Dierama pulcherrimum help

[Tony Willis]

Its interesting that all the replies differ from mine which probably reflects individual growing conditions rather than the optimum for the species. This particular species I understand grows in damp meadows in S Africa but given what has been written here it is quite adaptable.

I have collected the seed this year of both the named dark purple and the white one to see what comes and it has just germinated. Looking at these they are probably hybrids and so the off spring will be interesting.

I grow D igneum in my raised scree bed where it is now too large and a nuisance.

A couple of pictures of it

[ChrisB]

Agreed, Paddy.  Silverhills were my source and I buy from them regularly.  Rod and Rachel Saunders have an excellent seed collection every year, and their talks are second to none!  Wonderful slides.... Seen them twice now.  I grow D. igneum and love the rosy pink colour of the flowers.  Funnily though, it just doesn't seem to set seed as much as the taller cousins do.  I have D. dracomontanum to, but they have all become muddled up together, but I love them all anyway.  And the flowers last ages.  A real wow factor to visitors in July/early August.  But I'm mad about South African plants generally.

[ChrisB]

Hi Tony,

If the colour in your pic is accurate, that is not the same colour as mine, though i don't have a photo to show you.  Mine is a much more rosy dusky pink than that.  Those resemble the colour of the pulcherrimums if accurate, though they are low growers, that is clear, wonder if they are a hybrid of some sort?  Would be interested to know where you got them from.  Mine were bought at a plant sale when we went on a trip to Shropshire a few years back, and match descriptions I've seen for d. igneum closely, but who knows, maybe yours are the true ones and I have something different?

[Tony Willis]

Chris

I got mine as a pot from Brian Burrow about four years ago and I understand they were grown from wild seed. I undestand they fit pretty well with the description I have seen and with other plants purporting to be the true plant.Who knows and I would certainly not claim mine were true.The colour is a bit deeper than the photographs I think.

I have a wide range of pulcherrimums all of which I have grown from seed over many years,perhaps20+. We brought them with us when we moved here fourteen years ago and I have raised further plants since them from my own seed. They sulked for several years which I put down to moving them, but when I dug them up (from a dry bit) and replanted them they flowered 18 months later.

I get masses of seed of the igneum and I think there is still a bit attached if  it is wanted.Sadly I pulled the dead stalks of the pulcherimum last Monday and threw them away so I will have none until next year

[Tony Willis]

Correction I have just been out in the dark and collected it and there is enough for a few packets if anybody wants it.

[ChrisB]

Thanks Tony.  I'll try to remember to take photos of mine next year and see if anyone can tell me if they are other than D. igneum.  You have me wondering now.  Better not take seed though, I have another 50 packets to sow this week from the surplus...

[Michael]

Hello 

tyerman

Yes the information was very usefull, many thanks. I am still wondering if you let the plants undivided for ages, do they start to get weaker, or they dont mind at all, and flower even more?


Ezeiza

Although the results were catastrophic, it was a very interesting experience. I also did that with some seeds that a friend of mine bought at ebay of the australian trigger plant (Stylidium) (that is said to be carnivorous btw). It is told Stylidium are a headache to germinate and also need fire. But i never succeeded with those seeds, i guess i killed them all  Next time if i manage to find them again, i will not burn them, but instead pot them with soil enriched with ashes! Living and learning...

Paddy Tobin

Thanks for that information Paddy! I will try not to forget to ask them on summer. But the white Dierama for instance, will it come true from seed, or the colours are very variable?
The other species are also interesting!


Tony Willis

Tony you might call it a nuisance, but the true is that these plants are spectacular! i can imagine a field full of them, all waving with the wind!!!!

[rob krejzl]

Ezeiza

Although the results were catastrophic, it was a very interesting experience. I also did that with some seeds that a friend of mine bought at ebay of the australian trigger plant (Stylidium) (that is said to be carnivorous btw). It is told Stylidium are a headache to germinate and also need fire. But i never succeeded with those seeds, i guess i killed them all   Next time if i manage to find them again, i will not burn them, but instead pot them with soil enriched with ashes! Living and learning...

"Ask and ye shall receive"

Send me your address and I'll send you some fresh seed from the garden. Don't be too disappointed when it turns out not to be carnivorous though, the mechanism is used to ensure pollination only.

[Paddy Tobin]

Mike,

The White dierama - it does not seed around as much as the others but this is because of where it is planted. I think it will probably give you a white flowered plant.

With the general D. pulcherrimum, it can be difficult to keep a plant with a colour that you particularly like as they seed themselves so freely that they regularly seed into themselves and you end up with a mixture of colours. However, they are all beautiful plants.

Now that you have discovered the beauty of dieramas you must take an interest in watsonias. You will also love these.

Jeepers, just thought - I think I have two young plants in pots outside. I could wash off the compost without doing damage to the root. Do you want me to try this and post it on to you? If so, let me have your address.

Paddy

[ChrisB]

Yes, Paddy, Watsonias.  They are wonderful.  Now I did tackle mine this year, cutting them down quite a lot.  I wonder if they will flower next year now?  Just reminded me when you posted that.

[Michael]

Rob , thanks for the offer, i will PM you my adress. Stylidium seeds are very difficult to find at this part of the world, and i never remembered to ask them here... Well, those plants are told to be protocarnivorous, not because of the trigger related to the polination, but because of the glandular heads that they have bellow the flowers. I dont know if you ever noticed that. But i am not interested in them because of the supposed carnivory, i like them because of the polinating mechanism and also because of the atractive flowers!

Paddy, Watsonias are also pretty, a friend brought me a bulb 2 years ago, it multiplied well, but no signs of flowers... Bui in my opinion, Dierama plants are more beautifull, mainly because of their hanging habitat and i just "discovered" them recently. Paddy also thanks for the offer, i will PM you righ away.

[rob krejzl]

You're right. I should keep up.