Albuca humilis

[Palustris]

Not sure where to ask this, so feel free to move to the correct place if need be.
One of the few bulbs which survived last years freeze was Albuca humilis (an Archibald collection originally I believe). They survived as pots of seedlings. These were potted up and have been growing on ever since. They are STILL green leafed and showing no signs of dying down. The question is what do I do about it? Even with reduced watering they are still growing, the ones I stopped watering died down and the bulb withered away. They are in an unheated greenhouse by the way.

[Maggi Young]

Generally speaking, Eric, with young bulbs, if they want to stay green then we let them do that.
The longer they are green the bigger they will be and the greater their chance of survival when they do go dormant of their own accord.
Unflowered babies often seem inclined to stay green for extended periods.
For the Albuca, I'd give some fleece cover in the coldest weather and give a small amount of water when there is a warmer spell, to keep them ticking over.

That's what we do in Aberdeen, for what its worth to you 

[bulborum]

Same here

If they like to stay green , why not
here sometimes 18 months
seeds came in a week up this year

Roland

[Palustris]

Thank you, I will attempt to keep them going. Now the question is, what do I so with over 100 Albuca humilis? Assuming they survive that is!

[bulborum]

By the time they go dormant
you harvest them and you can offer them to other forum-members
There are always members who love to swap some

Roland

[Ezeiza]

And you are preserving an orignal Archibald number, which is no slight matter.

[Lesley Cox]

Out of interest, is Albuca humilis the same plant I had many years ago as Albuca ?species Basutoland, and which I thought was subsequently named as Albuca cooperi? Or are they different altogether?

[Lesley Cox]

After a quick Google, I think the sp from Basutoland IS A. humilis while cooperi is quite different. Thought I'd lost my humilis but found a stray bulb in bud a few days ago in something else's pot. Very pleased about that. It is highly perfumed.

[Ezeiza]

cooperi is from the winter growing region.

[Palustris]

Is it important to preserve the collection number when these are third generation seedlings and have been in the same greenhouse as a non-numbered set of bulbs of the same species?
To put folks minds at rest, these are the small, scented, white with a green striped flowered Albuca. I have A. shawii still, but the others all perished last winter.

[David Nicholson]

.......these are the small, scented, white with a green striped flowered Albuca..............

..... as are the ones I grow under Albuca species ex JCA 15856. I wonder if they are the same?

[Lesley Cox]

Probably they are David. When I had my originals from Basutoland, from a seedlist probably, they had no number attached so could have been from either a garden source or collected wild. It was a long time ago as my mother had it too for a number of years and she died in 1989. So I'll call mine humilis with some confidence. It is a delightful little bulb. Just imagine an upward growing, summer flowering green and white snowdrop, with a pert little yellow nose. Scented as well.