PBS Forum

Gladiolus?


Babiana rubrocyanea ?

   
Bright yellow flattened 2-sided inflorescence?

Tilden BG

Calocortus what...?

Berkeley Botanic Garden

No clue


Watsonia ,.......?

I am newish here, so I am trying to wrap my head around the timing of the bulb exchanges and my "bulbs".

Can I assume this current one is for summer growers and the bulbs have been harvested and stored all winter?

Most of my collection are seed grown and I am trying to keep them growing for now to increase the bulb size. When they go dormant later this spring and early summer I will divide them, make a few selections and hope to share the rest.

When I divide my winter growers, should I paper bag them and store them in a cool location for some other exchange date?

I think my question is answered in my post but I am mentally and physically preparing for the huge job of dividing my seed pots.

Peter

I dont mean to be a pain, but with winter coming or already here it seems the thread has evolved into anything but.

Is there someway to move all of the non-heating and energy conservation comments to another thread?

Always looking for new ideas on heating and retaining heat even in my "mild" climate and solar panels.

Peter

I am very excited to have received a few Gethyllis bulbs in the exchange and was reading about growing them in a deep pot with very sandy soil.

Very Sandy? Course I would imagine, add some compost as well? ratios?

G. ciliaris longituba and maybe linearis.

Peter

I've had a thing for these since trying to force them for a nursery almost 40yrs ago.

This clump was at least 10 yrs old and had never done a thing. We were redoing a spot in our landscape a month ago so I dug it up and sat it aside trying to decide with to do with it.

Two weeks later, still bare-root on a bench, there were signs of flower buds.

Currently sitting in a pot without any media, in the greenhouse it's saying, how do I look now!

(Don't mind the mess, the inverted tub covers my solar battery, the bin is sifted pumice and the the buckets are fertilizer concentrates that I dilute as needed.)

I did some searching on the site but didn't find what I was looking for.

Last season I received an envelope "all the rest" full of seed packets.

Being enthusiastic I sowed almost all of them.

Most are dormant and many are winter growers so the season might be starting soon and I want to know if I should transplant some and send others to the bulb exchange.

I recall reading that its best to let them go another year.

Suggestions?

Picked up this little cutie at Peacock Horticultural Nursery in Sebastopol. The pattern is variable but present in both plants. Tubers I think..

I have been looking for a great way to keep my growing collection in a single space to have good sunlight in the winter/early spring and hot but protected summer temperatures.

Have read a few of you have these sorts of beds and having seen the beautiful Alpine beds at the Royal BG Edinburgh and Wisley I think this might be an option.

I have come across some 2x12 fir boards that I can use to make some nice raised beds (waist height for viewing and I don't bend very well anymore). I know they will rot reasonably quickly so I think I will want to add a liner.

I have built several aquaponic systems and ponds so I know how to make them water proof but I am now thinking about drainage.

I'll need lots of holes, and bulkhead fittings are a bit expensive, so I think maybe creating a series of sloped areas like a shower base might direct the water out quickly. Maybe use some of the tile set material under the liner.

Water does not move well from sand to gravel so that is not really a good option, and I have never used sand in a pond so I am not sure how to keep it in the base without it falling or clogging.

I can make it pretty deep so maybe the sand to gravel and perch layer will not be an issue.

Any suggestions or comments?

Peter

Quite tall, 4-6' maybe, clumping, may be a bit of a spreader.

Beautiful foliage for sure.

Fits into the tropical theme of the landscape.

Seed pods if anyone is interested.

Do I understand this correctly, that I should keep them growing all summer? I am guessing the bulbs need to grow to withstand a summer dry period in a pot. 

I think I found this recommendation in one of the old Bulb Garden that were just recently posted. 

I am sure there is no simple answer as different species need different treatments. I had some go tan then brown really quickly while others are still green (growing?)

Peter

Gift from an old friend. Labeled O. longibracteatum but not it for sure.

Leaves are thin grasslike, flower stalks branched with flowers vertical and not really opening up fully.

The Wiki page mentions a section of Albuca with vertically held flowers but I cant find a list of those to try to ID it.

thanks

The thread about Oxalis pes-caprae  reminds me that "we" have a long history of thinking that a cool plant from somewhere else is going to play nice in our garden. I grew O. megalorrhiza 45 years ago in my quest for caudiciforms and gave a few plants to a friend at the local college botany greenhouse, returned 30+ years later and my gift had become a resident in almost every pot.

In California we have seen plants from the southern hemisphere take over large areas of our landscapes, some of the Eucalyptus and Acacias for example. This is not to bash SH plants, as our well loved Liquidambar has turned into a big mistake as a street or landscape tree in CA.

Where am I going with this? I'm pretty new to exotic bulb collecting and want to be sure I don't do this to my landscape. I love Sparaxis, but not like this. (Okay, I love walking past this on my daily walks)



Visiting the UCSC arboretum yesterday I came across a gladiolus that was going to town.. Beautiful but again, I dont want to be weeding too much any longer (late 60's), listed as G. tristis 'Moonlight' but wrong color. I think this plant was a volunteer that liked the label.



I am just hoping that the ones I want are going to be tame. 

Peter

Visiting UCSC Arboretum (Santa Cruz CA. Arboretum known for plants of the 5 Mediterranean climates) yesterday to see the Puya, and came across these bulbs. 

Any ID help?

Both are very short, the purple one might be only3-5" tall.

Had these in the garden for a bit (Santa Cruz CA) and would like to know the name.

Just getting started with these, and just what I hoped for.

Any ideas on where to get bulb rings for the garden?

I have several pots from bulb exchange and most of them are turning tan or brown and one is tipping over. Its happening outside and in my unheated greenhouse.

Any ideas or is this pretty normal coloration just sort of weak growing in more shade than sun. Santa Cruz

Title says it all, just curious about the duration?

I read 30 minutes, that sound right?


Diplarrena latifolia is the seed I am wondering about

Peter

I know these are not uncommon and a bit weedy but they sure look great this time of year.

Not sure which species this is...