PLEIONE 2011

[Graham Catlow]

Hi Mark,
If you are looking to replace P. 'Shantung' then I'm not sure where you would be able to order them from now. But Pottertons and Edrom still have a number of others available in their on-line.

However if you are looking for something with a better chance of surviving the winter then as Maren suggests the best choice would be with P. limpritchtii.
The following link will take you to an e-bay page for a good deal for P. limpritchii. I got my first ones from him some years ago and they were good quality and a reasonable price.

Hope this helps

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Pleione-limprichtii-5-large-flowering-sized-bulbs-/170604909232?pt=UK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&hash=item27b8d852b0

[Luc Gilgemyn]

My first Pleione for this season opened today 

Pleione leda

[Maggi Young]

Super photo of Leda, Luc..... she is lovely

[Graham Catlow]

My first Pleione for this season opened today 

Pleione leda

Very nice Luc,
Is this not No.2 for the season? Didn't you start this thread with Pleione Wharfedale "Pine Warbler". Or do you consider that winter 2010.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thanks Maggi - I agree with you !
I guess you caught me out Graham...  let's say that Warfedale belongs to 2010 

[Graham Catlow]

Thanks Maggi - I agree with you !
I guess you caught me out Graham...  let's say that Warfedale belongs to 2010 

 

[Pieter]

Luc

That is a wonderfull form of Leda you have there. It is possibly the best one I have seen so far. Very Nice.

Greetings

Pieter

[enrico]

My first Pleione for this year

Pleione piton

The wind has already damaged the top petal

I was wondering... considering the the flower is a bit damaged is there any benefit for the bulb in cutting the flower?

And, in case, where should I cut it exactly?

[Maren]

What do you mean by damage? if you are referring to the streaking of colour, that happens, usually when there are extremes of temperature.

I think the flower looks fine. I'd leave it on and wait until it finishes and dries up. Then you hold on to the bulb with one hand and pull off the flower with the other. The entire stem should just slip out of the sheath.

If you pull it when the flower is still attached, then the whole plant will come out of its compost. So it's best to always hold the plant down when you pull. Don't cut, it just leaves an open wound where all sorts of nasties could settle.

[enrico]

I mean it is bent (even if you could't guess it from the previous photos)...

Thanks for all the info on the flower removal, that's very useful!

[SteveC2]

My aforementioned double headed forrestii has opened at last, and I'm still not certain if I should have pulled the second flower.  The two flowers seem a little smaller than a normal single, and there's a little damage which may have been caused by the two buds rubbing together or by last night's -4 frost, (greenhouse with a single heater down to 0.2), but it's still two flowers.  Quality or quantity?  That is the question.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

I could never remove a flower on a double one Steve - glad you didn't ! 

I've' got two more (singles) flowering today :

Good old P. hekla 'Locking Stumps'
and
P. krakatoa

[ThomasB]

I really enjoy the variation in all the clones of Leda and Krakatoa. One could happily collect quite some of them. 

A yellow Leda is flowering for me as well. I like the colour but the flower shape of Luc's plant is way better.


Regards Thomas

[Graham Catlow]

I can see the benefits of leaving the two buds on! That is definitely two for the price of one Steve My doubles have always developed upside down and have never looked good which is why I remove them.
I though I would have had something to show by now as they seemed to start early but have slowed down. It looks as though P. forrestii will be early April like last year, and P. humilis will probably be around the same time.

Two nice ones from you Luc.

[ThomasB]

Sorry to hear that, Rob. 

I can see that it's quite tempting to bid on some rare plants which are hard to find.
Hope this year I'm able to tell whether the Pleione scopulorum I got last year from the same ebay source is true. To be honest I doubt that it is but the flower will show. At least it wasn't quite expensive and might turn out as a decent P. formosana.

Regards
Thomas