Calochortus superbus

[Randy Linke]

Two forms of Calochortus subperbus blooming on May Day in a pot on my terraza.  I am not sure if they were from the same seed lot as I combined some when I moved to Spain to conserve space.  I like the contrast and will probably leave them together when I do my fall repotting.

[Too Many Plants!]

Two forms of Calochortus subperbus blooming on May Day in a pot on my terraza.  I am not sure if they were from the same seed lot as I combined some when I moved to Spain to conserve space.  I like the contrast and will probably leave them together when I do my fall repotting.

SUPER NICE!

[Carlos]

Really nice that your plants are rewarding you with so beautiful flowers again.

[Randy Linke]

Thank you Carlos,

For many it is the first time they have bloomed.  I have noticed that for some, such as Ixia paniculata, they are much more robust and the flowers are much larger than when they were when grown in Seattle.  The climate here is much more to their liking.

[Uli]

Yes...... and growing bulbs from seed is very satisfying, too because they reach flowering size very quickly.

[David Pilling]

they reach flowering size very quickly

My latest one Polygonatum verticillatum

took 11 years from seed to flower. Has been fun, but always looked like it was going to be slow.

Beginners should look up the list of bulbs that flower in their first year from seed. 

[Uli]

Of course, there are slow ones. Even for germination some seeds are a challenge to the patience of the gardener...... my record was a 5 (in words: five) years wait for the germination of a single seed of Tropaeolum tuberosum var silvestre. I lost the plant after my move to Portugal.....

[Diane Whitehead]

My record for slowness:

Colchicum bornmuelleri (which apparently is a form of speciosum) - sown in 2000.  One seed germinated in 2008.  It sends up a leaf every year but has not flowered yet.

After that I decided not to sow any more colchicums.  If I want some, I'll buy some bulbs.

[David Pilling]

If I want some, I'll buy some bulbs.

I once read that someone had taken five years to grow a lily from seed, "Hah what a mug I will buy some bulbs" I thought. It took my bulbs over 10 years to vanish, never flowering. That's a thing with bulbs, they can go backwards.

[Diane Whitehead]

And, getting back to the main topic:  Calochortus.  I have germinated many different species and have pots of bulbs that have never flowered.

Hmm - I'd better start tipping those pots out,  Maybe there's nothing in them.

[Robert_Parks]

There are some populations of Calochortus albus that only bloom for a couple years after a forest fire, then put up a leaf every year or so in the deep shade, very very slowly building up energy storage for the paroxysm of blooming and chance at reproduction.

In less unfavorable locations, they tend to have some sort of bloom synchronization (presumably a weather trigger) so there is a group blooming every several years rather than a yearly dribble. It may be that the cultivated ones aren't getting their trigger satisfied even though the bulb is blooming size.

[Randy Linke]

And today I have what looks what will be the last of my calochortus to bloom this year, though there are still several buds yet to open on my C. luteus plants.  Calochortus vestae opened this morning on a long, nearly 50cm stem.  

I was happy to see that both forms of C. superbus I have are forming seed pods which I will be watching very closely.