Autumn bulbs

Submitted by Hoy on

Late autumn bulbs are not happy here due to lack of sun - the sun is too low in the sky. But some do well.
My first autumn bulb this year is a Crocus that I, as usual, has lost name of.
But here it is:

I found the name I think! It has to be Crocus kotschyanus cappadocicus.
The second picture is taken this afternoon.

Comments


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 09/12/2010 - 02:41

More autumn bulbs.
This Lilium species is always a nice flowerer in September, growing "wild" in the shrubbery.
Edit: Lilium rosthornii


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 09/12/2010 - 06:01

The next crocus in the row is C. speciosus 'Albus' starting a couple of days later than C. kotchyanus.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 09/12/2010 - 09:30

No sign yet of the Colchicums here - we always look forward to them. 
I haven't found that autumn crocus have naturalized well for me - also, they bloom sooooo late in my yard that it's touch and go with serious snow and frosts!

Your lily looks like Lilium henryi, Hoy.  Does it have warty little protuberances on the inner petals?


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 09/12/2010 - 09:45

Yes, it has long papillae. Thanks, Lori, you put me right even if it is not L. henryi but L. rosthornii which is very similar. The latter flowers 6 weeks later and has a little different color of the petals.


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 09/12/2010 - 19:30

My Lilium rosthornii looks the same.  I like it so much more than L. henryi.  Mine also has the lighter colored edges to the petals.  The first year of bloom, as the bud developed, I thought it was going to be a misidentified lily, as the bud was white.  But as it matured, it turned to orange.  In the pic, the white bud is the youngest.  It just looks larger because it is closest to the camera lens.  The multiple colors are a very nice feature, though.

Colchicum agrippinum has been very floriferous this year. It must have liked our exceptionally dry spring.  Unfortunately with our continued wet September, I can never get a pic of multiple flowers before the rain beats them down.


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 09/13/2010 - 04:58

I had Colchicum agrippinum for several years but not any more.....
The other Colchicums haven't showed themselves yet.


Submitted by Boland on Mon, 09/13/2010 - 11:13

No autumn crocus showing here yet but the first Colchicum autumnale 'Album' are showing in the BG.  I saw C. agrippinum blooming in Ottawa this weekend but no sign from mine yet.


Submitted by Boland on Wed, 09/22/2010 - 14:15

First Colchicum are blooming at last...this is Colchicum autumnale 'Album'..it is often the first and the last to bloom; the flowering season is a good 6 weeks!


Submitted by Mark McD on Wed, 09/22/2010 - 14:34

Very nice Todd, I'm reminded that I don't grow enough Colchicum, only a few sorts here.  One that I received from a friend is Colchicum 'Pink Goblet'.  I don't know if my plant is named correctly, a few web photos show stronger checkering or tessellation than on mine, but in general terms it looks close.  The flowers are wonderfully fragrant.

Rick, I like the strong tessellation on Colchicum agrippinum.


Submitted by Boland on Sat, 09/25/2010 - 12:00

That's a nice unknown Mark....I have several of these pink types but most have floppy stems and are really quite useless.

C. agrippinum is starting for me now.


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 09/25/2010 - 22:58

Great photography, Todd!  (And the plant, too.)


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 09/26/2010 - 17:38

A few colchicums are starting to show here too.  I believe these are all C. autumnale or the hybrid(?) cultivar, 'The Giant'.


Submitted by Boland on Mon, 09/27/2010 - 08:54

'The Giant' is considered a selection or possible hybrid of Colchicum speciosum.  Mine are just breaking the surface.  C.autumnale typically has rather small flowers compared to many colchicums.


Submitted by Hoy on Mon, 09/27/2010 - 14:16

You said it, Todd, floppy they are! With low sun and a couple of heavy rain showers the flowers can't stand by themselves. I have several heaps like this!
Colchicum speciosum 'The Giant' *  and  C. autumnale 'Album' (I think that's the name.) * Correction: 'Lilac Wonder'

Other plants that can't stand by themselves do it another way! Lonicera periclymenum in aspen.


