PBS Forum

Hi:  Does anyone have experience with Dianella revoluta?  Does it send up only one round of scapes per year, or does it send up multiple rounds?  Thanks for the info.

Does anyone have experience growing Pasithea caerulea in a temperate climate?  I've read that even though it comes from dry areas of Chile, it can grow in the UK, perhaps even down to Zone 6. 

I germinated some seeds indoors in the Fall, and they've been growing indoors under lights for a few months.  My plan was to keep them growing indoors until May, then move them outside to adjust to summer before going dormant in Fall.  However, I've read that in Chile they also go through a Summer dormancy, but I haven't been able to find out whether they also go dormant in Winter in Chile.

So, my questions are:
- Should I follow my original plan, and try to keep them green indoors until Summer, then set them out and let them go dormant (even if they start senescing early)?
- However, they seem to be starting to go dormant now even though it's "not Summer" in my plant room.  If they go dormant in March-April, should I just let them sleep all the way until Fall?  Or should I let them be dormant for perhaps 2 months, then see if they wake up for another short growing season before Summer actually hits here in July or August?

Thanks for your suggestions.

Has anyone ever harvested "saffron" from other Autimn Crocuses besides C. sativum?  (Obviously NOT from the Colchicums!)  Do any others yield a reasonably usable substitute for pure saffron?  Thanks for the info.

I'm interested in finding a source(s) of info about the growth cycles of bulbs for variious species within Lilieae, particularly Lilium, Fritillaria, and Tulipa.  More specifically:  I know that in some species, the parent bulb completely depletes itself each year, and the plant grows a new bulb(s) for the next year; this happens in Lilium canadensis, and in many Tulips.  Conversely, in some species the bulb doesn't get fully depleted, and the plant regenerates the same bulb for the next year; this happens in Lilium martagon, and in many Fritillaria. 

I'm interested in tracing the phylogeny of this trait.  For example:  Do all Tulip species behave the same way?  Do all of the Martagon Lily species behave the same way, compared to the eastern NA Lily species?  Do all the western NA species of Fritillaria produce many bulblets (like F. affinis) every year, or do some build a bigger bulb and only divide under certain circumstances? 

Does anyone know of a good source(s) for an overview of this info?  I've been able to find this info for some individual species, but I'd like to find a general overview of it.

Thanks for the help.

One of my Fritillaria persica bulbs didn't come back last year or this year.  As I dug to replace it with something else, I found the bulb.  Apparently, something ate the bottom of the bulb and the basal growth plate.  The remaining part of the bulb was flaking into large scales.  Many of the scales have new bulblets growing on them.  They might have been growing for 2 years, so some of them seem pretty well formed.  (see picture)  I'd like to try to grow them into new bulbs.  Some questions: 

- They have been growing in soil; should I pot up the scales in soil, or some other medium (e.g. vermiculite)?

- Should I plant them as deeply as the original bulb had been, or should or I start them at a shallower depth?

- Should I cut the scales so that there's just one bulblet per scale, or keep them intact and separate the bulbs in a year or two?

- Given that I've interrupted this year's cycle early in the season, should I refrigerate the pots with the scales for a few weeks and then give them a "new" spring/summer?  Or should I just pot them up and let them rest until Fall?

Thanks for the help.

Hello:  I'm looking for a source (in the US) for plants, bulbs, or seeds of the following genera:
     Pasithea
     Caesia
     Excremis
     Stypandra
If anyone knows of any, please let me know.  Thanks.

Hello:  I live in NY, and I like to grow Lilium species.  I've been trying for a few years to find a source of just a few bulbs of L. parvum and L. washingtonianum, but haven't had any luck.  I'm trying some L. washingtonianum from seed, but I haven't had any luck with Lilies from seed so far, so I'm not holding out much hope.  I haven't found a source of seed for L. parvum.

Two questions for this list:

1) Does anyone know of a source where I buy either of these?  I've found a few wholesale sources, but they won't sell retail to an individual (no matter how hard I've pleaded). 

2) I've finally found one retailer in Oakland CA who has some L. parvum in stock.  Even though they're dormant, he won't do mail order for me.  So, I'm trying to find someone who lives or works near Oakland, who might be willing to buy 5-6 of them for me, pack them, and ship them to me.  Of course, I'll send you payment beforehand, or reimburse afterwards if you prefer. 

If you can help out, I'd appreciate it.  If you'd prefer to respond by e-mail rather than on this forum: paul@paulsiskind.com

Thanks.