From ???@??? Tue Oct 01 07:10:37 2002 Message-Id: From: Dell Sherk Subject: Pacific BX 9 Date: Tue, 01 Oct 2002 08:28:47 -0400 Dear All, The items listed below have been donated by PBS members for sharing. If you are interested in obtaining some of them, please email me PRIVATELY at . Include "BX 9" in the subject line. Specify the NUMBERS of the items which you would like; do not specify quantities. Availability is based on a first come, first served system. When you receive your seeds/bulbs you will find included with them a statement of how much money (cash or check) you should send the PBS treasurer for you order. Each item costs US$2.00 to cover first-class postage and packing. It is a good idea to include you snail mail address too, in case I don't already have it. Some of you are members of the PBS discussion forum but not members of the Pacific Bulb Society. THIS BX OFFERING IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO MEMBERS OF THE PBS. Consider joining the PBS so that you can take advantage of future offers such as this. Or contact me at dells@voicenet.com If you would like to donate seeds or bulbs/corms to the PBS, please send clean, clearly labeled material to: Dell Sherk, PO Box 224, Holicong, PA 18928, USA. OFFERINGS: Pacific BX 9: SEED: From Dylan Hannon: 1. Ornithogalum unifoliatum 2. Ornithogalum reverchoni 3. Lachenalia kliprandensis 4. Massonia depressa From Mark Wilcox: 5. Zephyranthes unknown 6. Clematis integrifolia 'Lake Baikal' (bulb companion) From Cathy Craig: 7. Veltheimia capensis x self 8. Triteleia clementina 9. Chasmanthe aethiopica From Charles Hardman: 10. Romulea sabulosa "Of all the bulbs I grow, this is one of my favorites. It's a tiny gem of a plant with 2-2.5" goblets of red with a white gold-spotted throat. I never get enough of it, though I grow hundreds in 5-gallon tubs. Needs plenty of light. Not all seeds (only about half) will germinate the first year." 11. Lachenalia carnosa 12. Lachenalia mutabilis 13. Albuca sp. (short, with beautiful flowers) 14. Albuca sp. (spiral leaves) 15. Bulbinella cauda-felis (white) 16. Bulbinella floribunda (orange) Thank you, Dylan, Mark, Cathy, and Charles !! Best wishes, Dell --Dell Sherk, Director, Pacific BX From ???@??? Wed Oct 02 06:54:12 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021001222755.00c03830@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Oxalis question Date: Tue, 01 Oct 2002 22:57:17 -0700 Dear All, I don't think any of the Oxalis experts answered Lauw's question about Uli's plants he got in Mexico. I don't have the Salter monograph which I understand is the best source of information about Oxalis so I don't know how many Oxalis species are found naturally in Mexico although I imagine there are some. There are quite a few from South America aren't there? We even have five taxa native to California and eight others growing in California that are not native including one native to Mexico and several native to South Africa and South America. The one Uli shared with the IBS BX and with me that was identified by one of his sources as Oxalis bowiei looks like the pictures of that species I have seen on the Internet and sounds like the description of that plant in the RHS Manual of Bulbs. That plant is native to South Africa. I would just expect that it could be easily grown in Mexico. After all Ernie seems to have collected seed of Habranthus tubispathus in South Africa. Most people think Amaryllis belladonna is native to California and Oxalis pes-caprae too since there is so much of it so just because he found it there doesn't mean it didn't originate somewhere else. It is interesting that it is quite happy growing on a Mediterranean cycle even though that wouldn't be its patten in nature. My husband took some picture of it in bloom and I have one from last year so I will post them to the AB_Images list and to the Bulbs_Images list too. And for Ann Marie he took a picture of what we grow as Oxalis zeekoevleyensis so I will send that one too. Diana once asked what the storage organ of Oxalis is and I noticed that in Cape Plants they dodge that by calling them geophytes. Diana also said Oxalis were relatively easy to change from one hemisphere to another. Could they just be plants that can be brought into growth at time different than they would be growing in their native habitat by manipulating when they get water? Mary Sue Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2002 08:14:45 +0200 From: Lauw de Jager Reply-To: "Pacific Bulb Society" Organization: Bulb'Argence X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [fr] (Macintosh; U; PPC) X-Accept-Language: fr MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Pacific Bulb Society Subject: Re Oxalis question References: <17uh8Z-0qlSqnC@fwd01.sul.t-online.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Sender: Precedence: Bulk X-pstn-levels: (C75.3595 M99.8512 P95.9108 S27.9194 ) X-UIDL: >H!"!99!!-()!!'HN!! Johannes-Ulrich Urban a *crit . > The plants I distributed under the name of Oxalis bowiei are defintely from Mexico and not South African. (unless two very different and very knowlegeable donors made the same mistake, who knows?) Dear Uli, I grow this Oxalis here (came from a garden on the Cote d'Azur), and does vey well in a mediterranean cycle. This is the first time I hear a statement that some Oxalis may orginate from Mexico (not a mediterraean climate) Could some Oxalis experts amongst us verify the origin of this species as I have it noted as coming from South Africa. Look forward to hearing froml you. -- Lauw de Jager BULB'ARGENCE, 30300 Fourques, France Région Provence/Camargue; (Climat zone 9a Mediterranean) Site http//www.bulbargence.com/ "GUIDE POUR BULBES MÉDITERRANÉENS" 116 pages, 400 photos, prix 10 E CATALOGUE D'ÉTÉ' (SUMMERCATALOG) est disponible, EXPEDITION bulbes continuera jusqu'à mi-octobre (espèces à floraison automnale sont replantées) From ???