Submitted by Boland on Mon, 09/27/2010 - 16:22

Trond, your floppy pink colchicum is 'Lilac Wonder'...I have that floppy son of a so and so myself..I keep meaning to toss them out!  C. speciosum and its selections always has nice stiff stems and stands well even with wind and rain.  Here are the ones at work.  They should be open tomorrow if we get any sun.


Submitted by Hoy on Tue, 09/28/2010 - 02:56

Todd wrote:

Trond, your floppy pink colchicum is 'Lilac Wonder'...I have that floppy son of a so and so myself..I keep meaning to toss them out!  C. speciosum and its selections always has nice stiff stems and stands well even with wind and rain.  Here are the ones at work.  They should be open tomorrow if we get any sun.

Yes, thanks Todd. When you say I remember the name. I had mixed it with some other plants.


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 09/29/2010 - 12:24

Here are some standing upright!
This is the bluest crocus I've ever seen be it spring flowering or fall flowering. I believe it is Crocus niveus blue form* from Janis Ruksans.
* Certainly not niveus but a form of speciosus.
Anyway, they still are the bluest that I have!


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 09/29/2010 - 12:30

This is Colchicum speciosum, I suppose.


Submitted by Booker on Wed, 09/29/2010 - 13:17

Hi Trond,
I took this image of a lovely stand of Colchicum speciosum in a Midlands garden yesterday before presenting a lecture to the Alpine Garden Society Warwickshire Group last evening.


Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 09/29/2010 - 14:12

Hello Cliff!
A nice bunch! The plants you (and Todd) show however, are not exactly like mine. The colors differ both on the "stem" and the tepals, but maybe it is only different clones. Mine come without a name from friends.


Submitted by Boland on Wed, 09/29/2010 - 16:05

Trond, Cliff's image are the real speciosum...typically rich purple-pink.  Yours is probably some hybrid...and there are many only subtly different.

Here is Colchicum Jarka...another Ruksans purchase.  The slugs did some damage but typically the petals are tipped white.  The second is Crocus nudiflorus.  I expect your C. niveus are actually C. speciosus since niveus is suppose to be white-flowered.


Submitted by Mark McD on Wed, 09/29/2010 - 21:30

Todd wrote:

Trond, Cliff's image are the real speciosum...typically rich purple-pink.  Yours is probably some hybrid...and there are many only subtly different.

Here is Colchicum Jarka...another Ruksans purchase.  The slugs did some damage but typically the petals are tipped white.  The second is Crocus nudiflorus.  I expect your C. niveus are actually C. speciosus since niveus is suppose to be white-flowered.

I checked Janis Ruksan's 2010 bulb catalog, and he does indeed list Crocus niveus BLUE form, which is a surprise to me, as I've only known the pure white and pink-flushed forms of niveus.  Janis writes that the flowers are a light blue lilac, with the golden throat of niveus.  Upon seeing Trond's plants I immediately thought I was seeing C. speciosus, as you pointed out.  Trond, any possibility of a label mixup, because those darker blue veined flowers look just like C. speciosus, they lack the deep egg-yolk yellow center and base of niveus, the color very apparent from the outside of the flower as well.


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 09/30/2010 - 00:23

McDonough wrote:

I checked Janis Ruksan's 2010 bulb catalog, and he does indeed list Crocus niveus BLUE form, which is a surprise to me, as I've only known the pure white and pink-flushed forms of niveus.  Janis writes that the flowers are a light blue lilac, with the golden throat of niveus.  Upon seeing Trond's plants I immediately thought I was seeing C. speciosus, as you pointed out.  Trond, any possibility of a label mixup, because those darker blue veined flowers look just like C. speciosus, they lack the deep egg-yolk yellow center and base of niveus, the color very apparent from the outside of the flower as well.

