Flowers and Foliage September 2008

[olegKon]

The seedpod I really like: Asclepias syriaca

[fermi de Sousa]

a cuple of autumn species

Rafa,
I'd not heard of an autumn flowering muscari before.
What can you tell us about it?
cheers
fermi

[pehe]

Thank you all for the warm welcome!

I have been very lucky with my Sternbergia, the last 3 years they had been very floriferious. Specially St. Lutea has flowered well, but also Greuteriana and sicula. Unfortunately I don't know what clone my Lutea is, maybee it is "Autumn Gold". I have to tell you the story of this particular bulb: About 16 years ago I was on a summer holyday in Italy. I visited a garden "Villa Carlotta" near the lake Como. In the rock garden I found a dormant bulb on the surface. I did not know what it was, but it looked like a Narcissus. I took it home and planted it in my rock garten and 2 years later it flowered.
Then I found out it was a Sternbergia. Every year since it has flowered and increased to about 25 bulbs different places in my garden. Now I have St. greuteriana, St. sicula, St. clusiana and seedlings of St. colchiciflora. I have trouble with the last one. When I buy a bulb it flower the first year and I get seeds. But next year it has disappeared. I have tried different places but with the same result. Now I hope there will be more success with my seedlings.

Here is some new pictures:

1. As you can see, Thomas I have more than 3 crocus nudiflorus
But they have just started flowering. I love crocus too and have several species. By the way can you give me an advice on Cr. mathewi? I planted a single corm and in 4 years I had 8 flowering corms. I was very pleased, but last year not a single one flowered and the leaves was very small too. They are in the same place in my rock garden as before, only replanted once. What went wrong?

2. Armin, it is a great contrast between nudiflorus and Col. speciosum Album. And I was lucky they flowered at the same time

3. Sterbergia sicula "dodona gold". This group look better than the one last week.

4. Sterbergia greuteriana

5. Seed pods of Crocosmia Lucifer

6. Crocus banaticus

7. Colchicum "water lilly"

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Hi Poul !
Another great series of pictures.

Regarding your non flowering C. mathewii I don't want to speak for Thomas, but we all seemed to have much less flowers because of the particularly hot weather during Spring 2007, which considerably shortened the growing season of the bulbs resulting in smaller bulbs and less flowers... 

[Thomas Huber]

Armin, you have mentioned what I consider to be the only fault of autumn flowering crocus.... they are not good at standing up!  Some colchicums tend to flop a lot too.... it is very difficult to find a place to grow these delightful flowers where they can be seen well but can have some protection or support from the wind and rain.... has anyone got any clever ideas to help this problem?

I plant the tender species under scrubs and trees where they get some protection from heavy rain.
This doesn't help in every case but often it saves the beauties from demolition.

[Thomas Huber]

By the way can you give me an advice on Cr. mathewi? I planted a single corm and in 4 years I had 8 flowering corms. I was very pleased, but last year not a single one flowered and the leaves was very small too. They are in the same place in my rock garden as before, only replanted once. What went wrong?

Poul, it is as Luc mentions: we all had a bad flowering season last year. Did you have a look at the corms? Perhaps they are rotten or eaten by pests? I find C. mathewii a very floriferous plant, but in the open garden I often lost some corms. For this reason I've planted them under scrubs last year to protect them from summer moisture. Any signs of the plants this year?

[pehe]

Thomas, there is no sign of Cr. mathewi yet, so I suppose no flowers this year too. I have not looked at the corms for any rot, but they grow in a elevated place with very good drainage. In this place I have never had problems with rotting. But I will take your advice and replant them in a place protected from summer rain. Luckily I have some seedlings in spare from previous years under cold glass, and I hope they will flower in a couple of years.

Poul

[Thomas Huber]

Poul, I have 3 baskets with Crocus mathewii from different sources, only one has sent flowers so far.
The other two don't show any sign of life, so there's still hope, that yours are still alive!!
Wait 2 or 3 weeks more, if they don't grow, have a look under the surface if there are still corms!

By the way: You have a wonderful clump of Crocus nudiflorus!!!  Definitely more than 3 flowers 

[dominique]

Two autumnflowering bulbs in the autumn sun.
1. Crocus hadriaticus 'Crystal'
2. Colchicum sanguicolle

Kenneth,
How gorgeous this Colchicum is ! Where can I find such a beauty ? Thank you
Dominique

[dominique]

a cuple of autumn species

Thank you Rafa. I like particularly Muscari parviflorum
Dominique

[SueG]

I couldn't resist a picture of this Eucomis pole evansii this weekend - flowering for the first time after 3 years - and proof that neglect can pay off! Can't remember when it was last fed or repotted)
Sue

[Kenneth K]

Dominique. I got my bulbs from the botanical garden of Gothenburg. A small part of their surplus. I see that Rare Plants have it for sale in their autumn catalogue: www.rareplants.co.uk. (Sorry to say it is quite expensive!)

Now I see that it is not in the web catalogue only in the paper one. Maybe it is sold out?

[Paddy Tobin]

Poul,

Another excellent series of photographs, great plants.

Sue, you give me hope. I have a Eucomis pole-evansii in a pot for the last three years, excellent foliage growth but no flower yet. Maybe next year!

Paddy

[Tony Willis]

lapageria rosea with a pink and white growing together

[art600]

Tony

Is this growing in your garden?  I ask as I thought it was quite tender and you live in the frozen north   

 Very nice plant(s)