PBS Forum

I'd like to start today with the Thelymitra - pink one is a rubra-heavy hybrid, while the blue is a pure Thelymitra granitora - i guess.

Staying in the bluish world, next up is Camassia, the relatively new "Sweet Candle" and "Violet Candle" named plants - sources are somewhat unclear if it is a Camassia leichtlinii

selection or a hybrid. Structure is very leichtlinii, so maybe a cultivar. I hope it will bring it's genes into the pool of C. leichtliniis seeding around, even though I think the color is not as attractive as I hoped for. Not shown: i also ordered the variegated C. leichtlinii, so let's see what will come from seedlings...

Speaking about seedlings: this tall bearded Iris is a open pollinated seedling from a darker yellow cultivar, but it is actually more floriferous than the mother - a bit like it distributes the same amount of color to at least 50% more flowers...

Some plants are beautiful in bud, like this Merwilla plumbea

  - and I was already concerned it could have been too dry over winter....

Sarracenias have a woody rhizome, so let's call them borderline geophyte - this display of Sarracenia flava was just too good not to show... It seems to be the only species clever enough to flower before the new traps open...

and finally: my 2.5 kg Amorphophallus konjac

Flower Colors:	black
Flower Season:	mid spring
Special:	edible storage organ
Life form:	tuber

has opened - in mid-may, outdoors and with considerable wind, the smell is OK - actually I had more problems with the distinct horse dung aroma of Arum pictum

in fall. It can also be seen in the flies attracted - the Amorphophallus attracts the usual carrion oriented ones, while the Arum got me Genus scathophaga...

Hi All,

If someone in the EU is interested in Helleborus siculus seed, please contact me, I'll connect you with Hans. Seeds are sent for postage compensation. They are too short-lived to wait for the next exchange.

All individual packages are on the road - all but mie, that is  

Much smoother experience than last time - keeping all in one box is the key!

Dear Wylie,

It's not really a surprise that your Island is about a month earlier then my garden, for me those will flower in June (so these pictures are NOT current). I am somewhat surprised by the color though - I offered both a clear yellow (Iris xanthospuria - esque though most likely a hybrid) and a form that ends up orange-brown for me - it is VERY likely the latter one is quite temperature sensitive and will stay lighter in your likely less extreme temperatures - in the beginning of June I easily reach 30°C, so I think your perceived yellow is indeed the Imperial bronze.

well, full grown leaves is exactly the state A. belladonna should be in at this time of the year in the northern hemisphere. at least we can now pinpoint the cycle it is in.

Minor Update: The Box has entered the sorting process in Johannesburg - as it already took 5 days to reach that stage after handing over to the carrier, so no projections on how fast things will be from here.

No one want's to start May, one of the most beautiful months at all? Well, at least here in temperate Europe. OK, so I'll do it...

lets start in the Garden, and let's start with a mystery: A spring-flowering, tall and slender Acis should be Acis trichophylla

, but I don't find any records of me getting one. Definitely not nicaeensis, that's more coarse and not even half as tall. No idea where that came from.

Next is my striped Convallaria majalis

- it already grew a reverted pure green leaf on one of the stolons, which I had to pull - always have to be careful with reverting variegated forms. Lets stay with borderline geophytes and add in Tulbaghia simmleri

(potted) and, in the bog, Pinguicula grandiflora.

May is also a good orchid month - here in the garden you can see Calanthe tricarinata

Height:	20-30 cm (0.7-1 ft)
Flower Colors:	green, brown

in front of Cypripedium 'Barry Phillips'

Height:	30-45 cm (1-1.5 ft)
Flower Colors:	yellow, green
Flower Season:	late spring to early summer
Climate:	USDA Zone 5-8

(at least the biggest stem with 2 flowers wasn't eaten up by caterpillars...), but yesterday I also went to my favorite place in the Swabian Jura to find some in habitat: Orchis militaris

Height:	20-60 cm (0.7-2 ft)
Flower Colors:	pink, purple
Flower Season:	early summer
Life form:	tuber
Climate:	USDA Zone 6-8

, Ophrys sphegodes

Height:	30-45 cm (1-1.5 ft)
Flower Colors:	green, brown, patterned
Flower Season:	late spring

and some Orchis mascula

Height:	45-60 cm (1.5-2 ft)
Flower Colors:	pink, purple
Flower Season:	late spring to early summer
Life form:	tuber

in the background of a not yet opened and thus hard to identify Orobanche-Species. I actually was surprised to find them in rather good condition as we had a VERY dry spring up to today - in the last 24 hours we had as much rain as in April and March, respectively which all wasn't much: 27 l/m³ each.

