PBS Forum

 Scilla madeirensis

Lachenalia pygmaea
 Scilla madeirensis.2022.1.jpg Scilla madeirensis.2022.jpg  Lachenalia ensifolia.2022.1.jpg Lachenalia pygmaea.2022.jpg

Arnold - photo #1 is beautiful - would be a great time-lapse to see all the little flowers open.

David

I thought of that.  I can do it with my camera but need to dig into the instruction book

Time-lapse is wishful thinking on my part, you'd need control of the light and environment for a few days.

Veltheimia capnesis

Coloring upVeltheimia capensis.2022.jpg

Lachenalia longituba

I can't seem to get the quality photograph I'd like, but here it is.  Three South African Strumaria - discifera ssp. discifera, salteri, and prolifera, all from seed [discifera is the white star, salteri is the pink, and prolifera is the pendulous white].  They each took different times to bloom from seed, some are at six years as opposed to three.  All are blooming for the first time. A few other salteri bloomed last year for the first time. My original salteri from which the seeds were produced, took four attempts (years) to finally produce seeds and the original bulbs were lost the following year!  (Bulb fly, they're not monocarpic...) The leopoldi are six years old and not showing any signs of blooming.  With only single leaves from each bulb, it probably won't be any time soon.  They appear to grow better under the LED light system but I should probably fertilize more frequently.

Strumaria.jpg
Michael (wishing it would rain)
Interlaken, NY Upstate Zone 6

Michael

One thing I've learned after looking at images of flowers for years is to make the background simple and darker than the flower you want to capture.

Cyclamen hederafolium among Ivy leaves

a pun!  Hederifolium among the Hedera

Yep.  

Medlar approaching ripeness

How do you eat it?  Fresh, cooked, made into jam?

I've made a jam.  Not impressed.  A bit like the browning on an apple that's been left cut too long.

Arnold, thank you, I'll have to try the darker background on the next flower pix.  

I have to agree on the medlar.  The "controlled" rotting or bletting part of the ripening process doesn't do them any flavor-favors.  Even as jam, it's rather boring.  I suppose in mid-winter they were a treat, if you didn't have much else.

November is definitely not my most floriferous month, but Pleione 'Marmoset'

Height:	0-10 cm (0-3.9 inch)
Flower Colors:	white, red, purple, patterned
Flower Season:	early winter

gave me a nice early flowering surprise, possibly due to the warm October. All in all it had been a difficult year for Pleiones, summer was too hot and too dry to their liking, and I'll only see the extend of the damage to the spring flowering ones, well, in spring.

Veltheimia capensis at full color

Paramongaia weberbaueri (winter growing)

Three years ago I purchased one near flowering sized bulb. Second year in flower. I also purchased 5 'summer' growing bulbs. The 5 came up in summer for two years but this year nothing. Fall of this year they emerged. I guess they are not summer growers after all. 

Worsleya procera

I'm 2014 I purchased an offset 3 leaf bulb of Worsleya procera. I repotted it this spring. My son noticed today new 'leaves' growing maybe three to the left of the growing point. Could this be a flower forming? 

Quote from: KenP on November 11, 2022, 11:28:09 AMParamongaia weberbaueri (winter growing)

Three years ago I purchased one near flowering sized bulb. Second year in flower. I also purchased 5 'summer' growing bulbs. The 5 came up in summer for two years but this year nothing. Fall of this year they emerged. I guess they are not summer growers after all.

I used the microwave method Uli wrote about, and it looks hopeful for seed! It has been a month, and the pod, while not very large, has not withered and the scape is still strong.
DSC_0457.jpg

Flowers to follow.  Cyclamen coum "Yayladagi"

Arnold that cyclamen leaf pattern looks a bit like a Christmas tree.

Often there are reports in the 'papers that famous faces have been found in pizzas etc.

I thought it would make a nice holiday card.

Quote from: Arnold on November 14, 2022, 08:01:33 AMI thought it would make a nice holiday card.

Good idea. With a bit of layout.

Yayladağı is a town and district of Hatay Province in southern Turkey, on the border between Turkey and Syria, 51 km (32 mi) south of the city of Antakya.

According to Google, it is Uzbek for "on the plateau".

Nerine sarniensis

My current background photo on my computer is of 'Abu Simbel' from the Exbury Nerine collection:
Abu Simbal (2).jpg

Galanthus peshmenii blooming in my gardentempImagegmQmaD.jpg

Hi Jan, beautiful snowdrop, the ones that flower before Christmas have passed me by.

One of the very few hysteranthus Galanthus

hysteranthous

Adjective. (botany) Having the leaves emerge after the flowers have opened. It typically refers to geophytes that flower when the plant is dormant and without leaves during a dry season. This contrasts with synanthous plants that flower at the same time as the leaves are present.

I never knew that word. I can now say it about amaryllis.

Fancy owning such snowdrops.

Polyxena pygmaea Alba
An older plant from Roy Herald and more recent seedlings

Daubenya stylosa

Polyxena pygmaea

Last Milla magnifica last week, 10 Nov

Massonia inaequalis Elandsbaai

Massonia pseudoechinata-Nieuwatjiesfontein

Massonia roggeveldensis. This one keeps a leaf all summer

Rimmer - polyxena pygmaea is unusual, and I feel I've seen the flowers on something else - like blue bells. Wonder if there's a name for flowers that lookalike.

Ah, massonias - Wouldn't dare to how mine 'cause they're perforated by slugs even though I feel I'm already "over-fertilizing" with iron phosphate...

But there's other stuff to show - first is Crocus melanthera - a few days ago, when there still was some sun. Second is Strumaria prolifera

- name fits, does multiply well.
Next one is Moraea polystachya

, which I had to take into the warm house for a few hours for the flower to open up - alsways a problem here if they happen to be late.

Last two is the proof that I should only buy Greencaps I can tell apart or write better labels. I'm not sure if that plant is Pterostylis obtusa, truncata or x furcilliatum. hints welcome.

Massonia sp? ex Gouritz River Brodge west of Vlees Bay. This is a large Massonia, leaves the size of your hand

Lovely Strumaria!  I'm always faint at the sight of a great Amaryllid, even the little ones.

Speaking of Strumaria, I kept mine placed rather closely when in bloom this year.  Are they promiscuous hybridizers?  I have quite a bit of seed forming and, while hybrids could be lovely, I'd rather that they be true to species.  

Thanks!

Michael
Interlaken, NY Zone 6 Being thankful most of the Finger Lakes was not hit with the Snowy Big Dump.

I've had this bulb for well over ten years.  Grows in winter and goes dormant with the rest of the SA bulbs in our spring.

Came to me as a Eucomis, but can't recall from where.  Any help with an ID would be greatly appreciated.

The only winter grow Eucomis I know of is E. regia

Thanks,

Massonia longipes

Othonna gymnodiscus

Amethyst pools of nectar at the base of the flowers