South African Bulbs

I like Nerine. I have one in a pot now and had some plants outside for several years. I suppose you grow yours outside?

Most from my Nerine collection isn't hardy
just the N.bowdenii and N.bowdenii alba survive here the winter outside
I test next year N.undulata

Roland

Here a picture from my South African seed-pots
all seeds came in the last two weeks

Roland

Dat ziet er geweldig uit, Roland! :D
This looks great, Roland!
In future a lot of plants to sell in Beervelde, Belgium.

Groeten, Lina.

Hello Lina

Also welcome here
two newbies together  ;D

It will take some years for they are large enough for the Beervelde plant-show
but for the future I hope to bring some in spring
For the autumn My stand is full with other bulbs

here some other S. Africans which start flowering
Massonia pustulata
Massonia echinata

Roland

I just got in seeds from Whiteheadia bifolia
also called Massonia bifolia
not sure what is the newest name

intriguing plant , it grows in arid winter-rainfall areas of South Africa

Pictures taken away
to complicated to show

Roland

In this time of the year there isn't that much flowering
maybe an idea to post pictures from the seeds I bought
The pictures are from the companies where I bought the seeds
If you want to know where I bought seeds ,
just PM me and I mail you the addresses
or if it is allowed I place the sites here

Roland

First gladiolus grandiflorus
babiana tubulosa
Gladiolus flanaganii
Babiana angustifolia
Geissorhiza radians white form
Gladiolus robertsoniae

Pictures taken away
to complicated to show

Roland

Moderator note:  the simple steps of indicating "fair use" when posting copyrighted photos by others, were supplied numerous times (state "fair use", include a link to the source site).  Roland feels this is too complicated and subsequently deleted the photos.  Since many single messages showed someone else's copyrighted photos one at a time without commentary, once the forumist deleted the photos, the empty posts no longer made sense, so all empty messages were deleted accordingly to eliminate confusion for forumists.  sigh :(

I don't know the source of the unattributed photos in this topic, so can't provide URLs to the source images  :(

I have many Gladiolus flanaganii seedlings again, after I forgot to bring in the first batch of dormant bulbs for the winter.  (They froze, of course.)  They are very vigorous and easy, and I think they are a summer growing species.  The G. grandiflorus and G. robertsoniae are very full flowered for a gladiolus species, and beautiful, too.  Are they summer or winter growing? 

Gladiolus flanaganii and G. permeabilis, second year seedlings in 3.5x5 inch(9x13cm) pots.

My first foray with Geissorhiza was very successful, sort of:
The seed of G. bracteata and G. heterostylus germinated very easily at 70F, and seedlings seem pretty carefree.  But a month or so down the road I was very neglectful and killed them all.  :(
Roland, the Geissorhiza radians is especially captivating!

Pity for the Geissorhiza
Didn't the small bulbs survive ??

For the gladiolus I think they are winter growers
I have to look in the books
most of the Gladiolus I seeded last year

are above the ground already
The seeds from the G. grandiflorus and G. robertsoniae
where difficult to find

Roland

bulborum wrote:

Pity for the Geissorhiza
Didn't the small bulbs survive ??

This was a few years ago, and I had moved pots to a temporary safe place (a closet) while I was entertaining the extended family for a holiday get together.  Then completely forgot about them.  A month plus later, I did look to find any surviving tiny bulbs, but didn't see any.  Not expecting every single seed to germinate, I planted way to thickly anyway, and the pots were like instant turf.  I am sure this didn't help matters...

Here some of the 70 Nerines I found in England

Nerine Bagdad
Nerine Tweedledee
Nerine Rotunda
Nerine Koriba
Nerine Judith

Roland

I use as potting mixture
20 % garden soil
20 % Sphagnum peat
10 % white sand
20 % Lava stones 5/15
30 % pine bark 10/20

For bulb mixture I add 100 litre perlite in one m³ mixture

Roland

Did you buy all the 70 different Nerines, bulborum?

It's a lot of nice plants you show us!

Here are two I observed last time I visited Africa: Gladiolus watsonioides and Scadoxus multiflorus.

Hoy wrote:

Did you buy all the 70 different Nerines, bulborum?

It's a lot of nice plants you show us!

Here are two I observed last time I visited Africa: Gladiolus watsonioides and Scadoxus multiflorus.

Yes Hoy

over 70 different Nerines sarniensis
just to see how they grow
I have a few more pictures from the man where I bought them
I will post them later

The Gladiolus watsonioides seeds where sold out
next year a new change
Where did you take the picture from the Gladiolus watsonioides

Roland

bulborum wrote:

Yes Hoy

over 70 different Nerines sarniensis
just to see how they grow
I have a few more pictures from the man where I bought them
I will post them later

The Gladiolus watsonioides seeds where sold out
next year a new change
Where did you take the picture from the Gladiolus watsonioides

Roland

The picture of G. watsonioides is taken on Mount Kenya in Kenya and th Scadoxus picture is taken on Mount Meru in Tanzania.

Unbelievable that there can grow plants there
I am always astonished when I see places like this

Fantastic Picture

Roland

I have only seen a photo of Gladiolus orchidiflorus once before, and I wondered if a glad flower could really look that cool.  Now that I see your picture, Roland, I know the first photo was not a trick!

All really neat plants.  That Massonia looks so tiny. How small is it?

RickR wrote:

That Massonia looks so tiny. How small is it?

