South African bulbose plants 2008

[Paul T]

Fermi,

My Ixia curta has the dark centre, as we've discussed before.  How tall is the one in your picture?  Do you have sufficient numbers to spare a corm or two of the Ixia rouxii at the end of the season?  I lost mine but loved it dearly.  I'd ask you to keep an eye out for seed, but given how many types you have flowering now the odds of seed being pure would be rather small I think  .... then again hybrids of that could be rather stunning... Hmmmmm! 

Great pics from both yourself and Lesley.  Thanks.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Can't help you with the ID Lesley but both Gladi's look really nice  !!   
How tall do they grow ??

[Pete Clarke]

Massonia jasminiflora just opening now. It has a very curious scent, hard to decribe & I am not sure if I like it or not

[David Nicholson]

Pete that is gorgeous.

[Maggi Young]

What a nice plant......Massonia jasminiflora....... and with a sensible name, too!

[Paul T]

It's an adorable little plant.  I grow some here too and they do very well.  Quite petite, and a good flowerer.  That reminds me that I must check for the seed that was maturing on mine. 

[Lesley Cox]

It is certainly a lovely plant, with apparently a tallish stem, for a Massonia. I mentioned earlier somewhere that although the flowers hadn't opened properly, Massonia depressa seemed to have a couple of seed pods. On Friday I collected 15 seeds (already on their way to Ireland) so maybe there's a suggestion of cleistogamy with Massonia. The pods were quite green and stiff on Thursday and on Friday the pods and leaves had lifted right out of the ground (raised bed) and were lying there wilted and yellowing. Another day and they'd have shed altogether.

Luc, my Gladiolus carmineus is about 20 cms in height and flowers any time from April to August (autumn/early sping here) but this other is in flower now (late spring) and is about 30cms in height. The shape and shade of pink are different and the white flake arrangement is different too.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Luc, my Gladiolus carmineus is about 20 cms in height and flowers any time from April to August (autumn/early sping here) but this other is in flower now (late spring) and is about 30cms in height. The shape and shade of pink are different and the white flake arrangement is different too.

 
Do any of them set seed Lesley
If so.......... 

[Lesley Cox]

Gl. carmineus does, though didn't this year but the weather was awful when it flowered. The other has just a first flower so I don't know about that one but I've hand-pollinated. If so........

[Luc Gilgemyn]

 

[Cris]

Hi
I am delighted with the Ixia maculata, what a colour. 
It's easy  to grow it from seed?

[Paul T]

Cris,

I've found all Ixia are extremely easy from seed.  Here, they tend to seed freely, which can be very cool when a new colour springs up.  I have some lovely yellows through bronze to pink in my garden, different shades on different plants.  I also have Ixia polystachya in bud at the moment, which is always the latest of all of them, starting flowering when the others are all finishing.  I sowed some seed last year that I had received at least 4 or 5 years ago, and I think every one of them germinated.  They're "pastel shades" of polystachya from a friend of mine in Western Australia.  Will be interesting to see what colours come from them, as she has white through mauve, and all shades in between.

[BULBISSIME]

Massonia jasminiflora just opening now. It has a very curious scent, hard to decribe & I am not sure if I like it or not

Wonderfull plant Pete !
I have some seedlings of this species, I really hope to get something similar   

[Pete Clarke]

My favourite Massonia - pustulata. It has a nice lemon scent.

[Maggi Young]

Love these flowers, they make me think of sea-urchins!