Jan. 2025

[Uli]

Hello All,

Greetings and best wishes for the New Year to everybody!
And some impressions from today's walk round the garden, rain announced, black clouds but no rain so far....

The yellow fireworks is Aloe arborescens ssp. mzimnyati.

Nice Garden tour, Uli! Here in California where Aloe Arborescens has long been a landscape plant in many milder USDA 9B and up areas, that is an unusual color. Our common color is Orange, or sometimes a pinkish or reddish orange. The more straight red is rare and sought after, as well as we have yellow forms which are very uncommon. But that looks to be kind of a peachy yellow...

As promised, I had another look at the yellow Aloe and took this picture during a sunny spell. I don't see much red in the flowers.

[Carlos]

Lovely Aloe @Uli 

I decided to start gathering Mediterranean Romukea as they are the kind of group that I like: dozens of names, often for the same plant but in a different island, or across the border of a country, etc.

Tempskyana seems to be fairly stable and well defined, these deep purple flowers are stunning



From Episkopí, Cyprus (or the part of Cyprus under British rule).

:

[Too Many Plants!]

Lovely Aloe @Uli

I decided to start gathering Mediterranean Romukea as they are the kind of group that I like: dozens of names, often for the same plant but in a different island, or across the border of a country, etc.

Tempskyana seems to be fairly stable and well defined, these deep purple flowers

Very nice, Carlos! I have a yellow Romulea with a similar shape flower and size (I'm guessing). Forget the name (I'll have to check my tag tomorrow) edit: I looked it up tonight, R. Setifolia. They are naturalizing for me very nicely. I've gotten good amounts of seed from them the last couple seasons. Would that interest you???  pics attached...

[Carlos]

Hi, @Too Many Plants! , only Northern species... Thanks.

[Too Many Plants!]

Hi, @Too Many Plants! , only Northern species... Thanks.

Carlos, what do you have against South African Fynbos Cape species!?! 😜

[Carlos]

1. I think that their taxonomy is better resolved. Here it is a mess of names, 'species' which have never been relocated, etc. Even the choromosome number has not been correctly studied for some species.

2. They can hybridize with what I have. I am already thinking about how to prevent this on my native plants.

3. My collection is getting difficult to manage.

4. There are many more interesting plants for me to spend money on first.

5. Speaking of SA, I prefer to focus on Amaryllidaceae, and maybe Massonia and Gladiolus.More tempskyana, this accession came from Samos island.



Crocea, or bulbocodium subsp. crocea



Bulbocodium (subsp. bulbocodium,) from southern Italy, maybe Apulia (ex Angelo Porcelli as I've been told).



Another take of the Hyacinthoides aristidis, showing how in this genus the first flowers to open are those at the top.



Allium canariense



Narcissus dubius

[Too Many Plants!]

Very Nice purple Romulea, Carlos! As well as the yellow flower too.

Who said anything about spending money...I was offering to send you some seed. 

BTW...I have some seed of a few different SA Gladiolus, are there any in particular you might like to have?