South African bulbose plants 2007

[Lesley Cox]

They should flower very soon then Chris. Are yours outside? I've tried 3 or 4 species and find they are sensitive to frost when in growth.

[ChrisB]

Hi Lesley,  It (just one) is in a pot outside.  I'm close to the coast so we don't get quite as much frost and so on as further inland, but it has survived so far.  I think the first year I put it in the cold frame, but since then its been outside in the pot.  I guess I will just have to try to be patient.... my mother always said they forgot to give me any 

[Rafa]

Ferraria crispa subsp. nortierii cames as an adult corms, from Michael Salmon collection. I am also growing Ferraria ferrariola, Ferraria schaeferi and Ferraria sp# by seed. Only in 4 months after sow they can make a little 1cm corm, so they have a quickly grow. Mabye in 2 years they will bloom.

Regards

[fermi de Sousa]

It's now officially autumn here in the Southern Hemisphere and the rain has helped bring the foliage on some of the spring flowering South Africans such as Lachenalia contaminata and Moraea polystacha. Hopefully I'll have some pics to show when they flower.
Some of the nerines should be in bloom over the next month.
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

I have Gladiolus carmineus up and in bud already. It didn't flower until July-Sept last year but I have had it as early as April other times. Seems to depend on moisture rather than strictly season, though heaven knows, it's been dry here for a month or more. Pics later I hope. Seed from last year is starting to germinate at the same time. That's often the case though, seed of a bulb germinates at the same time the mature bulb is coming up.

[Diane Clement]

Here's a potful of Lachenalia aloides aurea - are the flowers usually this sort of double form??

[Maggi Young]

Nice potfull, Diane. Yes, they all  seem to have this strange sort of petticoat and overskirt arrangement. The species I've seen, anyhow. It is a different look to a flower, I like it.

We don't grow any Lachenalias, though I have been 'accused' of that !   Many years ago at a show, after judging, as we were getting a cup of tea, another judge, who had been judging the open section (where our plants were) asked me where I had got my Lachenalia from as he thought it looked very different..........well, I said, that's probably because it is a Muscari macrocarpum! I hope that I and my colleagues were a bit more clued up in judging our section of the show!

[fermi de Sousa]

On Saturday our local group visited a few gardens in the Dandenong Ranges including the nursery of Peter Genat who's dad had started breeding nerines a long while back and he's been doing his fair share as well. He mainly sells to the cutflower trade but is now also selling bulbs to wholesalers and will sell retail as well. He went with us through the fields and would "rogue" out seedling bulbs which had appeared amongst named (and un-named) cultivars. un-named bulbs were sold at $2 each and named ones were $8. Most of us got a bagful each!
Here are some pics of the fields and individual flower-heads but most were un-named clones for the cut-flower trade.
I'll post some more in a separate post!
cheers
fermi

[rob krejzl]

Fermi,

Does he still grow/breed Lilies?

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Rob
Peter still as a lot of liliums around but I'm not sure if he's doing any breeding at present as we didn't ask!
Here are a few more nerine pics.
cheers
fermi

[rob krejzl]

Fermi,

"Here are a few more nerine pics."

Almost good enough to tempt me away from my obsessive interest in lilies. Thanks.

[fermi de Sousa]

Well, Rob,
they maybe not be Liliaceus but they fit the bill of being lilies!
Nerines are probably one of the easiest bulbs to hybridise and the climate in Southern Australia is ideal for growing them to flowering size quickly.
My problem is that here in central Victoria we get severely enough frosts to demolish the foliage and it takes ages to build up the bulb again to flowering size! A few of the hardier species such as N. rosea and N. flexuosa alba ( now N. undulatifolia?) withstand the frosts but others need a bit of protection.
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

I should hasten to add that Peter's nursery beds usually look a lot cleaner than in these pics but the fire restrictions came in a month earlier than usual last year and he didn't get a chance to burn the beds clean of weeds!
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Another delightful novelty for me... a nerine field!  And a good range of colours to please anyone, i would have thought. I do like the striped pink pudica and the others with a central stripe... just so different to anything we have. Thanks for the visit, Fermi !

[mark smyth]

a stunning collection of photos. Does anyone see an evail alien in the second photo of Ferrari crispa?