Erythronium 2020

[Carolyn]

Erythronium hendersonii.
E. tuolumnense oregon strain, holds the flowers nicely above the foliage.
E. citrinum x oregonum from the seedex, sown Jan 2012. Some flowers have golden pollen, others have cream. I notice that the style on some flowers is bent - does this suggest that E. helenae is involved too? (yes, I have been reading up on this in Ian's book!)   Whatever they are, I am very pleased with them. They just get better every year.

[David Nicholson]

Some Erythroniums from the garden today.

The weather hasn't been worth taking many pictures so far this year and quite frankly I haven't yet mastered my new camera. It's so long since I used it I've forgotten most of what I had learned so sorry about the quality.

Erythronium 'Bryn Meifod', an Aberconwy Nursery hybrid



E. 'Craigton Cover Girl', a BD hybrid



E. 'Margaret Mathew'

[David Nicholson]

Some more Erythroniums.

Erythronium oregonum



E. 'Pagoda'

[David Nicholson]

Erythronium 'Susannah'



E. tuolumnense, I don't know what I do wrong but I've never had more than two flowers and I've had the plant over four years now, and it's been well fed!

[Carolyn]

A nice collection, David. Lovely to see all these with your new camera! The leaves on your tuolumnense look very lush - what have you fed them? I'm sure Ian will come in with some good advice....

[David Nicholson]

Hello Carolyn, an occasional feed with liquid tomato fertiliser and a smattering of Sulphate of Potash when the flowers have died.

I find that camera manuals are written in terms I wouldn't understand in 1000 self-isolations!

[Carolyn]

David,
That feeding regime sounds OK to me. Is the plant in too much shade perhaps?

Agree about camera manuals - every time we get a new camera I resolve to master all the controls.... but never do.

[Roma]

Erythronium dens-canis 'Snowflake' on March 25th



On April 22nd fully open.  Eaten by a deer two days later.  The Pulmonaria flowers were eaten too.  I don't remember that happening before.

[Steve Garvie]

Will the real hendersonii please stand up!

I grow a number of Erythronium with hendersonii blood. All are very attractive but I think that only one plant I grow is the real deal.

Ardovie Bliss -This is an attractive hybrid that I got from Ian C. a number of years ago. It was languishing below a straggly, sickly-looking Rh. leucaspis that never fails to get frosted in flower. Yesterday we binned the Rhodie in favour of the erythronium.






Another hendersonii hybrid -note the yellow halo in the centre of the flower. This plant has lightly mottled leaves and slowly clumps up.



This plant is closer to the real deal though the flower base colour is very pale, the leaves lightly mottled and there is a tendency to some vegetative increase. There is a very faint halo of yellow around the centre of the flower and I suspect it is still not pure hendersonii.



The last two images are of what I think is true Erythronium hendersonii. This plant was seed raised from wild-collected seed over 20 years ago. It has barely increased from a couple of flowering stalks in that period. The leaves are quite heavily mottled and the flower is a fairly dark pink/lavender with a dense blackcurrant central area.

[Ian Y]

E. tuolumnense, I don't know what I do wrong but I've never had more than two flowers and I've had the plant over four years now, and it's been well fed!

David feeding sounds fine bur just beware of giving too much nitrogen after the leaves have emerged.
As a rule I don't feed those planted in the open garden very often but  if I think need feed I scatter a small amount of growmore in February, maybe earlier with you in the warm south, this is to aid root development then some potash as the flowers fade.

I would lift your clump and plant them out individually.

Your pictures are pretty good but keep learning the controls of your new camera.

[David Nicholson]

Thanks for the advice Ian.

[David Nicholson]

Erythronium californicum



Erythronium revolutum, my first one

[David Nicholson]

Erythronium 'Craigton Cream', a BD hybrid



Erythronium 'Joanna'

[Karaba]

Erythronium californiucm "White beauty", 2 flowers this year, growing slowly.

[Maggi Young]

Erythronium californiucm "White beauty", 2 flowers this year, growing slowly.

  My  word, that is  unusual, it  is  normally  one  of the  more  robust, well-increasing  Erythronium.  Is  it  planted  in the   open garden?