The African Bulb Garden selling bulbs!!

[ChrisB]

Now that we've put our order in (sorry but it just happened that way  ) we  (Sue G and I) thought we should let you all know that Dave Fenwick has just today put up a whole host of bulbs that he is selling off from his collection http://www.theafricangarden.com/.
We thought you might all have some money left over this month and want to spend it 
Sue and Chris

[mark smyth]

beat you to it  . Did I post this already?

[ChrisB]

Had a look Mark, but didn't see anything so put this up as a new thread.  Hope you didn't get all the nerines before we get ours!!!!!!

[annew]

Does anybody have corms of Crocosmia 'Rowallane Yellow' to sell/swap?

[mark smyth]

 

Thanks for the seeds, Anne

[annew]

My pleasure!

[Maggi Young]

Today I have received a super parcel of fat goodies from David Fenwick, super healthy looking bulbs, all newly lifted. Super!
 Some of the stuff I got :
Crinum x powellii 'Album'
Eucomis comosa 'Sparkling Burgundy'
Gladiolus papilo
Tulbaghia cominsii x violacea
Watsonia knysnana
Just got to hope they don't get too big a shock living up here after their life  down there in  Devon!

Dave says he will be listing more things as the season progresses, so keep an eye out!

[Paul T]

Maggi,

When it flowers I'd be interested to see the Tulbaghia.  I have T. cominsii in full flower here at the moment and it is lovely, so I am wondering what the cross involving it will look like.  No pressure on you to grow it quickly and perfectly or anything, honest!! 

[Maggi Young]

Not that I'm worried, or anything, Paul,    but you can see a photo more quickly by following this link on David's site: http://www.theafricangarden.com/tulbaghiacominsiixviolacea.jpg



 Also: See these links, from The African Bulb Garden site, also of interest to many of us:

A Photo Flora of the Devon and Cornwall Peninsula    http://www.aphotoflora.com/
Produced by the author of The African Garden; a site dedicated to the
wonderful countryside in which we live. As usual, lots of nice images.

A Photo Fauna of the Devon and Cornwall Peninsula http://www.aphotofauna.com/
Produced by the author of The African Garden; as above a site dedicated to the
wonderful countryside in which we live. A new site dedicated this time to wildlife photography.
© David Fenwick 2007



 

[Paul T]

Hmm..... so I wonder if that means the hybrid just looks like a smaller violacea?  The flowers definitely look like the violacea don't they?  T. cominsii is a tiny thing, well less than a foot high and almost covered in flowers for a long period of time.  Mine must have had 30 or 40 spikes of flowers and it's only growing in an 8 inch black plastic pot!!

Will investigate the links another time Maggi.  Must remember to look them up.  Was going to bed a while ago when I finished uploading pics in the southern hemisphere thread, but ended up reading your responses, then ended up posting a rhorodendron pic and now here again.    I love this place!! 

[ChrisB]

Hi Paul,

Suggest you contact David about your descriptions.  He is the National Collection Holder for Tulbahgia in the UK and knows a great deal about them.  Very approachable, amenable chap he is.

[Anthony Darby]

Many years ago I was sent a Crinum X powellii by a friend after I had seen them flowering in her garden in New Barnet, Herts one July. I checked my plant book and it suggested that the bulbs should be planted three to an 8" pot. I found such a pot and sat the bulb on the pot, as it was fully 8" in diamter! I then planted it in a sunny border in the garden. The following year it produced a flowering spike which was destroyed by the frost before it opened that November. I dug it up and put it in a 12" pot and kept it in the greenhouse for several years, bringing it out to flower on the patio in August.

[Maggi Young]

Mike and Polly Stone had a wonderful stand of Crinum x powellii just oustside their kitchen window at Askival... it was a picture of health and I have wanted to try it here for ages. Given the depth we are opening up with the removal of this sorbus, I am hoping that the bulbs will be deep enough to keep frost free and I am prepared to give some early season cover if it is needed.
These bulbs from Dave Fenwick are extremely large and healthy, I must say... one would be hard pressed to fit into a twelve inch pot! 

[Paul T]

Crinum x powellii isn't bothered by at least -9'C here.  And the bulb is totally exposed as they have grown up to the surface over time as they clumped.  The largest bulb here would be about 8 or 9 inches acroos, perhaps a bit larger, witha miriad of satellites around it.  Actually, the clump I'm talking about is 'Alba' rather than 'Rosea' but we're talking the same type of thing.  Definitely not something where frost is a problem to the bulb itself, at least for us.  They should flower in summer though, not during frosts.  I get flushes of flowers if we get summer storms, a response to the rain during the hot and dry of summer.

[SueG]

Maggie
I planted a crinium when I moved to my garden and while it's not dead, it's certainly not happy next to a southwest facing wall, so this thread has made me think I'll have to dig it up and try it in a pot to see if that gives it a new lease of life.
Chris B and I - our bulbs have arrived, so I'm seeing Chris tomorrow to get mine!
Sue