Narcissus viridiflorus

[johnstephen29]

Great wasn't it, did you see any places you knew?

[David Nicholson]

Yes, I knew all of it and been to many parts of it many times.

[Anthony Darby]

At least they haven't lost track of their routes in that part of the world, so to speak. 

[Maggi Young]

Tour de Yorkshire was great -  (again seen on TV , like David) - and now the Giro d'Italia has started - FAB!!

One of the things I like best about watching these fantastic cycle raves on TV is is the chance to see the helicopter shots of places  we recognise  as the home of great plants!

[Corrado & Rina]

Good man, now to more important things did you see any of the tour de Yorkshire last weekend?

Saw the second and third day. I have some shots from the second day. Very enjoyable, everybody, including security seemed to have fun.

[Corrado & Rina]

Here's my pot flowering 23/5/14.

Two quick questions:

1) Do you keep them quite wet before flowering and flowering time? What is the watering regime?
2) Do you keep them under glass in full sun, dapple shade or ....?

Thank you!

Best,

Corrado

[Anthony Darby]

The pots are kept outside in full sun and get wet when it rains. During the summer I let the pots of narcissi dry out and get baked. This year I tipped the big pot out to check sizes and how many I had, and then (paper) bagged them and stored them dry in the garage until the end of March. I start watering at the beginning of April (October in the northern hemisphere). The compost is very gritty, so doesn't get waterlogged, but the grow very long and bulk up well, so do need watering. I cage them at bulb fly time. The secret to flowering appears to be a hot summer.

[johnstephen29]

Hi Anthony I checked my pot today and a couple of shoot have appeared, they must still be on New Zealand time 

[Anthony Darby]

To get them on to northern hemisphere time you need to grow them. They were dormant and will wake in April/May as they don't know they've crossed the equator, so you'll get them flowering this month. The Kiwis store imported daff bulbs and sell them now, six months after they should be sold, expecting them to do well. They don't. Curious how the florists are full of cut daffs and tulips now!

[johnstephen29]

I thought you couldn't bring any plants into New Zealand unless it was seed, or do commercial growers have a license to do so?

[fermi de Sousa]

To get them on to northern hemisphere time you need to grow them. They were dormant and will wake in April/May as they don't know they've crossed the equator, so you'll get them flowering this month. The Kiwis store imported daff bulbs and sell them now, six months after they should be sold, expecting them to do well. They don't. Curious how the florists are full of cut daffs and tulips now!

I've been told recently that a lot of those flowers here (Australia) are now being imported as bulbs from Brazil! Seems a bit strange to me as they should be in sync with us But perhaps they've been stored to flower now to be sent to the Northerm Hemisphere?
cheers
fermi

[Anthony Darby]

I thought you couldn't bring any plants into New Zealand unless it was seed, or do commercial growers have a license to do so?

You can bring bulbs into New Zealand from certified sources, if you have the money to do all the work involved. Alas, us amateurs have to rely on seed.

[johnstephen29]

Hi Anthony thanks for clearing that up, it seems a waste though after going to all that trouble they are not been planted at the proper time and they are failing to grow properly.

[Corrado & Rina]

The pots are kept outside in full sun and get wet when it rains. During the summer I let the pots of narcissi dry out and get baked. This year I tipped the big pot out to check sizes and how many I had, and then (paper) bagged them and stored them dry in the garage until the end of March. I start watering at the beginning of April (October in the northern hemisphere). The compost is very gritty, so doesn't get waterlogged, but the grow very long and bulk up well, so do need watering. I cage them at bulb fly time. The secret to flowering appears to be a hot summer.

My bulbs keep throwing out new shoots but the existing shoot in the previous photograph is actually yellowing rather than opening .... picture here:



What do you think Anthony?

Best

Corrado

[Anthony Darby]

Where are they being kept? In the UK they need to be grown in the greenhouse, but May should not be too cool. Your first pic indicated a flower bud two or three days before opening, so unless something has gone wrong, they should have opened. Has the pot dried out at all? Had they sprouted before you planted them? This is my pot today. We have had torrential rain this week and temperatures ranging from 21ºC down to about 13ºC. These are the same bulbs I sent you and were stored in the garage in a paper bag until I planted them in April. The garage temps get quite high in summer.