Bulbs Misc. April 2011

[Michael J Campbell]

A few Romulea today.

Romulea bulbocodium var. bulbocodium
Romulea ?
Romulea ?
Romulea citrina
Romulea hirta

[David Nicholson]

Michael, I wonder if your second one could be Romulea rosea? It's worth having a look at them on the PBS Wiki.

I've had my second bad Romulea year running with only R. citrina giving me some flowers. I don't think any of them took kindly to be forozen in their pots.

[Ezeiza]

That's impossible. David, for I have read in this same forum that South African bulbs are very hardy. There must be something wrong with me as the several hundred species in this collection resent very much low temperatures, not to mention being in a frozen pot.

[Michael J Campbell]

That's impossible. David, for I have read in this same forum that South African bulbs are very hardy. There must be something wrong with me as the several hundred species in this collection resent very much low temperatures, not to mention being in a frozen pot.

Alberto, if you are referring to me, I never at any time stated that South African bulbs were very hardy,I just explain what happens here to bulbs that I have planted in a raised south facing bed in a 50/50 grit/sand compost mix that is close to the house. Some Romuleas have been weeds here and I have been weeding them out for years,anyone is free to come and see for themselves. I understand that bulbs in pots are more susceptible to low temperatures than those planted in a bed. All my South African bulbs grown in pots are planted in a layer of 5cm of gritty sand at the top of the pot with 50/50 sand/compost at at the bottom,they are never planted directly into the compost. The greenhouse is kept at about 2 or 3c but last winter it dropped to -2 a few nights, a few of the plants didn't like it but survived with the exception of some Tigridia pavonia( South American) that I got from David which were killed.

The land here has been reclaimed from a tidal estuary and therefor difficult to work, so my garden is made  entirely from imported soil mixed with 50% grit for drainage because of all the rain we get.
Watsonias live in it and survive most years( I think I sent you a pic last of some of them in flower in the garden) because we usually don't get much frost, but the last two or three years has been an exception with -16c in the back garden,I don't check the temperature in the front garden where the South Africans grow.
My experience has been that if they are planted in a bed in a well drained compost and not too wet they will survive a few degrees of frost,at no time did I say they were very Hardy. Others may have a different experience. 

[Michael J Campbell]

Alberto, there are some people from the southern hemisphere who were at the conference calling here tomorrow, I will have them take some pics just to prove my point.
I don't know if you are aware but in my working life I was a manager in one of the biggest Nurseries in Europe at that time. I don't need to boast to prove that I can grow plants, although a lot of the stuff on this is new to me.  

[Michael J Campbell]

Here is a pic of a Watsonia in my front garden recovering from -16c last winter and -15c the year before.
You can see from the weeds close by that it has not been replanted or moved.
The second pic is the same plant in flower last summer,I don't know the name of this one, but a red one close by was killed or at least has not produced any new growth this year yet. 

[Michael J Campbell]

Moraea polystachya growing in a raised bed in the front garden.
Moraea x 2? (I lost the label for this one) growing in the front garden.
These are pics from a couple of years ago.

[Maggi Young]

I cannot help you with a name for that yellow Moraea, Michael, but what a cracker it is. I love the combination of yellow and gold , very smart and elegant flowers.

[Ezeiza]

Michael, it is always a pleasure to read your messages and this is reall fun, as I never had you in mind. So far as I know, you never said anything inaccurate about these plants' hardiness. The proof of your expertship is the sheer fact that you grow so many rare plants to perfection. But, if this makes you write more, I will produce more postings like the one above!!!

[Michael J Campbell]

 

[Lvandelft]

Moraea x 2? (I lost the label for this one) growing in the front garden.

Michael, I acquired last year a “hardy” Moraea, M. spathulata, which grows in the same way as your plant, just that my plant has flowers which only yellow, but maybe there are more clones?
 It stayed green almost all winter, despite the very low temps, but then died off.
I had a look today and the plant just started to sprout

Moraea spathulata

[jshields]

Moraea spathulata is shown in Goldblatt's book, "The Moraea's of Southern Africa," (1986) with orange nectar guides, while another hardy species, alticola, is shown plain yellow.  I grew both species from seed at one time, but they were not quite hardy enough for an Indiana winter, and they did not like living over winters in pots in my greenhouse.  The one with orange nectar guides could also be huttonii.  I would suggest trying alticola, galpinii, huttonii, and spathulata as hardy plants in zones 7 or milder.  My seeds all came from Silverhill Seeds at that time.

Jim