You are certainly right as usual, Mark, except  that I have no labels to mix! I assumed it was niveus as the only crocus described as blue that I've purchased is the niveus form.
I can't remember planting any speciosus and I thought they were not that blue color anyway!


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 09/30/2010 - 00:31

Todd wrote:

Trond, Cliff's image are the real speciosum...typically rich purple-pink.  Yours is probably some hybrid...and there are many only subtly different.

Here at least two unnamed forms of Colchicum are in "everybody's" garden. They grow and spread well and are often divided and given away so "some hybrid" is good enough!


Submitted by Boland on Thu, 09/30/2010 - 16:54

Looking more carefully at your mystery Colchicum I am of the opinion that one is actually 'The Giant'.  They certainly look like the inside of mine.  That one is among the most popular around here too.


Submitted by Mark McD on Fri, 10/01/2010 - 07:41

I did some research on the blue color forms of Crocus niveus, hoping to find some photos, including the blue one Janis Ruksans sells.  I found pics and discussion on SRGC Forum of three different blue forms of C. niveus (beautiful things they are), including Janis Ruksans' form from Peloponnesus, Greece.

Crocus niveus blue form or Crocus niveus bicolour
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2639.0;attach...
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2639.0;attach...
Discussion:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2639.msg63096#msg63096

more images
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=855.msg21413#msg21413

Janis Ruksans dark form of Crocus niveus from Peloponnesus, Greece (the one he sells in his catalog)
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2725.0;attach...

Other croci Janis photographed in Peloponnesus
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2725.msg63092#msg63092

Another light blue C. niveus:
(Crocus niveus in the Mani Peninsula, southern Peloponnesenear near its upper altitudinal limit)
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=82.0;attach=9...
Discussion:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=82.msg930#msg930


Submitted by Hoy on Fri, 10/01/2010 - 08:00

Thanks, Mark. It is obvious that niveus is completely different from mine!


Submitted by Boland on Sat, 10/02/2010 - 06:29

Four record breaking warm days have made the Coclchicums bloom like crazy.  Waterlily has never been open so early...usually its almost November and it is always the last to bloom...not this year!  I am still waiting for the double autumnale alba and speciosum album to bloom.  Pictured here are Colchicum agrippinum, Colchicum byzantinum, Colchicum The Giant, Colchicum Waterlily and Crocus nudiflorus.


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 10/02/2010 - 07:24

Very nice, Todd. You will still have some warm days to enjoy the blooming but we will have heavy rain and strong wind the next few days. It is the remnants of Igor. I am afraid that my Colchicums ans Croci will be flattened.


Submitted by Mark McD on Fri, 10/08/2010 - 21:22

Nice display Todd, C. nudiflorus is one that I must try sometime... most attractive.

Here are a a couple autumn crocus that appeared and bloomed over the past 2 gorgeous autumn days:

1    C. sativus - lots more buds coming, this is the earliest it has ever flowered.  The scent is wonderful (at close range).
2-3  C. asumaniae - bunching up nicely, sweetly scented.  Second photo with pollen-laden bee.


Submitted by IMYoung on Sat, 10/09/2010 - 03:35

Super crocus, Mark.  The Saffron crocus is C. sativus, though. ;)


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 10/09/2010 - 12:22

Lucky man, Mark! My croci were completely flattened by heavy rain. Even if we have gotten nice weather now they are impossible to revive.


Submitted by Mark McD on Sat, 10/09/2010 - 19:52

IMYoung wrote:

Super crocus, Mark.  The Saffron crocus is C. sativus, though. ;)

Maggi, I must have been in a garlicky state and thinking about Allium sativum ;D


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 10/11/2010 - 19:17

Crocus sativus was looking mighty fine today; a photo while shaded from a bush and a photo backlit from the sun.  I was working on extending a flower bed today, about 15-20' from the Crocus planting, and I could smell this crocus' sweet perfume from that far away!  Sunny and warm today, which helps power perfumed flowers.


