PBS Forum

Hello All,

I'm looking to purchase or trade for tuberous and/or perennial Impatiens species.  Seeds would be Ok too.  

A few I'd like to find, but there are others:
Impatiens cinnabarina 
I. flanaganae
I. gomphophylla
I. mirabilis (I know, good luck with that.)
I. tinctoria
I. rothii

To trade, I have Strumaria of various species and ages (some blooming size salterii, to 3 yr seedlings), Haemanthus a few species, Eucrosia mirabilis (3 yr seedlings), various Clivia offsets (yellow, Belgian, maybe a gardenii), more bulbs... , snowdrops (good lord, yes, snowdrop cultivars), and other non-geophytic green stuff. 

Thank you!
Michael
Interlaken, NY  Zone... right now? Winter.

Hi Ken,

I selfed a nice yellow that I was able to select from a group of Monrovia plants a few years back.  The 30 seedlings have all green bases indicating yellow or some color than orange.  I believe that because this selfed cross produced seedlings with all light colored bases, it indicates that the plant is considered to be a Group 1 Clivia.  Regardless of that, 16 of them are variegated!  About half of those are very nicely variegated.  All plants are doing quite well with both variegated and non-variegated growing at similar rates.  Some in each group are faster than others. 

Some seedlings were lost early on, as expected, but it was before first true leaf development and before any noticeable variegation.  From past reading, if a mother plant is strongly variegated, it may produce seeds that grow out as albino seedlings or ones so heavily variegated that they die early on.  I've never really had this many seedlings to tend, but it is fun watching the development.  About 6 months on, half strength liquid fertilizer REALLY helped improve rate of growth.  Fertilization is weekly now, half rate.

I hope yours grow on strongly!

Michael
Interlaken, NY Zone whatever, it's 6, was 5, this winter 7, maybe 8.  It's snowing today.  Happy Spring!

Of the 7 seeds coming from C. nobilis x C miniata, 4 have germinated, three remain solid, no rot, but not germinating, about 20 weeks after sowing.  Slow indeed!  The first growth challenged seedling which started the conversation has yet to develop a true leaf.  The others are growing at about C. nobilis rate and are working on a second true leaf.

Of the 16 seeds from the last PBS Clivia seed distribution in November, the last one germinated this past week, 14 weeks after sowing.

Hello All,

I'm writing at the request of Hitch Lyman and his delightful snowdrops.  For those of you unfamiliar with him, Hitch makes available exclusive collector's bulbs and new cultivars of specialty Galanthus.  Some species are available.  Old favorite are scattered throughout the catalog. They are shipped in the green, in late April to early May. 

His catalog is available now, for $5.  Mail in requests only.  If you want to order, get the catalog ASAP as he sells out quickly of the rarest selections.  The catalog was sent out this week to those individuals who ordered last season.

Please request a catalog by sending $5 to:

H. Lyman
PO Box 591
Trumansburg, NY 14886

Sales only through the catalog. 

NO INTERNET AVAILABILITY OR WEBSITE.  He doesn't work that way.

I was given permission to make this post.  If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them.  If I can't give you an answer, I can reach out to Hitch.

Thank you!

Michael Loos

I'm glad you enjoyed it!  It was started in early 2017 with a couple of other species.  Some seedlings started blooming at three years old, but this is a first for this one.  So far, it's the best of the lot.

Ah yes, plant breeding, I should have said "hoped" for some sort of hybrid vigor.  Poor choice of words.  

I also meant to note that I had two crosses with different pollen parents, both C.m. aurea.  Neither cross is particularly vigorous.  I keep going back to the C. nobilis being slow.  Perhaps the species is slower?  Those plants from seed grew at about the half rate of miniata, gardenii, or robusta.  After 5/6 years the nobilis, while blooming, continues to be considerably smaller than the other species.  Maybe I'm hoping for too much.  The C.m aurea X C. gardenii from last season is still ripening.  We'll see.

Hmm.  My carefully worded post vanished.  The gist is:

Clivia nobilis x C. miniata aurea, seed set and harvested.  Small seeds.  Very slow to germinate, VERY small seedlings, trying 1/4 strength fertilizer to push them a little, but they are still slow - only to a tiny first leaf 6 weeks after germination.  Some are still germinating, some are not even that far, but seeds are solid.  The nobilis parent was slow also, but I expected some sort of hybrid vigor.  Any suggestions?  

Maybe I'll get this to post this time?

Thank you!

Michael
Interlaken, NY z6a or something.

The first scape on this seedling Clivia gardenii turned out to be nearly all yellow. 
Also a first, for me, Hippeastrum idimae. 
Hippeastrum 'Saffron' Stands about 35 cm tall.  The short scape is from a bulb that turned out to be having root issues.

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.

Hi Jim,

I do have a question for you regarding Hippeastrum cybister.  Is there a way I can contact you off forum?

Michael Loos
Interlaken, NY 

Should I even mention snowdrops?  If they're stable, they're expensive.  The newer 'Quasimodo' and 'Were-rabbit' have tepaloid valve bracts giving them an extra zing.  I have a 'Wasp' that, one or two blossoms a season, reverses inner tepals and outer tepals.  I'll see if I can get a picture during the season.  Oh, those Galanthus...

Michael
Interlaken, NY Zone 6  First snow of the season!  Suddenly, it's cold.

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.

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.


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

Good Lord, those are lovely!  Arnold, your photographic skills are impressive.  Really nice capture.

We had a minimal conversation about dormancy with Zephyranthes a bit ago in another thread.  For close to 10 years, I've allowed mine to go completely dormant over the winter, no light, sited above the lights at about 65 degrees F.  Rimmer noted that his were kept more active, with some ambient light, and, if I remember correctly, they bloomed.  We both use artificial light (T-5 and LED), without greenhouse conditions.  I believe Rimmer is in a warmer zone and keeps his plants in a slightly different growing cycle.  Both of us keep them in the pots.  Mine take a while to wake up in spring, but begin blooming well by mid-summer.  

Would keeping them a more active/semi-dormant during winter bring earlier summer blooming?  Suggestions about this would be VERY welcome.  

Does anyone keep them active all year?  Is there a decrease in vigor if dormancy is not given?  

I have a few cultivars that I received (very dry) last month that were only recently potted but are now growing.  Any suggestions about keeping them in growth all winter through next summer?  

How about fertilizer?  I do use it, any regime that folks here use to get better/more/more frequent blooming?  

I've done a lot of reading and long term bulb growing, but I'm interested in what others are doing.  It's always good to get another opinion!

Michael
Interlaken, NY Zone 6