@??? Wed Oct 02 06:54:13 2002 Message-Id: <5.0.2.1.2.20021002001111.00a5fc00@mailbox2.cts.com> From: Marguerite English Subject: Zephyranthes candida Date: Wed, 02 Oct 2002 00:13:14 -0700 After languishing all of August, Z. candida is blooming like crazy this week. Whether it was our rain or our cold nights, it is really putting on a show. And here I thought it was going out to one of the beds this Fall! Marguerite zone 7B, chilly mountains of Southern California at 3700 feet. From ???@??? Wed Oct 02 13:03:02 2002 Message-Id: <002d01c26a40$6023b800$99f7883e@oemcomputer> From: "Robin Attrill" Subject: Oxalis questions etc Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2002 19:20:22 +0100 Mary Sue et al, I have myself wondered about the origin of O bowiei. Whilst it does superficially resemble certain new world taxa I have never seen any evidence that the S African provenance is not correct. It is regarded as native there in the Salter monograph (which only covers S African taxa), as is another 'new world lookalike', O semiloba, a summer rainfall taxon. I have not been able to trace the origin of the O bowiei material in cultivation in the UK but it resembles the image that you have posted, and is illustrated in Rix and Phillips Conservatory and Indoor Plants vol 1 p188-189. For a survey of all the worlds Oxalis see Geraniales Species Checklist Series, vol 5 Oxalis ISBN 1-899742-43-3. This is not illustrated but contains much useful information. It is in print. The Salter monograph of the S African taxa is long out of print, but a facsimile was published a few years ago by Chuck Everson of Rainbow Gardens Bookshop in the US. Diana is quite correct to state that transfer between hemispheres is straightforward, certainly easier than irdis etc, the plants readily 'sorting themselves out' in 12 to 18 months. In a recent post Lauw mentioned that he has O palmifrons in flower. This taxon is notoriously shy flowering in the UK, and any advice as to how to encourage flowering would be welcomed! Regarding seeds, clones are generally self sterile as previously stated. The abundance of daughter offsets in many taxa effectively deals with propagation requirements. Also, in many species, the viability of fertile seed is of very limited duration. As far as hybrids are concerned, as previously stated a number of the S American 'alpines' have been developed into new commercial entities. Hybridisation has been noted in S African taxa, see Salter pp 21-22, but is rare in nature. From a personal viewpoint, I am rather glad that there has been no substantial artificial hybridisation work on the S African plants, as, given the abundance and diversity of the species therefrom, it would probably add little value horticulturally and confuse the already difficult taxonomic situation. regards Robin From ???@??? Wed Oct 02 15:49:46 2002 Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20021002121450.0090f8c0@127.0.0.1> From: Jane McGary Subject: Commercial calochortus Date: Wed, 02 Oct 2002 12:14:50 -0700 I have just opened a package of Dutch-grown Calochortus venustus received directly from a wholesaler in Holland, and the condition of the bulbs prompts me to post this warning. The bulbs appear to be affected by one or more pathogens. They are discolored and spotted, with some gray mold and perhaps something like ink spot disease. Some of them are woody throughout -- i.e., dead -- presumably because whatever diseases are affecting them have completely desiccated the tissue. I intend to destroy them and not even plant the ones that appear to be healthy (a minority of the package). If you are experimenting with Calochortus and live in an area where they are native, I strongly urge you not to plant foreign-grown ones. I worry about introducing diseases that could affect the native populations -- some species are threatened or even endangered. If someone knows of a place where I could send a sample of these to find out exactly what is affecting them, please let me know. I will keep a few with that in mind. Jane McGary NW Oregon From ???@??? Thu Oct 03 07:22:57 2002 Message-Id: <3D9BE218.E5BACD5E@bulbargence.com> From: Lauw de Jager Subject: Oxalis questions etc Date: Thu, 03 Oct 2002 08:22:17 +0200 Robin Attrill a *crit > In a recent post Lauw mentioned that he has O palmifrons in flower. This > taxon is notoriously shy flowering in the UK, and any advice as to how to > encourage flowering would be welcomed! Dear Robin, The flowering O palmifrons stock comes from an Alpine grower in Holland. This year I planted O palmifrons from England but it will probably only flower next year. I did nothing special to make it flower, it is probably due to the warmer climat we have here. Regards -- Lauw de Jager BULB'ARGENCE, 30300 Fourques, France Région Provence/Camargue; (Climat zone 9a Mediterranean) From ???@??? Fri Oct 04 18:19:43 2002 Message-Id: From: Douglas Westfall Subject: Haemanthus albiflos Date: Fri, 04 Oct 2002 18:09:20 -0700 I have twelve beautiful Haemanthus albiflos scapes here in So CA. As common as they are, they are very attractive/eye catchers. Doug Westfall From ???