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 10/11/2010 - 19:31

Splendid!  So do you actually collect the stamens to dry and use for cooking (re. saffron)?  Looks like you'd have enough there to make it worthwhile.  (It's a moot point here whether this is practical or not, as it's not hardy...  I have tried to grow it.  :()


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 10/11/2010 - 19:45

Skulski wrote:

Splendid!  So do you actually collect the stamens to dry and use for cooking (re. saffron)?  Looks like you'd have enough there to make it worthwhile.  (It's a moot point here whether this is practical or not, as it's not hardy...  I have tried to grow it.  :()

No, I haven't actually collected the stamens & styles, but maybe I should give it a try.  I saw a TV show on the cooking network that explained saffron, showing the flower, and that if you peel it open, inside there is the "saffron part" (instead of saying stamens and styles). 

From wikipedia, a fairly in depth discussion on saffron, very interesting!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron
Here's a quote from it:
"C. sativus thrives in the Mediterranean maquis, the North American chaparral, and like climates where hot, dry summer breezes sweep semi-arid lands. It can nonetheless survive cold winters by tolerating frosts as low as −10 °C (14 °F) and short periods of snow cover."

I think C. sativus is much more winter hardy than 14 °F, as I've had mine for about 8 years.  It is VERY SLOW to get going and increase, but once established it appears to be one of the more reliable of the autumn crocus for this climate.  It is sometimes hard to gauge flower size from photos, but the flowers are relatively huge, similar to the size of C. speciosus but on shorter stems.


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 10/11/2010 - 19:50

Skulski wrote:

So do you actually collect the stamens to dry and use for cooking (re. saffron)?

Oops, I see from the Wiki article that it is not the stamens per se, but the stigmas and styles that make "saffron" (guess I should have just said "saffron parts" too.  ;D)   Indispensible for paella and other dishes.   :)  


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 10/11/2010 - 20:06

I do enjoy saffron-spiced dishes.

Found a map that shows where Saffron is cultivated and produced, seems that in the USA, it is produced in California (no surprise there), but also in Pennsylvania... which isn't terribly far from here, so I guess the New England climate is suitable for it.  With the heat, drought, and total baking it had this summer, it should be very happy.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Saffron_crocus_sativu...


Submitted by Toole on Wed, 03/30/2011 - 01:46

Nice autumnal 19c here today.

Colchicum autumnale alboplenum.

White form of Crocus banaticus.

Raised from NARGS seedex 2007,Colchicum cupanii has sent up another flower.

Cheers Dave.


Submitted by Mark McD on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 15:28

Very nice Dave, the whiteness of the first two remind me of my garden today, after a fresh 6" of snow ;D  For many years I grew a form of Colchicum cupanii; it was one of my favorite little treasures, but sadly it disappeared a few years ago. 


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 00:13

Toole wrote:

Nice autumnal 19c here today.

Cheers Dave.

19C? I would say summer!
Nice flowers ayway.


Submitted by Boland on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 15:09

19 C...I'm lucky to see that in summer let alone autumn.


Submitted by WimB on Fri, 09/09/2011 - 00:21

The first of the autumn bulbs are starting to flower:

Colchicum agrippinum
Colchicum 'Glory of Heemstede'
(= Colchicum 'Conquest')
Colchicum byzantinum
Colchicum bivonae 'Vesta'
Colchicum tenorii
Colchicum bivonae 'Apollo'

and Crocus kotschyanus


Submitted by WimB on Sun, 09/11/2011 - 06:28

And a couple more,

Crocus kotschyanus (some more in flower)
Colchicum autumnale 'Nancy Lindsay'
Colchicum byzantinum 'Album'
Colchicum laetum
Colchicum 'Lilac Wonder'
Colchicum speciosum 'Album'


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 09/11/2011 - 09:21

Wim, I don't know about the "autumn bulbs just beginning" statement: there sure seems to be a lot of them! And they sure are beautiful! 

Especially since you have so many colchicum to compare, can you rate them for flower "stem" strength?  (Is it really a stem, or is it a long perianth tube?)