Its only a few cm high

The seeds aren't germinated
but in a few years I hope to post my own pictures
as far as I know it just recently got the name Massonia wittebergensis
I think there are a lot of unknown species in Africa

Roland

And as cream on the cake
today arrived 30 seeds from Gladiolus kamiesbergensis

Picture taken away
to complicated to show

Roland

Understandable but you seems to be hit hard, Roland ;)

Some lovely gladioli there!

I loved always the African bulbs
but was never able to grow them
Now I have a few poly-tunnels
which I can keep almost free of frost
this gives me lots of possibilities

I think it's a good investment
Lots of fun seeing seedlings growing

Roland

Beautiful bulbs, Roland!

The Massonia wittebergensis looks very similar to Massonia echinata which is found in Lesotho above 2700 m. Could the one be a synonym of the other? I've never seen it in flower but have some seedlings and a few mature bulbs which will hopefully flower this summer. If you're interested I can check my seed fridge for excess seed.

Hello Jenny

It is possible that they are the same
as far as I know this Massonia wittebergensis
got last year a name
before it was marked as unknown Massonia specie's
seen on the picture in Eastern Cape tour February 2009

there are many collections wrong named
simple because there isn't so much knowledge (same for me)

I would love to swap some seeds

Roland

Hi Roland, I'll mail you a list of bulb seed tomorrow. I don't have a great variety of rare bulbs but I do have some choice ones from the Lesotho Highlands, a number of which would also occur in the Witteberg Mountains of the Eastern Cape.

There is a photo of M. echinata in Elsa Pooleys book "Mountain Flowers. A Field Guide to the Flora of the Drakensberg and Lesotho." (Published in 2003) I'll post a photo from the book tomorrow.

Jenny

Fantastic Jenny

Here a picture from the Massonia echinata I have

Roland

Well, I've finally managed to take a passable photo of what I always thought was Massonia echinata as pictured in Elsa Pooleys book.
 
 

But having looked at your photo of M. echinata, Roland, and checking in Goldblatt, Manning and Snijmans book (The colour encyclopedia of Cape Bulbs) I have to agree that the plant I know from the Lesotho Drakensberg is not echinata but M. wittebergensis.

It's definitely very special!

M. wittebergensis is stunning

The text isn't readable
Maybe you can try to resize the text with Tiny Pick (German and English)
see: http://www.efpage.de/eTinypic.html
as far as I know one of the best free resizing program
compared for the details

Roland

bulborum wrote:

M. wittebergensis is stunning

The text isn't readable
Maybe you can try to resize the text with Tiny Pick (German and English)
see: http://www.efpage.de/eTinypic.html
as far as I know one of the best free resizing program
compared for the details

Roland

Roland, the text is perfectly legible (readable), when you click on the thumbnail image to enlarge it.

I found that out later Mark
I tried it but the site didn't respond for the second picture
it did (not fast)with the first picture
just about 10 minutes later it suddenly popped up
No idea why it reacted so late

Roland

Trond- love the pic of the Gladiolus etc in situ!

Thanks, Cohan. I enjoyed all that trip ;)

Yeh

One day I want to go there (soon)
must be a fantastic country to explore
Probably I will rent a car and just drive around
enjoying the nature
must be the same feeling as I had in the Rockies, British Columbia
suddenly you feel yourself very small

Roland

bulborum wrote:

Yeh

One day I want to go there (soon)
must be a fantastic country to explore
Probably I will rent a car and just drive around
enjoying the nature
must be the same feeling as I had in the Rockies, British Columbia
suddenly you feel yourself very small

Roland

Then you'll need a 4W drive! And lots of water . . . . .

It is a very pleasant trip from Nairobi, Kenya to Arusha, Tanzania. And you have several mountains to explore around there, not necessarily to climb the summit but to look at the flora and fauna on the mountain shoulders. The great plains and game reseves are near too.

Hesperantha vaginata.

Michael wrote:

Hesperantha vaginata.

Fantastic colours! I guess these would be in the greenhouse- do you have to heat the greenhouse at all?

Drop-dead eye-catching!

Is it naturally a summer or winter grower?

Quote:

Fantastic colours! I guess these would be in the greenhouse- do you have to heat the greenhouse at all?

Yes it is in the greenhouse but little or no heat required this year so far. I only keep it a few degrees above freezing.

Quote:

Is it naturally a summer or winter grower?

Yes it is a winter grower and flowers early spring.

Good winter for the heating bills :)

My first South African Romulea of the season to flower:-

Romulea tetragona

Michael wrote:

Hesperantha vaginata.

Very impacting, Michael, I really like this one!

deesen wrote:

My first South African Romulea of the season to flower:-

Romulea tetragona

This is also a very nice colour, David!

All of you seem to have some south African bulbs in flower now so I have to show mine - a common Clivia miniata though but it is from seed I received more than 30 years ago from a friend. It sits outside from April till November and in the basement till the buds appear.

Very impressive,  :o  I like Clivia and grow a lot from seed, have 20 seedlings that should flower this year or next from seed that I got from Medira.

Freesia laxa azurea, difficult to get the colour correct on this one.

Hoy wrote:

All of you seem to have some south African bulbs in flower now so I have to show mine - a common Clivia miniata though but it is from seed I received more than 30 years ago from a friend. It sits outside from April till November and in the basement till the buds appear.

Trond I'm so glad you posted a picture of your Clivia! I've got one coming into bloom also that I started from seed 6-7 years ago and this will be its first blooming! ;D
I'll post a pic as soon as it is blooming well. I plant-sit for neighbors who winter in Florida and they've got 3 huge pots of Clivia that will be blooming profusely soon also. Such great and tough plants! I finally figured out that the blooming is connected to day length rather than watering or temperature. So the rest of my Clivia will all go to the neighbors next season!

