Allium 2011

[Janis Ruksans]

After al the bulbs are planted we are starting sowing al seeds of allium.
This year we have seeds from 87 different alliums most in (very) smal amounts.
from a few alliums we sow a lot of seeds for bulb-selling in the future.
(allium tripedale, backhousianum and karatavience "Red Giant") in total we sow 32 kilo seed.
I post some photo's from the sowing

Nice to see my 'Red Giant' between your list of species sawn in great ammounts. Hope it will not loose my name as introducer
Janis

[PeterT]

It grows well here Janis, better than other karataviense! I have raised it from seed of the bulb you sent me too.

[wmel]

Nice to see my 'Red Giant' between your list of species sawn in great ammounts. Hope it will not loose my name as introducer
Janis

we sow about 13 kilo seed from a mix of "Red Giant", "Red Globe", "Pink Globe", and "Pink Giant" crossed with "Ivory Queen", the normal karataviense, alexejanum and nevskianum.
The two pink 'karataviense' we discovered a few years ago between seed comming from crossing "Red Globe" and "Red Giant" with the normal karataviense.
The biggest problem with the "Red" is that they almost never get any ofset, and the also don't split in 2 or 3 bulbs, so the only way to get more is by growing seeds.
The "Pink" do split just like the normal karataviense!.
Now we try to find a "Red" karataviense witch gives ofsets or splits in 2 or 3 bulbs every year....and the only way to find such an allium is by sowing as much seeds as possible......... The first of the "Red Globe" and "Red Giant" bulbs are indeed comming from Janis, and if they get registrated we will not loose your name as introducer of course!!

The second photo shows a row of (most) "Red" karataviense and on the right some "Pink" karataviense

[bulborum]

Very nice collection

I just don't understand why it is called "Red"
For me (maybe I am colour blind)
Red is a completely other colour
How will you call in the future a plant
if you find a real red one

Roland

[wmel]

Very nice collection

I just don't understand why it is called "Red"
For me (maybe I am colour blind)
Red is a completely other colour
How will you call in the future a plant
if you find a real red one

Roland

Of course Red Giant  is not red; as a tulip........(photo), but it is one of the most "red" alliums there is and it is a very nice colour I think!!
Some other 'red' alliums are robustum or glandulosum?!  In tulips we have maby 100 different colours of RED, and we call al of them red...

[Janis Ruksans]

The biggest problem with the "Red" is that they almost never get any ofset, and the also don't split in 2 or 3 bulbs, so the only way to get more is by growing seeds.
The "Pink" do split just like the normal karatavience!.
Now we try to find a "Red" karatavience witch gives ofsets or splits in 2 or 3 bulbs every year....and the only way to find such an allium is by sowing as much seeds as possible.

Sorry, but "normal" karataviense (if under word "normal" we regard wild forms) very rarely split. Really I didn't found such between wild plants. The forms which started splitting arised in cultivation. After many years of sawing between seedlings from plants collected at locus classicus - Kara Tau mountains - I faound few bulbs which splitted in two and now I'm growing progeny of just those specimens. Similarly split cultivar "Ivory Queen'. That I still never found between other stock seedlings.
Janis

[wmel]

Sorry, but "normal" karataviense (if under word "normal" we regard wild forms) very rarely split. Really I didn't found such between wild plants. The forms which started splitting arised in cultivation. After many years of sawing between seedlings from plants collected at locus classicus - Kara Tau mountains - I faound few bulbs which splitted in two and now I'm growing progeny of just those specimens. Similarly split cultivar "Ivory Queen'. That I still never found between other stock seedlings.
Janis

Sorry, but That I didn't know.
Al the normal "cultivated" karataviense splits in 2 or 3 every year, and also the "Kara Tau" I bought from you is splitting every year with me in holland??, Ivory Queen has much smaller bulbs and flowers here, and is splitting mostley in 3 and sometimes in 4 bulbs.....

[bulborum]

Very nice collection

I just don't understand why it is called "Red"
For me (maybe I am colour blind)
Red is a completely other colour
How will you call in the future a plant
if you find a real red one

Roland

Of course Red Giant  is not red; as a tulip........(photo), but it is one of the most "red" alliums there is and it is a very nice colour I think!!
In tulips we have maby 100 different colours of RED, and we call al of them red...

I am not talking about Tulips
where they call a purple tulip a Blue tulip (this is the same stupidity)
the question is why to call something a certain colour if it isn't that colour
Red is red in thousands colours
purple is purple in thousands coulours
for that we have a colour chart
I don't call a Fiat a Rolls-Royce because it has four wheels , breaks and lights

Roland

[TheOnionMan]

Very nice collection

I just don't understand why it is called "Red"
For me (maybe I am colour blind)
Red is a completely other colour
How will you call in the future a plant
if you find a real red one

Roland

The one that I grow (maybe past tense... grew, this was not a good year for my few remaining bulbs) as A. karataviense 'Red Globe', apparently a provisional name before ssp. henrikii was published, certainly looks red to me, and I'm a nitpicker when it comes to flower color.



PS:  Interesting, looking at this photo on the forum from my laptop, the color is off and looks purple, but on my desktop PC the color looks accurate; a deep wine red.

[TheOnionMan]

we sow about 13 kilo seed from a mix of "Red Giant", "Red Globe", "Pink Globe", and "Pink Giant" crossed with "Ivory Queen", the normal karatavience, alexejanum and nevskianum.
The two pink 'karatavience' we discovered a few years ago between seed comming from crossing "Red Globe" and "Red Giant" with the normal karatavience.

Weitse, I'll say it again, you blow me away with those fantastic rows of Allium karataviense,
simply stunning photos and pure allium perfection

[bulborum]

The one that I grow certainly looks red to me, and I'm a nitpicker when it comes to flower colour.

It gives people the change to manipulate pictures
like many "famous" mail-order company do
See the difference between the two pictures

Roland
 

[TheOnionMan]

Wow, I love the top version of Blue Parrot, fabulous color

[wmel]

I would'n tell yet, but there are red alliums....

[TheOnionMan]

I would'n tell yet, but there are red alliums....

Excellent one Weitse, a natural red beauty, it would go nicely with this new red form of the typically white Allium neapolitanum, this rare variety named 'Vesuvius Molten Lava', the stunning flowers erupt most any time during the year   Notice that even the foliage is red!

[fermi de Sousa]

Both of these Alliums came from seed labelled as Allium amethystinum!
This one only flowered for the first time this year and appears to be closer to the descriptions and pics I've seen


This one looks more like a cross between "chives" and "elephant garlic" - and half way between in size! I've asked previously about their ID and replies weren't conclusive as far as I remember.
These pics were taken today - the plants were more vigorous last year! At least 3' tall.




What do the Allium-experts think? If the first one is the true Allium amethystinum - what is the second?
cheers
fermi