@??? Sat Oct 05 20:18:43 2002 Message-Id: From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: When to start watering Date: Sat, 05 Oct 2002 20:11:31 -0700 Dear All, Several years ago I remember a discussion on the IBS forum about when to start watering winter growing bulbs. This is relevant to those of us in California who live in a Mediterranean climate that gets absolutely no rain at all during the summer. We last had rain where I live in May and there is none forecast yet. Southern California had had even less. As Lee Poulsen has pointed out not all Mediterranean climates are alike. Most get some water year round, but just the majority of it in the winter. I remember Lauw telling me in France he gets fall rain, then a break and then rain again. Only Chile also doesn't get rain in summer. When this was discussed before Mike Mace told us that he thought a lot of things did better if he started watering in August. This would make sense if what you were growing came from areas that got late summer or early fall rainfall. By now all pots left to dry out are bone dry and the first attempts at watering the water goes right through the pot. Jim Duggan told us that he had experimented and found it made no difference and October was soon enough to start. Remembering our early discussion from UK members about levels of light I wonder if how much light you will get in winter is a factor. In Southern California where they would be more light than in the Pacific Northwest perhaps you wouldn't need as long a growing period for things to thrive. I have never had any luck getting fall blooming Crocus to survive in my garden and I wonder if this is because the rains come too late and it is too dry. One blooms in winter (C. kotschyanus) however. When does everyone start to water? I usually start my South Africans before my natives and am not really sure when to start watering the plants from Chile. Some Mediterranean basin plants are growing well already so they have been watered. As I repot even some of my natives that are in dry soil have new roots, but we are always told to wait to water them until the weather is cool. Those of you from colder climates who grow tender things in green houses, when do you start watering? Mary Sue From ???@??? Sat Oct 05 21:50:58 2002 Message-Id: <139.157e728f.2ad1190a@aol.com> From: TGlavich@aol.com Subject: When to start watering Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2002 00:41:46 EDT I've done the following with some success. Whenever I see even the start of a leaf I start watering, and then continue through the end of the growing season. I also start watering when flowers appear before leafing out. Some Eriospermum do this. The leaves follow about 10 days later. I water my Lachenalia and other summer dormant SA bulbs occasionally during the summer. Most are under the benches in flats, and get some drip through anyway. I have very little rot, and this seems to avoid the smaller bulbs just drying up. I give them a good watering in mid September. This year we had a day of drizzle, making the job much easier. This seems to have started a number of things going. I noticed leaves of Lachenalia contaminata and some other species, as well as Veltheimia and some Massonia up today. Winter growing Haemanthus are also beginning to develop good sets of leaves. I use a quick draining potting mix, Coir, sand and pumice for everything. It allows for a bit of outof season watering without doing any real damage. I live in Southern California, with a hot and dry yard. I have Veltheimia in the ground as well as in pots. There is no sign of life yet from those in the ground, and probably won't be for another month. Tom From ???@??? Sun Oct 06 07:08:37 2002 Message-Id: <130.15854a28.2ad1791c@aol.com> From: IntarsiaCo@aol.com Subject: When to start watering Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2002 07:31:40 EDT In a message dated 10/5/2002 11:16:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time, msittner@mcn.org writes Those of you from colder climates who grow tender things in green houses, when do you start watering? Hi Mary Sue I start watering the winter growers in late August or early September when that first cold front moves through the area. First to bloom this year was Gladiolus carmineus, first to show any growth was Lachenalia violacea for the Cape Bulbs and Calachortus nudus was the first native in growth. First seed to germinate was Cypella amboensis. Best regards, Mark Mazer Intarsia Ltd. Gaylordsville, CT 06755-0142 www.therapyshapes.com USDA Zone 5 Giant Schnauzer Rescue From ???@??? Sun Oct 06 19:06:31 2002 Message-Id: From: Douglas Westfall Subject: When to start watering Date: Sun, 06 Oct 2002 16:39:39 -0700 Mary Sue et. al. I have found that you should start watering carefully in September. A few bulbs show interest in starting growth by the end of August. These, I start watering just as soon as I can see just the hint of green. I am "developing" my record keeping system by logging the date of leaf emerging and when the flower scape first appears. This information guides me as to when to increase watering. I fully agree with Lee and others about applying a carefully alloted amount of water throughout the year. In nature, "rani" can and does happen at unscheduled times. I never "soak" my So. Africans. Be very careful. I am VERY convinced about the above information. I think that you would get simmilar information from Silverhill Seeds. Doug Westfall From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:40:59 2002 Message-Id: From: Lauw de Jager Subject: When to start watering Date: Mon, 07 Oct 2002 