To finish the excursion to my Wasserberg I found a rather dark form of Arum maculatum

- Not sure if there could be anything mixed into this?

I can only provide that they do grow in Southern Germany in viticultural climate in open ground and flower despite loosing leaves to frost from time to time. Some have the opinion that most can either grow Amaryllis belladonna

or Lycoris squamigera

- which fits, as lycoris is hard to get in Europe and maybe that's because it can't deal with the climate.

Let's start with a special greeting for @David Pilling : not too blue parrot 

Ok, let's get serious: here's Bellevalia longistyla

, next two are Geranium transversale

and Fritillaria meleagris

'Eros' Antoine Hoog shared in the fall EX. Nr 5 is Allium karataviense

Life form:

bulb

- all these images were from last week, so let's use Helonias bullata

Height:	10-30 cm (0.3-1 ft)
Flower Colors:	pink
Flower Season:	mid spring
Life form:	evergreen rhizome

to show the passing of time - from just opening up (male phase) to right now (female phase). What you can't see is that the stem now has elongated from 10 to 30 cm.

so while the first flush of spring flowers is through, there's enough to share anyway, be it Iris confusa

(or wattii? who can tell them apart without direct camparison?), Moraea marlothii

or Glaucidium palmatum which finally flowered for the first time - one of my pre Brexit panic orders.

And finally: Through both are at the very beginning of the genus' season, they are on very different ends of the size scale: the small Paeonia tenuifolia

and the HUGE Tree Paeonia 'Shima Dajin'

Minor update: Everything went to the Packstation yesterday, about half of the packages should already be in transport, the rest still waits there for colleting.

Dear Members in the EU,

it is no longer possible to order from the EX10b spring exchange. I'll start sorting and packing as soon as possible.

Update: Added 2 Gladiolus species from Cathy Osselton - find them in Red in the list above.

Dear Members living in the EU

The second round of this year's spring exchange is now open for orders. The time window for ordering will close on Monday, April 21st at 24:00 Central European Time.
Every fully paid member of the PBS with a postal address in the EU can order from the seeds and bulbs on offer. You do not need to be a donor to be entitled to order. There is no limit of how many positions from the list you can request, but you are only allocated one portion of each item. Please refrain from ordering "one of each" of the offerings. If you are not yet a member you can still join if you are tempted....

Please send your request by e-mail directly to Martin Bohnet, who is the director of the EU Bulb and Seed Exchange. Please do NOT send your request to the forum or the email list, these requests cannot be served. Please make sure you do not use the reply button when sending your request.

Martin's e-mail: garak@code-garak.de
PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR MAILING ADDRESS WITH YOUR ORDER; IT SAVES MARTIN A LOT OF CORRESPONDENCE IF YOU DO.......
Orders will be accepted during the time window after the list went online, closure will be announced in the forum. Distribution will then be at random so that everybody has the same chance to get the rare items in short supply.


Each portion of seed will be charged 2 US $, each portion of bulbs will be 3 US $. For very big/heavy/rare bulbs this may be doubled. Postage will be added at cost, converted into US $. Please let Martin know if you wish your order to be sent by trackable mail. This might make sense especially to Southern European Countries. We have experienced considerable delays in the past.

Payment for items from the EU-BX can only be made by PayPal in US Dollars to the PayPal account of the Pacific Bulb Society. Martin has created a very comfortable way of paying for your orders by using a QR-code on the payment slip. Just scan the code and the rest is super easy.
If you prefer to do it manually:

Please make sure that the PBS receives the amount due in US Dollars. Please go to the bottom of the Bulb Exchange page and fill in the details and continue. It guides you directly on to your PayPal account. No cheques or credit cards can be accepted. Enclosed in the order, every recipient will receive a payment slip showing the details, please wait with any payment until you have received your order. Again, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Uli Urban:johannes-ulrich-urban@t-online.de



Here are our new offers:

from Martin Bohnet: Bulbs

EX10_360 Amorphophallus myosuroides

Height:	10-30 cm (0.3-1 ft)
Flower Colors:	white
Special:	attractive foliage
Life form:	tuber

EX10_361 Arisaema candidissima
EX10_362 Arisaema consanguineum

EX10_363 Bomarea edulis

EX10_364 Helianthus tuberosus

Height:	150-300 cm (4.9-9.8 ft)
Flower Colors:	yellow
Flower Season:	mid autumn to late autumn
Special:	edible storage organ
Life form:	deciduous tuber

EX10_365 Nerine masoniorum

(evergreen-ish)

and seeds:

