PBS Forum

Some Aroids are flowering in the garden right now:

Helicodiceros muscivorum: flowers are impressive but short lived. They do not smell as badly as I had thought 

Dracunculus canariensis in the open ground in my shade garden 

Zantedeschia aethiopica ,,Pink Lady" the pink tinge is most pronounced on the bud and will fade as the flower ages 

Dracunculus vulgaris. Impressive flower, again, not as smelly as anticipated.

Zantedeschia aethiopica ,,Glencoe" one of the best named varieties 

Quote from: Zxct56y on May 05, 2025, 05:47:59 PMI received the bulbs but here's the thing it came in a pot with full grown leaves!
So i have to change my tactics now

What tactic do you want to change? Receiving bulbs in a pot with fully grown leaves is about the best that can happen to you. There is no root disturbance (unless you do it yourself) Just leave them in their pots, keep them well watered as long as the leaves are still green in a bright, cool frost free place. Give them some fertilizer rich in potassium. Bulbs at the end of the growing cycle do benefit from fertilizing. Once the leaves turn yellow which will happen as soon as the weather warms up keep the pot out of summer rain,  keep it warm and dry as said before. How big is the pot? probably fairly small to save postage. Once dormant you can then transplant the bulbs without undoing the root ball, without root disturbance into the said bigger pot

Quote from: Zxct56y on May 04, 2025, 11:48:42 AMI read that Amaryllis Belladonna dosen't do very well in the Eastern US and Southern Canada (Quebec Ontario) because of the summer rains and wet conditions.

What they don't like is moisture, humidity and hot temperatures at the same time. That's why they are not happy in the open ground on the US east coast. Probably getting more unhappy the further south you go.
So for you, growing them in pots you can move the pots out of the summer rain. They would tolerate very warm soil during dormancy as long as they are dry. 
For pot size it depends how many bulbs you want to plant into a pot. Let's say for three flowering size bulbs I would use a pot which is slightly deeper than wide of at least 10 liters, better 15 liters. (Sorry, I don't count in gallons)

Hello,

Amaryllis belladonna is a robust plant and it is surprising that it died on you twice. The fact that it is native from the southern hemisphere does not matter because bulbs purchased in the northern hemisphere have already adapted to the right hemisphere and don't need to be swapped to another hemisphere.
What does matter, though, is that they are winter growing and summer dormant. And what also matters is that they are not particularly happy growing in pots. They can be cultivated in pots and they will also flower but not as good as in the open ground. In Montreal you have no choice, though. They need large and deep pots as they have a strong root system that needs space. Plant them with the neck of the bulbs at the surface of the substrate. The substrate should be well draining, make sure the drainage holes in the pot are not blocked by the roots but they are not fussy with the substrate. Amaryllis belladonna is a greedy plant and needs a lot of fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphorus especially when grown in pots. They need plenty of water while growing, without stagnant water and should be kept on the dry and warm side during their summer dormancy. Amaryllis belladonna is one of the summer dormant bulbs which tolerates summer water, they grow very well in England. That's why I am surprised that they died. Unless they were waterlogged during dormancy.
Growing in pots I would not keep them brutally dry in summer especially if you use large terracotta pots but give them a small amount of water every four weeks or so. But do not leave the pots in pouring rain during dormancy. A good drench towards the end of August might stimulate flowering if the bulbs are big enough.
Try to buy dormant bulbs from reputable suppliers in summer and not in spring. Plant them as soon as you can, they hate root disturbance and need at least one growing season to settle in during which they are unlikely to flower.
In Montreal you would have to keep the growing bulbs frost free, cool and as bright as ever possible like in a bright frost free cold greenhouse. Lack of light is one reason for shy flowering and too much warmth during growth will cause premature dormancy.
Hope that helps 

Hello,
Here are some informations concerning the items I donated to the current EU BX:
Haemanthus albiflos seed should be sown as soon as possible, sow superficially and bury only half of the fleshy seeds. Keep evenly moist but not stagnant wet. There are different forms of the species: this seed comes from a fairly large and long leaved form with upright foliage. Originally from the collection of the late John Lavranos.

Gesneriads: plant the rhizomes as soon as possible. They start best with gentle bottom heat. They can be started in relatively small pots which would fit into a propagator. Do not overwater before they sprout but they must not dry out after starting. Gesneriads do not at all mind being transplanted during growth so you can pot them up into bigger pots once they have sprouted..  All offered are summer growing with dry winter dormancy. Some will go dormant fairly late in the season. Best stored dry in their pots in the substrate not cooler than at least 10°C, better 15°C.

Amorphophallus atroviridis: Each tuber produces only one leaf, but none if it flowers. Attractive foliage, best started with some gentle bottom heat. Propagates easily by offsets. The supplied tubers should produce a leaf and not a flower. Summer growing and dry winter dormancy

Cyrtanthus montanus bulbils: The mother plant has never flowered with me but produced many bulbils, I am not very successful with Cyrtanthus. Bulbils may take their time before they sprout a leaf. Evergreen.

Gladiolus dalenii 'Boone' According to various sources in the internet this is the frost hardiest form of this variable species. Named after a locality in the US state of North Carolina where it was found. I have not tested its hardiness. Personally I find the pale colours of the flowers less attractive than more intensely coloured forms, therefore I donated the entire lot. Summer growing, winter dormant.

Oxalis triangularis Red Leaf: Very easy plant, summer growing, winter dormant but can be almost evergreen as a houseplant. Best colouring of the leaves is achieved outdoors in full sun. hardy in mild winter climates but so far not invasive. Small white flowers add charm.