18:46:13 +0200 Mary Sue Ittner a *crit Several years ago I remember a discussion on the IBS forum about when to > start watering winter growing bulbs. > Dear Mary Sue and All, Thanks for bringing up again this interesting subject which is quite relevant at the moment for us in the northern hemisphere. There seems to be a lot of conflicting evidence, which means that one cannot generalise. But some basic rules can be modified for each of our local conditions. As a general rule take good notice of the climat of the geographic origin of the species. Observe the behaviour of the plant in your own conditions. There are several south African species which "give up hope" if they receive no water before early autumn (here end of September) and go dormantfor the whole winter (Ferraria, Freesia alba). Some mediterranean genera thrive on some bursts of summer rain Moraea polystachya, Cyclamen, Lycoris, Amaryllis belladonna, autumn flowering Crocus. Some corms or bulbs may surprise us by already forming shoots even when kept dry, which is a sign that planting has been retarded too much. Some South african species grow very well with a heavy rain the end of the summer but also do well when planted (or watered) in Octobre. For example Gladiolus splendens, Moraea simulans in the ground received heavy rain early september and the first is already 30cm high and the M simulans has leaves of 100cm long. No doubt that the corms these early growers will develop better and will be to a good size before an eventual frost may disturb their growth in January. I know that Dave Fenwick will get back at me, saying that in his conditions late planting (or late watering) will give longer growth, well into his relativily cool summer, and produces bigger corms. But this does not apply to our conditions here where the weather can be already agressively hot in June. Was it not that Jim Duggan who terminates his selling period of South African species by the end of September, which I thought was a good idea (confirming that early planting was to be preferred). I was surprised to read that now Jim says that later planting finally makes no difference. Jim canb you explain a bit more please? May be some soputh african partipants can enlighten us as to what are the best rainfall patterns to produce the most optimum flowering for a given speicies in their natural habitats. Kind regards Lauw de Jager BULB'ARGENCE, 30300 Fourques, France Région Provence/Camargue; (Climat zone 9a Mediterranean) Site http//www.bulbargence.com/ "GUIDE POUR BULBES MÉDITERRANÉENS" 116 pages, 400 photos, prix 10 E CATALOGUE D'ÉTÉ' (SUMMERCATALOG) est disponible, EXPEDITION bulbes continuera jusqu'à mi-octobre (espèces à floraison automnale sont replantées) From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:40:59 2002 Message-Id: <20021007194207.2586.qmail@web10806.mail.yahoo.com> From: Jennifer Hildebrand Subject: When to start watering Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2002 12:42:07 -0700 (PDT) Thanks to all for the topic and contributions so far. I'm still rather new to bulbs, so I'm going to pose a question rather than a response. Jim Duggan's site has been one of my favorites, and many of my bulbs have come from him, so I've followed his advice about October watering. Now here's the question I thought part of the reason to water later in the season was to avoid bulb rot, as it is still quite warm in my area (Riverside, CA - southern). Today, for instance, it will be 94. Did I create this reason in my fanciful imagination, or is bulb rot, especially for S. African bulbs, a problem when they receive water in hot weather? Thanks! Jennifer From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:41:00 2002 Message-Id: <3DA30B45.AA311E21@bulbargence.com> From: Lauw de Jager Subject: When to start watering Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2002 18:43:48 +0200 Jennifer Hildebrand a *crit > part of the reason to water later in the season was to > avoid bulb rot, as it is still quite warm in my area > (Riverside, CA - southern). Jennifer, When the bulbs are dormants high temperatures and moisture can cause rotting. By the end of the summer dormancy is broken (by low night temperatures?) and moisture leads to intense rootactivity with no risk of rotting with most Cape species. Regards -- Lauw de Jager BULB'ARGENCE From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:41:35 2002 Message-Id: From: Dell Sherk Subject: Pacific BX 10 Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2002 19:52:08 -0400 Dear All, The items listed below have been donated by PBS members for sharing. If you are interested in obtaining some of them, please email me PRIVATELY at . Include "BX 10" in the subject line. Specify the NUMBERS of the items which you would like; do not specify quantities. Availability is based on a first come, first served system. When you receive your seeds/bulbs you will find included with them a statement of how much money (cash or check) you should send the PBS treasurer for you order. Each item costs US$2.00 to cover first-class postage and packing. It is a good idea to include you snail mail address too, in case I don't already have it. Some of you are members of the PBS discussion forum but not members of the Pacific Bulb Society. THIS BX OFFERING IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO MEMBERS OF THE PBS. Consider joining the PBS so that you can take advantage of future offers such as this. Or contact me at dells@voicenet.com If you would like to donate seeds or bulbs/corms to the PBS, please