Pleione 2015

[erf]

Hi Karel and Lars

Yes, the summer here i DK has been cooler that normal. This has been nice for the Pleione, but my skin color has suffered a bit :-) ;-) ;-)

Karel, what do you do to keep temperature down in these weather conditions? I grow all my Pleione outside from May to Oktober/November, and if it is too hot, I water the ground under my growing area. Also the cotton blankets in my plastic growing boxes, are kept wet. That gives a nice moist inviroment, and keep the temperatur down a bit

I have Pleione Confirmation flowering right now, and Pleione x lagenaria in a day or so. It realy is very early this year. Almost all Pleione praecox and Pleione Semeru have buds, but will take one or two weeks yet to flower. I am looking forward to see Pleione Semeru flowering. I have not yet found pictures of that clone on the internet yet.

Regards Erling

[erf]

Hi all
For comparison, this is my Pleione xlagenaria...... no difference what so ever 

But very nice anyway.

Regards Erling

[Maren]

If it's a Butterfield creation and there is no picture on the web, try me. You'll be amazed what you may find. 

Pleione Semeru, pictures taken in October last year at Ian Butterfield's nursery.

[Maggi Young]

If it's a Butterfield creation and there is no picture on the web, try me. You'll be amazed what you may find. 

Pleione Semeru, pictures taken in October last year at Ian Butterfield's nursery.

 

[LarsB]

Hi  Erling,

It's funny that yours are so far ahead of mine. No buds in sight. In xLagenaria i can see the shoots getting green, but that's it.

Kind regards

Lars

[erf]

Hi Maren
Yes, why on earth did I not ask you. Thank you very much for posting the Semeru pictures. Mine are in bud, but it will stil take around two weeks before flowering. So one could call this a sneak peak. I am still looking forward, I seem to remember that they come with a sent - am I right?

@Lars
Yes, it seems a bit odd, since we live only a mile or two apart. Mine started a bit early this last winter. Maybe I kept them a bit too warm.
Some of them are still in growth, but also showing buds. But they have all grown good strong big bulbs, all beside Pleione praecox 'alba'. I do not have much succes with that one. Still the same size as last year, and no extra bulbs  .

Regards Erling

[hud357]

If it's a Butterfield creation and there is no picture on the web, try me. You'll be amazed what you may find. 

Pleione Semeru, pictures taken in October last year at Ian Butterfield's nursery.

Are you going to be selling some Pleione off come November?

I have managed to get my (last years) e-bay ones growing really well but was advised to get some mature 'bulbs' next time. Looks like you had some nice plants for sale last year.

[erf]

Hello all

I have been contacted by a grower from Norway. He has bought some Pleione bulbs this year. The bulbs were rather small, but the funny thing is, that they are flowering right now. He thinks they are Pleione limprictii, but for me it could just as well be Pleione plenioides.
1) Has any of you have experience with Pleione flowering at the "wrong" time a year?
2) Any guess of species?

I have asked him from where he got it, but he don't know from where, since the seller do not reply on mail. I know that both limprictii and plenioides can be late flowering..... but as late as this??

I attach the picture he has taken,
¨
Regards Erling

[SteveC2]

It would be interesting to know if these plants have had their leaves all summer or if they are just beginning to grow.  They don't look much like either of the species that you have mentioned to me, but that could be just due to photo quality.  If you are correct, then in Norway he is going to have an interesting time building up a new bulb before they go dormant.   If that is a leaf stalk on the right hand side could they be an autumn / spring hybrid?  Barcena or Tarawera perhaps, although it is very early for those and the photo doesn't look right to me.
Early or late?  Very strange indeed.

[erf]

Hello Steve and all
Yes, strange indeed.  I have had a mail form the norwigian grower. He send some more pictures and some information. The plants still have leaves. The leaves are very narrow, bulbs are very small. I attach two new pictures.
I agree with you Steve, it will be almost impossible to build up an prober bulb, unless he keep it warm over the winter. Maybe you can have to Pleione collections, one following the northern Hemisphere, and one following the southern Hemisphere. That would mean that there will be flowers all year around.   

Question is, has anyone had pleione flowering on the "wrong" time a year??.

I was wondering if the plant was sold to him from south of Equator (Australia or ....) it will think it is spring in Norway?? Just a wild guess 

Regards Erling

[karel_t]

Hi Erling,
I had the same experience in 2009: http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=3027.285
Unfortunately, my plant died shortly after flowering.

The plant of Norwegian colleague is P. bulbocodioides.
K.

[erf]

Hi karel_t

Thanks for your reply. I have passed it on to Norway. He said thanks, and he will try and give the plant a mild winter with some light. The he hopes for the best.

Regards Erling

[Maren]

Hello hud357,

yes, I shall be selling again in November. I also put a link to Ian Butterfield's catalogue elsewhere on this website.

It has been a great year for pleione growing, nice and cool but enough light to keep them happy. Mine don't show any interest in going to sleep yet, and there are masses of bulbils.

Growth is slowing down so I am careful with the watering and I am also reducing feed a little. At this time of year I am using diluted tomato food (high potash) to ripen the bulbs. 

[SteveC2]

A couple of questions:

I am interested to know how useful you feel bulb shape / colour is for identification purposes.

Do you feel able to identify many Pleione just by looking at the bulbs?  Obviously the winter flowerers look different, formosana Clare has a distinct pale green colour, and Wharfedale Pine Warbler is almost black, but what about others?

Do all bulbs of a particular hybrid have roughly the same shape?  I would expect named clones to be very similar but what about the bulbs in an unselected mix of any hybrid?

I will explain my reasons for asking if I get any replies!

[Maggi Young]

As it happens , there are a new set of photos of various colchicum and related corms, here : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=13574.0  which may be of interest in this question, SteveC2