Michael what a nice colour

the ones you send me
just start growing
but are far from flowering

Roland

Roland, Azurea is a winter grower as is some of its  hyb offspring shown here.

A couple more.

Geissorhiza aspera.
Sparaxis villosa (syn. Synnotia villosa) or whatever they call it this week. :rolleyes:

That explains a lot

I have one Freesia laxa alba (or whatever it is called now(I like this phrase Michael)) in flower
its a late seedling from last year
made the flower-bud in December
but because of the cold didn't develop

I am in Holland in the moment
but will try (if I don't forget) to make a picture Friday when I am back home

Roland

AmyO wrote:

Hoy wrote:

All of you seem to have some south African bulbs in flower now so I have to show mine - a common Clivia miniata though but it is from seed I received more than 30 years ago from a friend. It sits outside from April till November and in the basement till the buds appear.

Trond I'm so glad you posted a picture of your Clivia! I've got one coming into bloom also that I started from seed 6-7 years ago and this will be its first blooming! ;D
I'll post a pic as soon as it is blooming well. I plant-sit for neighbors who winter in Florida and they've got 3 huge pots of Clivia that will be blooming profusely soon also. Such great and tough plants! I finally figured out that the blooming is connected to day length rather than watering or temperature. So the rest of my Clivia will all go to the neighbors next season!

You are welcome, Amy (got a copy of a nice magazine recently  ;) )
I'm looking forward to seeing yours! I've been fascinated by Clivias ever since my grandma lived. She had an enormous 100 year old plant in a huge pot!

Cyrtanthus breviflorus start flowering here

Roland

You are welcome, Amy (got a copy of a nice magazine recently  ;) )
I'm looking forward to seeing yours! I've been fascinated by Clivias ever since my grandma lived. She had an enormous 100 year old plant in a huge pot!
[/quote]

Here is my Clivia seedling in full bloom for the very first time!! The seed came from a large plant that Matt Mattus gave to me when I worked as propagation & greenhouse manager for a large nursery & garden center a few years back. I collected the seeds and every one germinated. I gave lots of plants away and kept 4. This is the only one so far to flower, that I know of. Matt said it was an 'interspecific cross', but as you can see it is very much like the common C. miniata. But still very special to me!  ;D

AmyO wrote:

Here is my Clivia seedling in full bloom for the very first time!! The seed came from a large plant that Matt Mattus gave to me when I worked as propagation & greenhouse manager for a large nursery & garden center a few years back. I collected the seeds and every one germinated. I gave lots of plants away and kept 4. This is the only one so far to flower, that I know of. Matt said it was an 'interspecific cross', but as you can see it is very much like the common C. miniata. But still very special to me!  ;D

Amy, Congratulation with the first flowers on your Clivia. Very nice and of course it is special! If it is an interspecific hybrid you should self it - then you can get some interesting results.

Hoy wrote:

AmyO wrote:

Here is my Clivia seedling in full bloom for the very first time!! The seed came from a large plant that Matt Mattus gave to me when I worked as propagation & greenhouse manager for a large nursery & garden center a few years back. I collected the seeds and every one germinated. I gave lots of plants away and kept 4. This is the only one so far to flower, that I know of. Matt said it was an 'interspecific cross', but as you can see it is very much like the common C. miniata. But still very special to me!  ;D

Amy, Congratulation with the first flowers on your Clivia. Very nice and of course it is special! If it is an interspecific hybrid you should self it - then you can get some interesting results.

Trond...does 'selfing' simply mean to cross-pollinate the flowers back and forth with each other? I've never been clear on that. :P

Yes. Use pollen from the same plant. It doesn't matter whether you use the same or another flower. If your plant is an intergeneric hybrid (F₁) then miniata seems to be dominant. In that case all member of the F1 generatin would be similar and probably show some heterosis-effect (extra vigour). But if you manage to get seeds by selfing you should get recombination on traits in the F₂ generation. Then you have to grow and select new types  ;)

Lis wrote:

Most of the Clivias in cultivation today are inter-specific crosses, that is crosses of various strains of Clivia miniata.

Here are two pictures of my yellow Clivs. The seeds came from South Africa through the Clivia Store. They came loose in a plain envelope. I was surprised that they came through the mail like that, but it worked. All but one seed grew and of the ones that have flowered so far, two have been lovely yellows. The one that has just bloomed is also strongly fragrant. Another seedling seems to be staying miniature in size.

The book 'Clivias' by Harold Koopowitz is the last word on clivs and well worth getting.

Now, anybody want about 47 miscellaneous orange Clivias????

I do fine with one ;)

Flowers are all pollinated..now it's the waiting game!  :rolleyes:
thanks for your tips Trond!

The yellows are nice :) I know plants have sold for plenty, if not as much as snowdrops! How long did they take from flowers?
My mom has a mass of orange ones from a plant I got her years ago, but they are too big for my house- I can fit many small plants in that space!

Lis wrote:

Mine took three years from seed to bloom, but the plants are still small. They'll be full size in another year or two.

I saw some seeds for 'pastel mix' Clivias advertised just now for $65 per seed. And I'm tempted! I must be nuts......

