South African Bulbs 2014

Another couple of Amaryllis belladonna seedlings - one nearly white, one a mid-pink,

cheers

fermi

Crossyne flava is another South African amaryllid - a week ago there was no sign of it above ground, today it's in full flower!

cheers

fermi

I'm a little jealous, Fermi! I have tried Amaryllis belladonna outside here but they dislike my climate

At the moment I have only one South African bulb in flower  (inside) - a quite ordinary Clivia miniata - but I like it!

Trond,

that's still a good clivia no matter how varied the hybrids get.

In our garden the hardiest of the nerines are in flower:

Nerine "fothergilla Major" (now considered a form of N. sarniensis

The smaller and brightly colored Nerine rosea

cheers

fermi

Fermi, it looks like those red nerine bulbs are at the soil surface !?

Hi Rick,

yes, this clump started with 3 bulbs planted about 10 years ago and as they multiply and "clump up" they tend to push themselves out of the ground. When replanting, the "neck" of the bulb should be left exposed,

cheers

fermi

Oxalis flava (mauve form) does well in our garden without getting out of hand!

cheers

fermi

A few Moraeas.

Moraea tulbagensis x 3.

Moraea villosa

Moraea aristata

Moraea vegata

Moraea atropunctata

Spectacular, Michael.

I never knew there would or could be color on the petal undersides until I spied it in your M. aristata pic.!

Great to see these, guys! I don't fret at all about the ornamental plants I could grow outdoors if I were a  couple of zones warmer, but if i were warm enough for SA etc plants outside, that would be worthwhile ;)

Those Moraeas are zowie, Michael!

Another Oxalis flowering now is reputedly difficult to get to bloom, but it seems to enjoy our climate - a bit too much actuallyas it spreads rapidly underground and really needs to be contained. Ideally it should be grown as a single pot specimen so you can appreciate its palm-like foliage, 

cheers

fermi

The first flower on Moraea polystachya - one of the most prolific and long flowering irids!

cheers

fermi

For the first time I've found some variation amongst the Moraea polystachya seeding themselves around the garden!

This white one opened for the first time on the weekend

and this morning (in the rain) I had a look at a couple of its neighbors - a smaller plant also has white buds and another has a pale exterior to 2 of the 3 falls. In all the years (admitted less than a dozen) of growing these from seed these are the first variations and (so far) only in one small cluster of plants

cheers
fermi

Flowering in our rock garden is the beautiful blue-green Lachenalia viridiflora,

cheers

fermi

The diminutive Lapeirousia montana grown from seed and appearing in a mauve form - 2 years ago a white form with mauve markings flowered but there was no obvious top growth last year and I thought it had died out without setting seed,

cheers

fermi

I love the pastel color, Fermi.  Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, Claire, the second plant flowered with very pale, almost white flowers with mauve markings.

Flowering over the last 2 weeks has been another South African irid, Hesperantha humilis, grown from AGS Seedex

Sadly one of the plants in the first pot appears to be virused as the center is paler and there are stripes in the petals (it's not seedling variation as the two plants are divisions from one corm)

cheers

fermi

Sorry for the virused Hesperantha. What do you do with such plants, discard them?

You really have some nice bulbs!

Trond,

it may not be a virus which kills the plant but it could infect other plants.

I hope to get some seed from it then I'll have to separate it from its companion which is not infected (at this stage!) so it may survive another year till I know which is which! it maybe able to be grown somewhere where it won't harm other plants

cheers

fermi

We have a number of romulea which we grow in pots because of the risk of them being dug up by the cockatoos which dig up corms in the ground of the weedy species which infest the area. This is a nice one I grew from seed from NZAGS, Romulea flava

cheers

fermi

Another little South African bulb in flower now, Lachenalia kliprandensis,

cheers

fermi

This seems a popular thread, i'd better keep posting pics

Romulea sabulosa has brilliant flowers but they only open in bright sunshine and today's weather wasn't conducive to this, but at least one opened to enough to get a pic,

cheers

fermi

S.A. bulbs are very interesting and I wish I had time and space to grow any. Have tried a few but they need more care than I can give them.

Romulea sabulosa is indeed brilliant!

Hi Trond,

I certainly find them interesting as they do well in our climate!

Here are a few more:

Romulea hirta, Romulea flava (yellow form) - this came up as a volunteer in a crocus pot, Moraea macronyx, Hesperantha pauciflora (magenta) and finally another Romulea sabulosa - this one grown from seed from the NZ AGS Seedex,

cheers

fermi

Gladiolus abbreviatus growing in a pot.

Previously known as Homoglossum abbreviatum,

cheers

fermi

I suppose only a true plant geek could love that glad.

Count me in!

[quote=RickR]

I suppose only a true plant geek could love that glad.

Count me in!

[/quote]

Me too Rick ....

I'll let you know if it sets seed, Dave!

The frosts this year have put paid to some of the flowering on some slightly tender things like Pelargonium triste and even Babaina odorata .The initial buds on Babiana pygmaea were also taken but a few have now opened

cheers

fermi

A couple of Lachenalias now in flower:

Lachenalia concordiana

Lachenalia bolusii

Both grown from seed from Silver Hills Seeds many years ago,

cheers

fermi

I had this "catalogued" in my mind as Moraea fugax but it's actually Moraea fugacissima, (syn Galaxia fugacissima)! very different in appearance,

cheers

fermi

A flowering this morning, Gladiolus gracilis grown from seed from Gordon Summerfield, sown 6-6-2010,

cheers

fermi

A better pic of Gladiolus gracilis

Gladiolus tristis opening its first flower

And a couple of lachenalias:

Lachenalia aloides "Green"

Lachenalia mutabilis

cheers

fermi

Geissorhiza ornithogaloides grown from NZAGS Seedex 2010, sown 2011, first flowered 2012,

Also from NZAGS Geissorhiza receievd as G. inflexa but probably Geissorhiza aspera

cheers

fermi

Bulbinella triquetra is a dainty little thing from South Africa

Bulbinella cauda-felis has pink buds opening to white flowers

cheers

fermi

Some more spring flowering South African geophytes:

Babiana cedarbergensis

Moraea bipartita

Geissorhiza tulbaghensis

cheers

fermi

Hesperantha vaginata ssp stanfordiae

The type species has striking black markings but this subspecies or variety is mostly plain yellow.

