Massonia pustulata

[Hans J]

Hi all 

Here some pics from today :

Massonia pustulata

This plants are sown by me 1998 .....
I hope they will find some other nice relatives soon

[David Shaw]

Curious wee plant, Hans. I assume that it is the leaves that give it such an unfortunate name.

[Maggi Young]

Got it in one, David......... there's often a clue.....er, I may have said THAT before!

[Peter Korn, Sweden]

Massonia echinata is hardy but very slow. After 6 year my bulb decided to split into two but then it didn´t flower this year. I have it in sand on a hot raised bed with Cacti.

[Gerdk]

Massonia echinata is hardy but very slow. After 6 year my bulb decided to split into two but then it didn´t flower this year. I have it in sand on a hot raised bed with Cacti.

Peter,
Would you please explain your hot raised bed (outside, any cover)?
Gerd

[Peter Korn, Sweden]

It´s a raised bed sloping to south. 40 cm well drained sand (0-8mm) covered with stones and grit. I don´t cover anything in the winter and I never water anything in the garden so in the summer it can get realy dry. Perfect for cacti and bulbs.

[Peter Korn, Sweden]

Pictures from today. A normal november day. -6 last night and then it started to rain this morning.

[heinz tessner]

Peter,

fantastic pictures! How deep is the deppest temperature you have wintertimes? How many days in a row?

Heinz

[Peter Korn, Sweden]

A normal winter it goes down to -25C but the record the last 5 years is -32C. The snowcover last for a few weeks and then it rains for a few days and then snow again...... But the winter to 2006 we had snow from november to april. I prefer bare ground, it´s much easier to digg when there is not to much snow.

[Paul Cumbleton]

Hi Peter
The plant you show as Massonia echinata looks very much to me more like the summer-flowering form of Massonia jasminiflora. When does this one normally grow and flower for you?

[Peter Korn, Sweden]

It flowers in June and stays green all summer.
Another very nice hardy bulb from South Africa is Moraea modesta. I grow it in the same conditions as the Massonia.

[Paul T]

Paul,

I grow Massonia jasminiflora (well as far as I know it is correctly named) but mine has none of the leaf markings at all.  A favourite of mine as it flowers well but is nice and petite!!

Peter,

That Moraea is VERY nice.  Interesting colours to it, and definitely a species I haven't come across before.  Thanks for the pic.

[WimB]

Peter,

very nice pictures and a good idea.
Which other species (cacti/bulbs) have you planted in that raised bed?

Wim

[Paul Cumbleton]

Hi Peter,
If it flowers in June and is green all summer then it is definitely Massonia jasminiflora, in the summer-flowering form that comes from Lesotho (in the Black Mountains for example). This form often has pustulate leaves and is also very small - the smallest of all the Massonias. The way the leaves stick up in the air rather than lying flat on the ground is also very common in this form. It should be dormant in the winter, unlike all the other Massonias. We have this outside in a sandbed at Wisley, which we cover in winter to keep the rain off.

[Gerdk]

It´s a raised bed sloping to south. 40 cm well drained sand (0-8mm) covered with stones and grit. I don´t cover anything in the winter and I never water anything in the garden so in the summer it can get realy dry. Perfect for cacti and bulbs.

Peter,
Thank you for your notes. For me an inspiration to use a lot of sand in the beds I call 'raised' - also I should try to come a little bit more above groundlevel.
Superb results, beautiful frit!
Gerd