Yes Lis you are nuts!! I bought 6 seeds for a variegated form of Clivia for just $8.00 on ebay!! Give that a try....if you really, really need them!  ;)

$65 a seed! For that amount of money I can go to London and back by air! And I do not have to pay extra for visiting the pub though ;) Right now a trip to London is $15! (+ some  taxes of course with Ryanair)

For $15-- hmm, maybe I could drive to Edmonton or Calgary, 2.5 hours away (one way).... which is where I would find an international airport... any flight would be a lot more on top of that! Not to mention airport parking, which I'm sure is more than $15....And of course a return drive...

I'd say getting one variegated plant from 6 seeds is pretty good! I'd have thought the odds would be worse... they must have really bred that variegation in!

Haemanthus coccineus

Initially two flowers without the leaves showing ,(I've cut off one of the faded blooms), --now another ,(immature), one with greenery coming away --you can just catch a glimpse of the beautiful markings on its stem.

Cheers Dave.

Very nice pot Dave
congratulations

Roland

I just showed this plant in Image of the Day, Ledebouria galpinii, from seed Jan 2010, first flowering- just after emerging from a short winter rest..
very small plant, should have pretty pink flowers...

Romulea citrina

Wow, bright! I'm more familiar with violet spp :)

Dave, a brilliant colour of that coccineus!

Michael, do you grow it as an Easter ornamental?

Cohan, are you sure the name is right? When googling Ledebouria galpinii I get something very different?

Gladiolus cunonius
Moraea aristata.
Veltheimia bracteata
Watsonia laccata
Freesia alba.

I have Gladiolus cunonis started from seed last year.  It's so different, and one of my favorites, after G. orchidiflorus, of course.

That Moraea aristata with its peacock feather eyes is quite stunner, Michael. Such vivid color!  :o

And the Watsonia laccata is such a wonderful shade of orange, too.

Beautiful pictures, Michael.  Am wondering about how to get my Moraea bicolor to flower.  After 20 years of a pot/garden indoor/outdoor routine, it is a nice clump of leaves but never a flower.  Am wondering about fertilizer.  Would sure love to see some flowers like the ones I saw at the entrance to Kirstenbosch Gardens in Capetown.  Perhaps you could give me an idea about this.  Fran

Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b 

Francis, my Moraea bulbs all get the same treatment. They are all grown in plastic pots in the greenhouse in a compost made up as follows. 50% soil,20% coarse grit, 20% perlite, and 10 coarse sand. The pot is filled to about three quarters with this mix and then a layer or coarse sand  about 2cm. the bulbs are places on the sand and covered with the same sand and then topped with Grit. They are kept in the greenhouse with the heater set at 2C to keep the frost out. They are watered on the 1st  of September and kept just damp until they have made  good growth usually around Christmas or early January. Then I feed them every two weeks with tomato feed until flower buds appear. they like plenty of water when in full growth and as they are in pure sand it is difficult to over do it.
Remember I live in the west of Ireland in a mild climate and we only occasionally get heavy frosts, although 2010 and 2011 were extreme with -17c
for weeks.
I have had them bloom out in the garden for years until the heavy frosts came. :)

Hope this helps.
 

Michael - Moraea aristata is stunning. I wonder how much winter cold some of these would take? I have a yellow Moraea (not sure of the species) which has been outside now for 4 or 5 years (with a low of -14°C this winter - but usually only to -8°C or so) and Watsonia aletroides has survived and flowered quite well. Maybe if given an insulated cloche through the worst weather...?

Moraea collina (syn. Homeria collina)

Michael

Very nice Freesia alba picture
The seeds you send from the Freesia's (Anomatheca) start germinating
looks very promising

Roland

Michael- what a show!

Trond, yes, my plant(s) is (are) Ledebouria galpinii :) just remember mine a)only just emerged from winter rest so leaves are not fully developed in the pics, and buds aren't open b)my plants live indoors all year, so with lower light, the leaves will be less flat, and less purple, but they do have the attractive texture, and the flowers opened pink :)

Here is Bulbine favosa small form; this is an easy and frequent flowerer :) Probably would be much more erect in full sun, but I'm just happy it flowers.... I may try to raise at least one of them this summer to show the caudex..

Ongoing flowering on my plants from Penrock seed as Ornithogalum unifoliatum; they are one leafed, but not succulent as that species should be? Probably one of the species moved to Albuca..

Some fresh pics of the Ledebouria galpinii

cohan wrote:

Michael- what a show!

Trond, yes, my plant(s) is (are) Ledebouria galpinii :) just remember mine a)only just emerged from winter rest so leaves are not fully developed in the pics, and buds aren't open b)my plants live indoors all year, so with lower light, the leaves will be less flat, and less purple, but they do have the attractive texture, and the flowers opened pink :)

Here is Bulbine favosa small form; this is an easy and frequent flowerer :) Probably would be much more erect in full sun, but I'm just happy it flowers.... I may try to raise at least one of them this summer to show the caudex..

Ongoing flowering on my plants from Penrock seed as Ornithogalum unifoliatum; they are one leafed, but not succulent as that species should be? Probably one of the species moved to Albuca..

Some fresh pics of the Ledebouria galpinii

OK, I wouldn't have recognised it without the flowers ;)
You do grow a lot of plants inside the house! How many pots do you have?

I once had a pot of L socialis inddors and the leaves was pretty nice, the flowers were not! However last autumn I was too late to bring it inside. It didn't take the freezing temps and died. . . . .

