Remarks from the Weekly KAVB Flower Show - Lisse

[Lvandelft]

You should tell the grower of the Dichroa to give it some alum (potassium aluminium sulfate), it's much nicer in blue. The Guizhou clone is hardy in Seattle, so it may be worth trying outside in the Netherlands as well.

Thank you Ariseama, I will tell him about the Guizhou clone, maybe it is available here too.
I think that with the alum he will know, because this plant is relative to Hydrangea. But with very many different plants in a garden these are the things one seldom does to improve the color, I'm afraid.

[Lvandelft]

I'm a bit worried about that Bowiea, though... are we SURE it is a plant for show and not a vegetable for the committee's lunch?!  

I thought so, served in wedges with a lemon and garlic dressing, garnished with a sprig of mint.

Are you ladies always hungry?  
Thank God it is safely on our windowsill and when I ever take a little piece off, this will be for propagating

[Lesley Cox]

Spoilsport!

Now that's interesting. In the email in my Inbox, of this post, Maggi and I are women, but here, we are ladies. Probably Luit, being always hungry as we are, you should have stuck with the "women" epithet.

[Lvandelft]

Spoilsport!

Now that's interesting. In the email in my Inbox, of this post, Maggi and I are women, but here, we are ladies. Probably Luit, being always hungry as we are, you should have stuck with the "women" epithet.

Dear Lesley, when I did  read my lines again I had the feeling that I probably made a little mistake when talking about women.
Therefore I decided to do some upgrading. At least for you both

[Lvandelft]

With some delay here a few pictures of last Monday's Show:
 
Astilbe                                         
Nerine Hera                 
Narcissus Nylon Group                         
Narcissus cantabricus Clusii                               
Galanthus plicatus Three Ships

[majallison]

Lovely pictures, Luit. That Nerine 'Hera' is definitely wrongly labelled ~ the plant pictured is almost certainly a Nerine undulata hybrid, possibly 'Pink Triumph', 'Hera' is sarniensis x bowdenii.

[Lesley Cox]

Dear Lesley, when I did  read my lines again I had the feeling that I probably made a little mistake when talking about women.
Therefore I decided to do some upgrading. At least for you both

You are a lovely man Luit, especially when you send me such nice little parcels in the mail.

[Lvandelft]

Lovely pictures, Luit. That Nerine 'Hera' is definitely wrongly labelled ~ the plant pictured is almost certainly a Nerine undulata hybrid, possibly 'Pink Triumph', 'Hera' is sarniensis x bowdenii.

Malcolm, I believe that this was the source of delivery some years ago: http://www.broadleighbulbs.co.uk/images/spring/miscnp/nerinehera1.jpg
Don't see much difference???
If it really is wrong I'll pass on your opinion.


Lesley, don't exaggerate.....

[majallison]

Yes, Luit, I am sure that the plant pictured is wrongly labelled. It has the characteristic 'doughnut' shaped flowerhead of N. undulata, & also N. undulata's floral symmetry. The plant pictured is also flowering late in the season, again a character of N. undulata & its hybrids.

True Nerine 'Hera' is rare, but there is a bed of it growing at Kew Gardens & the plants there appear to be un-virused; even rarer!

I'll see if I can find a photo of a true 'Hera' on the internet.

[Lvandelft]

Thank you for your description Malcolm! I hope you'll find a picture and then will make a copy and send it to the grower here.
What a pity that since years these wrong labelled plants are still offered in the trade

[majallison]

There's a photo of what looks like true Nerine 'Hera' on The African Garden website; it's not a brilliant picture & I don't think the colour is accurate (often a problem with photographing nerines), but it's the only one I could find...

[Lvandelft]

Malcolm, I did some research about Nerine Hera  as well and found out that the Nerine and Amaryllid Society is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for Nerine.
If this authority did the work properly it should be impossible that two different plants get the same name.
Bob Brown of Cotswold Garden Flowers does mention TWO Nerine Hera:

Nerine 'Hera'
A bowdenii x sarniensis hybrid, bright pink flowers 45cm, Oct-Nov.

Nerine 'Hera' misnamed
See Nerine bowdenii 'Chris Sanders'.

Nerine bowdenii 'Chris Sanders'
Large deep pink flowers Oct-Dec, taller and more richly coloured than normal, 65cm. Easy, hardy. Leaves active all year. This is the most widespread clone in Ireland. Named 27/10/07 as 'Chris Sanders' by Margaret Owen.

The first might be the one you noticed growing at KEW Gardens.
The other one might be the one in trade and could be the Nerine Hera misnamed, now named as Nerine bowdenii 'Chris Sanders':

Is it possible that the Nerine Society can confirm that N. Chris Sanders is the same as the one I showed here?
And is there some member of the Nerine Society who possibly has made pictures of the plants at Kew

[majallison]

Luit, the name 'Hera' has only been correctly assigned to a Nerine hybrid once: this was in about 1910, by a man called Rose who lived in Oxford. The hybrid is a cross between Nerine bowdenii & (probably) Nerine 'Fothergillii Major', or another triploid sarniensis type. 'Hera' is a triploid. It is also very rare, & the name has been assigned by individuals, who have found darker coloured or winter-leafing bowdenii clones & have assumed (wrongly) that their plant is 'Hera'.

True 'Hera' does exist, as I stated earlier & can be found at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as well as a number of private collections.

[majallison]

Sorry ~ Luit, the plant you picture is NOT Nerine bowdenii 'Chris Sanders', the plant you have photographed so nicely is a hybrid of Nerine undulata.

[Lvandelft]

Malcolm, thank you so much for all the very detailed information and I can say that your information is very much appreciated by the grower of the "wrong" Nerine Hera.