Massonia 2011

[Ezeiza]

Maggi, the bulbs look so small in the photo because most of its substance is deployed in leaves and flowers. When the season is over the bulb will fatten considerably as all substance returns to it. Massonias have small bulbs but they are not tiny. And they can grow a lot larger in old plants given plenty of room. Of course they still qualify as "dwarf bulbs".

Haemanthi have bulbs that look "applauded", that is compressed sideways. They are typical with very few scales and thick perennial roots.

[massonia]

It is more or less possible to control the growth and dormant phase with watering. This summer I tried to water a pot of jasminiflora plants and ignore their natural period of dormancy. What happened? The plant did not go dormant, it was producing new shoots and even flowers in summer. Even now it is still green....
But normally these plants have a strict resting phase during summer.
greetings,
massonia

[Maggi Young]

Learning lots, thanks Folks!

[Pete Clarke]

My Massonia echinata looks rather different to others shown earlier. ? mis-identified.
This is the first flowering from AGS seed sown 2008.
Pete.

[Tomas]

Massonia pustulata.
T.

[ArnoldT]

Here's Massonia echinata.

Illustrating the crowded pot syndrome.

[Darren]

It is more or less possible to control the growth and dormant phase with watering. This summer I tried to water a pot of jasminiflora plants and ignore their natural period of dormancy. What happened? The plant did not go dormant, it was producing new shoots and even flowers in summer. Even now it is still green....
But normally these plants have a strict resting phase during summer.
greetings,
massonia

True. They all lose their leaves here when I withhold water in summer but vary a lot regarding their roots. Some species rest more than others. Here M.pustulata has live roots throughout summer unless really severely dried. I feel that this may simply be because my wet cool summers here in NW England trigger new root growth even if the compost is kept dry. In warmer-summer continental climes I'm sure the dormancy is stricter - just as in nature.

[Darren]

Whilst out for lunch with some girlfriends today we were chatting about what we would like for Christmas. I sat and listened, Emerald ring  was one, another was Jimmy Choo shoes, Diamond earring's at least a carat. Well you should have seen their face when I said a pot full of Massonia bulbs in bloom like Darren has. What a laugh we had. Then they went on to ask me who this Darren was. I told them he was a happily married man that had a lovely blonde thin wife called Susan and he grew these lovely plants that I love. They will all be asking me what I got for my Christmas. I think they thought that I wasn't serious  little do they know that these little bulbs are harder to get than diamonds

Angie

Flattery will get you anywhere Angie 

What I want for Christmas is a couple of extra days in the week - so long as I don't have to spend them at work.

[BULBISSIME]

They are not only beautiful, they're also fragrant, and so nice perfume....

Massonia pustulata is flowering now, as well as M. echinata, just starting but also quite different from the 'standard'.. grown from seeds from SA, and may be misidentified ?

[bulborum]

Beauties Fred

Pic 2 is really fantastic
although the last isn't bad


By the time you have a few seeds available
I sign in

Roland

[angie]

I agree picture 2 is really nice but then again so is that pot full 

Angie

[bulborum]

Yes Anie

so overcrowded
but soooooo beautifull

Roland

[angie]

I can't wait till I get a pot that I can call overcrowded 

Angie 

[bulborum]

I can send you seeds Angie
here till now bulbs don't divide 
so I have to multiply them by seeds

Roland

[BULBISSIME]

I also don't get offsets but I hope to get seeds this year.
If so I'll remember you Roland