send clean, clearly labeled material to: Dell Sherk, PO Box 224, Holicong, PA 18928, USA. OFFERINGS: Pacific BX 10 SEED: From Robert Parker: 1. Iris spuria Eleanor McCown's 'Imperial Bronze' 2. Iris spuria mixed: white, yellow, viloet blue 3. Iris spuria 'Tiger Blues' From Cathy Craig: 4. Habranthus robustus 5. Habranthus biflorus From Dell Sherk: 6. Zephyranthes 'Fadjar's Red" , red-flushed yellow, open-pollinated 7. Zephyranthes reginae, light yellow, exterior slightly flushed copper, op BULBS: From Mark Wilcox: 8. Crocosmia 'Lucifer' From Joyce Miller: 9. Ferraria uncinata From Mary Sue Ittner : 10. Ipheion uniflorum (white) 11. Ferraria crispa 12. Calochortus vestae (white)--These are not blooming sized bulbs I don't think, but with good water and fertilizer during their period of growth they will soon be. 13. Moraea aristata--These bloom reliably for me, in raised beds, in the ground, and in containers. But my garden is relatively dry in summer. 14. Babiana (mixed species)--I got seed of mixed species maybe 15 years ago and these are descendents. I have them planted in a very deep wooden planter on my deck and every three years or so I replant them and this is one of those years. They are mixed and there is no way to tell which is which, but there are some nice ones and they don't all bloom at once. Also I have found they can be easily grown directly in the ground in Zone 9 at least. There are quite a few of these so a lot to go around. 15. Moraea (mixed species)--I dug out a raised bed that had not been dug out for 12 years. There were many hundreds of Moraeas in this bed. Trying as hard as I could from looking at pictures in my Moraea book and reading the descriptions I cannot tell you which these might be. They could be Moraea aristata, M. gigandra, M. bellendenii, M. tricuspidata, M. loubseri, M. polystachya to name a few of the residents of that bed. Also there are a lot of these so hopefully a lot of you will request them and have fun trying to determine what they are. I hope I kept at least some of all of those I mentioned, but I won't know either until they bloom. Thank you, Robert, Cathy, Mark, Joyce, and Mary Sue !! Best wishes, Dell --Dell Sherk, Director, Pacific BX From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:41:35 2002 Message-Id: <5.0.2.1.2.20021008170340.00a6eb20@mailbox2.cts.com> From: Marguerite English Subject: When to start watering Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2002 17:06:54 -0700 But a word of warning. My climate is similar to that in Riverside. That dry summer will cause problems. I have killed bulbs by following the 'no water' rule too seriously. I do water my dormant bulbs very lightly every 3-4 weeks during Aug-Sep-Oct if there is no rain. Lightly and infrequently is the key, here. Some occasionally may rot, but I lost more before I did this. At 0643 PM 10/8/02 +0200, you wrote By the end of the summer dormancy is broken (by low night temperatures?) and moisture leads to intense rootactivity with no risk of rotting with most Cape species. Marguerite From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:41:35 2002 Message-Id: From: Douglas Westfall Subject: When to start watering Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2002 19:03:40 -0700 > But a word of warning. My climate is similar to that in Riverside. That > dry summer will cause problems. I have killed bulbs by following the 'no > water' rule too seriously. I do water my dormant bulbs very lightly every > 3-4 weeks during Aug-Sep-Oct if there is no rain. Lightly and > infrequently is the key, here. Some occasionally may rot, but I lost more > before I did this. > Marguerite I agree with what you have said. The secret is that you must watch the moisture content in your pots VERY carefully. Be assured that there is some moisture/rain/dew/whatever, in their natural habitat. Doug From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:41:35 2002 Message-Id: From: "Cathy Craig" Subject: When to start watering Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 19:50:52 -0700 My experience mirrors Marguerite's. I am in a maritime zone 9b but the same thing happens here. I lose more bulbs to dessication thru underwatering than to rot. If rot is consistently a problem, perhaps change your planting mix to one that does NOT hold water well. Cathy Craig San Clemente CA Zone 9b President Pacific Bulb Society > But a word of warning. My climate is similar to that in Riverside. That > dry summer will cause problems. I have killed bulbs by following the 'no > water' rule too seriously. From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:41:35 2002 Message-Id: From: "Michael Mace" Subject: Nice Nerine article Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 21:52:54 -0700 For those of you who are interested in Nerines, there's a nice article on a very serious Nerine nursery, posted on the RHS website http//www.rhs.org.uk/publications/pubs_journals_garden_1099_wight.asp There aren't too many pictures, unfortunately, but the article is interesting. Got to find out if they can export to the US. One thing I noticed -- even in the UK, he waters the pots once a month during the summer. What does that say for those of us in bone-dry California? Mike San Jose, CA (zone 9, min temp 20F) From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:41:35 2002 Message-Id: From: Diane Whitehead Subject: Nice Nerine article Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 22:37:02 -0700 I reread the RHS article on Nerines and then did a Google search, mainly to find if