Today's flowers

[Alex]

Although these photos don't really do it justice, Habranthus martinezii is always good value at the beginning of Autumn - and if anyone likes it, I'll have plenty to spare next Summer (although it's cheap to buy anyway)! The second picture shows the potful from a distance and shows the beginnings of this season's repotting and plunging, still not yet half done.

Also the first of the year's Cyclamen, C. graecum album.

Cheers,

Alex

[David Nicholson]

I like Habranthus martinezii Alex, very pretty. When do you start watering it please, as I have a couple of bulbs I bought last year that didn't flower for me.

[Alex]

Hi David,

I start watering around now, but as it has this year it's usually started to put the buds up before this happens.

Alex

[David Nicholson]

Thanks Alex, I think I had better investigate my pot. I think I was a little bit thrown as in "Growing Bulbs:The Complete Practical Guide" Brian Mattthew says it is ".... most definitely a winter grower and will flower well in autumn only after a good baking in summer". The words "baking" and "summer" are not usually spoken in the same sentence in my part of the world.

[Alex]

Quite - it seems that nobody has spoken of baking for many years, perhaps because we've finally realised that being surrounded by a thin layer of compost in a pot is not the same as being 2 feet below the surface of the ground in habitat, hence conditions should not be reproduced....

Yours may be fine and planning to put on a grand display, this time last week mine could not be seen and shot up from nothing to flower in probably 4 days.

Alex

[Maggi Young]

Quite - it seems that nobody has spoken of baking for many years, perhaps because we've finally realised that being surrounded by a thin layer of compost in a pot is not the same as being 2 feet below the surface of the ground in habitat, hence conditions should not be reproduced....

Yours may be fine and planning to put on a grand display, this time last week mine could not be seen and shot up from nothing to flower in probably 4 days.

Alex

Hear hear to that, Alex!  There are, I believe, fine lines to be drawn between giving bulbs a warm ripening period and literally "baking" the poor souls. in nature the bulb may be in warm conditions generally but also may be being kept marginally moist at depth .....so many variables to take into consideration..... that's why I have kept the BD for so many years.. he really is most useful in such matters! 

[Lesley Cox]

If it's baking you want David, try the "Cooks' Corner."
Alex, your pots are so wonderfully NEAT!

[Paul T]

Lesley,

I'm not taking his photos out into my garden and showing MY pots.... they might start wanting the same conditions!!    Nothing anywhere in my garden is that neat. 

[Anthony Darby]

Alex, you must be really disciplined to afford all that space around your pots?

[Alex]

I do admit to being a bit of a neat freak with the greenhouse. I suppose I have left a bit much space around some of the pots, but I just can't face up to redoing it all!

Alex

[David Nicholson]

...................Yours may be fine and planning to put on a grand display, this time last week mine could not be seen and shot up from nothing to flower in probably 4 days.

You were right Alex I have one 6cm shoot showing but can't see any signs of the other two yet.

[David Nicholson]

....... and here's the flower to prove it. Only one out of three, but it's a start.

 Habranthus martinezii 1
 Habranthus martinezii 2

[Darren]

Habranthus tubispathus yesterday. Will look even better today and will probably be all over by tomorrow in this sunshine....

[David Nicholson]

That's a very interesting colour Darren, or is it just a trick of the light?

[Darren]

No it really is that colour David. I did actually desaturate the red in this picture as the brown background had come out too red to start with.

The plant is a weed really - It produces seed very quickly and germinates in the surrounding pots before I remember to catch it!