South African Bulbs/Geophytes 2017

[Chris Johnson]

Very nice, David.

[David Nicholson]

Thanks Chris.

[fermi de Sousa]

Lovely Gladdies Fermi, Dane Edna would have been proud

But these aren't your Everage gladdies, David,

Here is another one we got from Greg Boldiston: Gladiolus meliusculus
and a potful of Gladiolus virescens grown from seed from Gordon Summerfield in 2008 - the violet scent is pretty wonderful.
Sorry for the quality of the pics - taken indoors as I missed the chance to photograph them before the sun went down
cheers
fermi

[David Nicholson]

 

[Diane Whitehead]

the violet scent is pretty wonderful.

Yes, when I was walking, the scent would be noticeable before I saw the flowers.

[fermi de Sousa]

Thanks, David, any more room in the glasshouse?
Diane, it's a dream of mine to visit The Cape in spring....one day!
Here's a few pics taken in daylight
cheers
fermi

[David Nicholson]

A bit too tall for me Fermi.

[Paul Cumbleton]

A couple of my favourite early flowerers, Polyxena pygmaea in both mauve and white forms, and Oxalis gracilis. (Polyxena has been moved wholesale into Lachenalia but I don't plan on changing my labels anytime soon. From a horticultural perspective they are a very distinct group of plants.)

Paul

[Diane Whitehead]

Paul,

Is there a reason for you to bed plastic pots in a sand plunge?  I have only seen it done
with clay pots.

[Paul Cumbleton]

Hi Diane,
Sand plunges work for plastic pots in the same way as for clays in all respects except one. The exception is that clay pots, being porous, can absorb a little water from moist sand through the wall of the pot (and lose moisture by the same route to dry sand). But the other factors are the same for both pot types: being buried in sand keeps the sun off the pot wall and so helps keep the roots cool; roots can grow out of the drainage holes into the sand thus removing some of the restriction of a small pot volume; most important of all, sand plunges can remove the perched water table from pots thus ensuring a better drained environment for the roots (though this only works if there is good contact between the sand and the potting mix at their interface at the drainage holes).

I think there is an aesthetic value too in that plunging pots means that whatever their size, they all end up with their rims at the same height which I think looks more pleasing than having a jumble of pots all at differing heights (which can also sometimes lead to some pots shading others).

Paul

[angie]

A couple of my favourite early flowerers, Polyxena pygmaea in both mauve and white forms, and Oxalis gracilis. (Polyxena has been moved wholesale into Lachenalia but I don't plan on changing my labels anytime soon. From a horticultural perspective they are a very distinct group of plants.)

Paul

Do like the Polyxena white form.
Angie 

[Paul Cumbleton]

This is the first time of getting fruiting on this Gethyllis hallii. The fruit (technically a berry) in this case has turned out to be quite decorative I think.

Paul

[David Nicholson]

Yes, very decorative

[David Nicholson]

...................(Polyxena has been moved wholesale into Lachenalia but I don't plan on changing my labels anytime soon. From a horticultural perspective they are a very distinct group of plants.)

Great minds think alike!

[Diane Whitehead]

The Gethyllis berry looks not just decorative, but potentially delicious, so I checked in Cornucopia II to see if it is ever eaten.  It seems not, as the genus does not get a mention at all.