I can send you new ones Trond

R

I have two types of L socialis, one is also flowering now- not fancy, but still nice- and this is a form with nice leaves... I have a couple other Ledebourias too, though some of the most amazing ones are very hard to get- especially in Canada!
Here's a not very exciting photo from today of Ledebouria socialis (hard to see in this pic, but the leaf is a bit more shapely than my other form, nicer markings, and the leaf back gets darker in stronger light... Also Ledebouria 'Leatherleaf'

 
I have no idea how many plants I have inside-- I suppose around a couple hundred maybe.... No way I could deal with just outdoor gardening here when the season is so short...

bulborum wrote:

I can send you new ones Trond

R

Roland, thank you very much! I'll PM you.

cohan wrote:

I have no idea how many plants I have inside-- I suppose around a couple hundred maybe.... No way I could deal with just outdoor gardening here when the season is so short...

Well, I have about 100 I think - and that's enough for me. Takes time to check them all during the winter although some are completely dry during the winter. But you have some interesting ones, Cohan ;)

Some of mine are winter dry as well, though I am trying to get more winter growers, that's the whole point of having plants inside!! My best light is in spring and fall, so I have started to water my summer growers quite early, and late into fall, with a shorter winter rest, and half dry in summer; I follow a similar schedule for things like Haworthia, which are mostly winter growers in habitat, but I don't water during the darkest time of winter, and again in mid-summer (though its not hot here) I don't water again..

cohan wrote:

Some of mine are winter dry as well, though I am trying to get more winter growers, that's the whole point of having plants inside!! My best light is in spring and fall, so I have started to water my summer growers quite early, and late into fall, with a shorter winter rest, and half dry in summer; I follow a similar schedule for things like Haworthia, which are mostly winter growers in habitat, but I don't water during the darkest time of winter, and again in mid-summer (though its not hot here) I don't water again..

Have you sorted your plants in classes according to watering regimes or do they all get the same treatment?
Or maybe you remember the exact programme for each and every plant you have ;)

They are more or less grouped, but I also have to fit pots where I can fit them, and where they can get appropriate light.. So I try to put pots with similar schedules together in trays, and give more or less water by making a looser soil for those that want to be drier -- this is espeically true for cacti; some plants though, just get stuck in where there is space..
Once they are adults and on schedule (seedlings tend to get water all year for a couple of years) I do know what schedule each plant needs..
That doesn't mean I always water them when I should....lol

Seems you have plenty to do even when the garden is snow covered ;)

Sometimes it seems the outdoor garden is just a small blip on the radar..... in fact, maybe I only imagined that there is a growing season outdoors here....

Thanks for the info about the Moraeas, Michael.  I'll give it a try.  I heard that a high potash content in the fertilizer was a desirable thing with these South African bulbs?  Fran

Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b

I bought a bulb of this plant when I visited South Africa in 2003. Now I have a potfull of them and they flower from a long time every spring with nicely scented flowers.

The Tulbaghias all seem to look pretty :) This is a summer grower? It goes out for the summer?

I grow it in a pot and put the pot outside in spring/summer. It is completely dry during winter (stored in a cool but frost free room) and when I see new buds in early spring I bring it into a slightly warmer room and give it a little water. When the laves get bigger I give more water if necessary (depending on rain if it is outside). When the flowers are done in summer I put the pot behind something else and let the leaves die down during late summer/fall. It is an easy plant and seems to like that the bulbs are crowded.

Ferraria crispa

Trond, I think I even saw some common Tulbaghia for sale at Walmart as dry bagged bulbs for summer planting- they've had a Nerine too.. I was going to say I wasn't sure if my summer was warm enough, but I guess (apart from risk of frost) my summer can't be much cooler than yours  ;D And people do grow the big Gladiolus in the garden in summer...

Michael wrote:

Ferraria crispa

Michael, you are sure it is a flower and not a artistically decorated chocolate cake?
This was a special one :o

cohan wrote:

Trond, I think I even saw some common Tulbaghia for sale at Walmart as dry bagged bulbs for summer planting- they've had a Nerine too.. I was going to say I wasn't sure if my summer was warm enough, but I guess (apart from risk of frost) my summer can't be much cooler than yours  ;D And people do grow the big Gladiolus in the garden in summer...

Cohan, your summer is definitely as warm as mine. I would have problem growing the big gladioli as it often is too cool in summer.

I grow another Tulbaghia in a pot too. It is as easy as simmlerii but much smaller in stature. It flowers later in the summer and all summer till fall.
I once had Nerine bowdenii in the garden all year for several years and it flowered regularly every fall, but I moved it - shouldn't have done for it died.

Hoy wrote:

Michael, you are sure it is a flower and not a artistically decorated chocolate cake?
This was a special one :o

This is just what came to my mind, too: a chocolate dessert.  The colors are so distinct and pure!

Nature is so marvelous.  :o
And what an excellent showcase, Michael!

I forgot to mention that Ferraria- they are quite amazing, Michael :)

First flowers from last years seedlings

Babiana tubiflora
Sparaxis grandiflora ssp grandiflora
Sparaxis grandiflora ssp violaceae

Roland

It is interesting that the subspecies violaceae is yellow  ???.  Are the names mixed up on the photos?

Also intriguing on the yellow flower is the looping appendages.  Looking at the purple one, they look to be the stigma?

Are these spraxis small, like sisyrhinciumSisyrinchium?

You are probably right Rick

the seed are from wild collected source
it was the only flowering one this year in the pot
and I didn't control the name on the label
so no idea what for sp. it is but it isn't violaceae
I will have a look later

RickR wrote:

Are these sparaxis small, like Sisyrincium?