Quest, the only named one I have flowering, has been used as a parent. I found a lot of Nerine pictures (over 130) on this site http//www.plusgarden.com/photo/plants/n/Nerine/Nerine.htm -- Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada maritime zone 8 cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter - 68 cm annually) sandy soil From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:41:36 2002 Message-Id: <106.198938fe.2ad5a6e1@aol.com> From: Billthebulbbaron@aol.com Subject: Nice Nerine article Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2002 11:36:01 EDT In a message dated 10/8/02 94705 PM, mikemace@worldnet.att.net writes << For those of you who are interested in Nerines, there's a nice article on a very serious Nerine nursery, posted on the RHS website http//www.rhs.org.uk/publications/pubs_journals_garden_1099_wight.asp There aren't too many pictures, unfortunately, but the article is interesting. Got to find out if they can export to the US. >> YES, they export all over, phytos and all. The bulbs are of excellent quality, in fact the shipment I received only a few weeks ago are already coming up vigorously and in some cases even putting out buds. As I am new to the subject, I simply sent him a bunch of $$$ and told him to choose for me, my only requirement being that I wanted bowdenii-sarniensis hybrids and the like this time, as I do so very well outdoors here with Rushmere Star, which grows as well as a belladonna and makes bulbs almost as large. The 12 or 15 varieties he sent he said all grew outdoors in the same bed as his Rushmere Star. Best wishes, Bill the Bulb Baron William R.P. Welch P.O. Box 1736 (UPS 264 West Carmel Valley Road) Carmel Valley, CA 93924-1736, USA Phone/fax (831) 659-3830 From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:41:36 2002 Message-Id: <3DA4A292.3AA4DED3@concentric.net> From: Ken K Subject: When to start watering Date: Wed, 09 Oct 2002 14:41:38 -0700 My general rule of thumb about summer water is that if the bulb keeps persistent or perennial roots, then it will appreciate a small amount of moisture at all times. Such a bulb - if growing in the ground as nature intended - will be able to find enough moisture at some soil depth to keep its system at a slow idle throughout the dry season. However, if you unpot a winter growing bulb in midsummer and find that the roots have disappeared along with the leaves, then that bulb will probably not require any water or other unusual protection, and can even be stored in a bag of peat or wood shavings if necessary. Here, seedlings of Brunsvigia, winter growing Boophone and other amaryllids will decline if their pots are exposed to direct summer sun. The soil temperatures soar - particularly if the container happens to be black plastic - and the potting mix will become totally, dust-dry. These amaryllids tend to be happiest if they can keep a cool root run, much as they would if they were growing in the ground. One way I make sure that some bulbs keep a little moisture in their pots is to place a saucer under them, and give them a little bottom watering every once in a while. That way the crown and the basal plate - two prime spots where rot could get a foothold - are not dampened, yet the roots remain plump. Les Hannibal told me that the natural habitat of the Amaryllis belladonna receives about an inch of rain a month in the summer - that's an inch more than falls here. On a related topic, I have noticed something interesting going on for the past couple of years. Because of a few initial losses to summer desiccation, I began moving my containerized amaryllids to a shady spot after they lose their leaves in spring or summer. Some of them are on the north side of the house or in the shadow of a fence or tree, and a few are in the garage. Curiously, the bulbs in the garage are always the first to emerge in the late summer - by at least a month, sometimes more. I assume that this is because they are not exposed to the high temperatures of the summer days. They certainly are not triggered into growth by night-time lows, since the garage is both warmer at night and cooler in the daytime than it is outside. The early emergence isn't because of moisture either, since the outside bulbs get a bit of 'accidental/incidental' water and the garaged bulbs receive none. One theory that I have about this early emergence is that the garaged bulbs feel the average daily temperature range *narrow*, much as plants outside will feel a month or so later in the year. -- Ken Kehl East S.F. Bay Area, Ca. USDA Zone 9 -2°C to 38°C (but little of either) From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:42:12 2002 Message-Id: From: Diane Whitehead Subject: outdoor nerine a triploid? Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 12:53:59 -0700 I've just crossed my indoor nerine, the purple Quest, with pollen from several of a friend's plants. I still have pollen, but I've run out of flowers to put it on. Now I'm wondering about the bright pink nerine we grow outside - a form of bowdenii, I guess. I thought I read that it is a sterile triploid, like so many of the plants that get passed around to neighbours. I've looked it up in all my books, though, and there is no mention of that. Does anyone know, or know which form it is likely to be? I guess I'll put some pollen on them since I've got it. -- Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada maritime zone 8 cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter - 68 cm annually) sandy soil From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:42:12 2002 Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.2.20021010193027.00ab55c0@mail.insightbb.com> From: "J.E. Shields" Subject: outdoor nerine a triploid? Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 19:45:40 -0500 Diane, You comments are very interesting. I have a strong N. bowdenii clone from Rob Potterton that appears to be completely sterile. It accepts no pollen that I've tried on it. I have at the moment pollen from a single bulb of N. bowdenii wellsii from South Africa. It bloomed recently and I pollinated its flowers with stored frozen pollen from N. krigei. All but one of the florets set seed. Whether they are the [bowdenii wellsii X krigei] hybrid or are from self-pollination remains to be seen. N. filifolia is also blooming, having started before the last flowers of N. b. wellsii faded. I pollinated several of the N. filifolia florets with fresh pollen from the wellsii, and some of those flowers are also producing seeds. It should be easy to tell if these are [filifolia X bowdenii wellsii] or are from self-pollination by the time the seedlings are a year old, if not sooner. I suspect (or better, "fear") that the cultivated clones of N. bowdenii will all be sterile, either triploids or aneuploids of one sort or another. They have probably all been selected over the years for vigor in greenhouses. N. 'Pink Triumph' is supposed to be a hybrid of bowdenii. It has not produced viable F1 so far. I got a few seeds only one time, from pollinating it with N. flexuosa. Those seedlings developed only two tiny leaves, subsequently dying and disappearing. Otherwise, it has simply never set a pod. Another cross that did little was N. [filamentosa X rehmannii], which produced a few small seed-like balls that never germinated. I think some of the Nerine hybrids from sarniensis are known to be tetraploids. I'd like to hear about experiences of anyone else who has made crosses with non-sarniensis Nerine species or hybrids. Regards, Jim At 1253 PM 10/10/02 -0700, you wrote I've just crossed my indoor nerine, the purple Quest, with pollen from several of a friend's plants. I still have pollen, but I've run out of flowers to put it on. ************************************************* 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 From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:42:12 2002 Message-Id: From: "Sparky McFarkle" Subject: Cliva Society Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 19:45:19 -0700 ALAN The name of the Clivia Society Newsletter is CLIVIA SOCIETY NEWSLETTER. (Couldn't resist!) Actually, it was formerly Clivia Club Newsletter. If you need to contact the Editor MEG HART 70 The Valley Rd, Parktown Johannesburg, 2193 Tel & FAX (011) 646 9392 Email hartmh@mweb.co.za Nice meeting you at the symposium ROBERT PARKER IBS USAA 710 IBS AFFILIATE WWW-025 PBS 10038 ----- Original Message ----- From Alan Meerow Sent Thursday, October 10, 2002 922 AM To Pacific Bulb Society Subject Cliva Society Can anyone tell me the name of the Clivia Society's newsletter? I have a photocopy of an article from it but I can't read the name of the publication. From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:42:22 2002 Message-Id: <06c501c27299$8c5c09c0$cd141ac4@saunders> From: "Silverhill Seeds" Subject: Romulea hantamensis Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2002 10:49:20 +0200 About 3 weeks ago we went to the top of the Hantamsberg witha g roup of American tourists, and we found Romulea hantamensis in full flower. What a beautiful little plant and it grows in sheets in water logged places. There is a radio mast on the top of the moutain, and on it is a warning about falling ice. Apparently mist and rain freeze on the aerial, and then fall off in chunks! So that plant really gets cold, and it is no wodner that the seeds need stratification! Regards Rachel Saunders Cape Town From ???@??? Sun Oct 13 21:42:22 2002 Message-Id: <09bc01c272b5$cfc77e80$cd141ac4@saunders> From: "Silverhill Seeds" Subject: Ferraria Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2002 14:16:38 +0200 There certainly is a predator in the wild - porcupines seem to LOVE them. We have just come back from a seed collecting trip and we found dug out Ferraria corms everywhere. Many had been eaten, and many just left in the sun. I always bury them again in the hope that they will survive. Regards Rachel Saunders Cape Town From ???@??? Mon Oct 14 17:40:13 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021014165146.00b99e20@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Seed starting advice Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 16:54:39 -0700 Dear All, One of the newest members of this list posted the following question on the IBS website in July and didn't get an answer. I told her I'd try to come up with something and then had to leave suddenly. Now that I am back I will answer the parts I can and hope others will assist her as well. Mary Sue Thanks to the generous donations of so many members, I have obtained a wonderful collection of seeds - but I'm afraid the beautiful pictures have lured me into acquiring seeds about which I have little knowledge. In several cases, therefore, I've been unsuccessful. If anyone could provide advice or tips about the following, I'd be ever grateful! *Allium - these start well for me, but quickly succumb to "damp off" *Bomaraea caldasii *Bulbinella elegans *Calochortus venustus *Gelasine azurea *Gynandriris setifola *Herbertia lahue *Iris giganticaerulea *Melasphaerula ramosa *Neomarica caerulea, candida, and northiana *Sandersonia aurantiaca *Smilacina stellata *Zagadenus fremontii Thanks for your time! From ???