EX10_366 Clivia caulescens

from Roland Ludwig: Bulbs

EX10_367 Amorphophallus fuscus,  ex Jungle Leaves
EX10_368 Amorphophallus henryi

Life form:

tuber

,  ex De Hessenhof
EX10_369 Gladiolus dalenii ,Boone'
EX10_370 Gladiolus saundersii

Flower Colors:	red
Climate:	summer rain climate

, bulbils,ex Aleksandr Naumenko
EX10_371 Habranthus robustus ,Russell Manning'
EX10_372 Habranthus robustus

var. biflorus,seed ex PBS EX01_097 (Uli Urban)
EX10_373 Ismene longipetala

, ex Samen Dietzel
EX10_374 Ismene x deflexa (= Hymenocallis x festalis)
EX10_375 Oxalis inops (=. O. Depressa) ex Stauden Poltermann
EX10_376 Seemannia ,Evita'

and seed:

EX10_377 Arisaema stewardsonii
EX10_378 Iris trojana ex Aleksandr Naumenko

from Angelika Neitzert: Bulbs

EX10_379 Cyrtanthus spec. Bulbils
EX10_380 Hippeastrum papilio

ex Urban
EX10_381 Ornithogalum sardieni

and seed:

EX10_382 Hippeastrum Fluwel 98312-B x Exotic Star
EX10_383 Massonia depressa

from Åke Nordström: Bulbs

EX10_384 Alstroemeria psittacina

EX10_385 Amorphophallus konjac

Flower Colors:	black
Flower Season:	mid spring
Special:	edible storage organ
Life form:	tuber

EX10_386 Haemanthus albiflos

EX10_387 Neomarica northiana

and seed

EX10_388 Clivia miniata

from Uli Urban: Bulbs

EX10_389 Achimenes dulcis

Flower Colors:	white, yellow
Special:	fragrant
Life form:	rhizome
Climate:	summer rain climate

EX10_390 Achimenes grandiflora

Flower Colors:	purple
Life form:	rhizome
Climate:	summer rain climate

EX10_391 Achimenes heterophylla
EX10_392 Achimenes 'Pulcherrima'
EX10_393 Achimenes 'Tetra Verschafffelt'
EX10_394 Amorphophallus atroviridis
EX10_395 Cyrtanthus montanus

, Bulbili
EX10_396 Eucodonia 'Maike'
EX10_397 Eucodonia spec.
EX10_398 Gladiolus dalenii 'Boone'
EX10_399 X Gloximannia 'She's Dancing'
EX10_400 Kohleria 'Strawberry Fields'
EX10_401 Oxalis triangularis

Red Leaf
EX10_402 Seemannia gymnostoma
EX10_403 Seemannia nematanthodes
EX10_404 Seemannia purpurascens
EX10_405 Smithiantha 'Sunset'
EX10_406 Smithiantha cinnabarina

EX10_407 X Smithicodonia 'Heartland's Joy'
EX10_408 X Smithicodonia 'Ohio's Punkin'
EX10_409 X Smithicodonia 'RF's Grandiosa'
EX10_410 Solanum jamesii

and seed:

EX10_411 Haemanthus albiflos

tall form

from Aad van Beek (bulbs):

EX10_412 Amarcrinum 'Chapeau'

from Cathy Osselton (seeds) late addendum due to postal delay

EX10_413 Gladiolus elliotti
EX10_414 Gladiolus splendens

Flower Colors:	red
Climate:	winter rain climate

The following items are left over from the first part of this spring exchange and are still at full price (!)

Bulbs:

EX10_002 Dioscorea polystachia bulbils

and seed:

EX10_006 Beschorneria septentrionalis
EX10_008 Cardiocrinum giganteum

EX10_009 Gladiolus murielae

Flower Colors:	white
Special:	fragrant
Climate:	summer rain climate

EX10_010 Albuca setosa

Flower Colors:	white, green, brown, yellow
Life form:	bulb

EX10_011 Allium gooddingii

EX10_013 Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora 'Lucifer'
EX10_015 Dietes iridioides

EX10_018 Eucomis zambesiaca

EX10_019 Freesia laxa

EX10_021 Galtonia saundersiae
EX10_022 Galtonia viridiflora

EX10_025 Iris domestica Syn. Belamcanda sinensis
EX10_030 Zephyranthes primulina

EX10_031 Allium acuminatum

Flower Colors:	pink, purple
Flower Season:	late spring to early summer

EX10_032 Allium akaka
EX10_033 Allium amphibolum

Height:	20-30 cm (0.7-1 ft)
Flower Colors:	pink, purple

EX10_034 Allium caspium
EX10_035 Allium dzhungaricum
EX10_036 Allium maniaticum
EX10_037 Allium nevskianum

