South African Bulbs 2014

[fermi de Sousa]

The spring flowers continue down south
Babiana cedarbergensis
Geissorhiza tulbaghensis
Moraea bipartita from NZAGS 2012
Moraea bipartita from NZAGS 2008 which is twice the size of the one from 2012!
cheers
fermi

[ArnoldT]

I imagine one of those little clown fish snuggling around in the flower.

[Maggi Young]

I imagine one of those little clown fish snuggling around in the flower.

Everyone growing the Haemanthus will have to check their flowers in future - just in  case, eh? 

Just as well Angie has hers in a different place to her koi pond!

[fermi de Sousa]

I got these Albuca spiralis as seed from NZAGS 2011 Seedex but didn't sow till 2012.
Just noticed buds already!
cheers
fermi

[Michael J Campbell]

Amaryllis belladonna x Cyrtanthus elatus. This is a cross I made 15 years ago and it is finally producing some  decent flowers.

[David Nicholson]

Another triumph from Mr. Amazing Lovely Michael.

[johnw]

Wonderful Michael.  How does it differ from A. belladonna itself? Size?

johnw

25mm of rain last night! We need another 150.

[Michael J Campbell]

The leaves and stems are much shorter than the Amaryllis, The Amaryllis flowers were pink and the Cyrtanthus elatus were red and as you can see the flowers are white with hint of pink. My amaryllis are not in bloom yet and I would need a live flower side by side to compare any other differences. They are flowering a little bit earlier than the Amaryllis but that could be growing conditions or climatic.

[johnw]

Interesting Michael and I suppose flowering much more dependably than the cranky Amaryllis (in this climate).

johnw

[johnw]

Everyone growing the Haemanthus will have to check their flowers in future - just in  case, eh? 

Good one Arnold.  And marzipan is no relation to chocolate Maggi.

[Maggi Young]

Good one Arnold.  And marzipan is no relation to chocolate Maggi.

Hmmm, I've found it relates very well to  a chocolate covering.Those marzipan "fancies" are adorable - Ian would have them ALL scoffed in very short order - that is HIS weakness!

Terrible habit in this forum to connect everything to sweetmeats of some sort - you don't think we're obsessed do you? 

[angie]

Hmmm, I've found it relates very well to  a chocolate covering.Those marzipan "fancies" are adorable - Ian would have them ALL scoffed in very short order - that is HIS weakness!

Terrible habit in this forum to connect everything to sweetmeats of some sort - you don't think we're obsessed do you? 

  obsessed not at all.

Angie 

[fermi de Sousa]

Amaryllis belladonna x Cyrtanthus elatus. This is a cross I made 15 years ago and it is finally producing some  decent flowers.

Michael,
Are you getting any seed set on your hybrid? Is there any variation in those seedlings? I'd love to see a truly red Amaryllis!
Did you try the reverse cross as well?

Here are some more South African spring flowers:
Hesperantha vaginata ssp stanfordiae - plain yellow (I'll recently purchased the type species with the startling black markings - soon to flower!)
Geissorhiza (maybe) inflexa (the first one of the seedlings looked more like G. aspera, but this one is a bit different)
Oxalis obtusa
Sparaxis - maybe S. grandiflora but possibly just a nice white/yellow hybrid - there's a lot of them around!
Moraea villosa or possibly a hybrid with M. aristata
cheers
fermi

[johnw]

In late October last year I wrenched a bulb of Amaryllis belladonna (labelled 'Johannesburg' but doubtfully correct) out of the big potted clump here.  I planted it  and a few Lycoris radiata in a 1m high raised bed filled with a nasty nutrient-poor mix.  Last winter was a bad one and that bed surely froze stiff.  In late July 2014 up came the leaves of that solitary Amaryllis bulb. The Lycoris were planted very deeply so I assume they froze out.  One wonders how the Amaryllis got through that winter and what it has in mind to get through the next with leaves intact.

johnw

[fermi de Sousa]

Some more in our garden now:
Lachenalia contaminata
Geissorhiza splendidissima
Babiana villosa - red form
Freesia sparrmanii
comparing F. sparrmanii with a typical freesia (F. refracta type)
cheers
fermi