Submitted by WimB on Sun, 09/11/2011 - 10:41

RickR wrote:

Wim, I don't know about the "autumn bulbs just beginning" statement: there sure seems to be a lot of them!

;D ;D When they start, they all come at once...

RickR wrote:

Especially since you have so many colchicum to compare, can you rate them for flower "stem" strength?  (Is it really a stem, or is it a long perianth tube?)

Rick, it's a perianth tube. They all seem to be quite sturdy...after the flower starts to wither (after a couple of days) they collapse. When there's a lot of rain, the flowers fade a lot quicker. But that's not really a problem, most of the time one bulb gives up to 10 or 15 successive flowers.

We had three days of rain and storm before I took the pictures which are published here and the flowers were already up during those days. As you can see that doesn't influence them a lot.

I wouldn't know how they perform in a very windy place though since most of them are protected from the wind. Maybe it would be best to look for the cultivars/species which flower close to the ground, like C. agrippinum or C. 'Waterlily', when you want to plant them in the open.


Submitted by Michael J Campbell on Sun, 09/11/2011 - 13:47

Zephyranthes candida
Oxalis lobata (perdicaria)?


Submitted by Mark McD on Sun, 09/11/2011 - 20:22

Michael, both are delectable.  Wim, loved all the Colchicum too.


Submitted by Tony Willis on Mon, 09/12/2011 - 08:30

Some cyclamen mirable in flower at the moment


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 09/12/2011 - 19:39

The leaf markings are fantastic on Cyclamen mirable! 

The feather-edged petals aren't too shabby either...


Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 09/12/2011 - 19:45

RickR wrote:

The leaf markings are fantastic on Cyclamen mirable! 

The feather-edged petals aren't too shabby either...

I second that, what an exquisite Cyclamen; I love the overhead view of the lilac pink one.  This reminds me, I had some pretty good "in situ" germination on this species from John Lonsdale seed a couple years back, I'll have to check to see if they're up.


Submitted by WimB on Sun, 09/18/2011 - 07:26

Michael, love the Zephyranthes candida, it's wonderful.
Tony, beautiful Cyclamen.

Here, Crocus goulimyi is flowering.


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 09/18/2011 - 07:29

A slightly different flower shape for a crocus, Wim.

I like it!


Submitted by WimB on Sun, 09/18/2011 - 08:04

RickR wrote:

A slightly different flower shape for a crocus, Wim.

I like it!

Yes, it's more bowl-shaped. It's very nice, indeed.


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 09/19/2011 - 22:50

I couldn't decide which photos to post, so you have to see them all...

    Colchicum agrippinum

Two shots this morning

       

And two shots this afternoon

       


Submitted by Booker on Mon, 09/19/2011 - 23:48

RickR wrote:

I couldn't decide which photos to post, so you have to see them all...

No hardship Rick!!!  :D


Submitted by WimB on Tue, 09/20/2011 - 07:04

RickR wrote:

I couldn't decide which photos to post, so you have to see them all...

     Colchicum agrippinum

Very nice, Rick. Nice group.


Submitted by Mark McD on Tue, 09/20/2011 - 07:56

When I see all these beautiful Colchicum, I wonder why it is that I grow so few of them!


Submitted by Michael J Campbell on Tue, 09/20/2011 - 15:22

(Oxalis melanosticta)  Oxalis purpurea 'Ken Aslet.
Cyrtanthus elatus


Submitted by Michael J Campbell on Tue, 09/20/2011 - 15:27

A few Cyclamen.
Cyclamen Graecum from Angistri . cyclamen soc seed.
Cyclamen hederifolium silver leaf


Submitted by Michael J Campbell on Tue, 09/20/2011 - 15:29

And a few pics from the garden.


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 09/20/2011 - 20:28

Very nice, both of them.  What happened to the pollen (and anthers) on the one Cyrtanthus flower?  It almost looks like you snipped the ends of the stamens...