Flower Colors:

purple

EX10_038 Allium protensum
EX10_040 Babiana stricta

EX10_041 Babiana vanzijliae

EX10_042 Belamcanda chinensis (= Iris domestica)
EX10_043 Bellevalia dubia

EX10_044 Bellevalia dubia

subsp. boissieri
EX10_045 Bellevalia flexuosa

EX10_046 Bellevalia tauri
EX10_047 Cyclamen graecum

EX10_048 Cyclamen graecum

f. album
EX10_049 Dierama pauciflorum

EX10_050 Dietes grandiflora

EX10_051 Dietes iridioides

EX10_052 Fritillaria bithynica

EX10_053 Hyacinthoides reverchonii

EX10_054 Iris stolonifera

forms and hybrids with I. hoogiana (Iris Regelia Hybrids)
EX10_055 Muscari kerkis
EX10_057 Muscari massayanum

pinkish
EX10_058 Nectaroscilla hyacinthoides

EX10_059 Paeonia broteroi

EX10_060 Paeonia cambessedesii

EX10_061 Paeonia caucasica
EX10_062 Paeonia clusii

EX10_065 Paeonia rhodia hybrid pink flowers
EX10_067 Romulea clusiana

EX10_068 Romulea ramiflora

ex Spain, Mallorca
EX10_069 Romulea ramiflora

ex Golan heights
EX10_071 Romulea  rollii
EX10_072 Tulipa clusiana

var. cashmeriana
EX10_073 Tulipa wilsoniana var. flava
EX10_076 Araujia sericifera
EX10_077 Asclepias curassavica
EX10_078 Clitoria ternatea alba
EX10_079 Gloriosa modesta

EX10_080 Oxypetalum coeruleum
EX10_081 Philibertia gracilis
EX10_082 Cyclamen cyprium

EX10_083 Cyclamen cyprium

ES-strain
EX10_084 Cyclamen graecum

EX10_086 Ornithogalum anguinum
EX10_088 Albuca pulchra

EX10_089 Albuca abyssinca, syn angolensis
EX10_090 Aristolochia gigantea
EX10_092 Canna paniculata
EX10_093 Gladiolus dalenii

Flower Colors:	red, yellow, green, patterned
Climate:	summer rain climate

EX10_094 Lilium formosanum

tall form
EX10_095 Lilium leucanthemum centifolium
EX10_096 Lilium pumilum

EX10_099 Neomarica northiana

Leftovers from Fall Exchange EX09, 1$ each:

EX09_008 Freesia laxa

EX09_012 Ipomoea pubescens

Height:	150-250 cm (4.9-8.2 ft)
Flower Colors:	purple
Special:	climber
Life form:	tuber

EX09_013 Moraea ochroleuca

aurantica
EX09_015 Moraea vegeta

EX09_022 Allium crenulatum

EX09_023 Allium unifolium

EX09_025 Drimia uniflora

EX09_040 Gladiolus dalenii ,Boone'
EX09_045 Chasmanthe floribunda

EX09_073 Acis nicaeensis

Height:	10-20 cm (3.9-7.9 inch)
Flower Colors:	white
Flower Season:	mid spring

 
EX09_074 Allium shelkovnikovii 
EX09_083 Leopoldia caucasica JJA 688.600
EX09_086 Pseudomuscari chalusicum

JJA 690.700
EX09_089 Albuca rupestris
EX09_090 Albuca shawii

Flower Colors:

yellow

EX09_091 Drimia platyphylla

EX09_135 Gladiolus imbricatus

Flower Colors:

purple

EX09_504 Codonopsis pilosula

EX09_506 Ipomopsis rubra (not a geophyte)
EX09_507 Liatris spicata

Height:	60-100 cm (2-3.3 ft)
Flower Colors:	purple
Flower Season:	mid summer
Life form:	corm

floristean white OP
EX09_509 Platycodon grandiflorus

(white and blue parents)
EX09_557 Artemisia assoana
EX09_558 Asphodelus ayardii
EX09_561 Gadoria falukei
EX09_563 Moraea sisyrinchium

ex Engomi, Cyprus
EX09_564 Muscari massayanum

ex Aladaglar Seisums 012-039
EX09_565 Plantago subulata
EX09_566 Romulea spec. Azrou, Morocco
EX09_577 Iris crocea OP
EX09_578 Iris spuria 'Imperial Bronze' OP
EX09_579 Zephyranthes tubispatha syn Habranthus tubispathus
EX09_583 Zephyranthes minima

