Nomocharis aperta

[Catwheazle]

Hello, I will soon get my first Nomocharis aperta and ask you for help.
how should the earth be composed?
What do I have to consider in the culture? sun, shadow, dry wet etc.
How strong is the frost hardiness? I read that she can stand up to -17 ° C

Many Thanks!

[sokol]

For your place that's like mine: cool place with half shade, humous rich, well draining soil but not to dry. It is difficult to keep them here in Southern Bavaria for a longer time. I suppose the summers are too hot. I have just one for a longer time, all others were short-lived.

[Ian Y]

For your place that's like mine: cool place with half shade, humous rich, well draining soil but not to dry. It is difficult to keep them here in Southern Bavaria for a longer time. I suppose the summers are too hot. I have just one for a longer time, all others were short-lived.

I agree with Stefan's advice on cultivation we use the same growing conditions here - also I find none of the Nomocharis to be long lived in cultivation so suggest that you collect and sow seed every year to keep this beauty going.

[TC]

I had a seed grown plant in my front garden in a dryish soil near a large tree.  Temperature range  -2°C to +22°C with plenty of rain.  It flowered well for 5 years and eventually had 9 flowers.  As I got fed up going down on my hands and knees, I lifted it and potted it.  It obviously did not like the move and refused to flower the next year, then it gave up the ghost.  However, I have about 20 seedlings coming up and will keep them in the garden in different locations.

[Catwheazle]

Hi,
thanks for your experiences .
What kind of soil do you have in your garden?

[Diane Whitehead]

I have never had success growing Nomocharis.  I have just found a useful article
in the September 1953 Journal of the RHS:  Cultivation of Nomocharis at Keillour,
a lecture given by W.G. Knox Finlay.

He said that growing short ones is fairly easy but he needs to take care to grow
them to the height he prefers:  5 to 6 feet.

After 10 years of trial and error, he said what is needed is patience, and suitable
conditions:  an open situation with no ground cover (ones in shade are weak),
water underneath in quantity at a favourable depth, a free root-run and quick
drainage.  Sowing seeds in the open and leaving the young bulbs undisturbed
produces the best results.  His method of producing good flowering bulbs may take
five years or even six but it is worthwhile and he always had a young crop
coming on.

Well, should I try again?  The underground water will be a problem as wells
on my hillside always failed each summer and barrels of lake water would be
carried up on wagons.

[TC]

As to soil conditions, mine was grown near a large corylus avellana 'contorta which prevents the clay soil getting waterlogged.  Basically the soil is part clay with 40 years of leaf mould on top compounded by the decomposing seed droppings from my bird feeders.  PH is acidic .  A plug of the soil can be broken down easily in the hand and feels friable.  Not very scientific but it works for bulbs, Trilliums and Erythroniums.  I have never used any fertilizer on the soil.

[Catwheazle]

OK, thanks for the many information and tips. I now have an idea of it .... how I can implement it, I have to come up with another idea. I would have a suitable place, but the soil is probably calcareous (little mould). Wet avoiding Cypripedias (in winter) such as fargesii and lichiangense grow very well there for many years, but also a Paeonia obovata. Many Dact. fuchsii in self-seeding in the wetter areas, also Cyp. macranthos
greetings
Bernd