Thanks for the links. Had never heard of the false freesia. Do they have a scent similar to real freesia?
What bulbs (if any) don't have to be lifted to rebloom
Be careful with the oxalis. I had it in the garden in the UK when we moved in and never managed to get rid of it in 12 years. It turned up every where! I don't think it self seeded because I hoofed it every time I saw it, so I suspect that small bulblets had been in the soil and continued to develop and then when thay got big enough up they came. It breaks off easily rather than pulling up so it probably leaves bits of root about.
Pville how is that amaryllis doing? My Paperwhites have been in flower for several days now but the Amaryllis is still way off, though it is growing, should be about Xmas when it blooms I think.
This message was edited Nov 29, 2004 9:23 AM
morning okus....it's just the opposite here. The first flower shoot on my amaryllis has bloomed and is now spent. The second flower shoot on the same bulb is just now opening. In fact I may pick up another one or 2 today so I can start over and have them for Christmas.DH's paperwhites are going much slower. He planted 4 bulbs in the same pot. One has several tall shoots but no blooms yet. 2 more have very short (couple of inches maybe) shoots, and the 4th one doesn' t look like it is going to do anything at all.
My 4 paperwhites are in the same pot too - they are using a lot of water though. They don't actually need the soil at all its just for stability. That is just as well as the roots pusshed the bulbs up and out of the dirt anyway!
dstartz, the Oxalis regnellii with lavenderish blooms that I have has performed super dooper with some morning sun and afternoon shade and in filtered shade under an oak tree. It has never gone dormant. Have yours? I'll have to try the 'Alba'. I have been interspersing more bulbs in my beds the past year.
okus, I have only 2 that appear to have come up from seed in 20 years and they were very far from the mother plant. But, upon thinking about it, the bulbets may have been in the dirt that I moved from one location to another ... hmmm. I keep my pink oxalis in 2 small areas surrounding the bases oak trees. Gregg's mistflower, stonecrop and black-eyed Susan vine provide interest when the pink oxalis go somewhat dormant in one area. The other area is planted with plumago. I trim it back to the ground about now whether or not it has been hit by a freeze as the oxalis reemerge. It has not been invasive, but I imagine if I wanted to dig them up and replant the beds that some of the bulbets would remain in the soil and come up later making it difficult to remove them from among other plants.
PvillePlanter, I had never heard of nor seen false fressia until I found the plants at my favorite local nursery last year. I fell in love with the color of the blooms and I needed some small growing bulbs. The plants (native to Africa) themselves grow from 6 to 12 inches tall (usually 8 to 9 inches) with linear basal leaves which are about 10-30 cm long and 3-6 mm wide. The one inch blooms which open flat are held above the foliage on 10-12 inch racemes which bear 10-12 blooms each. They grow best in partial sun (morning sun and afternoon shade) and die back in the summer. I am so glad you mentioned them because there are varieties with colors different than the corally red one that I have. I want every color ... but they are difficult to find and expensive. I guess I am going to have to order them from an Interenet source. Here is another photo of the one I have with its unique color which is difficult to capture accurately:
http://www.theafricangarden.com/freesialaxa.jpg
Here are some of the other colors:
Freesia laxa 'Alba' white with very pale blotches on the lower petals
http://www.theafricangarden.com/freesialaxaalba.jpg
Freesia laxa 'Joan Evans'
http://www.theafricangarden.com/freesialaxajoanevans.jpg
Freesia laxa 'Rainbow Hybrid' pale pink
http://www.theafricangarden.com/freesialaxarainbowhybrid-palepink.jpg
Freesia laxa 'Rainbow Hybrid' white
http://www.theafricangarden.com/freesialaxarainbowhybrid-white.jpg
Freesia laxa 'Sunset Boulevard' pink
http://www.theafricangarden.com/freesialaxasunsetboulevard.jpg
Freesia laxa 'Star of David'
http://www.theafricangarden.com/freesialaxastarofdavid.jpg
Freesia laxa x grandiflora 'Naticoke' purple
http://www.theafricangarden.com/freesialaxaxgrandifloranaticoke.jpg
Freesia (laxa x grandiflora) x laxa 'Plum Scrumptious' (Bred by David Fenwick)
http://www.theafricangarden.com/freesiaplumscrumptious.jpg
They call this one blue, but it looks like violet to me
http://www.thebulbman.com/Bulb%20Photos/Freesia/Freesia%20laxa%20blue.jpg
Red
http://www.anniesannuals.com/signs/a/Anomatheca_laxa.htm
Blue
http://nature.jardin.free.fr/bulbe/ft_freesia_laxa.html
dstartz, you are just so wonderful! Thanks. How did the red salvia do that I gave you?
PvillePlanter not at Dave's? Oh, no ... I was enjoyng her input and she is the one who requested this forum I think.
This message was edited Nov 30, 2004 12:43 PM
Nancy got kicked? Dangit! The first person I suggest subscribing to (that actually came) only lasted a few months. Maybe my view of who would fit in here is not so great afterall. I do think she was misunderstood, but, hey, it's not my website.
I am jealous Donna! You were able to be on the receiving end of Hazel's knowledge in person? What a great experience. :)
Donna, thanks. The lavender one is the persian violet. Mine has quit blooming now.
sweezel, thanks for your comments. Meeting Donna was a great occasion for me. We had a wonderful visit in the short time that we had. I think I learned a lot more from her than she did from me! :o)
bulbs/rhizomes I have tried:
failures:
peacock orchids(slowly disappearing)
crocus(croaked after first year)
angelique tulips(really expensive mistake)
hyacinth(slowly disappeared)
successes:
muscari
Spanish bluebells
tuberose
agapanthus
rain lilies(all kinds)
italian gladiolas
shamrocks
japanese anemone(mine even stay evergreen)
peonies
calla lilies
lily of the valley
bleeding heart varieties(dicentras)
codonopsis
and waiting to see how my regular gladiolas come back from last spring's planting.
-T
This message was edited Dec 29, 2004 6:07 PM