Flowering now September 2007

[henkw]

Haemanthus coccineus (paintbrush lily) Family: Amaryllidaceae

Haemanthus coccineus is one of 11 species of Haemanthus

Distribution: South Africa, from southern Namibia southwards to the Cape Peninsula.

Haemanthus coccineus is a big bulb who rests during the dry season underground. Just before the rain period starts, the flower heads will come out.

Leaves usually appear after flowering, in commonly 2 leaves per bulb.

Choose a big deep pot where the Haemanthus coccineus, which can hold a fully-grown bulb, because they do like to be pot bound.
Grow Haemanthus in a very well drained, medium. Start watering when the leaves appear normally after flowering Stop giving water when the leaves are turning yellow. Withhold any water until the leaves start to appear again!

A word of warning it is a not hardy bulb, keep it frost free!

Henk Westerhof

[Brian Ellis]

Paul we don't seem to have that problem, the Campsis is one of the oldest things in the garden so about 18 - 20 years old and it gets fiercely pruned every year which you would think would encourage any extra growths... of course when the neighbours complain about blocked drains I might have to think differently!

[Paul T]

Henk,

Haemanthus coccineus is not frost tender, at least not to -8'C at least.  Never had any damage on it here at all, be it in the ground or pots, under cover or out in the open. Haemanthus albiflos on the other hand won't tolerate freezing at all.

I just mention this so that you know "frost free" definitely isn't required of this species, making way in your greenhouse perhaps for something else that does. 

Brian,

Good to hear that the campsis isn't a problem for you.  As I said, it isn't always here, but can be.

[Maggi Young]

Paul, you're off on the wrong track with my mystery bulb.... it IS a narcissus... it's Narcissus 'Twin Stars'

....a wonderful gift because it is unbelievably rare in the UK and not very well known even in New Zealand, where it was raised. Thanks, again, Jean

[Maggi Young]

see this page for pix and info about 'Twin Stars'
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=73.msg8018#new

Raised, of course, by Forumist Betty Clark !

[mark smyth]

ooohhh it's lovely Narcissus

Henk I have tried that Haemanthus a few times, ex garden centre, and could never get the bulb to break it's dormant period

[annew]

Here are a couple of non-alpines lighting up my garden just now. Mina lobata, an annual climber with an amazing colour change trick as the flowers age, and Euonymus planipes, the 'Dingle Dangle Bush', for obvious reasons.

[annew]

Close-ups.

[Anthony Darby]

Not exactly flowering, but I took this pic of an ivy growing up an igneous dyke behind the workshop at the University Marine Biological Station, Millport this week. It has not been pruned or altered in anyway.

[Maggi Young]

That's fab, Anthony!  Would make a good "what is this? photo.

[Anthony Darby]

Not sure where to put this, but it fell out of "The Scotsman". I get fed up of bulb catalogues which misinform the public. Not in a million years does Narcissus "Replete" look this good!!!!

[Maggi Young]

Never seen such a thing, myself, that's for sure... it is just the verything that Paul T has been complaining about in the Daff pages... you can see how frustrating it is to be "promised" those colours and get nothing like it.

Lots of the same photo, doctored to be more or less pink, on the web for this plant.
 

[Anthony Darby]

Yep, same photograph, but "The Scotsman" orderline is www.van******.com (rather not give their complete addy).

[mark smyth]

yikes run for the hills!! the daff  I mean

[mark smyth]

http://daffseek.org/query-detail.php?photo3=422e8c295ad65b3614645fa444c4abac&pagenum1=1 actually white and salmon pink