PBS Forum

Hello,

Welcome to the forum. As this forum is being used by an international community it would be great if you would specify where ,,here" is....... And it is also nice to know a name. You can set up an automatic signature like in this reply so that you do not need to do that in every individual post.
Your question is very good and once your locality is clear you should get a friendly reply. 

Bye for now 

Kohleria warczewiczii (sorry about the name...) in flower. The color combination is great. The plant is quite tall and does not produce many rhizomes and has no dormancy. Very easy from cuttings. I replace my plant regularly with new cuttings.

The website of Bulb'Argence is still active 
https://www.bulbargence.com/m_catalogue/

Lauw de Jager is the owner of the now defunct nursery Bulb'Argence in southern France. He sold a wide range of often unusual bulbs suitable for the Mediterranean Climate. He also wrote a nicely illustrated booklet on Mediterranean Bulbs but in French.
I also got the orange form of Moraea ochroleuca from him but it tends to disappear in my garden. It is planted in the open ground and I suspect mice........ there is just one single specimen flowering at this moment.
The yellow ones have also declined but seem to be less palatable to the critters.

Hello Arnold,

Does Tulipa altaica need winter chill or frost to stimulate flowering?

Hello Kelly,
Welcome to the forum! Don't worry about starting with a question, that's what this forum is for!
Your photos show Moraea ochroleuca, a South African Bulb. It may self seed a lot if happy but in my garden it is well behaved and flowers for quite a long time. There is also an orange form but it is not as common as the yellow form.
Bye for now

As we had good rains this winter the native flora on our land is particularly rich this spring. A lot of Serapias cordigera ssp. cordigera orchids are in flower now.

Dear Members living in the EU,
The second round of the EU Exchange will soon go online. The donation is still open but will close in due course, closure will be announced through the same channels. If you still have something to donate to your fellow gardeners, please get in touch with Martin directly to let him know. <garak@code-garak.de>
Once all the donations have arrived, Martin will put the list online and you will be informed through the same channels.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me if you have questions

Happy gardening
Uli

Hello @Bridget,
Can we put this topic on the agenda of the next board meeting? It may not be as straightforward as it seems at first glance and might need some discussion.
Hello @Ken,
The PBS encourages private contacts between members which can of course include private exchanges. The formal setup of a private exchange through the forum needs careful discussion as it might undermine the BX/SX. But it might also mobilize donations which otherwise would not happen.

Yesterday I came across this nice stand of the native Iris xiphium. Color is slightly variable, the plants are very elegant and graceful. They grow in acidic sandy soil among Cistus, Myrthus, Lavandula stoechas and other plants. Trees nearby are cork oak and pine trees.

Quote from: Wylie on April 11, 2024, 06:16:04 AM

Quote from: Uli on April 11, 2024, 12:57:27 AMThis Gladiolus is flowering for the very first time with me, raised from seed. The label says G. carinatus which it is definitely not. About 60cm tall, leaning sideways.
The foliage is not hairy and some of the flowering shoots are branching. No detectable fragrance. Any idea of the ID?

I have the same thing and thought it was Gladiolus carneus.

Hello @Wylie,
Thank you very much for the ID. I think you are right. Looking at the name carneus I might well have made the mistake myself mixing up carneus and carinatus when writing the label. @Carlos, what do you think it is? I checked with the Saunders field guide and it fits. I did try to identify it with the same guide before but could not decide which species it was. 

This Gladiolus is flowering for the very first time with me, raised from seed. The label says G. carinatus which it is definitely not. About 60cm tall, leaning sideways.
The foliage is not hairy and some of the flowering shoots are branching. No detectable fragrance. Any idea of the ID?

Hello @Carlos, 
Sorry but I do not grow any of these.

Hello Ken,

A very interesting article. I think there is probably much more communication between plants and maybe even between plants and animals than we humans are aware of. I have always wondered what is going on underground with the roots of so many plants growing densely together, for example in a forest or a meadow. As far as I know there is research at this level and communication and interaction has been proved. I also have in mind that plants communicate via more or less volatile odors, especially when stressed. Just think of the magnificent fragrance of lavender, thyme and rosemary in very hot weather..... Are we anthropocentric humans misinterpreting this as pleasant for us, not realizing it being a sign of stress for the plants?
more of a joke I just had to smile about the idea of all that unheard noise (for our human ears) emitted by the grass if a lawnmower starts mowing...... even worse if the lawn would be thirsty.

Pictures 9303 and 9304 would fit with Albuca concordiana. It all of a sudden appeared on the succulent market for one or two seasons. I find it very susceptible to excess water during the winter growing season.
But what are the spheres in different colors next to the Albuca?