Calochortus 2009-2010

[Rogan]

"A beautiful little flower like a pixie cap - 'scuse my ignorance, Roma, but I would like to know if they are sepals on top of the petals?"

They are sepals Robin, but with monocots they are called "tepals" as sometimes it is difficult to tell the se-pals from the pe-tals! 

[David Nicholson]

I was just reading Robert Rolfe's appreciation of Kath Dryden in the latest AGS Bulletin and spotted this Calochortus quote attributed to Kath. " Keep them dry from flower-fall until the following February or March. The flower power from such small bulbs is phenomenal. A bulb lasts about 5-7 years here. They must have full light and hate being under glass while in sprin growth"

Last year I watered my Calochortus around 1st September with all my other bulbs and thought it too early so this year had not intended to water the Calochortus until 1st October. Now Kath has made me think, and if she's up there watching she's probably saying "Exactly what I intended young man".

Is Kath's watering regime viable? What do otheres think?

[Maggi Young]

A good move to follow dear Kath's advice for the more desert species of Calochortus, David.

[Darren]

Hi David,
             My two-pennorth: The more alpine species such as tolmei I generally water in early october as you intend, with the mariposa types following in november. Many years I just water the lot (including mariposas) in october anyway, they don't seem to mind.

I did notice when repotting them last week that C.amabilis has quite advanced roots already despite being bone dry.

Incidentally - I find with all Calochortus that they grow better crammed into really small clay pots (3 bulbs to a 3" pot). They are plunged but it means that during the peak growth season in spring they get watered and fed virtually daily but never get over-wet. I think this is why they do well for me. The best I ever had were potted the same way but not plunged. In april and may I had to water twice daily to prevent them drying out. They really seemed to like this but it was back in the days when I still had the time...

[David Nicholson]

Darren, you've got me worried now, and I suspect Luc will be as well, as we had both read that Calochortus bulbs benefit from deep planting. This year I have re-potted from 9cm square plastic pots, which I use for the majority of my bulbs, into 2 Litre rose pots!!

I thought deeper planting might provide more support for the relatively lax growth some of the species have but your results seem tp prove the opposite. It's a funny old world!!

[Darren]

Didn't mean to cause any anxiety! I actually haven't tried deep planting so cannot comment.

I did note from the recent frit group bulletin article on growing frits in 'Seramis' that Paul Cumbleton finds Calochortus do well grown the same way - in deep pots of pure Seramis. I'm experimenting with it this year with some spare bulbs and we will see how I get on. I have also sown seed directly into deep pots of a mix of perlite and Wilcos pink cat litter (which is calcined moler clay the same as Seramis but with smaller & more variable particle size and much cheaper & easier to obtain). I have sown some cape bulbs in the same mix and germination and growth so far (after 6 weeks) has been superb.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thanks for the expert opinion Darren - very interesting !
David is right.. I did read somewhere that Calochortus need "big" pots and fairly deep planting.
Having grown them only for the first time the past season, I'm definitely NOT a specialist, but they did quite well for me in the mix of 50 % J.I. 2 and 50 % grit in 2 liter pots.  I also applied the I. Young watering regime of September and October storms... the first leaves showed already in December...  they flowered ok at the normal time.
I had therefore decided to start watering them later this Season, I was thinking of November...
From reading the above... different growers = different methods...
 

[David Nicholson]

Very interested in your seed sowing method Darren, let's know how you go on as time goes by.

[fermi de Sousa]

The Calochortus season has started in this hemisphere!
Calochortus amabilis has survived a few years in the open rock garden and this year looks like it will set seed!


Others aren't far off bloom!
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Good luck with it Fermi, I never get more than a single seed in a single pod.

[Paul T]

Congrats, Fermi.  Very nice.

[David Nicholson]

Very nice indeed Fermi.

[arillady]

Calochortus amabilis here is a little earlier it seems Fermi.
And another Calochortus species whose name escapes me.
Both were a hit with the Sydney Cottage Garden club members who had to walk from the main road as the very long bus would have bottomed out at the bottom of the access road to our property. Good for them. Pity was it was all up hill on the way back.

[Paul T]

Wow, Pat.  I've got to work out how to grow them better here. 

[arillady]

Paul this east facing bed does not get watered at all apart from natural rainfall. I have a couple of junos in the same bed. Above them is a few pogon iris species such as Iris purpureobracteata, the subbiflora x revoluta clump, two suaveolens and a few other species.
The rocks may help with a slightly cooler root run in summer.