Hymenocallis festalis

[meanie]

More of an observation than a question really.....

I have repeatedly tried and failed to get this to bloom. About three months ago, I stumbled across some bulbs priced at £2.50 each. But they were huge - near 70mm in diameter. So my vanity told me that it was clearly a case of my buying inferior bulbs in the past!
Now for some reason that I cannot explain, I planted one bulb on its side. This one bulb now has six side shoots, and the seventh shoot from the "top" of the bulb looks as strong as the one on the other bulb that I planted conventionally (which has produced no side shoots).
Have I just got lucky, or have I stumbled across a way to increase my stock rapidly?
Both bulbs have produced far stronger growth than I've ever had before, so maybe sometimes size is everything!

[bulborum]

You call 70 mm huge
no wonder they don't flower
I will post later large bulbs

Roland

[meanie]

You call 70 mm huge
no wonder they don't flower
I will post later large bulbs

Roland

Jeez - no wonder I've been failing in the past! I was making do with 30mm ish before!

[meanie]

The first one has bloomed!

[bulborum]

Sorry Meanie

I forgot to post the bulbs
but here they are

Hymenocallis x festalis Zwanenburg Bulbs
Left garden-centre size
Right good size as yours will be in a few years

Roland

[meanie]

Thanks for that Bulborum.
The one on the left looks like the cr@p that I'd been trying to grow before (as you say, from a garden centre). On the right is a bulb much more like the ones that have been successful.
Could you answer another question for me? Since flowering, new leaves have come up to one side of the spent stem, effectively redefining the centre line of the plant if that makes sense. Is it possible for the same shoot to produce more than one flowering stem?

[Ezeiza]

Meanie, your plant looks a lot more like I. longipetala than 'Festalis'. There are several images of both in this forum.

[bulborum]

Here even the biggest bulbs make only one flower-stem
but with lot more flowers as from the tiny bulbs
maybe in warmer climates you can have more flower-stems
other may have experience wit that

Roland

[meanie]

Now I am confused!
Below is the link to my H.festallis (as I thought) album on Picassa. More photos, so take a look and tell me what you think.

https://picasaweb.google.com/LONGK48/HymenocallisFestalis

[bulborum]

Meanie

here you have them together

First Your Hymenocallis festalis Meanie
Second is Hymenocallis longipetala
Third picture Hymenocallis festalis Zwanenburg

PS  Some people call Hymenocallis now again Ismene

Roland

[meanie]

Thank you for clarifying that Bulborum - it's appreciated!
I note with interest that the H.longipetala is in quite a small pot.

[bulborum]

It's a vase meanie
just left click on the picture
and it will be bigger

but I don't think yours
is Hymenocallis longipetala

Roland

[meanie]

It's a vase meanie
just left click on the picture
and it will be bigger

but I don't think yours
is Hymenocallis longipetala

Roland

Neither do I, but I was confused for a while! A google search threw up all sorts to cloud the issue even further. This is why I have to rely upon the help of others.
I had clicked it, but it still struck me as a small pot for such a display! It never dawned on me that the blooms were cut......

[Peter II]

My Hymenocallis (Iseme) festalis

[Ezeiza]

Good photos, Peter II, clear and distinct.