South African bulbose plants 2009

[Hans J]

Very nice Veltheimia Hans
Is it the first flowering?

Michael :
As I have sown this plant I had really no knowledge about the treatment ....before some years I have realized that it is a wintergrowing plant ....
It has last spring also flowering ...

[Hans J]

Hans,

Is this velthemia growing outside? We grow several pots of velthemia bracteata here but have never ventured to plant them outdoors.

Paddy

Paddy :

No - it is impossibly to grow I outside in my area !
It is in my greenhouse for the whole year - in summer dry in shade - and from fall - spring in sun .
I have it only taken outside for a pic today 

[arillady]

Velthemias are one of those bulbs here that grow on neglect.I have them in pots outside in the full sun. They dry out but always come back again. They are one of those "grandmother's plants" that can be found in old farmhouse gardens.
This forum keeps illustrating how we all live in such diverse climates.

[Paul T]

I know Alberto will hate me for saying this ... but ..... Hesperantha falcata/cucullata (I don't know which of the two I have to be honest) thrives for me, almost like a weed.  There is no way you can say it is anything but happy here, and yet it has been below -9'C in small black plastic pots that magnify the cold (I've had this plant now for well more than 10 years).  I know that so many of these things are supposed to be intolerant of frosts but some of them thrive at a LOT colder than people seem to want to give them credit for.  I know that some things I have "survive" the colder temperatures and aren't as happy as they would be in warmer climates, but this particular Hesperantha is most definitely not one of them.  It is becoming a bit of a weed for me to be honest, although a welcome weed still at this stage.  I love the pristine flowers, the lovely red backing, and the wonderfully offset stamens..... and it has such a strong perfume.

Some wonderful postings here by everyone.  Some things I have never seen before, and others I will be seeing in my garden in around 5 or 6 months or so.  Thanks for all the wonderful plants, particularly that last formerly Anomatheca.  You certainly can see the similarities between it and the (now) Freesia laxa.  Great colours of the F. laxa by the way Michael.  I grow a few, but have not seen the pinks or mauves before.  I grow the white, normal red, the blue, and I used to have 'Joan Evans' but don't any more I think.  They are such cute little plants.  I didn't know there were other possible colours.

Thanks again everyone.

[Ezeiza]

Paul, not at all! I am happy to know that they thrive with you in your immense collection. But I suspect it must be in a protected spot as a winter with a permanent -9 C  minimum could not be tolerated by Cape bulbs and corms, except Daubenya aurea, Romulea hantamensis. In California I have seen several collections of Cape bulbs and those that fared the better were those in the south, under frost free conditions.

The suggestion of frost free conditions is based on our conditions too. In winter we have many nights with slight frosts, but the frames have a plastic tunnel cover not so much to protect them from night chilling but from cool winds that evidently damage the plants. Under such sunny, warm conditions they really thrive.

[Paul T]

Alberto,

The pots I am thinking of are out in the open in the middle of the lower back yard, where the cold pools even more than in the rest of the garden.  Frost can last on the pots there until 10 or 11am some days.  The -9'C are absolutely minimums, and occasional, but we get regularly -3 or -5'C throughout winter, with assorted below that (the last couple of winters have been milder though).  With the magnification effect of small pots and cold, I would expect that the corms themselves must go close to actually freezing at times in the pots, although are days usually are sunny in between which means that they do get a chance to warm up each day (which is why I think some of the things that are supposed to be more tender actually survive here..... they don't remain very cold for days on end, but instead warm up during the day then head back well into frost over night.

[Miriam]

Gladiolus carneus always gives a wonderful display

[arillady]

Miriam your Gladiolus carneus are a lot longer than I ever had from my seed grown plants. They are lovely.

[Miriam]

Another two:

Gladiolus carneus hybrid



Gladiolus carinatus

[Brian Ellis]

Miriam that hybrid is stunning

[Lesley Cox]

They both are. 

[Paul T]

Wow, on both counts.  Beautiful.

[Hristo]

Fab Miriam, love the carinatus!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Wonderful Gladi's Miriam !!! 
I've got G. carneus from seed making it's first flowering spike at this moment.  It looks as if it's going to be a lot shorter than yours though - your pix make me even more excited and curious !! 

[Hristo]

Still the odd SA species going here on my windowsill, this was bought as Tritonia deusta.