many seeds I get. Some seeds are ~6mm in diameter now. Is this normal behaviour for cut flowers; are they self fertile? They were in the family garden for 40 years or more so no idea of the starting numbers.