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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

I've just a little note about chipping and twin-scaling.  

If you haven't done it, try it.  

Follow the instructions about cleanliness and you will get great results.  If you have a bulb to spare, don't be put off by this technique.  It works!  It's really quite exciting to watch little bulbs form from simple slices of bulb and plate.

Michael
Interlaken, NY 
USDA Zone... ground freezing winter cold and changeable

Well, that IS intriguing!  I will have to try a little longer growing season with them and keep them closer (likely not under) the lights.  It's always interesting to find out how others are growing plants.  

I've been fortunate to collect a few light carts when people divested, constructed a few, and modified bakers racks.  They all suddenly become a room full.  I do wish for a greenhouse.

I've got to correct a comment I made earlier.  Z. 'Big Dude' is a Tony Avent selection of LaBuffarosa.  I was checking the Wiki and found the history.  It seems I've been checking the archive a lot recently...

Rimmer - unfortunately, I don't have an option on the seasonal timing for most my plants.  I wish I did.  I'm sure your suggestions would make my plants thrive, but my lights are already full.  I already have SO MANY lights running over the winter, I think it actually likely helps my emotional state!  With the exception of Strumaria, most of the bulbous plants I grow are limited to being strictly summer growers.  The Strumaria are small enough to keep under the lights and only take up one full shelf.   I have one or two struggling Haemanthus and a few other winter growing genera under the lights, but for the greater part, I shut down the season around November.  Many plants go onto shelves and stored until spring.  I have to be rather heartless.  Usually the caudiciforms and other succulents are just fine.  Some struggle and I try to be careful with them.  Big pots, like the Crinum and Eucomis go in the cellar and get revived in spring.

Now folks reading this may think, "How many lights?  Is there really no more room?"  There are 20- 4 foot fixtures, 2 -300 watt LED and one 1000 watt LED.  I actually need more lights as it is... or a greenhouse... I'm working on that.  I've been moving towards LED with all the 4 foot fixtures by rewiring the old lines to accept the new tubes.  It has been helping considerably with the ability to offer more light without added expense.  But I digress...

Is anyone growing the more unusual Zephyranthes?  I believe there are quite good doubles available and unique colors.  I'd love to hear about it and see pictures!

I've had these for about 5 years now.  It seems it always takes me a few years to really the hang of growing something, regardless of how much I read about it.  Flower number 5 opened after this was taken.

Zephryanthes 'Big Dude', one of the laBuffarosa lineage, I think it was selected by the old Yucca Do nursery.  The flowers are really quite a bit larger than many of the others, like 'Lily Pies' and 'Cookie Cutter Moon'.  All are taken in for the winter, kept bone dry, and placed back outside in the spring.  Everything gets a good 6 months of active growth before drying off for the winter.  i poke around and refresh soil in the spring, at minimum top dress the first inch or two.

And yes, bulb files are treacherous.  

Michael
Interlaken NY Zone 6-ish

So here is quite a list, cut and pasted.  Contributors include Jim Shields in Indiana (Z5), James Yourch of North Carolina (Z7), David Fenwick in Devon, England (~Z8), and a nice essay from Dr. Jim Waddick, St Louis, Missouri (Z6).  I've included approximate USDA hardiness zones of contributors to give an idea of what we're seeing as to individual plant hardiness.  We're looking at information from almost 20 years ago.  That said, many of the the original zones listed have changed.  I grew up outside of Cleveland in a strongly Z5a.  It has moved to Z6a/b in the last 20 years.  Where I am now used to be Z5a, it's running Z6a/b in just the last 10 years.

I haven't seen many on PBS in recent months/years, only Shields recently and Waddick this past January.  James Yourch had a list of cultivars he was trialing in 2004 but I haven't heard a report.  Some really great information on stretching your limits are the old files.

Maybe I'll get this into a single Excel file.  Does PBS carry information files like that in the Wiki?

All said, it makes me want to try a few of these in the garden.  

Michael
Interlaken, NY Zone 6-ish


J.E. Shields (Thu, 24 Jun 2004 11:42:59 PDT)
This has become a very interesting topic. Please keep up the lists!
Here we have two or three crinums growing out in the open nursery field,
just under about 6 inches of mulch in winter:
Crinum variabile -- large plants that have not yet bloomed
C. [bulbispermum X lugardiae] -- blooming right now
C. bulbispermum seedlings
In protected beds, on the south and east sides of a heated greenhouse, we have
C. bulbispermum bloom size
C. 'Ellen Bosanquet'
misc. x-powellii type plants
C. 'J.C. Harvey' that thrives and blooms multiple scapes
Otheres are still being tested.

