Flowers and Foliage August 2008

[Tony Willis]

this is Pelargonium endlicherianum from seed collected on Ala Dag in Turkey (not by me I have not seen it in the wild)

[derekb]

Aren't Eucomis flowers lovely? I am sad to think of all those folks who never bend down to study their plants closely, or who cannot enjoy the wonderful digital photos that we can see here to appreciate the intricacy of the flowers. 

           Maggi, When you get to my age it is easy getting down to flowers but its a B------ getting up
Derek

[Maggi Young]

I know, Derek... all the more reason for building as many raised beds as possible when one is young enough to manage that ! Either that or keep a huge dog who will stand quietly by as you haul yourself to you feet while holding on to him....that can work quite well. Pity about our Lily dog being so small......she just comes up and nibbles your nose as you struggle!

[Blue-bellied Frog]

Thladiantha dubia "eva".
In a neglected corner. On the other side of the trellis, a compost pile.

[Maggi Young]

Bernard, are you not afraid that the Thladiantha will take over all of Québec ?
With such a plant I would be worried for the future of "le Québec libre"  !!

[Blue-bellied Frog]

Maggi, I'm not effraid to be enslaved by flowers. It is already done
My new slogan is "Vive le Québec libre, excepté pour les fleurs."
Now Anemone tomentosa "Robustissima" in an other neglected corner.
Plus 2 Hemerocallis.

[Katherine J]

These "neglected corners" are really good! Beautiful Anemone.

[Brian Ellis]

I am pleased to find that at long last - about four years I think since I bought the bulb, Eucomis Schiffii has flowered.  The flower head is not as big as many others, but the flowers resemble E.bicolour, as you can see there is attractive spotting on the underside of the leaves, the topknot has an attractive picotee edge and the stem is very dark.

NB Although sold as such this is not E.Schijffii, apologies for any confusion.

[Maggi Young]

Oh, yes, Brian, that WAS worth waiting for!

[Brian Ellis]

 

[Paul T]

Brian,

Really beautiful pics.  Can almost reach out and touch the plant.  Great stuff!! 

So what actually IS the difference between it and E. bicolor?  I have the tiniest little bulb of schiffii I bought many years ago that just refuses to grow for me.  It puts up a tiny leaf every year, never getting more than an inch long.  Obviously it needs something specific that I don't know about.  I didn't realise it was so close to bicolor though, and bicolor grows just fine for me here.

[Maggi Young]

Paul, we had a bulb of Eucomis bicolor that barely persisted in the garden for over ten years.... finally, one year it took a  growth spurt and flowered.... now it flowers each year and even has now, umpteen years later again, got a baby bulb !   Patience, lad, patience!!

[Brian Ellis]

Paul the differences seem subtle
The stem of E.bicolour is heavily speckled rather than virtually deep purple.  The flower head on E.bicolour is much deeper and fulsome, the topknot seems to hang down over the top of the flowers in E.Schiffii whereas it seems much more perched on top in E.bicolour.  Also, having rushed outside instead of enjoying my cup of tea you can see that E.bicolour is somewhat earlier...as far as I can tell, haven't looked it up yet.

[Brian Ellis]

Paul don't give up on the E.schiffii (not that I thought that you would), in the earlier years I just got a small rosette of weak looking leaves, last year they were a little stronger looking, and this year quite broad as they grew.  I imagine it's just a case of the bulb getting up to flowering size.  I let them die down in the Autumn and then stick them in an unheated greenhouse over the winter (anywhere would do I am sure).  Started off again in March time when I repot them and grow on outside watering quite well.  Obviously there is a subtle difference in the yearly temperature between East Anglia UK and Australia

[David Nicholson]

Nice Brian, I shall have to give them a try.