South African Bulbs 2013

[pehe]

Herbert, to get good flowering the bulbs must be planted with their neck above ground and some baking will help too.

Poul

[fermi de Sousa]

I haven't had a chance to check out which gladdie this is but discovered it in flower yesterday! It appears to be a seedling as there was no label where it has emerged in the sand bed,
cheers
fermi

[Ezeiza]

A hybrid of Gladiolus tristis and a Homoglossum?

[fermi de Sousa]

A hybrid of Gladiolus tristis and a Homoglossum?

A strong possibility, Alberto, as we've had both in the garden,
cheers
fermi

[mark smyth]

wow what a flower!

[johnw]

Our Gladiolus Miss Primm series has produced a fair amount of seed.  Any suggestions on planting, stratification etc?

johnw

[Michael J Campbell]

Moraea polystachya in the front garden today.

Some more info on my  Moraeas here. https://www.nargs.org/rock-garden-quarterly

[Brian Ellis]

Our Gladiolus Miss Primm series has produced a fair amount of seed.  Any suggestions on planting, stratification etc?

johnw

If you dig it up you will probably find a vast number of cormlets John, we always have masses!

[fermi de Sousa]

You're having a very good season all round Fermi

And it continues, David!
First flowering of Geissorhiza darlingensis, from NZAGS Seedex 2008, sown 9-05-2009; only 2 seedlings out of 30 seeds sown, but I understand that this is another "difficult" species!
cheers
fermi

[Darren]

Well done Fermi! I've sown this 3 or 4 times and I've had about the same level of germination. However, unlike you, I've never managed to raise them to flowering.

[fermi de Sousa]

Well done Fermi! I've sown this 3 or 4 times and I've had about the same level of germination. However, unlike you, I've never managed to raise them to flowering.

Someone who belonged to NZAGS in 2008 obviously did well enough with it to be able to donate such a large amount of seed! I've tried self pollinating it so we'll see if it deigns to set some seed!
Anther South Africans in flower: Babiana spacthacea - I've sent seed of this to the AGS Seedex and I think there's enough to send to SRGC as well,
cheers
fermi

[pontus]

Excellent marginata Darren,

I have 2 seedlings doing very well leafing out, probably 7 or 8 years old now, as well as a larger specimen, but none have yet flowered. My large brunsvigia littoralis has never flowered, neither has my bosmaniae...

maybe I should try your trick...what is the "kirstenboch smike water" recipie?

I tried burning some dry leaves over an amaryllis beladonna once before watering after a long dry summer, but it did not doo much ....

Pontus

[Ezeiza]

Babiana spathacea in flower here as well (South America) thanks to a great forum friend.

[Ezeiza]

Pontus, smoke works "bringing forward" flower buds that are already inside the bulb. It has no effect in fattening an immature bulb. For this you need time, temperature and a proper feeding regime with very low nitrogen.

[ArnoldT]

Pontus:

I believe the "kirstenboch smike (smoke water) water" is a solution made from paper that has been impregnated with fumes from a fire.  The paper is place in water and the constituents from the smoke paper are transferred to the water.  Bulbs are watered with the  it and it  simulates the effects of fire in initiating flower product in bulbs.