my scilla madeirensis

[Brian Ellis]

Not sure how I was going to deal with this so I was pleased to stumble on this thread.  I have now watered my dormant bulb and have fingers crossed.

[PeterT]

Mine are growing new leaves too.

[bulborum]

Mine will flower soon I hope for the first time

Roland

[Arda Takan]

mine never gone dormant so what to do? wait till it goes dormant or just keep watering?

[PeterT]

start cautious watering Arda. Dont let it get hot.

[Arda Takan]

Okay Peter,
It started to cool down here. I think I should keep it outside the house to trigger autumn thingy

[Arda Takan]

Hello all.
After almost 4 years it is still growing and doing OK indoors. But still no flower.

[Menai]

I had seed from the Exchange this year. Maybe one of you knows who donated it. 2 seedlings appeared a couple of days ago. It sound as if it is a bit difficult to grow successfully. I would be grateful for brief instructions.

Erle in Anglesey

[brianw]

If you look at Madeira weather charts you will see they would have rain, that is growing conditions, from end of September to end of April, but a mild winter. With harsher winters I find it better to get them into flower before the cold weather really arrives and let the late bees pollinate them or I get few if any seed, and then keep them frost free over winter. The seed pods stay green on the stem all winter for me, and blacken and dry in late spring, with the leaves gone by May/June.
http://www.madeira-web.com/PagesUK/weather-uk.html

[Menai]

Thank you Brian, it sounds as if you grow yours outdoors. I was planning to keep mine in a pot in a cold greenhouse as up here I can't control the rain!

Erle

[brianw]

"Frost free" is under glass in winter. 6-7C min for me. I usually leave them in the greenhouse until I water in late summer then outside as they come into flower; if they cooperate and flower before any early frosts. Outside I don't have enough shelter in summer to keep the rain off, and my unheated greenhouse has insufficient space. A clump can be quite large, and they clump readily after a few years. Splitting a clump is a knife job; they don't cooperate much.
See this photo from Kew.
https://twitter.com/kewgardens/status/795161342881787904
These probably have a common root plate.

[majallison]

My Scilla madeirensis live in the greenhouse October to May, then I put them out on the patio for the summer. I don't water them during the summer, but don't worry if they get rained on as they do not go completely dormant (the greenhouse is largely given over to Nerine sarniensis cultivars which live inside all year & are kept dry over the summer)

[Arda Takan]

Now it looks like this

Progress..

[ArnoldT]

Scilla madeirensis

Early flowering.

[Maggi Young]

Look what I found on Facebook - Arda Takan is at last getting a flower on his  Scilla madeirensis !