Previously I posted a pic of what I received as Geissorhiza inflexa but I thought might be G. aspera; now a second, shorter seedling has flowered and it appears to be different - I wonder if this is the true Geissorhiza inflexa? 

when I grew this years ago it was the red form but I seem to remember that it was upright like this one - any comments?

cheers

fermi

Freesia sparrmanii is a dwarf species which is floriferous but sadly unscented; the second pic shows a comparison with a "normal" sized freesia

cheers

fermi

First flower opened today on Gladiolus virescens grown from seed from Gordon Summerfield in 2008!

cheers

fermi

Weird and wonderful, Fermi!

...Claire

Well, Claire, I have been called that before, but I'll presume you're referring to the Gladdie which is one of the "orchid type".

Flowering in the rock garden, where the foliage has been munched off by molluscs​, is Lachenalia splendida,

Moraea spathulata

cheers

fermi

I remember seeing Lachenalia in flower in South Africa many years ago and dreamed of growing some at home.

I have never dared try due to weather conditions and molluscs. Semms your molluscs are very modest, Fermi

Trond,

the molluscs were "dealt with" after they decimated the foliage but before the flowers emerged!      

cheers

fermi

This little gladdie was raised by Greg Boldiston, Longinomus Plants, Romsey, and I bought it a month ago and It's just starting to bloom now.

Gladiolus stellatus is on the endangered list in RSA; the pics were taken this morning and I think the flowers expand more in the sun,

cheers

fermi

[quote=Fermi]

Gladiolus stellatus ... the pics were taken this morning and I think the flowers expand more in the sun,

[/quote]

Yes, they do, but they close up in late afternoon!

Here's a selection of some of the spring flowering Cape bulbs in pots

The purple is Geissorhiza monanthos which I grew from seed from Gordon Summerfield in 2010 which shows a fair bit of variation,

cheers

fermi

You do have a colourful collection to show! I am jealous 

That Gladiolus stellatus is a little sweetie, doesn't look like a Gladiolus.

Do you grow this Gladiolus (forgotten the name) which I pictured in Kenya some years ago?

[quote=Hoy]

Do you grow this Gladiolus (forgotten the name) which I pictured in Kenya some years ago?

[/quote]

Hi Trond,

according to John Grimshaw's blog (http://johngrimshawsgardendiary.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/gladiolus-watsonioides.html) it's Gladiolus watsonioides- not one I've grown but now I'm tempted - and its seed is allowed into Australia!

Here's a sparaxis which used to be known as Strepthanthera  which came up in the garden - possibly from seed tossed out after a clean up in the house!

cheers

fermi

Hesperantha bachmannii is unusual with it's reflexed pure white flowers which open in the late afternoon

but it can appear in other pots from scattered seed, so beware if you don't dead-head it!

cheers

fermi

Lachenalia orchioides var glaucina just coming into flower

cheers

fermi

Geissorhiza radians is quite stunning and satiny in appearance,

cheers

fermi

I had never noticed the satin appearance before, but am always quite taken by the Geissorhiza species anyway.

Radians and monanthos are fabulous!  (As are all the others you all down under grow!)

Rick,

glad you like them. I grow them in pots because they're from seed, they're small and I'm not sure how they'd go in the open garden; probably would be okay in a trough or a raised bed which could be kept dry while the bulbs are dormant during summer.

This is a long, lanky babiana called Babiana spathacea which is from seed from Silverhills Seeds a long time ago and comes in a cream and a white form,

cheers

fermi

Yet another Geissorhiza! This was grown from NZAGS Seedex 2011 as Geissorhiza darlingensis,

The first two pics were taken in the morning as it was opening, the other two later in the day,

cheers

fermi

It's ixia time! This mass of mixed ixias is the result of re-seeding and mixing of a number of species grown from seed.

Growing away from these is a clump of the "blue" ixia which I believe is a hybrid from Ixia viridflora; here is one of its seedlings which hasn't got the dark center of the parent,

cheers

fermi

The eagle-eyed amongst you may've noticed a non-ixia in the front of the middle pic.

This is a gladdie which came up and I have no record of planting it. I posted a pic last year and someone suggested that it's a Gladiolus tristis hybrid,

cheers

fermi

A couple of Ixias grown from SRGC Seedex 2011;

Ixia trifolia

Ixia scillaris

cheers

fermi

I grew this gladdie from NARGS 2007 Seedex as G. permeabilis, but I think it's actually Gladiolus wilsonii; it first flowered in 2010. I've found that it needs lots of water while in growth so I grow it in a tray and try to keep it damp till the seeds are ripe,

cheers

fermi

This Moraea came up as a "volunteer" in a pot of Dichelostemma I got from Garry Reid, a "local" grower of a huge number of geophytes from all over the world.

I think it is Moraea gracilenta: it has a single basal leaf and a long arching spike of flowers with a few opening at a time in late afternoon and closing before dark; usually I only get seed if two plants are in flower and this year only one - so no seed

cheers

fermi