What do you mean by this
the plant or flowers

Today is Gladiolus quadrangulus in flower

Roland

The sisyrhiniumSisyrinchium  we grow here have small flowers, about 10-12cm.  Are those Sparaxis grandiflora that small?

The petals are so symmetrical on your Gladiolus quandrangulus, except for the stamens and pistil, it looks like a lily!

RickR wrote:

The sisyrhinium Sisyrinchium we grow here have small flowers,
about 10-12cm.mm?  Are those Sparaxis grandiflora that small?

The Sparaxis flowers where about 3 cm diameter
so by long not so small as Sisyrinchium (I can't find sisyrhinium)

Roland

Sorry that I blundered on both accounts. :-[
  Sisyrinchium flowers here are 10-12mm.

Brilliant colour on grandiflora grandiflora!

bulborum wrote:

I can send you new ones Trond

R

Thanks Roland, got them today ;)

Happy they arrived save

from the second I have no name
must be somewhere in my computer

R

Romulea leipoldtii
Tritonia  (lilacina) hyb ?
Tritonia squalida

Fantastic Tritonia colours Michael

R

Ixia trifolia (with four leaves) starts flowering

Roland

Impressive plants, Michael and Roland :o

Here finished almost flowering
Cyrtanthus breviflorus

start flowering
Cyrtanthus brachyschyphus
and Cyrtanthus brachysiphon

Roland

Some nice colour Michael and Roland.

Taken yesterday on the second day of winter ,(16c  ??? ),first flowering from NZAGS seed sown Aug 08, of Gladiolus priorii.

Cheers Dave.

Very elegant Dave

Do you know how hardy it is ??

Roland

Hello Roland
I grow it in a pot outside uncovered all year round in a sheltered half shaded position --it might get just a touch of frost overnight then temps reach 8c during the day over winter.
Now that it has flowered it will go into the garden proper or maybe a trough as the plant is only about 30cm in height.  

I understand it grows in nature in the South West area of the Cape, on sandstone slopes --i presume it is no more difficult to grow than Sparaxis grandiflora which you have shown a page back ,as these also come from the same general phytogeographic center.

Let me know if you want me to save some seed.

Cheers Dave.

Scadoxus multiflorus ssp. multiflorus is making a second flowerhead

Also a second flower-stem for this Ammocharis coranica

Roland

Androcrymbium striatum

Really nice and intersting specimens, everyone.

Michael, how big is that Androcrymbium?

Roland, how is it that the flowers are now coming out of green leaves, but apparently, older flowers that are now producing berries have no leaves?
Is the flower that is blooming now only male?

No the flower is male and female
here is a picture from the whole plant

Roland

Roland, I was thinking of the Scadoxus.
  Did the leaves just die off off the first flower head?

For scadoxus the same
first the first flower without leaves
then the leaves came
and later the second (smaller) flower

Haemanthus humilis ssp. hirsutus Piet Retief start flowering
Impossible but I overlooked the flower-but
it was hidden behind one of his large leaves

Roland

Quote:

Michael, how big is that Androcrymbium?

The outer petals(or bracts)from tip to tip is 15cm.

This may not even be South African, but.. a friend is growing this from seeds labelled Anomatheca verrucosa, but he doesn't think that's right, any ideas?

Hesperantha baurii ??

R

Thanks, Roland, I will pass along that suggestion..

Roland - I have one South African bulb, Haemanthus depressus, that has persisted indoors for me since I brought it home in 1992.  Flower not very photogenic I think but the large pair of leaves are utterly spectacular and cause comment all year round.  Fran

I can't find anything about Haemanthus depressus
Are you sure the name is correct
or maybe it's a synonym
Can it be Massonia depressa
Can you post a picture from the leaves and flower

Roland

One of the early Romulea --R. diversiformis.

Cheers Dave.

The unusual Cyrtanthus eucallus for the first time in flower

Roland

Also Galtonia candicans in flower
one of my favourites
hardy here  to -15ºC
one of the G. viridiflora send up a late spike
the other spikes where eaten by snails  :(
maybe next week a picture

Roland

Nerine krigei starts flowering here

Roland

Roland - my mistake - what I have is actually Haemanthus deformus.  Fran

Nice plant Fran
maybe you can save a few seeds
and we can swap some seeds

what is the plant behind your flowering plant

Roland

Eucomis zambesiaca starts also flowering

Roland

Beautiful, Bulborum!

First time flowering here
I have a few more and hope to find a nice selection
like the right one on the picture from Eucomis autumnale Dwarf Form

Roland

Roland - The Haemanthus is not in flower just now - should flower this winter and, if it produces seeds, I'll be sure to send you some.  Not sure what the background plant is - looks like some kind of orchid?  Fran

Last year, Eucomis autumnalis flowered. This year it has produced many offsets but no flowers - maybe it's on "maternity leave" -  ahem.  Fran

Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b

Howey wrote:

Last year, Eucomis autumnalis flowered. This year it has produced many offsets but no flowers - maybe it's on "maternity leave" -  ahem.  Fran

or you forgot to give a little fertiliser 

Roland

Hi Roland, I did it but I got many offsets this year too  ;)

So you can sell them soon in large quantities  ;D

R

;D  8)

Romulea hirta today.

Cheers Dave.

Amaryllis belladonna x Cyrtanthus elatus, my own cross,ten years from seed to flower.

Dave- I don't always enlarge the thumbnails due to my dodgy internet connection, but this one was well worth it- very elegant flower!

Michael- there's some patience, and well rewarded, looks like :)

Michael wrote:

Amaryllis belladonna x Cyrtanthus elatus, my own cross,ten years from seed to flower.

