Summer Bulbs - Pictures and Discussion - Part I

Down the throat

That is spectacular, wallaby! I have just spent a total of 5 hours in 2 days squishing lily beetles and their disgusting larvae by hand. Thought I got em all yesterday but todays were just smaller. Guess it's time for the neem oil. Yuck. Anyone else having a war?

It was in the 60s last week but today is in the 90s. Not nice behavior for June weather in New England. Usually not hot till August.

That is so cool!

Once a year excitement!

I have had 79 (+/-) lily beetles, none today, found 1 yesterday. the first flush I was getting several a day, mostly pairs and a spare, it started when we had a hot spell and slowed down, then you get a few more when you think they are gone. I have had very few hatch out, I did find some but I brole the leaf off and put my foot on them. Only about 3 or 4 lots of eggs, I look under the leaves near the top is where they mostly lay them, but don't bank on it. If you see a thin patch in the leaf, they strip the back when first hatched out.

boojum, yuk! By hand? They cover themselves in their excrement! brave soul.

How about a 'queen of the greenhouse' shot?

Kenton, It looks like I'm about 2 weeks behind you with the Lollipop.
Opened this morning.
Andy P

Janet, that is so amazing! Looks like velvet. What are the size dimensions of that bloom?

A bit too early for lilies yet (alas not for the lily beetles... I was pretty squeamish about squashing the adults with my fingers at first, but that didn't last long!).

I'm enjoying my eucomis, dahlias and alliums at the moment.

Eucomis bicolor flowers

OOOOHHHHHHH, That I like.
Andy P

Dahlia Ellen Houston, with gorgeous orange blooms and bronze foliage

Allium christophii

Kniphofia, I have a couple bronze leaved Dahlias too. Love them. They are not blooming yet.
That Allium looks dangerous, so spiky, lol.
Andy P

Kniphofia - could you post a pic with the full plant? That flower is just out of this world.

Its so hot my lilies are opening like crazy! I took a bunch of pictures and will post later.
I even did a few "from the ground" type shots like Andy's posted this spring. Will see
if any turns out.

Tam, who is wilting in the heat! could someone aim a sprinkler my way?

I think we all got a bit inspired by Andy's bug's-eye view shots. Those 'Lollypop' are prolific, eh?
Wallaby, supreme Queen indeed, I like how one can see the ruffled edges in that last shot.
That Eucomis begs to be edible. I take it your Dahlias are potted, Kniphie?

Kenton, who doesn't need to know what lily beetles are.

Neal I haven't measured it, but last year the spadix was 20" long I think. It does look just like velvet with a glisten to it, even though it doesn't last long it's a lot of fun! It's drooping now, probably will be going soggy tomorrow.

kniphofia you Eucomis is early, mine haven't been out of the ground for long. Do you grow yours in the ground? I do have some other types in the greenhouse which are a bit further on, but no flowers.

Tammy we have had some warmish weather too, a little cooler now, my first lilies are close to opening. It's a bit sudden after having so much cold weather isn't it!

For the benefit of those who may not have seen it, my Calla Gem Lavender has 3 leaf spathes now, this is the first of them.....there is a total of 8 spathes so far made, this one is a different colour to the first three but on the same plant.

Heavens, I'm happy to inspire you all, LOL.
My new rule of thumb is "If the subject faces down, try the Bugs Eye View".

The shots I snapped this morning had the colors all wrong, must have been the light.
I tried again this evening, much better.
Here is the Lollipop again.
Andy P

Wallaby - love that calla. And you & Andy have a nice color-echo combo there! LOL

I got my pictures... and I'm gonna post 'em. I don't have names for many so feel free to
contribute if you know them.

First - my bugs eye view of a nice lily. Is it golden elegance?

Another shot of same lily

Grand Cru

And an accidental color echo of my own...

and I haven't a name for this little guy...

Last lily - the color isn't quite right though. Just a tad off

And I almost missed the iris ensata blooms

I just love Eucomis. I grow them in pots, I might try them in the ground sometime but of course they aren't hardy here in Maine. I overwinter mine indoors.

Here's a pic of one of my pots.

And the flowerhead.

How cool can a plant be! Thank you for sharing it
Tam

For those of you that don't often venture into the Lily forum, I'd like to share this pic of a fasciated lily in full bloom.

This message was edited Jun 18, 2006 9:52 PM

Here is Ismene, 'Sulphur Queen', also known as Spider Lily, Peruvian Daffodil & Sea Daffodil.

It is a tender bulb that will only grow outdoors when temperatures are above 55-65 degrees. They need to be stored indoors for the Winter.

The lily show gets better every day! I recieved this one last year in a trade. I believe it's an LA hybrid.

Fata Morgana opened her first bloom today.

Amazing pic of the fasciated lily, they do seem to be susceptible to that.

I don't think it's faciated, just extra robust. The stems don't have that wide, flat, sort of deformed look you see in faciated ones. It's in it's 3rd year, and I think they're just really happy. There's another in the clump that has that many buds too. Can't wait to see a bunch open, it'll be almost blinding!

Moby, thanks for bringing your fasciated lily over here for us to view, it is amazing! I do occcasionally pop in there, and was watching a thread on fasc. lillies, i see most of them break under the weight. I haven't had one, but do have an asiatic with 22 buds on.

Have you counted them? Further, I would love to know what it's name is, I love the green throat and cream/green stripes.

Neal I am impressed with Fata Morgana.

kniphofia, you have done well to get flowers this early on your Eucomis bicolor even in pots, I checked my pic from last year and it was September!

Tammy, your little guy should have a name, he is a cracker!

Shirley, my Ismene Sulpur Queen is just opening, barely out of the bulb and with hardly any leaf, it's in the greenhouse but the white one never came this early. I hope mine looks as good as yours! Great front shot.

Kenton, should I name my Drac. Queen Elizabeth 111? The ruffs remind me of the ones Q E 1st had around her neck.

Andy, how strange that we were sending colour echoes at the same time!

I have taken shots of my Eremurus Tropical Dream, post later.

For now, my dahlia imperialis has reached 5 feet!



This message was edited Jun 19, 2006 1:23 PM

knifofia, I had missed Moby's amazing pic (duh) and thought you were talking about my yellow double. My goodness that is incredible! And I'm curious about the variety too, it's coloring is lovely.

I'm loving my Eremerus 'Spring Valley hybrids'

Fata Morgana is sweet. I think I bought/planted a bulb of that but it never came up. I can only hope it shows up next year. Ugh, Mother Nature trying (again) to make a patient gardener out of me.

great pics everybody

Tammy, your lily might be Cancun.

The fasciated lily is Rosario and it put out 2 of these stems, with about 50 buds each. Here is a pic of a single bloom ~

educated me pls. is fasciated good or bad thing? or just freak of nature thing?

Rosario, ahh, I haven't come across that one, so lovely...

voss, the stem goes flat and broad, and the lily makes much too many flowers for it to take the weight, and they mostly break so no flowers. to get 2 stems with 50 flowers each is a miracle!

True ~ but you didn't see this bulb! It was the size of a cantalope. This one bulb put out the 2 fasciated stems plus 4 normal ones.

Voss, it's just a freak, not a bad thing like disease and will most likely be normal next year.

Crikey! What did you feed it?

Eremurus Tropical Dream