James Yourch (Thu, 24 Jun 2004 07:22:39 PDT)
Tony Avent wrote a long list of Crinums hardy for him in central North
Carolina. I am also in central North Carolina and am north and west of Tony
so might be a few degrees colder. I agree with Tony on all of our many
duplicates.
I have a few more to add that I have tested in my garden that don't
duplicate any of Tony's:
Crinum rattrayii - a jagus form, in a protected location
Crinum asiaticum - in a protected location
Crinum x 'White Prince' - not sure if this is the same as what Tony listed
as 'Great White Prince', but mine is not a powellii.
Crinum x 'Super Ellen'
Crinum x 'Peachblow'
Crinum x 'Burgundy'


David Fenwick (Wed, 23 Jun 2004 23:33:11 PDT)
Hi All,
I grow the following list of Crinum outdoors in the ground, temps to -5C,
without protection. Most of the hybrids listed are of South African species.
Crinum album syn. yemense
Crinum bulbispermum (and its hybrids)
Crinum bulbispermum x album
Crinum bulbispermum x lugardiae
Crinum campanulatum 'Album'
Crinum macowanii
Crinum moorei
Crinum moorei 'Mousey Pink'
Crinum variabile
Crinum x powellii 'Bill Francis'
Crinum x powellii
Crinum x powellii 'Album'
Crinum x powellii 'Haarlemense'
Crinum x 'Bradley'
Crinum x 'Carnival'
Crinum x 'Cecil Houdyshel'
Crinum x 'Ellen Bosanquet'
Crinum x 'Elizabeth Traub'
Crinum x 'Emma Jones'
Crinum x 'Giant White Prince'
Crinum x 'Louis Bosanquet' (bulbispermum x macowanii) remake
Crinum x 'Magenta' (scabrum x moorei)
Crinum x 'Walter Flory'
Crinum x 'White Mogul' (moorei x abyssinicum)
Crinum x [forbesii x macowanii] x moorei

James Waddick (Sat, 26 Jun 2004 06:14:48 PDT)
We need more people like Jim Waddick and Jim Shields in the colder zones to
take our lists and keep pushing those envelopes.
Dear Tony;
I agree fully. Although there are just a few what I'd call
"Hardy Bulb Growers" on this list, I am surprised when one 'newbie'
suddenly discovers that Crinum x powellii can be grown outdoors in
Zone 6 or 7. I have been growing the Dutch commercial clone in Zone 5
for more than a decade.
I have tried a few cvs, certainly nothing like Jim S does in
his somewhat milder climate or those in even milder climates. I have
relied on the generosity of friends willing to test some cvs here.
They are too pricey for me to buy and die. Anyone have a form they
want to test for hardiness?
Currently in bloom:
C. x powelli- commercial close. This is certainly about as
vigorous and hardy as all, but the flowers are narrow petalled and
skinny. Often barely opening more than a meager trumpet. I used to
think it was pretty great, but compared to others now something of a
weed. Trouble is that in my climate bulbs can 'dig' down 18 inches
and deeper so it is a lot of back ache work to dig them out even to
give away.
However it is worth it as a dazzlingly exotic foliage plant
in this climate. Nothing really like it.
C.x powelli "alba"- a white commercial form, but much better
bloomer with pure white, open flowers. I'd dig, divide and spread
around, if I could borrow a back hoe.
C. bulbispermum- various seedlings. Always the earliest to
bloom and now almost done, but hardy and beautiful. Easy from seed. A
'Giant' strain from M Sheppard has done beautifully with little care.
Never seems to pup though.
'Cecil Houdyshel'- a named x powelli is much improved with
larger wide open flowers.
That's all that are blooming right now, but my favorite
remains 'Catherine' - pure white with the largest and flaring
flowers. Lightly scented and a beauty.
Although the color of 'Ellen Bousanguet' is gorgeous, it is
slightly less hardy and slow to recover from winter and bloom, but
has been here for 5 or 6 years.
Various others are hardy enough, but less reliable in bloom.
So I urge beginners in colder climate to start with C.
bulbispermum as it is very satisfying to grow and easiest from seed.
I'll try to get seed to Dell for the BX. Maybe it could be sent to
cool climate gardeners as a priority.
I also grow a few more tender sorts in large pots including
striped and bronze foliage tropical sorts. Just worth it as pot
plants.
So if you have wondered about whether it is hardy enough to
grow certainly try a bulbispermum of x powelli as these are fast
growing and cheap enough to risk in colder climates.

Arnold, 
I meant to ask, are you on the coast?  Zone?  It's great to see these growing this far up in the States.
Michael