Seems to be worth the waiting :o When do we see it in the trade  ;)

I have about twenty bulbs but they have not all flowered yet. ;D ;D ;D

Congratulations, Michael!  I am not really familiar with either of the parents.  How does the child stack up, regarding the display of parental characteristics?

The flower is the same shape as Cytranthus and the flower stem the same height, but the bulbs resemble Amaryllis. The anthers have a different shape and number and flower colour is different.

Michael wrote:

I have about twenty bulbs but they have not all flowered yet. ;D ;D ;D

I hope you will also share those pics when they do!

Here are a few spring flowers in the garden -
Lachenalia concordiana

Lachenalia kliprandensis

Babiana pygmaea, B. pygmaea x B. odorata, B. odorata

cheers
fermi

I mostly just lurk in this topic because I don't grow any South African bulbs, but I do admire them greatly.  Oh baby oh baby, those Babiana species and intermediate hybrid are nice!

:D And I liked the Lachenalia concordiana best.

  The markings on the the flower scape and tiger stripes on the leaves are incredible!

Sometimes our southern friends talk about crocus and trilliums, and it doesn't seem so exotic, but here's Fermi casually mentioning Lachenalia in the garden- a genus I like a lot, but certainly cannot grow outdoors (and they are not great houseplants mostly, not enough light for them).. sigh....lol

cohan wrote:

Sometimes our southern friends talk about crocus and trilliums, and it doesn't seem so exotic, but here's Fermi casually mentioning Lachenalia in the garden- a genus I like a lot, but certainly cannot grow outdoors (and they are not great houseplants mostly, not enough light for them).. sigh....lol

Unfortunately they barely survive here in pots Cohan  :'( ..........Too much shade /moisture.

Cheers Dave

I have tried Lachenalias in pots too- but they didn't survive more than a couple of years. But I remember seeing some magnificent specimens in South Africa when I visited that marvellous country :o

Didn't see any Babianas though - they're as nice as anything ;)

I have a few Lachenalia seedlings and a number of Babianas etc time will tell how they will do! I haven't set them up yet, but hoping to set up some lights for them in a cool room, so they can have a bright enough winter growing season.. In this climate, I'd rather have winter growers than anything indoors!  Some of the seeds came from Chris Greenwell, in Bulgaria- they are seed from his plants, grown indoors, so I have some small hope. He's mentioned the Lachenalia and some of the others do tend to etiolate, but many will still grow and flower- obviously, if he got seeds  ;D

Some more South African bulbs from our garden
Geissorhizas are small but colourful and ixias are tall and colourful!
cheers
fermi

Geissorhiza radians
Geissorhiza monanthos
Geissorhiza tulbaghensis
Geissorhiza aspera
Ixia sp.maybe maculata

Edited to add searchable names in the text of this message ~ moderator

Some more - including a couple of Geiss I forgot!
cheers
fermi

Merwilla dracomontana
Hesperantha bachmannii
Pelargonium triste
Moraea spathulata
Geissorhiza splendidissima
Geissorhiza orinthogaloides

Edited to add searchable names to the text of this message ~ moderator

A lot of wonderful colour there, Fermi!

Fermi, you certainly must be very occupied tending your beautiful plants!

Thanks, Cohan,
Hoy, our garden has to manage on benign neglect ;D
Although the seedpots (most of the Geiss are still in pots) get a bit more attention. South African bulbs are very easy in our climate because of the similarity with where they are from. We don't even need to water/irrigate these which is why some of them have become environmental weeds in Australia :'(
cheers
fermi

So how small are those wonderful Geissorhiza flowers?

The foliage on Pelargonium triste looks interesting.  Kinda ferny, but stiff?
How about a close up...

After a few days Nerine searching
we returned with some nice plants

Roland

Wow :o
Where did your research bring you - South Africa ;) ?

England

I will post later some individual pictures
first  re-potting in my own pots

Roland

Lovely bit of colour there Roland . :-*

Here's Romulea eximia currently flowering from seed for the first time --not a large flower but a nice combination of dark blotches between the outer rose petals and inner yellow throat.

Cheers Dave.

Well here the first pictures
I made them alphabetical

Roland

That is a lot of Nerines, Roland!  :o

I will post more Cohan

first bedtime here

R

Another Romulea enjoying the heat yesterday --20c  :P

R. subfistulosa --a stunner --large flower --dark markings on the edge of the yellow cup.

Cheers Dave.

I do enjoy the heat from the fireplace in my sittingroom while enjoying your plants :D

Babiana tubiflora ---first flowering, from NZAGS seedx ,sown Aug 09 .

Cheers Dave.

Very cute one! Atypical colour for the genus?

cohan wrote:

Very cute one! Atypical colour for the genus?

Thanks Cohan

I understand the colour is generally white to cream sometimes with red markings on the lower tepals.

Cheers Dave.

Veltheimia bracteata lemon flame

An extra fine specimen with the extra wavy margined leaves.

How old is it?  It seems about as big as it is going to get (?).

RickR wrote:

An extra fine specimen with the extra wavy margined leaves.

How old is it?  It seems about as big as it is going to get (?).

I was given it in flower last year so it was fully grown then but it has now produced two off sets this growing season. I think I will remove them as I think it may lose some of its elegance as a clump.

It would be a hard call for me- it does look great single, but a huge unruly mass of multiple stems sounds very cool too!