Solanum jamesii: Wild potato, vigorous grower, white typical potato flowers. Attractive in a large pot or hanging basket, shoots will trail. Produces lots of tubers and may well become invasive in the right conditions, so best kept confined in a pot. Solanum can be extremely toxic, so I would not eat the tubers....

Happy growing!
Uli

As promised, here are some pictures of different cultivars of Amaryllis belladonna in my garden.
I have come to the conclusion that soil quality does not really seem to matter much. The traditional local pale flowering form shows the same virus streaks like yours. I now think that it is virused. Same with Fred Meyer's White.
The other cultivars and the unnamed (and so far unflowered) seedlings seem to be unaffected. It is interesting how different the seedlings look like. Thank you for raising this topic, I was not aware of the virus in my plants.

If you have an issue with Narcissus not flowering and only producing leaves you may have Narcissus fly. Where in Portugal do you live? And at what elevation? My garden is near Monchique in the very south western corner of the Algarve at 350m elevation. I have planted a lot of Narcissus in the beginning only to find out that the ones with larger bulbs would either disappear completely or end up with a few thin leaves. The same applies to Habranthus, Hippeastrum and especially to Sprekelia. The smaller Narcissus like for example N. bulbocodium which are native here are not affected and interestingly the fairly large bulbs of the native N. papyraceus aren't either. There is a reason for being native.
Amaryllis belladonna and Nerine does not seem to be attacked by Narcissus flies (so far....)
I am not sure about the necessity for winter chill for Narcissus, it certainly applies to Central Asian tulips.
Commercial bulbs can always be infected with virus.....
In autumn I always have kilos of seed of Amaryllis belladonna and I would be more than happy to let you have it 

If you live in Portugal you probably have the pale pink traditional variety of Amaryllis belladonna in your garden. I have this form, too but most of the other ones are the Rose Foncé form from the now closed nursery Bulb Argence in France. I also have some other named varieties in smaller numbers. I will go and check tomorrow (weather permitting....) and will let you know. The named cultivars look healthy and dark green and especially the Rose Foncé foliage is broader and much taller than the traditional one.
Bye for now 

Your question is not easy to answer. The leaves do indeed look suspicious for a virus infection but I am not sure. Did you use a lens to search for thrips or other critters which might be causing damage to the leaves?
You do not state where your garden is, could it be a borderline climate for Amaryllis belladonna? Or did they suffer from intermediate drought?If the clumps are decades old and were neglected in the past there might also be some nutrient deficiency causing the symptoms. I grow many Amaryllis belladonna in different places of my garden and some, on poorer soil show the same symptoms. All were purchased from the same source. On the other hand it is well known that virus infection can be masked by fertilizing.
Depending on how attached you are towards these massive clumps a laboratory test could be considered, no idea how much it would cost. Personally I would find it easier but still painful to get rid of the Iris but removing all the belladonnas would be heartbreaking......
Not sure if my answer is really helpful.....

Dear members living in the EU,
This is a last reminder for donations before we will close the second round of the EU exchange. We have so far received only a few items. We are planning the ordering time window over the Easter Weekend. Please send in your donations to Martin now if you have surplus seed or bulbs. Here is the address
Martin Bohnet
Ludwigstr. 1
73035 Göppingen
It would be a good idea to send an email to Martin <garak@code-garak.de> to let him know a donation is under way.
Please do not hesitate to get back to me (Uli) if you have questins
Thank you very much!
Uli and Martin

Hello Wylie,

I don't grow Babiana tanquana but I may have this Lachenalia. Don't know off hand which one this is. I must check my collection during daylight. I have not donated many Lachenalia bulbs, though. Will keep you updated. 

Dear Members living in the EU,
This is a reminder: There will be a second round of the EU sping Bulb and seed exchange. We do the second round for mainly bulbs to avoid frost damage to bulbs. It is planned for Mid April. If you have spare seed or bulbs please send them now to Martin in Germany.
The EU exchange is open for all fully paid members with a postal address in one of the EU countries. The first round has mainly covered seed and the second one is for bulbs but both is welcome.   Please send only clean and healthy material.
As usual, we suggest prepacking of seed on a voluntary basis, five portions of seed would be fine, if therer is plenty more you can add an extra envelope Martin can use as a reserve. If you need seed envelopes you can get them free of charge from Martin.

His address: Martin Bohnet
                   Ludwigstr. 1
                   73035 Göppingen
                   Germany
                   email: <garak@code-garak.de>

Please label your donation with the name of the plant and your own name so that your donation can be referred to you. You will get a bonus covering the postage.
Closure of the donations and opening of the ordering time window will be announced through the same channels
And please do not hesitate to come back to me(Uli) in case of questions johannes-ulrich-urban@t-online.de

Uli and Martin

Dear members of the PBS living in the EU,
The ordering for bulbs from the South African Bulb Company will be closing tomorrow at midnight Central European Time. I have not received any more orders or messages from interested members during last week so that I think everybody has placed her or his order. You can still order and send your order form to me until tomorrow. Please remember that this is a service for fully paid members with a postal address in the EU.
Please do not hesitate to come back to me with questions
Bye for now,
Uli

I don't know if you have this kind of material: in Europe some nurseries use a coconut fiber mat which is about 1 to 1,5cm thick on top of pots to keep weeds out and moisture in. It is fairly rigid and can be cut to measure with ordinary strong scissors.

It is Ipheion uniflorum. There are different colour forms around, the one with the most intense blue for me is ,Jessie'
,Rolf Fiedler' is also a good blue but apparently it is a separate species of which I do not recall the name.
The regular uniflorum is relatively pale blue, older flowers fading to a paler hue, so that is probably your plant