Was: Colchicum etc; now also: Androcymbium

J.E. Shields jshields104@insightbb.com
Fri, 02 Aug 2002 09:07:46 PDT
At 09:45 AM 8/1/02 -0700, Jane wrote:

>Note to Jim Shields= don't throw your seed pots out so fast! A year is not
>enough for many colchicums to germinate. I keep them 3 years. Same with
>irises.
>
>Jane McGary
>NW Oregon

Hi Jane,
I have had iris seeds sprout after the second winter outdoors.  In the case 
of the Colchicum ex 'Antares', I wondered if the seeds would survive our 
cold, wet winter.

I have not done will with the tender Colchicum species in my 
greenhouse.  C. cupanii put up some foliage last autumn, but the others 
seem to have disappeared (kesselringii and doerfleri).  I've clearly not 
been treating them right.

I had good luck with Androcymbium europaeum bulbs, which did quite well in 
the greenhouse.  They bloomed and set plenty of seeds, which I 
unfortunately did not keep.  I just assumed they would never 
germinate.  How hard are the seeds of A. europaeum to germinate?  How hardy 
is A. europaeum outdoors (rock garden, bulb frame?).  I don't have a bulb 
frame, but I do have some coldframes between the house and the greenhouse.

Jim Shields
in hot, humid central Indiana


*************************************************
Jim Shields             USDA Zone 5             Shields Gardens, Ltd.
P.O. Box 92              WWW:    http://www.shieldsgardens.com/
Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA                   Tel. +1-317-896-3925




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