South African bulbose plants 2008

[fermi de Sousa]

Time to resurrect this topic as there is a new flower in the sandbed!
The spectacularly quiet Crossyne (syn Boophone) flava!
I noticed the flowerhead emerging on the weekend and took this pic yesterday.


Then this morning the first floret opened!




This looks to be the only one to flower of about 5 planted out in 2003. But they were sown in June 1998, so they'd languished for a few years in a seedpot before being liberated into the sandbed! I'll try to post a pic when the whole head is in bloom.
Not as Flamboyant as the belladonna lilies


or the Ammocharis in the earlier posting by Rogan, they are nonetheless a welcome addition to the Bulb Collection! Well, they'd better be after waiting nearly 10 years for one of them to flower!
cheers
fermi

[David Nicholson]

Fermi, you are a man with infinite patience.

[Ezeiza]

Hi:


    To Fermi, Ferrarias are among the very few irids in which corms are persistent and do not reform each season. The rootstock is the "rosary" of corms and if possible do not break them apart: keeping them together will produce a huge robust plant. If you separate them into individual corms you will have several smallish plants that will only be sizeable if you let the "rosary" reform again. Ferrarias are often dwellers of sand dunes and do best grown in a thick layer of pure grit or coarse sand. They require a long hot dormancy in summer, not receiving it, they typically skip one or more subsequent seasons of growth.

Regards

[Ezeiza]

Hi:

    And, Sparaxis and Synnotias are not synomims. In fact, Synnotia is now only a section of the valid genus Sparaxis. The other species in the genus Sparaxis have never been in Synnotia.


Regards

[fermi de Sousa]

Here are a few South African bulbs which I've already posted on the Southern Hemisphere Threads.
First, a little Polyxena, possibly P. ensifolia?

Then the wonderful mauve/lavender Moraea polystachya

Two nerines, one white, N. flexuosa alba:

and its pink counterpart:

And the Salmon form of Oxalis hirta

cheers
fermi

[Roma]

More pics of S. African bulbs please Fermi.  They remind me of the ones I used to grow at work when I had more time , space and heat than I have at home .  I'm sure you posted apicture of Ferraria crispa last year but I could not find it.  The search facility gave me 3 references but no picture and asked if I meant Ferrari!  The first winter I tried Ferraria at home the leaves got frosted in the greenhouse but the corms survived.  Last year I took the plant into the house but lack of light and possibly also water meant it didn't flower.  This year against the west facing wall of the greenhouse with temperature sometimes down to freezing it made plenty growth and had between one and five flowers nearly every day for more than two weeks in early May.  Unfortunately it stopped flowering two days before the Aberdeen show so I couldn't  delight Maggi with the 'scent'.

Roma

[David Nicholson]

Yes please Fermi, and others, the more pictures of Southern Hemisphere bulbous plants the better. I have mentioned before that I am presently running an experiment to see how many Southern Hemisphere plants I can get away with in my garden without having to dig them up in their dormant season. So far Sparaxis hybrids and Ixia hybrids have survived, and indeed flowered this Spring, and I am pleased that my Tigridia pavonia planted and flowered last year are well up again this year.

Presently, in my greenhouse I have sprouted seed pots of:-
Rigidella orthanta; Gyandriris setifolia;Albuca shawii;Alophia amoena;Alophia drummondi;Cyrtanthus brachyscythus;Cypella herbertii;Cypella peruviana;Diplarena latifolia;Diplarena moraea;Herbertia lahue;Hesperantha baurii;Hesperantha folcata;Montiopsis cistiflora;Tigridia van-houttii,Tigridia chiapensis; and from my own saved seed Tigridia pavonia. Others have yet to sprout!!

The good Lord only knows how I am going to find the room for them in the greenhouse as they grow to planting out size!

[David Nicholson]

Haemanthus albiflos.

I have one young plant of the above that I bought last year (not flowered yet) could someone advise please if it should remain moist all year round?

[Tony Willis]

David

I dry mine of for a couple of months in the summer. It stands on the kitchen windowsill all year round. It starts up again in the autumn and I water it only a little at first when I see new growth.

[David Nicholson]

Thanks for that Tony.

[ChrisB]

I was given one earlier this year, it was in flower at the time.  The lady who gave it to me kept it in a shady but warm place and hardly watered it at all.  Where the sun had been on the foliage, it had gone brown, so now I'm growing it without any direct sun but a bright spot, but still give it water very sparingly.

[johnw]

David - I mistreat mine, little water. It flowered best when I moved it outside for the summer with a half day of sun and it got watered regularly with the rest of the pots.  I noticed mine has always had a few mysterious spots on the leaves reminiscent of those eye-windows on some of the mesembs that hide mostly underground. Maybe it's a deficiency?

johnw - over 100mm of rain, tropical storm passed with no wind.

[Paul T]

Haemanthus albiflos is an evergreen member of the genus.  I don't particularly dry it in summer or anything like that.  The new leaves push through the centre while the old leaves are starting to look a bit ratty.  Usually only keeps the leaves for a year or two, then they die off leaving those that have grown in subsequent years.  This species (unlike coccineus) is frost tender, but if it does get frosted a little it will reshoot again the following season when it is due.  Very easy to grow and flower here, from full sun to partial shade, but I wouldn't be putting it in permanent shade myself.  It gets mid morning through the mid afternoon sun where it is at my place, but could take more or less than that I think without a problem.  I wouldn't be shading it TOO much though.  That any help?

[David Nicholson]

A few weeks ago, after running out of greenhouse space (again!) I did a review of my SH bulb seedlings all of which were sown under glass at the beginning of March. Some of them have done really well but a few pots showed no germination at all and these I removed to my seed frame outside. I noticed today that a dwarf form of Diates grandiflora had germinated and this inspite of the dull and rainy weather we have been having for weeks. Maybe it's been trying to tell me something?

[Miriam]

Here are a few South African bulbs which I've already posted on the Southern Hemisphere Threads.
First, a little Polyxena, possibly P. ensifolia?
(Attachment Link)
Then the wonderful mauve/lavender Moraea polystachya
(Attachment Link)
Two nerines, one white, N. flexuosa alba:
(Attachment Link)
and its pink counterpart:
(Attachment Link)
And the Salmon form of Oxalis hirta
(Attachment Link)
cheers
fermi

Wondeful plants Fermi!
Although I am interested especially in Irises, I also like very much all kinds of Moraea.

Thanks for sharing,
Miriam