Flowering now in the north of Germany

[Renate Brinkers]

It is a really hot summer here and Lonicera hildebrandiana and some others are flowering as they would be paid for. Some pictures from today.
L.hildebrandiana flowers are really impressive. They open pure white and within some hours they are light yellow and some hours more really wonderful yellow. The frangrance is like a strong and heavy perfume.

[zephirine]

Hello Renate,
Your unknown geranium is a form of G. x oxonianum f. thurstonianum, probably 'Sherwood' (another possibility would be 'David Mc Clintock', but 'Sherwood' is more likely IMHO).
Here are mine for comparison.
MfG
Zephirine

[Renate Brinkers]

Hello Zephirine,

thanks a lot, now I can write a label. I got it in spring as a gift and like it very much.

[Lvandelft]

G. x oxonianum[/i] f. thurstonianum, probably 'Sherwood'
Here are mine for comparison.
MfG
Zephirine

Renate, here is my Sherwood, just pictured today after (between) some rain showers
Have it already so many years and just because I have room enough, otherwise I would not have it anymore.
In some years they are full of red spider and in a year like this it looks acceptable.
More interesting for the flowers than a very good garden plant.

[Gail]

Love the Lonicera hildebrandiana Renate.  Do you have that in a pot or is it planted outside?

[Lesley Cox]

What is not obvious from Renate's picture, is that the flowers of Lonicera hildebrandiana are huge compared with other species. I've planted it just a year ago but my mother had a plant along the verandah on the front of her house, 3 metres high and 15 or more metres along from end to end. The flowers are all of 15cms long and as Renate says, the fragrance is superb. It comes fom Burma but was much hardier than we'd expected. It lost most leaves in the winter but never looked like dying.

[Renate Brinkers]

Luit,
I see, I planted it at the right place where it can grow up to an impressive plant. It seems to grow fast. I planted it in spring and within some weeks it doubled it self.

[Renate Brinkers]

Love the Lonicera hildebrandiana Renate.  Do you have that in a pot or is it planted outside?

Gail,
I grow it in a pot since some years and keep it in a cold house but as Lesley said, it seems to be a lot more cold resistant as you would think. This winter I had one night just 0,8° and it kept all leaves as every year - and it has never flowered so good as this year.

[Renate Brinkers]

The first time that my Albucas flowering this year. I growed them from seed as an Albuca species and now, as it flowered the first time, I think it is Albuca nelsonii. The flowers have a diameter of about 5cm and the inner petals donīt open.

[Lesley Cox]

Little wind turbines

[Paul T]

Renate,

How big is the plant?  How big are the bulbs and how tall the flower stem.  My nelsonii has bulbs around 6 inches wide, sitting at the soil surface.  I planted mine deeper one time and they migrated back to the surface, even with temps to -8^oC out in the garden.    They're evergreen too.  Assuming of course that mine are correctly labelled.

[Lvandelft]

Renate, I saw Monday a huge plant of Albuca nelsonii.
Here you might be able to see it for comparison with your plant

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4969.msg160558#msg160558

[Renate Brinkers]

Renate,

How big is the plant?  How big are the bulbs and how tall the flower stem.  My nelsonii has bulbs around 6 inches wide, sitting at the soil surface.  I planted mine deeper one time and they migrated back to the surface, even with temps to -8^oC out in the garden.    They're evergreen too.  Assuming of course that mine are correctly labelled.

Paul,
the bulbs are 6cm, about 2,5 inch - yours are very huge! I have grown it from seed and now, in the fourth or fifth year, they flowered the first time. The longest leaves are 60cm, about 23 inch and the flower stalks are 70-80cm, 27-31 inch.
Till now the bulbs didnīt migrated to the surface but maybe they will do that with the growth of the bulb. I didnīt tried it outside but I had one night with 0,8° last winter in the greenhouse and nothing happened. A really robust plant.

[Renate Brinkers]

Renate, I saw Monday a huge plant of Albuca nelsonii.
Here you might be able to see it for comparison with your plant

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4969.msg160558#msg160558

Luit,
thanks, that suits. Such a ful pot is really impressive.

[Renate Brinkers]

Little wind turbines

Lesley,
good description, they really look like wind turbines