Submitted by Lori S. on Tue, 09/20/2011 - 21:27

Wow, what exquisite plants, Michael! 
Really nice exhibit of colchicum, Rick - now those I think I could probably grow here!


Submitted by Michael J Campbell on Wed, 09/21/2011 - 02:25

Rick, I snipped them of for cross pollination purposes.  ;D


Submitted by RickR on Wed, 09/21/2011 - 09:10

Lori wrote:

Really nice exhibit of colchicum, Rick - now those I think I could probably grow here!

That group of C. agrippinum (http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=428.msg11424#msg11424 ) is particularly photogenic this year.  Last year I had some bouts of heavy rain just when they were blooming, and I could hardly get even one decent photograph.  I had the opportunity to buy 25 small non-blooming size bulbs in 2008 for a ridiculously cheap price.  Didn't know if they would survive here or not, but who cared?  I tried them all over the garden and in pots, too. The ones in pots, did not do as well and all but one has since succumb.  This, even though my potted materials are winter protected.  At least in my climate, they seem to do fine in rich clay based soil, too, although it does drain fairly well.

And remember the cool foliage on this species as well.  Not every one is so artistic, but they all wave, twist and undulate.

             


Submitted by WimB on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 03:21

Flowering now:

Colchicum 'Lilac Bedder'
Colchicum 'Poseidon'

and Sternbergia greuteriana


Submitted by RickR on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 08:43

I just can't get enough of those white centered lilac colchicums... ;D


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 06:03

RickR wrote:

I just can't get enough of those white centered lilac colchicums... ;D

Neither can my slugs >:(  Almost all mine have damaged flowers thanks to the slugs.


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 09:12

Slugs are funny animals here.  Last season we had a cool temperatures and low rainfall, and LOTS of slugs.  This year, warmer than normal temperatures (but still only two days of 100+F) and extra rainfall, and virtually no slugs!


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 12:34

RickR wrote:

Slugs are funny animals here.  Last season we had a cool temperatures and low rainfall, and LOTS of slugs.   This year, warmer than normal temperatures (but still only two days of 100+F) and extra rainfall, and virtually no slugs!

Boy, I'll say they are!  Honestly, up until this year, I was used to noticing a very few slugs through the season every year (mostly just noticing a slug trail across the stepping stones or one on the bottom of a pot), but in this wet year (at least into August), I cannot believe the number of slugs!!  Seeing them converge every evening on my tufa garden has brought my baser nature to the surface (it is only shallowly concealed at best, I admit  ;D)... I squished 50 (!) of them one night, then 30 the next night, incredibly, and have dispatched many more since then.  Sheesh!  What gives?!?

On a less slimy note ;), here's what is supposed to be Colchicum speciosum 'Ordu'.  Does it look correct?  (It has floppy stems, unfortunately, as you've noted, Rick, for some other Colchicum.)


Submitted by Hoy on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 13:00

Lori wrote:

RickR wrote:

Slugs are funny animals here.  Last season we had a cool temperatures and low rainfall, and LOTS of slugs.   This year, warmer than normal temperatures (but still only two days of 100+F) and extra rainfall, and virtually no slugs!

Boy, I'll say they are!  Honestly, up until this year, I was used to noticing a very few slugs through the season every year (mostly just noticing a slug trail across the stepping stones or one on the bottom of a pot), but in this wet year (at least into August), I cannot believe the number of slugs!!  Seeing them converge every evening on my tufa garden has brought my baser nature to the surface (it is only shallowly concealed at best, I admit  ;D)... I squished 50 (!) of them one night, then 30 the next night, incredibly, and have dispatched many more since then.  Sheesh!  What gives?!?

On a less slimy note ;), here's what is supposed to be Colchicum speciosum 'Ordu'.  Does it look correct?  (It has floppy stems, unfortunately, as you've noted, Rick, for some other Colchicum.)

