Fall-flowering bulbs

WOW!!!

Hi soilsandup,

Wow! your Nerine is stunning!! In Japan, we can't grow them
in the ground because of too much rain in the summer. The bulbs
go rotten in the ground so I'm keeping them in the pot. I also grow
my Haemanthus in the pot to protect from the frost and rainy season.
The minimum temperature required for over winter is about 35F.

Thanks everyone. The arrangements last for at least 5-6 days. The only drawback is that they do not seem to multiply in my garden. I have collected some seeds, but they did not germinate. I lose maybe one or two a year (not sure if it is due to freezing or rot), so I buy a few bulbs every three years or so.

Goldenfish - we get about 3-4 days each year here that goes below 32F, but they seem to survive OK. . Have you ever tried using your Haemanthus as a cut flower?

They are too nice to cut! lol

Crocus medius

Crocus medius taken today. You can't tell from the photo but they are 3-4 in high. Planted Sept 14 this is their first year in my garden. According to John E Bryan they were introduced in 1843 from the S France. Since C. vernus doesn't like my warm winter climate, I am experimenting with several of the species from around the Mediterranean like C. ancyrensis, C. olivieri and C. minimus. I hope to find some that will be happy enough to naturalize.

Chris

Nice ones!

Chris, thanks for posting that wonderful fall crocus. It sent me off to look for others. I found this great site. Probably known to many of you, but I didn't know about it until now. Is anyone here a member of this? I am a member of the Daffodil society, but I think this might be worth while too. Patti

http://www.bulbsociety.org/GALLERY_OF_THE_WORLDS_BULBS/GRAPHICS/Crocus/Crocuslist.shtml

My last Crocus (outside) were in full bloom today...C. speciosus. It was 17 C today! A record warm and the crocus loved it!

Todd, not only are they beautiful, but the photo itself is stunning. The contrast with the fall leaves, and the way the color is echoed in the stamens...Lovely! Can ya tell judging the photo contest has altered the way I'm seeing pics? LOL

Chris, great work you're doing trialing bulb species. Will you publish your findings? I would think the Extension service or Horticultural research facility (a University) would be interested.

I'm gobsmacked by Crocus medius, so much so I googled it and found an interesting article. I have always read that autumn crocus are Colchicum and not true crocus, but some crocus do flower in autumn! Chris, considering this article and what it implies I'm wondering where you got yours from.

http://www.thealpinehouse.fsnet.co.uk/crocus%20pages/Crocus%20Group.htm

Todd, you have no right having those temps when we were struggling to get 4C today!

I second the kudo to Todd's picture of c. speciosus. I am just learning photography and I would be overwhelmed to come up with a picture so detailed and so magnificent in color. I gather you didn't enter it in the contest? Be sure to put it in next year. It is outstanding.

Thank you, everyone, for the comments and links on Crocus medius.

Wallaby: Very interesting article by David Stephens. Of course, I only know that my supplier was Brent and Becky 's Bulbs. They guarantee nursery propagation (as opposed to collection in the wild) , but as to the original source of their supplier, I have no idea. All I can say at this time is mine are not yet 25 cm tall like the ones he found in Italy.

btw I found that D Stephens in Surrey is still one of the 4 holders of the NCCPG collections of crocus. I noticed that in the 2008 NCCPG directory there is another crocus collection holder, Mr A Goode in Norwich, Norfolk, who has over 100 types.

gemini_sage: I will try to share what I learn. Not sure where, but I might start out by writing an article and submitting it to the Dave's Garden weekly articles. I've still got my 6 yrs of research on my hyacinth collection to write up, but instead of writing I just keep planting. lol

Chris

Yes, an article here is an excellent idea!

This Allium is very very small as Crocus.
"Allium virgunculae"

closer shot

Stunning allium :)

goldfish, wonderful posting, I just read a nice Todd Boland and others discussion about this allium and a similar one in. Thanks for the few. Patti

http://www.srgc.org.uk/discus/messages/139/21713.html

That is a fantastic allium, goldenfish!
And nice link, Patti.

So goldenfish, does yours plant have dotted foliage?

Thank you Leftwood and Patti,

I've never knew A. virgunculae has small white dots on the foliage.
Mine desn't have dotted foliage and it is about 10 cm tall.
Thank you for nice imformation!

I still have Cyclamen hederifolium in bloom! We've had winter temperatures 5-7C with frost to around -6C, been milder for a few days now.

Lovely Allium!

I still have hederifolium open too.....dropped to -2 C last night but suppose to be 10-13 C for the next week.

