Erythronium 2013

[Ed Alverson]

This year my first Erythronium to flower has been E. tuolumnense. Starting a week ago I've been taking a photo of the same clump every day to see the progression in flower emergence. Not sure how effective this sequence is, but you can definitely see how the plants respond to the daily weather conditions. Here are the first five days.

Ed

[Ed Alverson]

And here are the last two days.

[Leena]

Interesting series of pictures, thank you.

[Maggi Young]

Your series show how quickly the flowers are visible, even as the foliage and stems are still developing- wonderful plants!

[Gene Mirro]

Erythronium revolutum, thickly sown in the open ground:



Erythronium californicum, April 2011:



Note the use of the inverted flat to deter birds, rabbits and mice.

[Uli Lessnow]

Nice to see E. tuolumnense growing well. What about the temperatures
when taking the pictures? A dream of green and white colour!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the pics, Ed.
Uli

[Uli Lessnow]

Ed, of course a dream of green and yellow!!!!
Uli

[Ed Alverson]

Uli, I was taking the photos during a warm spell, which did speed things up a bit - high temps 55 to 65 degrees F, (13 to 18 deg. C).  Now the weather has turned toward a cold rainy spell, so even though spring is here, it feels a bit like winter. But I don't mind - the cool temperatures actually prolongs the length of the flowering period, so I get to enjoy the flowers for many weeks.

Gene, I had good establishment of self-sown seedlings of E. revolutum last year (seeds produced in 2011), which makes me think that these things are episodic, every few years the conditions are just right for good production of viable seed and  subsequent establishment and growth. Given the 5 year time investment from seed to flowering specimen, you have to be in it for the long haul anyway, so I don't really mind if increase/establishment is episodic.

Ed

[Gene Mirro]

If you have Erythroniums in the garden, watch out for voles and mice.  They will eat every bulb over the Winter, and you won't know until Spring.  You can bait or trap the critters, or you can surround your bulb bed with buried hardware cloth.

[Claire Cockcroft]

The first of the season for me -- Erythronium american.  E. revolutum is not far behind.

[Oakwood]

very beautiful americanum, Claire!! love it!
Anybody tell me, why my E. americanum never flower, only making mass of leaves and stolons..... we're together in such vegetative manner during 6 years ....   

[Maggi Young]

very beautiful americanum, Claire!! love it!
Anybody tell me, why my E. americanum never flower, only making mass of leaves and stolons..... we're together in such vegetative manner during 6 years ....   

We have some E. americanum which are reluctant to flower and some which are happy to flower every year. But we had, for many, many years, patches of only leaves .....then one year ( and Ian has described all of this in the Bulb Log)  flowers began to appear. Now these patches flower well every year. 

[Oakwood]

We have some E. americanum which are reluctant to flower and some which are happy to flower every year. But we had, for many, many years, patches of only leaves .....then one year ( and Ian has described all of this in the Bulb Log)  flowers began to appear. Now these patches flower well every year.

God bless, MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[Gene Mirro]

More sun, more flowers.  I see this pattern in many woodland plants.

[Guff]

I ordered another batch of seeds from Alplains, December 2012. I had enough screened compost to start Elegans, Hendersonni, Oregonum ssp. Leucandrum and Revolutum seeds in pots. Stuck the pots in my basement, Hendersonni and Oregonum ssp. Leucandrum are starting to germinate. No germination yet with Elegans and Revolutum seeds.