Some of the different coloured Amaryllis belladonna lilies in our garden.
cheers
fermi

Nice collection Fermi
here they hardly flower in the garden
I think it's to cold in the summer
They are potted now in the poly-tunnel
much warmer in the summer
maybe that works

Roland

Hi Roland,
they certainly seem to appreciate being hot, dry and in full sun throughout the summer here - even though I don't! ;D
The other South African bulb doing well is Crossyne flava, which I'd already posted on the SRGC Forum,
cheers
fermi

Beautiful in bud, but kinda homely in flower...

Does it perfume the air?

RickR wrote:

Beautiful in bud, but kinda homely in flower...

Does it perfume the air?

Not that I've noticed, Rick.
They are more spectacular in seed - the pedicels elongate till the seed-head is the size of a soccer ball. Then the stem snaps off and it becomes a "tumble-weed" - and nearly every seed seems to be fertile! I've taken to collecting the seedhead before it becomes detached from the ground but there are already seedlings scattered around that I'll have to dig out at some stage. :-\
cheers
fermi

They look a little like Allium christophii for me
just the leaves are much more attractive
It wouldn't wonder me if the Crossyne flava could be a weed in Australia
be careful with this plant

Roland

8)

Hadn't heard of Crossyne before, a split off from Boophone (a genus name I am familiar with, fun to say).

The Pacific Bulb Society had a good page on the genus, with several species and a range of good photos.
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Crossyne

It is said about Crossyne, were previously thought to be species of Boophone, they differ from that genus in capsules and seeds.  Back to that nagging question about criteria separating genera, such as berries versus dry capsules in Gaultheria/Pernettya, and same distinction in Actaea/Cimicifuga, it seems that different criteria, and levels of criteria, are applied depending on genus being looked at.

Crossyne/Boophone; fascinating plants.

Flowering now- Drimia platyphylla, I think? grown indoors year round..
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=1142.new#new

More plants from the South:
Brunsvigia gregaria
Nerine fothergila Major (some now consider it part of the N. sarniensis complex)
Crossyne flava in seed!
cheers
fermi

Wow!  that certainly is vibrant color on the Nerine!

The scape seems a bit shorter than most Nerines?
How tall is it?

RickR wrote:

The scape seems a bit shorter than most Nerines?
How tall is it?

Hi Rick, probably just the angle I took the pic :-[
The scape is a typical nerine height - about 14 inches I think,
cheers
fermi

Geissorhiza aspera
Hesperantha Vaginata
Hesperantha cucullata

Michael, I remember you (or someone) posting a similar pic of Hesperantha vaginata before, and the flower's Wow factor is no less.  Are all (translate: most) members of the species as vividly colored?  Never mind.  I just googled images and see that they do, but yours seems to have just the right mix of contrast.  Or, maybe it's the photographer(?)! :o

At first glance, the Hesperantha cucullata might almost pass as a gladiolus sp.! 

Was this the pic.

Michael, that plant (Hesperantha vaginata) certainly has the "wow factor". Sending the plant name through Google Images, I see that in some forms there are no dark marks at the end of the petals, and others do have those marks.  Cool plant species!

Freesia viridis

I don't grow many bulbs from South Africa, but fortunately this one doesn't take up much space !! ;D

I read that it sets seed prolifically, but can anyone advise please if any assistance is required for this to happen?

Moraea atropunctata
Moraea aristata.x 2
Gladiolus cunonius
Gladiolus carinatus.

Some very nice specimens, Michael.

  Especially the Moraea aristata with its plicata edges and the G. carinatus

Lovely flowers Michael!
How long does each flower of Morea stay open?

From one to about  five days, each one has a  different time.

Moraea tulbagensis ( neopavonia.)

Moraea lurida

You do seem to grow the best forms, Michael.

Or, grow the forms best! ;D

Wow!

RickR wrote:

You do seem to grow the best forms, Michael.
Or, grow the forms best! ;D

Both, I'm sure!!

Lori wrote:

Wow!

RickR wrote:

You do seem to grow the best forms, Michael.
Or, grow the forms best! ;D

Both, I'm sure!!

I have nothing to add - except that Mr Ryk Tulbagh has a lot of interesting plants named after him!

;D ;D ;D

Gladiolus flanaganii

I hope mine will be that nice, Michael.  I have another crop of seedlings, and this time I did not let the bulbs freeze (accidentally) over the winter!

Are those all individual seedlings, or have they multiplied over the years?

They have multiplied over the years,about ten years. 

Hesperantha baurii

Michael, I love all those moraeas!

David, did you grow that hesperantha from seed? How long did it take?

cheers

fermi

I did indeed Fermi. Seed was sown in January 2008 and my records show first flowers in July 2009.

With the three marked, lower petals of that Babiana, it makes one think of the Gladiolus genus.

Very nice, both of them.

Rick,

it does have the look of a gladdie at the initial flowering stage.

Here it is a week later

Here is a little gladdie which is quite common in Melbourne but I've only just got it back here in the country,

Gladiolus carneus

cheers

fermi

We've had a clump of the Ixia viridiflora hybrid known as "Teal Blue" or "Amethystina" for quite awhile in our Rock garden

and now some of the self-sown seedlings are showing a bit of variation in color,

cheers

fermi

Wow, now those are some long floral tubes!  Like a crocus!

But I think more like F. laxa 'Joan Evans'.  Alba seems to be pure white, but I'm only a novice here.

Novice or not, I think you/re right, Rick

cheers

fermi

Galtonia regalis now in bloom (I believe some taxonomists have lumped them in with Ornithogalum!)

cheers

fermi