South African bulbose plants 2009

[David Nicholson]

I got some small bulbs of Oxalis 'Ken Aslett' last September, perhaps not large enough to flower. I potted them and they made reasonable leaf but didn't look as though they would flower and I have let them dry out. When should I start to water again please, I do seem to remember a pot full flowering in the Wisley Alpine House when I visited late last August.

[Lesley Cox]

Isn't 'Ken Aslet' called something else now? O. melanostichta or something like that? I've had it for years, great pots of beautiful furry foliage and never a single flower among the lot. Likewise from O. palmifrons. But I'm hoping to achieve a small goal I've had for many years, this year. To see OO. massoniana, purpurea alba and luteola all out at once and planted close to each other. Usually the white is later but a friend in Timaru (no longer alive) had the three in a large patch, close to each other and overlapping slightly. The white, citron yellow and ornage combo was very beautiful.

[Lvandelft]

David, in the old Forum is a page with several postings about Ken Aslet, some I made myself.
Probably worthwile reading (still). I grew them en masse years ago and sold at least 20.000 bulbs yearly.

http://www.srgc.org.uk/discus/messages/283/9548.html#POST6785

Lesley you were just faster than I with your posting!
You will read it in the above link.

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Luit. I really must try and do better for them.

[Paul T]

'Ken Aslett' (or whatever it is now called) flowers for me each year, although not lots of them.  I probably had about 8 flowers this year.  I've never had a flower on palmifrons in all the years I have been growing it.  It is one of the few I have planted in the ground as well, and no flowers there either.  My others are all in pots in general, for safety! 

Fermi,

No, not the 'Teal' (or 'Amethystina') variety, but rather the true viridiflora which is this intense blue-green colour with a large black eye.  Much more delicate than the big 'Amethystina'.  I just adore the colour green of the species, and had been told it was short lived.  I had it for perhaps 6 years or so before it died last year, so it wasn't particularly short lived for me.  One of those colours that is amazing, a bit like the Jade Vine if you've ever seen that?

[Lvandelft]

After I had to stop my nursery, I distributed much of the soil where Ken Aslet was growing in
before, on my grounds. Now they pop up since some years and there are some small colonies
between other plants. Last year in October and November there were a few flowers.
After this long and cold winter (- 10 C here) they survived and the leaves are still brownish green.
Maybe I try to cover one spot against rain this summer, from the end of this month till Sept./Oct.
See what happens then.

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

Flowering for me here at the moment are my 5 little Massonia jasminiflora.  3 of them are white, one is mauve shaded, and one is pink shaded.  There isn't much difference, but enough to be different.  I've included a pic of the pot on the 1st of May, and then again when it is in full flower, plus a couple of closeups of the flowerheads.  I know I talked with someone somewhere here in the forums about sending them some seed if it set, but the search engine brings up nothing in that regard for me, so I am hoping that they are reading this and can contact me.  I have been out with a paintbrish a couple of times, so hopefully there will be some seedset.  I will be taking a couple of them out into a separate pot next dormancy as they are now too big and crowd each other out.  They've never been this large before, despite 3 of them having flowered in the past.

Enjoy.

[Miriam]

Wonderful Paul!
Such delicate color.

[Paul T]

They really are very delicate.  The 3 larger flowerheads in the main pic are the 3 different colours... the top one is white, the top left one is mauve, and the bottom one is pink.  It is amazing tothink that all those flowers fit into those little points in the shot from the 1st of May.  I am hoping to get some seed this year and sow a few more, just to get more going as they do not offset at all.  I really should find my seed from a couple of years ago as I know it lasts for ages and they'll germinate fine.  When they set seed they set plenty of it too, so I should have some to share if they're successful. 

[Gunilla]

They are absolutely gorgeous.  Excellent pictures!

[Mike Ireland]

Oxalis purpurea Ken Aslet, grown in a pot I let it dry out completely when the foliage dies down. If I remember, I will take about 1" of compost off the top of the pot & replace with fresh  gritty compost.  Start watering when new growth appears.  It also grows fairly well in the garden.

[Hans J]

Howdy All,

Flowering for me here at the moment are my 5 little Massonia jasminiflora.  3 of them are white, one is mauve shaded, and one is pink shaded.  There isn't much difference, but enough to be different.  I've included a pic of the pot on the 1st of May, and then again when it is in full flower, plus a couple of closeups of the flowerheads.  I know I talked with someone somewhere here in the forums about sending them some seed if it set, but the search engine brings up nothing in that regard for me, so I am hoping that they are reading this and can contact me.  I have been out with a paintbrish a couple of times, so hopefully there will be some seedset.  I will be taking a couple of them out into a separate pot next dormancy as they are now too big and crowd each other out.  They've never been this large before, despite 3 of them having flowered in the past.

Enjoy.

Paul  wow 

Many thanks for your pics - your Massonia looks really great !
.....and the best is I have a lot of seedlings from your plants 

Thank you again
Hans

[Ragged Robin]

Love your Massonia jasminiflora  - so beautiful and virginal - until you used your paintbrush Paul 

....are they scented?

[David Nicholson]

Oxalis purpurea Ken Aslet, grown in a pot I let it dry out completely when the foliage dies down. If I remember, I will take about 1" of compost off the top of the pot & replace with fresh  gritty compost.  Start watering when new growth appears.  It also grows fairly well in the garden.

Useful stuff Mike. How often do you re-pot them please?

[Lesley Cox]

The Massonias are beautiful Paul. Mine are growing and budding well (only have depressa and a little one which doesn't do much) but the flowerheads don't develop. Maybe not warm enough in their raised bed. I'd better try a pot.

Mike, your 'Ken Aslet' is superb.' I really must strive for something like that. Really beautiful.