I can't tell you which Colchicum it is but you have to be satisfied with the collection of slugs you've got ;) A friend of mine tallied about 3000 of the beasts last year but only 1500 so far this year in her garden :o I don't count mine - i just kill them >:(


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 13:24

Hoy wrote:

I can't tell you which Colchicum it is but you have to be satisfied with the collection of slugs you've got ;) A friend of mine tallied about 3000 of the beasts last year but only 1500 so far this year in her garden :o I don't count mine - i just kill them >:(

Yeah, I'm thrilled with it!  Can't you tell?  ;D ;D  I'm just glad I'm not counting them in the thousands!


Submitted by RickR on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 16:46

Lori: even the tufa crumbles you have aren't sharp enough to kill the slugs?


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 19:29

No, I'll have to top dress with razor blades next time...  ;D


Submitted by WimB on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 03:16

Lori wrote:

On a less slimy note ;), here's what is supposed to be Colchicum speciosum 'Ordu'.  Does it look correct?  (It has floppy stems, unfortunately, as you've noted, Rick, for some other Colchicum.)

Looks like a regular C. speciosum to me. I've never heard of a cultivar with the name 'Ordu' before. Where did you obtain it from?


Submitted by Michael J Campbell on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 15:28

Lycoris aurea in the front garden today. We do get a little sunshine occasionally  :)


Submitted by Lori S. on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 20:07

WimB wrote:

Looks like a regular C. speciosum to me. I've never heard of a cultivar with the name 'Ordu' before. Where did you obtain it from?

Google brings up quite a few references to C. speciosum 'Ordu' - though I don't know what distinguishes it from the species, as you say - for example:
http://www.irisbg.com/gardenexpl_o/taxon-15929.aspx

If memory serves, I think I got it from Fraser's Thimble Farm a few years ago - they still list it for 2011:
http://www.thimblefarms.com/bulb.html

Beautiful Lycoris, Michael!  :o :o  What a vibrant colour!


Submitted by RickR on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 20:53

Michael, the lycoris is indeed sunny!  Love the undulating petal edges, too.


Submitted by Tony Willis on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 14:35

WimB wrote:

Lori wrote:

On a less slimy note ;), here's what is supposed to be Colchicum speciosum 'Ordu'.  Does it look correct?  (It has floppy stems, unfortunately, as you've noted, Rick, for some other Colchicum.)

Looks like a regular C. speciosum to me. I've never heard of a cultivar with the name 'Ordu' before. Where did you obtain it from?

Ordu is a small place in NE Turkey, more than likely it originally had a label marked as the collection place which then became a cultivar name. It does look just like an ordinary speciosum which occurs in thousands in that area. It is very nice though!


Submitted by Hoy on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 02:58

I would love to grow more autumn flowering bulbs like Lycoris, but it seems the weather forbid it :(

Usually Norway is self-sustained with 85% of the wheat for human consume but this year no wheat is usable as human food. Also the vegetable and potato harvest is reduced. We have to buy a lot at the world marked. . . .


Submitted by WimB on Sat, 10/01/2011 - 10:18

Biarum davisii is flowering here now  :)


Submitted by Mark McD on Sat, 10/01/2011 - 10:20

WimB wrote:

Biarum davisii is flowering here now  :)

Weird and cool; I like this light color one better than some of the dark ones.  Do the flowers stink?  I think I mentioned before that I tried a bunch of Biarum seed a couple times (some from Mike Salmon) but never had any luck with them.


Submitted by WimB on Sat, 10/01/2011 - 10:51

McDonough wrote:

WimB wrote:

Biarum davisii is flowering here now  :)

Weird and cool; I like this light color one better than some of the dark ones.  Do the flowers stink?  I think I mentioned before that I tried a bunch of Biarum seed a couple times (some from Mike Salmon) but never had any luck with them.

