PBS Forum

Like many US west coast gardeners, I battle with the weedy Oxalis pes-caprae, known locally as sourgrass for its taste as a salad green (yes, oxalic acid is an antinutrient, don't eat too much). 

I've often wondered about the different ways this plant seems to gear up for summer dormancy. Sometimes it will grow bulblets along the narrow stem coming up from a deeply buried bulb. Other times, the stem will swell and become a storage organ itself. These two strategies will sometimes be found among plants growing right next to each other. 

I'm curious if anyone has insight what might trigger one reaction or the other! 

Photo below shows example of each case. From my garden in Oakland. 

Emil

Quote from: Diane Whitehead on March 14, 2023, 05:20:38 PMWhat are the green flowers?

A little weedy euphorbia that spreads itself around my garden without being TOO much of a nuisance. Don't plant a problem is one of my first mottos of gardening. This guy is walking the line.

I unapologetically love bulbs in the landscape for fragrance and flower power. The narcissus and freesias have been loving all the rain we've been getting and are blooming their cute little butts off. I also love having flowers indoors but refuse to buy them from florists so they become a special treat. My photography skills are less impressive than the blooms, but you'll get the idea. 

I've been having fun with cyclamen. First image--first bloom/bud from C. drydeniae from seeds from BX 476--thanks whomever donated that! Second are 'Tilebarn Nicholas' from seed shared with me from a Cyclamen Society distribution, some showing hints of that famous pink blush. Third image is the cyclamen district of my plant shelf including a bunch of Bowles Apollo also from CS. 

I started them in pots, and had decent germination but failed after that. The ones I put into the ground are doing ok--they're in part shade so they'll move a little slower than otherwise. I'd love to try again. My seed-propagation game has gotten much better!

I always drool over your photos Mike! Of the seeds you sent me two years ago, when I was just beginning to grow bulbs from seed, I lost all but one grex. Those are now growing in my front dry garden and I eagerly await the first blooms. -Emil

I'm going to the Chelsea Flower Show later this month, as well as visiting a lot of British and Dutch gardens and a few nurseries. I anticipate wanting to bring some seed packets back to the US. Cyclamens and such. Or is there some legal allowance for this? Should I just put them in packed luggage and hope for the best? It seems the small lot import permit is for seed that will go through a processing facility as opposed to being brought through customs with the purchaser. 

Thanks for your help!