Ipheion

[Paul T]

Jean-Patrick,

My 'Alberto Castillo' is most definitely white, with good strong substance to it.  The best white I have by far.  The 'Charlotte Bishop' I find is DRASTICALLY affected by heat and time of season.  The first flower I ever had on CB was disappointing to say the least, basically a washed out whitish colour with pinkish tips, but as spring warmed up the flowers became pinker and pink until they were a bright rose-pink.  Some of the flowers were almost electric.  When I saw the first flowers I couldn't believe it had ever been called "pink" but by the time it was properly underway in the warmer weather it was most definitely VERY pink.

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Here's a pic of my "white" ipheion. I bet it's "Alberto Castillo" ( in fact it seems to match the botanical description.

[Lesley Cox]

Yes, that's Alberto all right. A good clean white with large flowers. Very vigorous but worth some space. My 'Charlotte Bishop' (from a friend), turned out to be 'Rolf Feidler' but my 'Rolf Feidler' (from a nursery), turned out to be 'Froyle Mill.'  

[Lesley Cox]

Do you have a picture of 'Charlotte Bishop' Paul? And is Charlotte the daughter of Joy? (Maggi?)

[Maggi Young]

Not sure who Ipheion 'Charlotte Bishop' is named for, Lesley, but  here is a photo of her ( the Ipheion!) taken by Luit from the Connoiseur's Collection Thread

[Lesley Cox]

That's very pretty. If not PURE pink, at least pink compared with the others.
Maggi, how do you do that link thing. Darned if I can do it. Can't get the bit to copy, selected, to start with.

[Maggi Young]

Maggi, how do you do that link thing. Darned if I can do it. Can't get the bit to copy, selected, to start with.

Well, I go to the link box ( probably not its "proper" name) at the top of the page: usually a left click on it will highlight the wording of the link then I right click to  select copythen another right click to allow paste   If the initial left click does not highlight the url thingy, then I  left click at the right hand side of the text and drag the cursor to the left, thus highlighting the link.... then proceed as before. In the old forum the link only takes you to a page, which is why I like to add the time and date of the post to make it easier to find. In the new forum each post has a link so it is easy to just do the select/highlight/copy trick with the title piece to any post.  Hope that helps!

[Paul T]

Lesley,

It can be a lot stronger pink than that too, depending on the heat.  I have had flowers that were almost flourescent.  It also has interesting curliness to the leaves, which I hadn't noted until yesterday at a friend's place.  Everyone I have given CB to have had it do much better for them than me.  I'm going to put some of mine into the ground and see how it goes.  Given the curly leaves I obviously have a seedling coming up in my plant table (literally, there is a seedling that has grown between the frame and the metal tray they sit in.... I must extricate it one of these years and give it some space.  I don't know HOW it fits a bulb in that narrow crack) as this seedling has curly leaves.  I'd noted the strange leaves, but never noticed that CB has the same leaves.  Will be interesting to see what the flowers are on that seedling if they come from her.  Who knows! 

[Rodger Whitlock]

I know of three distinct white Ipheions:

1. 'Alberto Castillo' which, though a clone, comes quite true from seed. (Or so I gather - my pot of seedlings shows no variation)

2. 'White Star', a commercial clone you buy in mesh bags like other dried bulbs.

3. An unnamed white form that has been in the front garden of a house near me for at least as long as I've lived at this address, nearly 21 years now.

I have found the last of these impossible to grow in my own garden. I think it dislikes my soggy soil in winter, whereas the neighbor's place gives it much better drainage, plus more sun.

'Alberto Castillo' and 'White Star' are not identical. The line of color on the reverse of the petals differs between the two, and the flower forms are slightly different - though not in a way I can describe in words without having them in front of me.

The real question is whether anyone is growing the usual form of Ipheion uniflora any longer. It is (was?) a very pale milky blue, but seems to have been ousted by 'Wisley Blue'.

[David Nicholson]

........................The real question is whether anyone is growing the usual form of Ipheion uniflora any longer. It is (was?) a very pale milky blue, but seems to have been ousted by 'Wisley Blue'.

Well, I think I am! Picture below that I first posted in 2008 and the general opinion was that it was Ipheion uniflorum. There was further discussion in July 2008 on Ipheion uniflorum nomenclature (see Diane Clement's post in reply 317 of 3rd July 2008 in Flowers and Foliage June 2008) as it now seems to be Tristagma uniflorum!!

I did have 'Alberto Costello','Froyle Mill' and 'Charlotte Bishop' in pots, kept outside and lost the lot last growing season.

[Lesley Cox]

The old, original near white is often seen here in what one might call non-gardener gardens.

If there's another similar to AC, I'd better withdraw my comment above that " Yes, that's Alberto all right." Maybe it's the other one Rodger mentions. I don't know that one.

[Paul T]

Rodger,

Are you meaning the old wild blue that seeds and becomes weedy?  I have that in my garden in lots of places.  I still like it though.  I certainly don't have "Wisley Blue" that I know of.  How long has WB been around?  My blue I've had for probably 30 year as I think I brought the originals from our old home farm.

[Lesley Cox]

Paul if your old one is blue rather than white, it probably IS 'Wisley Blue,' a very pale blue but bluer than the original white which is a sort of milky white. WB has been around for many, many years and yes, it seeds around and is very weedy in the wrong place but then, they all are.

[Rodger Whitlock]

Are you meaning the old wild blue that seeds and becomes weedy?  I have that in my garden in lots of places.  I still like it though.  I certainly don't have "Wisley Blue" that I know of.  How long has WB been around?  My blue I've had for probably 30 year as I think I brought the originals from our old home farm.

The "wild form" of Ipheion uniflora is an extremely pale blue-tinged white. Not white, but not really blue either. Wisley Blue is definitely blue, a slightly impure (i.e. not spectrum pure) pale sky blue.

WB has been in commerce for a very long time.

[johnw]

Ipheion Alberto Castillo - 2 shots and x Alberto Castillo from o.p. seed. The latter promises to be somewhat smaller but the dark stripes may be on both outers and inners, we'll see in a day or two. The base also appears to be darker throughout.  Best we keep these far apart.

johnw