bulbs for zone 9?

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to DG and thrilled to find everyone so friendly. Can anyone recommend good bulbs for zone 9(b) besides walking iris and amaryllis? BTW, has anyone grown amaryllis from seed?

Thanks a lot,

Chops

I've grown them from seed, although I am an amateur and have learned from trial and error. Do you have a particular question?

Is it worth the trouble? How long before they bloomed?

Acidenthera
Caladium
Tigridia
Watsonia
Gladiolus
Nerine
Agapanthus
Cannas
Callas
Elephant Ears
Daylilies
Bearded Iris
Ranunculus

Assuming you have a winter season where they'd need to be inside without strong light, I'd say 2-3 years. I can imagine them being quicker in zones where they can live outside all year or in an indoor area with good direct light. Interestingly, I've found offsets from existing bulbs, left to grow aside the main bulb, bloom faster, within 1-2 years.

Whether it's worth it depends on how patient you are and what you like in a plant. I don't mind the growing tiny bulbs as a very plain plant, and at $5-$10 a bulb it's definitely worth it relative to other plants that don't reproduce plants of that value. The only thing is, there is little relationship (as far as I can tell) between the ones grown from seed and the parents, whereas the offsets from existing bulbs are always the same as the parent. If you want to grow a few bulbs at home, I'd look at a variety that frequently offsets, like Red Lion.

Also, if you want to grow from seed I would suggest buying seeds from someone else so that your own plants don't have to form pods.

If you just want a lot of bulbs without a lot of expense, the best strategy in my experience is just to wait until the week after Christmas and buy them up on clearance. Hope this helps.

Freesias, as long as you have good drainage. And they smell SO good!!

Take a look also at the 'Easy to Grow Bulbs' website--they have a wide selection of bulbs expecially for zone 8 and 9 and some very good customer service and information on what will work, too...

http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/

(I am not associated with them, but I have purchased from them and they have excellent products...)

If all else fails, listen to Bleek. LOL He knows a lot about bulbs (and other things).

Poo! I also meant to say, I could likely part with some of his suggested bulbs if you are interested.

This message was edited Jul 9, 2005 4:05 PM

Badseed,

Wow! I can't believe how friendly people are here. Can we change your name to "Goodseed"? I'd love some of the bulbs to try if you do have some, just let me know where to send funds to pay for shipping.

Chops

Just be careful with the South African bulbs. I think your area gets some rain in the summer, and they need to be dry then (like Freesia). Does anyone know if Zephyranthes does well in Florida? Bleek's list looks pretty good.

Needing a relatively dry summer dormancy true for many spring and winter growing bulbs but there are summer growers that fair very well even in our wet climate that hail from many places including S. Africa.

Here's a link to Dave Fenwick's site, he has several National Collections (a scheme we have in the UK) of bulbs http://www.theafricangarden.com/

Baa--thanks for 'the African Garden' link. What a wonderful site and lots of great (exotic) ideas for my new sun garden! t.

Thanks to tabasco and baa for the links. I have already ordered bulbs from Easy to grow and am now off to check out the african garden.....................

Chops


(Baa, my maiden name was lamb. I love your screen name!)

Some fun ones to try are voodoo lilies ... members of the genus amorphophallus ...Some have amazing large plants which go dormant during a cold or dry period and at the start of the next growth season will send up a giant flower... and yeah it stinks but is very cool .

Chris

Thanks Chops :) Baa is a nickname from before DG.

At the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden there is an Amorphophallus titanum getting ready to bloom. Take a look at http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/ for more info.

Cool! Thanks pekasky. Is that the same as the voodoo lily mentioned above?

Yes, voodoo lily is the common name for the genus Amorphophallus. There are several species in this genus and they're all called voodoo lilies.

i want a voodoo lily so bad!

i am a 9b too, and i grow caladiums, gladioluses, belladonna lilies, and elephant ears, and cyclamen

Andidandi........ Getting back to the amaryllis seeds.....I grow a lot from my seeds...and am looking forward to seeing what the amaryllis turn into. If one has the time and inclination and doesnt mind a long term agenda, sometimes you get lucky and get an exceptional plant which hopefully after a few more years can get some viable bulbs. But this task isnt for the weak of heart..haha

I've gotten lazy here recently so don't put much effort into the seed germination process. I just get a few cheap aluminum pans, fill about 1/3 with Perlite, soak it, then scatter the seeds over the top and cover with some saran wrap. A week or so later they start to sprout at different intervals. I generally give it about a wk or 10 days and then put the sprouted ones in the dirt and pitch the rest. Then just have to sit back and wait.

I put a pic of some of my seedlings.

JIM

Zephyranthes does well in zone 9 Florida. Other nice smaller bulbs include Galanthus nivialis, Ipheion uniflorum and lapeirousia laxa.

grnthmbr -

Thanks for sharing your method. In the past, what I have done is place them in a ziplock bag lined with a paper towel. Then I put the seeds on the outside of the towel. I put the seeds between the towel and bag so that I can watch them grow, and over time the towel breaks down. Then I water and put the closed bag on the windowsill. I add a weak fertilizer every once in a while. You can also do this with a jar. In fact, this reminds me that I still have some seeds to start.

I have an amorphophallus araceae (snake palm). It hasn't flowered yet but it is starting lots of babies. I sure hope it flowers before it gets too cold since it'll have to come in for the winter. I once had a vodoo lily bloom in the house and we thought the cat brought a dead animal in the house. I'm told the snake palm smells bad also. Anyone else grow this one? How long before it flowers? How tall does it get? I saw one in the nursery that was 4 foot tall.

http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week084.shtml