Dierama jucundum

[maggiepie]

In my lucky dip selection of surplus seed from the seed exchange, I received some Dierama jucundum seeds which are starting to germinate.
I can't find any pics of this plant anywhere, am hoping someone can post a pic or two.
Any tips on growing them would be appreciated, am not sure if they will be hardy here.

[maggiepie]

I can't find any information on these seeds.
They have germinated and now appear to be imitating daylillies.
They are putting up green spikes.
 I have stuck them in a pot, burying the root and letting the seed sit on the surface, don't have a clue what to do with them and almost certain they will not be hardy here.

[Maggi Young]

Helen, it seems they don't like wet, so a dry sunny spot seems right....I found that out , and pretty much only that from abotanical reference I found about the type locations of dried specimens 

 There seem to be a few nurseries carrying it in the UK, haven't found a photo yet, though ....... described as having pale mauve bells on wiry stems, or silvery pink bells...... stems circa 90 cm high.

[maggiepie]

Maggi, I had seen the Nursery listings ( seed grown), plus a few other links that led nowhere, plus this one
http://www.sabonet.org.za/downloads/14_plant_red_data_lists/lesotho_list.pdf
The description sounds lovely so I wonder why there are no pics available.
Surely someone has some 

[Ezeiza]

Hi:

    Dierama is a genus with a good number of species. Some are rare and almost unknown, hence images of many are not in the Internet, but they do appear in botanical publications.

    Many species are mountain plants and surprisingly hardy in England, N. Europe and parts of N. America.
They are practically evergreen but dormant in winter. They hybridize very easily and pure seed is difficult to obtain unless of course a single species is in flower at a given time.

    They are very long lived plants but notoriously difficult to transplant. The best method is to sow a few seeds per pot and potting one every year without disturbing the roots. This is why dieramas are sold as potted plants and not as dry dormant corms.

     In the wild many are found in seeps in peaty soils that remain moist from spring to autumn.

Best
Alberto

[maggiepie]

Hello Alberto, thank you for your information.
I have already transplanted the seedlings into pots but have 7 in one pot which is probably too many 'if' they should all survive.
Do you think I should repot them now before their roots have time to grow much bigger?
About half of them are putting leaves up.

[Ezeiza]

Hi:

     Those 7 in the same pot, do not disturb them. As they fill the pot with roots just move the whole to a larger pot and leave them fill it with roots to finally transplant them to their definite location in the garden. The trick is when the roots fill the pot the rootball remains intact. When they fill the pot, you can see root tips peeping through the drainage holes.

     Soon you will notice that the undisturbed ones far outgrow those that were pottend on or pricked.

Alberto

[maggiepie]

Thanks Alberto, I will leave them alone.
I have 7 in one pot, 5 in one and 3 in one.
I started the seeds off in a baggie with damp vermiculite and just potted them up once they had a root, with some starting to get leaves.

How long do you think it takes them to flower from seed?
I have never seen a Dierama of any kind in flower.

Thanks again,
Helen

[Ezeiza]

It it difficult to tell, but my guess is from the fourth season on.

Leave them in their pots and do as described.

Foliage is evergreen even in winter when they are dormant.

Common name for Dieramas is "Angels' fishing rod", the stems are very wiry and pendulous and the flowers mostly drooping. They are very attractive plants and there are a number of images in the Internet. Most Dieramas are similar and different species have different flower color.

[Susan Band]

This thread has spured me on to ordering a selection of dieramas and galadiolus from silverhills. I have grown some species from their seed in the past and they have done really well. They have quite a few different ones on their list. Certainly lovely plants to have around.
Susan

[Ezeiza]

Hi:

    Every single year they manage to include new or not in cultivation species! Again, it has happened many times that a species is offered once and not again.

    A collection of Dieramas and summer growing Gladioli sounds very exciting, but do not forget the summer growing Watsonias.

Regards
Alberto

[maggiepie]

Alberto, I will do as you say and hope for the best.

Susan, good luck with your seeds, I'll be able to look at your pics if mine croak 

[Mad]

Hi maggiepie! I have dierama seeds as well and I would like to sow them. Could you please tell me what compost did you used? At what temperature did they germinate?
Thank you .. 

P.S.: Alberto, are you from Italy? 

[maggiepie]

Hi Mad (?) is that short for Madeline?
I had my seeds in a small ziplock baggie with some damp vermiculite, I kept the baggie at room temp which  is between 16-18C in my house.
They started to germinate after about 3 weeks and I potted them up a week later.
I was surprised at how fast they germinated, plus every seed germinated.
Hope this helps.

[Mad]

Yes, Mad stands for Madalina 
Thank you for the information! Unfortunately, in my house the medium temp is about 10°C, maybe too cold? I could wait until late spring and then do it.
Thanks again