Last October I bought 2 Cyclamen hederifolium subsp.hederifolium 'Silver Leaf Pink Strain' from a Dutch specialist grower.
This is the first ; the leafs are entirely silver with subtle drawings, I also find the colour special, the pink has a kind of mauve hue in it. It has been blooming all this time and is still making flowerbuds.

The other one has its leafs more rounded and is less generous with its flowers, the flowers are also a bit darker;

close-up of the flower of the last one;

Flowers of the first one;

Very nice. I like their containers too. Are those small hypertufa?
I have a small c. gracilis in a small hypertufa pot. Its finally blooming
(in the greenhouse).

Ah, I agree with Tammy- both cylcamen and container are wonderful! What a great way to display and showcase tiny treasures, as well as enabling you to provide any specific growing requirements. I've been concerned with planting out my little C.coum seedlings that could easily get lost in my jungle (I originally mis-typed 'jumble', but that works too, lol). I just may have to run with that idea!

Thanks Tammy and Gemini for your compliments! :-)

No Tammy the containers are not in hypertufa; these are normal stone pots I've given a 'treatment' with concrete. I make the surface on purpose rough so that mosses and algies get a good 'foothold' and they quickly attain that so much loved weathered natural look, these ones were very recently made so have no mosses yet. I very rarely buy new pots, I just collect them from cast-aways in container parks, or buy them for almost nothing in second hand shops, I don't care if they're damaged or looking ugly as they easily can be 'repaired' or made 'handsome-looking' with the concrete. Recently I bought a lot new ones at half the price from a shop that had a big sale-out, but I usually don't like new ones, they look too neat to my taste and distract from the real star which is the plant, so they get the same treatment as old ones, lol!
I've also collected some cast-away damaged stone street pipes, in that way you also make tall containers..
A plus-point is that they are better frost resistant!


I know what you mean Gemini with small treasures getting lost when planted in the jungle or jumble of the garden, I've lost many that way too!

Those silver hederifolium are exquisite! They would look so nice next to my silver-leaf coums! LOL!

LOL Todd! Would you like some seeds? :-)

I was having Cyclamen envy and today I went out to see if mine were stirring. Yesm They have buds and seem to have expanded a bit. But they are struggling. Tiny. But I am pleased that they are returning for a third year. Patti

I never turn down cyclamen seed! BTW, the coum you sent are finally sprouting.....slow little creatures!

Wow, that really took a long time Todd, but I'm glad they finally showed up.
It's noted down that you'll never turn down Cyclamen seed, lol!

Patti what type of Cyclamen do you have and why are they struggling?

I have always had a hard time fighting of the temptation to buy Cyclamen, at least the small flowered types, they are treasures even without flowers, the leaves being so beautiful too.

These are two more unnamed ones I bought beginning of September and they're not planning to stop making new flowerbuds!

And this was another one with special flowers, like purple-red flames. The colour is actually richer and deeper than the camera can capture.

Our florist shops never get any of these with such nice markings on the leaves. And that colour is wonderful!

Cyclamen intaminatum is still going strong, but the hederifoliums are finally faded. I do have some florist types budding up and Cyclamen repandum is also in bud.

I've never quite decided if Galanthus reginae-olgae is the last bulb to bloom in our garden, or the first.

(Not that I would, but) I've never heard of that species before, Todd.

And I wonder if Galanthophile has G. reginae-olgae? Cool species.

I planted it as a Cyclamen coum from Bluestones in Sept 2006. It is planted on the west side of the house that is mostly shady with some late afternoon sun in the summer. Primula, fritallaria pallidiflora, Reticulated Iris, muscarii, Triandrus Narcissus, viola all thrive here under Ilex glabra. During the summer there is a Geranium sanguineum 'Album ' Aquilegia and shade loving annuals. They bloomed in early Jan of 2008. They are tiny and twisted. Patti

Todd, I haven't seen these types of Cyclamen (with beautiful marked leafs) neither in florist shops over here. But I bought them at a local weekly flower market from a grower who had only Cyclamen and they were all different from each other, so I guess they were all raised from seed produced by 'open pollination' I hope that's the right term as I know little of seed production systems. I still have another and will take a picture of today.
C. intaminatum is pretty!

Lovely snowdrop Zonedenial!

It's sometimes a mystery why a particular plant doesn't thrive where others do Patti, but you could still try it out in another spot of your garden. But as Primula's do very well there the soil must be quite humid and Fritillaria pallidiflora needs soil that never dries out,( I've planted mine on the border of my pond), so perhaps too humid for the taste of C.coum?