Ipheion

[johnw]

Amazingly Ipheion 'Alberto Castillo' has come through this winter with 3/4 of the leaves intact.  This despite a rather cold and mostly snowless winter.

johnw

[Ezeiza]

Which was the lowest temperature, John? People has reported it being hardy to -24 C.

[johnw]

Which was the lowest temperature, John? People has reported it being hardy to -24 C.

Alberto - The lowest was -15.5c here but the ground was snowless for a few weeks beforehand so that it was frozen down 25cm or more. Quite a few nights around -12c and relentless cold but we've had worse. Then snow came and kept the ground solidly frozen until late March. Granted the soil temperature was not as low as it can get in vicious winters nevertheless promising.  If the soil had been dry as well the outcome might have been different, that's when the soil temperature really plunges as in 1990/91.

johnw  

[Ezeiza]

Thanks, John, interesting info.

[zephirine]

An "unexpected" association between 'Alberto Castillo' and Muscari botryoides 'Album'. Mother Nature is a great garden designer:whites can look miserable one close to the other, but not with these two!  
 

[johnw]

I could tell little difference between the true 'Alberto Castillo' and 'Alberto Castillo' from open-pollinated seed - earlier post.  Repotting them today I had quite the surprise.  Both pots of bulbs were equally bone-dry and the bulbs of comparable size.  However 'Alberto Catillo' o.p. was rootless and the true AC had a potful of active live roots despite conditions.

johnw

[santo2010]

Hy, I just came through this thread. I have some pics I would like to share.
The First one is a blue Ipheion pictured in the wild in Uruguay. July 2011.

[santo2010]

Another from Uruguay.
Yellow.

[santo2010]

Rolf Fiedler

[santo2010]

A white one from coastal Uruguay.

[santo2010]

A light blue one, from Mercedes, Buenos Aires.

[santo2010]

Some White ones from Miramar, Provincia de Buenos Aires.
They were generally white, few individuals a very light blue, and few have a pink or purple shadow at the tips of the petals, specially when the flower age.

[santo2010]

A pair more from the light blue ones.

[Gerdk]

Santo,
These are nice and interesting plants. Are you able to name them -
especially the yellow one from Uruguay?

Gerd

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Hi Santo,
The blue ipheion is very nice.
( looks like Rolf Fiedler ).
Are you sure the yellow ones are really ipheion? The flower structure is quite different with protruding anthers and there are more than 6 "petals"...
J-P