Show us your Summer Bulbs & Discussion Part 3

Janet, do you grow alstros in the ground as perennials?

These are in the old metal babies bath tubs and stay there no cover, one is stood on bricks over an inspection cover. the other on a small concrete slab patio area.

The second one I've had 8 years and it's only got 3 stems on now, but I took a piece off and have grown it in another largish pot and put it in the garage under a window over winter, it's slow to increase but too nice to lose. The pic is of the one I took off.

This is the other, I needed to top up the compost but it didn't get done, it's still about the same size at least.

Plant Delights has some alstroemerias that are hardy to zone 5b (my zone). I might have to try one.

http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Spring/page6.html

A Freedom looks nice, they are taller but that doesn't matter.

http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Spring/Detail/04159.html

This plant had not come up two weeks ago, now it suprises me. It seems 'Thai Beauty' is getting popular.

It seems X. 'Lime Zinger' is popular as well this year. Here it is used in a foliage planting at Missouri Botanical Gardens.

I would have liked to have met the designer. Simple but it betrays a knowledge of the plant's real colors.
Canna 'Spitfire' as background.

Great show K, say that Caladium Thai Beauty is a real 'beauty'! Mine are just showing leaves starting to open.

Oh James, thanks for posting the pics. I wanted to visit there this summer, but ended up staying home digging in the dirt. Still time, only 4 hours from me..... My Thai Beauty also took a long time to emerge, I vow to start them earlier next year (holding right hand up)... I bought a Lime zinger last year and wintered it and a fern in the pot in my basement, I think it will need a bigger pot next year. I have it in more sun this year and I think it likes it better... I see MBG had it in what looks like full sun.

Who was it in this forum who is a fanatic for Tropical pots?

More at MoBot.
'Gingerland' Well used.

Pot grouping.

I DO love Gingerland, nice basket. I was on the porch the other day thinking, okay, I need to cut back on caladiums, but I really can't even pick a favorite, I love them all. James, whadda ya do with your nanner in the winter?

My Bananas? (I forgot to mention that the last picture was at MoBot.)
Any kind that can survive the winter stays outdoors. Tender ones with large leaves I cut most leaves off and let them slowly grow, semi-dormant inside. Small ones I keep in the sunniest spot in a wondowsill and enjoy as a houseplant. I'd like to try the digging-up, wrapping, and and storing method this winter.
It is indeed hard to give up plants for lack of room. But sometimes necessary!
Kenton

I dug a green/maroon one (name escapes me) year before last, it didn't come back as big as the year before, but I encourage you to try it. What zone are you in? btw- Kenton, sorry bout the James, (your user name). I did post to Dave's Garden Community, under Dave's Garden forum to start an Aroid forum... no posts, yet. Maybe I AM the only one interested!

Aroids are great, but pretty seasonal. They are also broken up in to other categories already filled: Bulbs, vines, tropicals, wildflowers, pond plants...
Freak zone 7a.
I had not occured to me that my name written (Kenton) will not confuse folks like it does when spoken. I ought to be known as James outside of DG...
Maroon one? Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelli?' Of with stripes of maroon: M. zebrina/ sumatrana 'Rojo?'

Glad. 'Flevo Kosmic' looks exactly like what was sold as 'Laguna:'

Crocosmia 'Lucifer'

Rain lily - Zephyranthes

Dahlia

That reminds me! Hardy Glad.......I don't know what cultivar. Wasn't marked.

Jmorth I love your rain lily and dahlia! I really want to plant dahlias next year, just hate to have to dig them up!

hydrangea80,
The pictured dahlia specimen is in a pot; maybe you could try it that way. Of coarse somewhere down the line you'll have to de-pot em. I think I've got 8 containers dedicated to dahlias this summer; and, 6 tubers in the ground.

Orange glad with blackberry lily.

Sandersonia

orange glad detail

Nice JM, somehow that Gloriosa really sets things off well. And you have a very floriferous blackberry lily.
'Scheherezade'

Here's one of my better gloriosa creations -

I'm loving these glads.

k, in your pic of Scherezade I'm seeing Black Beauty, it must have that in the breeding?

jmorth, that gloriosa creation is too good, how many different ones in there? It looks like a large hanging basket, what are they climbing on?

Isn't 'Black Beauty' one of the parents of 'Scheherezade?' Someone in Lilies would know.
Looks like regular trellis- Glorious.

http://www.lilyregister.com/register/details.htm?id=7642

Here is a late blooming allium. Some of you may have seen my posting of this on the lily forum.

What is it's name? Is it really as blue?

Is that caeruleum? I planted them throughout my beds in the fall of '04
and enjoyed them last year. Very few came back this year.
Tam

Not as blue as A. caeruleum which I have grown in the past. It is just a bit lighter than as shown, more of a purple-lavender. I believe it is A. nutans but not positive. I grew it from seed purchased from Cascade Bulb and Seed, which unfortunately no longer carries allium seeds.

wallaby1,
in response to your query: there's 3 large and 1 small tuber in a 15" pot, the support is as JamesCo surmised, a metal trellis...a couple of thin bamboo rods add a degree of stability to complete the support system.
Herewith, another view -

Fancy.

Kenton James, I like it.. stay w/Kenton. I had zebrina (from post last week, no web time over the weekend) that I wintered over. The one in the amorph pic was supposed to be Ensete Maurelli, from seed. I had fun with both. I planted Flevo Kosmic and Luguna... I think one is supposed to be taller than the other. One has bloomed for me but small and not nearly as brilliant as the pictures I saw. Still was a cute as a miniature :) I'm hoping the other is different... will post pics later...

Gladiolas --

In April, my DH was missing his Mom who always grew glads, in Florida or course. So he bought a bunch of glad bulbs and asked me to plant them out. He was soooo happy this weekend when they bloomed, and I was very surprised to see them do anything at all since they have had so little moisture this year. It is wonderful to make someone else that happy with so little effort.

I goofed up and missed the photo oportunity for G. 'Laguna,' AuntB, so I will be interested to hear your impressions. Quality of bulb can determine height, too.
I think you have a regular Ensete ventricosun. I've grown a bunch from seed; they are starting to look good now.

here's a pretty: blood lily

Oh, vossner! Tell about this blood lily.... please. Planted one this year, and I don't know what to expect. . . . It's been growing and is about a foot tall. Do they bloom before the foliage appears? Or is there foliage die back and then the bloom? I'll need to winterize mine inside, any ideas on how to do this?