Sternbergia - 2013

[Janis Ruksans]

Sternbergia candida - blooming under winter cover. On left side - Sternbergia fisheriana, another spring blooming species.
Janis

[pontus]

very nice and vigorous s. candida Janis.

Is that their normal flowering time with you? or do they flower earlier if grown in a milder climate?

Pontus

[pehe]

Lovely Sternbergias Janis! But it would have been better if it wasn't so cold that they could have flowered without covers. I think they are longing for spring as much as we are.
I see you grow them in pots. Can I ask what size of pots you use? I ask because I have trouble with my fisheriana, which grows to the very bottom of 11 cm standard pots.

Poul

[arilnut]

Hello Pontus. I have S candida from Janis. It bloomed Feb. 1 last year
and started Jan 19 this year. It is outside in my zone 5 Kansas.

John B

very nice and vigorous s. candida Janis.

Is that their normal flowering time with you? or do they flower earlier if grown in a milder climate?

Pontus

[arilnut]

Whoops that should be zone 6.


John B

[Janis Ruksans]

It is not normal winter for us. This one is coldest March in last 50 years. All my plants were opened before my trip to Greece, but then returned hardiest frosts and I call home from Greece and my helper arranged new covering for everything. Normally it blooms in March without problems and covers. It is hardy outside here, too, but can suffer in abnormal seasons from long black-frosts, but I never lost it completely even in outside garden. So I prefair to grow it in unheated polytunnel, where it grew excellently and well set seeds after handpollination. Outside still is minus 10 C and no native pollinators are active.
Janis

[Rimmer de Vries]

Very nice!
what exactly is black frost?

i wonder if the temp fluctuation would be moderated in the poly tunnel if the beds were at ground level buffered by the earth mass vs. built up?

[fermi de Sousa]

Very impressive Sternbergia candida, Janis!
Here in the Southern hemisphere we have the first blooms on Sternbergia lutea and S. sicula
cheers
fermi

[Janis Ruksans]

Very nice!
what exactly is black frost?

i wonder if the temp fluctuation would be moderated in the poly tunnel if the beds were at ground level buffered by the earth mass vs. built up?

Black frost - it is hard frost when soil isn't covered by snow. In such cases here soil could be frosen hard down to 1.5 m deep. Sometimes we have such even in November, or sometimes in February. During 50 years of gardening I twice lost greatest part of bulbs grown in outside garden.

You are right. Soil warmth buffers frost in polytunels, especially when additional cover lays over pots. I use glasswool. But mow it is off and Sternbergias look perfect yesterday when outsisde was minus 1 C, during sunny hours I stabilised temperature to + 10-12 by ventilation. What happens this night - still don't know. Temperature ourtside is minus 13 C and plants are without cover. Havn't courage to go and check...

[Janis Ruksans]

The same Sternbergia candida today, third day after opening, passing three nights with temperature dropping to minus 13 C, but ahead night with minus 19 C. What I will see tomorrow?

[Arda Takan]

Sternbergia photo I took today in our garden.