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My problem, of course, isn't the winter cold, but the winter rain...the summer drought doesn't help either. However, with a bit of summer water (when we have a few warm days, I'll give them a sudden shower). Grown on a sandy rocky mound (also dug deep), I have several of the same species, with the addition of a couple mounding euphorbias. So far, all of these winter wet tolerating succulents also don't seem to mind the lack of summer warmth.

in San Francisco, where the summer geophytes are having their annual struggle to get going.

Quote from: Dennis Kramb on June 03, 2022, 05:30:10 AMI haven't grown those two Alophia in about 10 years, so I have nothing to share.  Mine came from the SIGNA seed exchange, but they're not available every year.  Brazil Plants currently offers seeds of Gelasine coerulea which was once classified as Alophia sellowiana.  Pine Ridge Gardens offers potted plants of Alophia drummondii but they do not ship to Alaska, Arizona, California & Hawaii.  I've bought from all of these sources several times each in the past and was always thoroughly pleased with them.

Gelasine coerulea is available from Annies Annuals in California. So very pretty and ethereal.

Quote from: Martin Bohnet on June 02, 2022, 08:26:34 PMNot sure about 12 years but I've seen Arisaemas skip one or two before, and I'm sure there were no leaves.

With my cool summers, I sometimes get geophyte aroids (Amorphophallus, Arisaema, etc.) that fail to break dormancy at all (often new purchases that were stored warmer than my growing conditions). Quite distinct from ones that don't complete the growth cycle (actually pushing up a leaf) usually because of poor growing conditions (too dry)...they will produce a nubbin corm at the growth point, sometimes with roots, and try for a leaf again the next season.

Quote from: Steve Marak on May 29, 2022, 10:26:48 PMInteresting as I'd have expected it to do better in SF than NW Arkansas. Here it will tolerate full sun but is much happier in half shade.

Sauromatum venosum is also hardy here and has also been outdoors 30+ years, surviving brief lows around -20 F (-29 C) several times. It also flowers every year, and often sets seed, as does Dracunculus vulgaris. Amorphophallus konjac grows well and flowers but never sets seed.

I'm on the west side in the hills, so summer is comprised of days in the 60s/nights in the 50s, gusty winds, and enough fog blasting through that under the dripline of trees irrigation isn't always needed! The backyard is more clement, but the wind still comes through and tears stuff up. If I was on the east side of town, I suspect it would be extremely happy...as would most of my other plants (zone 10B instead of 10A (and daytime temps 10F higher), 50% of the wind, 10% of the condensing fog).

My Sauromatums may have gotten pollinated this year, as the flowers are only lasting a few days (last year they remained for weeks!) we'll see. The only other aroid that sets seed is Zantedeschia aethiopica (various forms).

For most of the big Amorphophallus, I have to cheat in the spring...store cool in the garage (50F) or outside covered (lows 30s/40s), I bring them into the warmish house, pot them up, and once they break the soil, put them outside, where they will expand despite the cool temperatures, otherwise they won't break dormancy til Indian Summer in Sept/Oct. I have one big konjac that blooms every year, the others increase slowly.

It is not entirely happy outdoors in SF (presumably summer too cool and dry even with irrigation), but it comes up and increases in size slightly each year.

Sauromatum venosum (also planted out) comes up late and sometimes flowers.

Quote from: Martin Bohnet on May 27, 2022, 12:07:54 AMVery interesting Aphyllon - that Genus has been cut out of Orobanche recently iirc? I whish I could grow one of the fully parasitic Orobanchaceae, I've tried with all the stuff I could get seed from and, of course, i can grow the hosts - until now no luck with Orobanche hedereae, arenaria or kochii - So I'm limited to enjoy the wild ones here: O. lutea and carophyllacea, both grow not far from here on the swabian jura.

In the own garden I'm very happy right now with my pink elderberry (I really should try to make syrup, I wonder if the color transfers). I'm less happy with the Kiwiberries (Actinidia arguta) - mostly because it's still only him that flowers, she might need at least another year. I guess that's why the small kiwis ar so rare in fruit trade, the plants need several years in place to start flowering.

Apparently yes, Orobanche has been cut up. I found A. fascisculatum growing on both perennials (Eriodictyon) and fire follower annuals (Emmenanthe penduliflora-Whispering Bells).

Someone planted hedereae in the drifts of English ivy at UC-Berkeley where it seems to be happily established now.

Actinidia...I remember poor fruiting until they got up in the trees and got the light...of course, we couldn't pick the fruit at that point, either. Presumably, you're growing them less wild, but they do want some size.

Ty. roxburghii and rhizomatosum. 

Quote from: Arnold on May 23, 2022, 01:06:25 PMThis came as Biarum aff. dispar.

Our Wiki states all Biarum's flower in October.

What gives?

I dunno, but B. carduchorum is in spike in San Francisco right now, as the leaves are collapsing around it.

Quote from: MarkMazer on May 19, 2022, 10:34:33 AMGreat topic.... let's do religious affiliation and ethnicity next.

Go right ahead...I'm pretty sure you can set up polls with user added options in vbulletin these days.

As with another large community I am in (long hair (LHC), fwiw), I would expect the numbers to be different from the average. I would also expect people to be more willing to speak, than in everyday life.

But me? Other than being poly and a pleasure pusher, not queer.

Robert
in SF, the City I came to as soon as I could.

Phacelia viscera spotting the hillsides in a burned area.  Aphyllon fasciculatum growing in the middle of the newly exposed trail...presumably there is an Eriodiction root under there too. 

Pelargonium auritum ssp auritum, less than 2 years from seed.

And a better picture of violiflorum

Currently being annoying:
Zantedeschia aethiopica - tiny tubers will send up leaves from a foot or more buried...with years of attention I only pull a few a week.
Oxalis pes-caprae - after scorched earth methods, and 5 years of attention, I think there are only half a dozen eruptions a year.

Bulbs that are on track to be invasive:
Oxalis purpurea, obtusa, brasiliensis - I planted some of each in the ground along with other bulbs...then the gophers came and ate them all...or so I though. Actually they ate most of the bulbs, but they also carried some to food caches spotted around the garden (and into the neighbors yard), now I grow all my oxalis in pots (with those pots set in wire baskets as the gophers will eat through pots), but those three species are out of the barn. O. obtusa does poorly here without a hot dormancy, so most clones will likely dwindle away.

So far, nothing else has spread or seeded...now if some of the blue Ixias wanted to go wild, that would be hard to resist. I. polystycha Baby Blue divides vigorously and blooms quickly, and would make a delightful mass planting, we'll see how I. viridflora performs (lots of seedlings) the one blooming now is very much a light blue shade.

All the urban mammals...

Gophers - currently at bay (between repellant, poison, and neighbors who don't fight them), oppossum and striped skunks - surface digging, rats and mine - surface digging, random stem biting, vandalism, bulb burying (decorative Oxalis coming up all over from caches), raccoons - general vandalism. Humans - stepping on things (one of the substitute mailpersons seems to delight in stepping on small plants)...not theft though, Dogs - random romping, and Cats with poop burying, although no ferals, and the local roamer got moved away.

I'd like to have resident garter snakes for the slugs. There is a healthy population of the local salamander...they seem to be quite happy with all the irrigated pots set in/on the ground or in wire baskets (with air gaps for salamander living).

If the volunteer Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) seeds well, I'll be eating them next year. The existing plant is over grown and bitter at the moment. If allowed to escape in irrigated gopher free (hahaha) areas, Oca would definitely become weedy.