EX09_589 Gladiolus alatus

Flower Colors:	orange, white, yellow
Life form:	corm
Climate:	winter rain climate

EX09_590 Gladiolus aureus

Flower Colors:	yellow
Climate:	winter rain climate

EX09_591 Gladiolus carneus

Flower Colors:	pink
Flower Season:	late spring
Life form:	corm
Climate:	winter rain climate

EX09_592 Gladiolus priorii

Flower Colors:	red
Life form:	corm
Climate:	winter rain climate

EX09_593 Gladiolus virescens

Flower Colors:	yellow, pink
Flower Season:	early spring

var virescens
EX09_595 Iris orientalis

white heirloom
EX09_596 Iris spuria

brown cultivar
EX09_597 Scilla hyacinthoides

tall form
EX09_612 Galtonia sp. aff. viridiflora
EX09_613 Talinum paniculatum
EX09_615 Tulipa bifloriformis

ex Augis Bulbs
EX09_616 Tulipa binutans ex Augis Bulbs

and finally: Leftovers from last spring exchange EX08, last time offering, 1$ each

EX08_012 Eucomis zambesiaca

EX08_016 Albuca setosa

Flower Colors:	white, green, brown, yellow
Life form:	bulb

EX08_017 Allium cernuum

Flower Colors:	pink, white
Flower Season:	early summer to mid summer

EX08_019 Allium nutans

EX08_020 Barnardia japonica

EX08_021 Galtonia viridiflora

EX08_023 Hesperantha baurii

EX08_025 Iris domestica
EX08_027 Sisyrinchium angustifolium
EX08_034 Crocosmia mix of ,Anna Marie' and ,Yellow Emberglow
EX08_040 Albuca pulchra

EX08_041 Albuca spec Grahamstown
EX08_048 Datura wrightii
EX08_049 Ennealophus fimbriatus

EX08_051 Iris laevigata

dark purple
EX08_052 Lilium longiflorum

Hyb. ,,white triumphator"
EX08_053 Lilium philippinense

EX08_054 Lilium pumilum

EX08_058 Habranthus robustus

EX08_060 Silene undulata (syn. capensis)
EX08_061 Zephyranthes primulina

EX08_303 Freesia laxa

EX08_304 Gladiolus x hortulanus cultivar mix incl. ,,Espresso"

Happy Easter and happy growing!

Uli and Martin

Almost half of April is done, and we actuly had the very first rain this month - well 2.1mm. Anyway, time for a first wrap up - the month started with the crazy blue of Corydalis fumariifolia

- not a bad start indeed. Staying with blue, I'm actually not sure if this Anemone blanda

Height:	10-20 cm (3.9-7.9 inch)
Flower Colors:	white, pink, purple, blue
Flower Season:	early spring to mid spring

isn't virused - is there a virus making flowers double their size? Also, the species seeds around quite a bit for me, so hybrid vigor?
Definitely a hybrid is Muscari azureum x pallens, EX09_533 from Antoine's donation. To finish the blues: Mandragora, one of those things I'm still surprised they are hardy, and Bellevalia trifoliata

, the latter one is a current picture, like all that are to follow.

Staying with Hyacinths, the next is a Hyacinthus orientalis cultivar - sold as "Gloria mundi" from 1767. I'm always skeptical with "rediscovered" historic cultivars, but it is definitively an interesting variant. Follow-up in the "White and fuzzy" category is Sanguinaria canadensis

. Last one from the open garden is Bongardia chrysogonum

.

Lets close with some  things that have their pots finally out: Tropaeolum tricolor

and Tropaeolum brachyceras

madly intertwined, as always and, last but not least: my Pleiones flower again - seems last summer wasn't as bad for them as the one before - despite being warmer on average, they seem to have suffered less as the maximum temperature was 35°C and not 38°C as the summer before. As the cat dropped my pleiones a few times, I'm not sure about the cultivars. The one in the back seems to be "Glacier peak", the pink one should be Pleione limprichtii

Height:	0-10 cm (0-3.9 inch)
Flower Colors:	pink
Flower Season:	mid spring

. The ones in front? unsure. Simply formosana alba?

well, I know that doesn't help but you with the ID quest, but according to my list there were no bulbs offered of Babiana tanquana

, only seeds and only so recently (fall 23?) that  I'm surprised there is already a flower. Maybe a pot mix-up? 

That said, Flower-wise we're in Asparagaceae, maybe Lachenalia, but most of those have wider leaves...