Nerine 2020

[johnw]

Brian  - I've seen this many times.  I even suspect thoroughly immature pods fall off when I'm deadheading, they mature & sprout in pots on the bench.

I sent a fellow in Oz a batch of Nerine seeds and they got there in 2 weeks BUT all had sprouted with leaves when the inspector opened the package.  Needless to say he destroyed the lot not only for being seedlings but also for the bits & pieces they had sluffed off in transit.  Sent again with less mature pods and we got lucky.

Maggi-Diane I certainly see the point & agree but would not give an elepidote rhodo truss that is supposed to be full, but isn't on the show bench, high marks.  I guess I'd have to see what Nerine spp. in the wild tell me. Sir Peter Smithers  told me when he sent the crosses to ignore any with less than 12-14 in a head.  We had a 19 and a 20 this year and they certainly were congested but boy did they sparkle in flower!

john

[Gail]

Is this normal behaviour for cut flowers; are they self fertile?

Brian, see John Grimshaw's blog for the story of the old Japanese breeder who sent some flowers before committing hara-kiri. Of course the "What he had not bargained with was that nerines mature their seeds very quickly after flowering" does not ring true as an old breeder would surely have noticed that, so perhaps he wanted his friend to continue his work.

https://johngrimshawsgardendiary.blogspot.com/2010/10/not-only-pink-part-one.html

[fermi de Sousa]

...Nerine bowdenii... I cut them in several batches for indoor display. I was surprised than a good proportion of them formed seeds heads indoors, so kept them in water long after the flowers were over to see how many seeds I get. Some seeds are ~6mm in diameter now. Is this normal behaviour for cut flowers; are they self fertile? ...

Hi Brian,
I've often saved cut-flowers of nerines for the seed. There seems to be enough "food" in the stems to allow the seed to develop to maturity.
cheers
fermi

[brianw]

Thanks everyone. I only have 1 one group, apart from a few odd bulbs in pots. My neighbour has several clumps with much wider  flowering range. Might get a few stems and see what I get.

[johnw]

Brian - Were you able to snag any white bowdeniis?

john

[Gail]

Nerine 'Annie Darling' - dense heads of flowers with that lovely chocolatey scent but the stem isn't strong enough to support the flowers.

[Diane Whitehead]

Gail,
I've never noticed a scent in any Nerine.  Are many of them scented?

[Gail]

Quite a few of them actually - it is not strong but the ones I've noticed have predominantly had that sweet chocolatey fragrance that you find in some bearded irises.

[brianw]

Brian - Were you able to snag any white bowdeniis?

john

Unfortunately not at present John. Very many years ago I was given a range of Nerines, but have moved house since and have just a few now. Parentage not known. Don't think it included a white. There are some odd mauve/pinks that do not appeal to me at all. Is there a good illustrated list of named forms?

I got this link today. https://www.cotswoldgardenflowers.co.uk/ (you should see a lot of Nerines but this is probably a changing link)

Brian Whyer, SE UK

[Diane Whitehead]

The white bowdenii I have is Edelweiss.

[Gail]

Nerine undulata