South African bulbose plants 2008

[Diane Whitehead]

Western Australia has happy colonies of watsonias.  I was there in October
and I think missed most of the flowers. There were leaves as thick as
grasses in a lawn, filling up a damp shady area.

There were more flowers across the road, perhaps because it was in the open.
It had different colours - white, apricot, various pinks.

[Maggi Young]

How pretty, Diane. Such a photo in the UK would be of Digitalis in varying colours. The foxgloves enjoy the roadsides and particulalry like areas where trees have recently been felled, leaving open space for them to see the sun.

[Lesley Cox]

It is because of their propensity for increase that some Watsonia species are prohibted imports to NZ and illegal to have in one's garden or on the farm. Rogan's magnificent picture would strike terror into the hearts of the bureaucratic boffins of MAF and ERMA, but of course it's the difference between growing like that in its own natural habitat (marvellous) and in someone else's invaded habitat (terrifying).

[David Nicholson]

I'm confused (it's a state I'm quite used to!) I have seed that the envelope says is Gladiolus micranthus but I can't find any reference to it in the Colour Encyclopedia of Cape Bulbs or on the PBS Wiki. I looked on the Kew Checklist and find two things:- one that it is a synonym of G. ferrugineus and is therefore from South Africa, but a second that G. micranthus is an accepted name and it is from Turkey. Can anyone enlighten me please?

[David Nicholson]

No one???

[Paul T]

David,

I checked in a few of the references I had here and couldn't find mention of it unfortunately.  Sorry.

[David Nicholson]

Thanks for trying Paul.

[Paul T]

David,

No problem.  People have said for years that I'm trying, so I have to live up to it. 

Good luck with the gladdie search.

[Mick McLoughlin]

Reference here David also says Turkey.
http://ww2.bgbm.org/_EuroPlusMed/PTaxonDetail.asp?NameId=51377&PTRefFk=500000

[David Nicholson]

Mick, thanks very much for that. I'm still in a quandry though because one of the two entries on the Kew Checklist (the other gives a Turkey reference) says

"Gladiolus micranthus Baker. Bull. Herb. Boissier.  This name is a synonym of Gladiolus ferruginea Goldblatt and Manning. Gladiolus of South Africa. 81 (i988)

Guess I'll have to sow the seeds as summer growers and see what comes up.

[Oron Peri]

Lachenelia aloides var quadricolor is in flower now,
intresting to see the transformation from bud to flower.

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

Some Gladiolus dalenii hybrids that I have flowering at the moment.  All from different source, all different, but they put on a lovely display every summer providing the thrip don't hit them too badly.

[mark smyth]

Paul are those garden centre Gladioli?

[Paul T]

Mark,

No, they're the smaller species types.  Nowhere near as large in the flower, but some can grow to 6 foot tall in absolutely ideal conditions.  Some of them are also at least partially stoloniferous, as they do keep popping up at a distance from the original clump.  They're prolific things, but at the height of summer they're brilliant.  I can always send you a corm or two if you're interested, as I have plenty of them.  Apparently, depending where in the range you get the original dalenii species from, it can flower at any time of year.  There are different colonies that flower each time of the year.  I have another that flowers later in summer I think, plus I have one that flowers in early winter.  They're all similar to a degree in form, but all slightly different in timing, or colouration, or height etc.