I think it's the most beautiful Biarum...Don't know about the smell, it's growing in the open and I've never put my nose in the flower  ;) but I have Biarum arundanum and Biarum bovei too and those are very smelly  :-X :-X


Submitted by Michael J Campbell on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 15:43

Haemanthus albiflos with 21 flowers,I can't get them all in the pic,


Submitted by RickR on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 18:59

Very well grown, Michael!

I've never seen one before, but from a little googling, yours seems to be a very nice form, too. 

Is it self fertile and thus set the purportedly showy scarlet fruit? 
How old is this plant?


Submitted by Michael J Campbell on Wed, 10/12/2011 - 02:24

Yes it is self fertile and I have lots of seedlings. I can't remember how long I have that plant but it must be at least 12 years.


Submitted by Lori S. on Sun, 10/16/2011 - 09:44

-4 deg C last night - the coldest yet, I think, in what has  been a very mild fall.  Update:  Actually -6 deg C, according to the neighborhood weather station.
Here is a couple of Colchicum 'Waterlily' in bloom:


Submitted by Tony Willis on Tue, 10/18/2011 - 03:41

this has proved to be an autumn bulb for me

Eucharis amazonica


Submitted by Michael J Campbell on Fri, 11/04/2011 - 14:53

Oxalis hirta 'Gothenburg


Submitted by Tony Willis on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 08:31

Some Galanthus peshmenii in flower in Turkey last week


Submitted by RickR on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:48

Tony wrote:

Some Galanthus peshmenii in flower in Turkey last week

They really do grow in clumps in nature...

I admit I am not a collector.  I just grow a regular and double forms of whatever is sold as Galanthus nivalis here in the U.S.  So leaves are already pretty well developed at bloom time.  Would you say G. peshmenii is among species that bloom before leaves are developed (as in the pics) or is this an aberration (or just early in the bloom cycle)?


Submitted by Boland on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 14:38

Stunning snowdrop display...beautiful to see wild ones!


Submitted by Tony Willis on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 15:55

RickR wrote:

Tony wrote:

Some Galanthus peshmenii in flower in Turkey last week

They really do grow in clumps in nature...

I admit I am not a collector.  I just grow a regular and double forms of whatever is sold as Galanthus nivalis here in the U.S.  So leaves are already pretty well developed at bloom time.  Would you say G. peshmenii is among species that bloom before leaves are developed (as in the pics) or is this an aberration (or just early in the bloom cycle)?

Rick

they always bloom before the leaves develop although some do have the leaf tips just showing through. It is the same with G. reginae olgae from Greece


Submitted by Tony Willis on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 15:56

Colchicum variegatum between Kas and Elmali, Turkey


Submitted by AmyO on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 16:19

Really gorgeous Cyclamen plants! :-* I esp. love the one growing out of the hole in the rock! I have one plant of C. cilicium indoors under lights and it is just now sending up new leaves. These are the most interesting leaves I have seen on the Cyclamen I've grown so far.
I'm really enjoying growing all Cyclamen from seed...it's fun to see what leaf patterns will emerge. ;D


Submitted by Tony Willis on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 16:20

Cyclamen cilicium growing near Akseki,Turkey

Amy's message was posted whilst I was correcting a typing error which is why it appears before my cyclamen post.


Submitted by AmyO on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 16:24

Tony wrote:

Cyclamen cilicium growing near Akseki,Turkey

Amy's message was posted whilst I was correcting a typing error which is why it appears before my cyclamen post.

thanks for that explanation Tony....I thought something went wonky and my comment didn't go through.  ;D


Submitted by RickR on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 19:12

Such pristine and clean colors!

What kind of pine drops those needles?


Submitted by Tony Willis on Thu, 11/17/2011 - 02:08

RickR wrote:

Such pristine and clean colors!

What kind of pine drops those needles?

I understand it is Pinus halepensis


Submitted by Howey on Tue, 11/29/2011 - 04:56

Not the greatest pic I know but it was quite heartwarming to see the flower buds form on this "winter flowering" Cyrtanthus mackenii at the same time as the winter flowering Jasmines - indoors of course.  Love that yellow color.  Fran