@??? Mon Oct 14 19:43:00 2002 Message-Id: From: "Lyn Edwards" Subject: seed starting Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 10:22:33 +1000 Dear Mary Sue, from your list of seed I have to say that Melasphaerula ramosa is the worst weedy bulb it has been my misfortune to grow, seedlings pop up everywhere and grow at an unbelievable rate, it may be that it is not such a problem elsewhere but in this basically Medditeranean climate I would never recommend it to my worst enemy,hope this is helpful. I would be interested to hear if it is well behaved somewhere, Lyn Edwards Canberra AUs. approx. zone 8 USDA From ???@??? Mon Oct 14 19:43:00 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021014165546.00a82f00@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Seed starting advice Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 17:38:50 -0700 Dear Jennifer, In starting seeds it is always helpful to find out about whether the plant is summer or winter growing. Winter growers are started in the fall and summer growers in the spring unless you have short lived seed and then you start right away and hope for the best. Over the years I have learned to start seed in deeper pots than I first did and unless they grow robustly and the leaves get very large leave them in that pot for two years at the least. If they grow robustly and look like they need a deeper pot I will try to move them up very carefully while they are in growth. Since you are from Southern California you will have the longer light periods that some of the members in the UK and Pacific Northwest may not have and won't have to worry so much about frost so I would think starting in fall for winter growers would work for you. The mix you use needs to have good air filled porosity (that is that when the water drains out there should still be air left for the roots), but when seedlings are tiny you also need to be sure they won't dry off. I usually keep my sheltered from the rain, but others have found using remay or some other cover will protect them and also protect from the birds at the same time so they actually make a frame with the cover on the top. When the seedlings die back I withhold water till time for them to grow again although we have it cool in northern California and I am hearing a lot of you give a little water year round especially to the seedlings so they won't desiccate while dormant. *Allium - these start well for me, but quickly succumb to "damp off" IF my Allium seed come up, they usually grow well, so I don't know what to say about this. Many never come up and this species attracts aphids more than any I have so I am ever vigilant. Sowing thinly and being sure you have sterile pots and soil helps. We do have a number of Allium enthusiasts. Any one care to comment on this? And Jennifer Alliums grow all over the world and are so different that maybe listing species would help. Some are winter growing and some summer. *Bomaraea caldasii--Diana is our expert on this, but I think the seed needs to be fresh. Diana? *Bulbinella elegans--I haven't had very good luck getting Bulbinellas to come up at all so maybe Rachel or others who grow these can help. *Calochortus venustus-- I do have luck with this one and have decided that Calochortus seed does best for me when I start it when we won't have rain. Knowing when that will be each year is the trick. So it needs to be started very early in the fall or in the late winter as if I start it when we get a lot of rain in winter I get good germination and then lose most everything. Bob Werra starts his inside in the basement under lights where the humidity no doubt is less. Since you don't have a lot of rain in Riverside this may not be so crucial. You want to get as much growth as you can before it gets hot and dries back. Anyone else? Diana wrote about Calochortus in BULBS if you were an IBS member then. *Gelasine azurea-- This one probably should be started in the spring I think. I am sending seed to the BX harvested this summer from Jana Ulmer's plants. Alberto or anyone else want to take this one? *Gynandriris setifola-- This is now considered Moraea setifolia. Rachel has told us a lot of the South African Irids that are winter growing are best started in the fall and need a change in day and night temperatures to germinate well. I have gotten much better results when I have followed this advice and not tried to pamper them. I have grown this one from seed quite easily that way. *Herbertia lahue--I have started this one in the fall and it has germinated well for me. Anyone else with ideas on this one. *Iris giganticaerulea *Melasphaerula ramosa *Neomarica caerulea, candida, and northiana *Sandersonia aurantiaca-- From Rachel Saunders in the past Soak the seeds overnight in water. The next day put the swollen seeds into a plastic bag and put in the fridge for 3 to 4 months. Open the bag each month and check that the seeds are still moist, and if not, moisten them slightly. At the end of 3 months, sow the seeds normally in wet drained potting soil - this should be in late spring when the weather is warm. The seeds should germinate in about 4 to 6 weeks. Keep the seedlings growing through the summer and they will go dormant in late summer or autumn. Do not throw the soil away - more seeds will germinate the next year, and perhaps the year after that too. Our second year crop was probably just as big as the first year! *Smilacina stellata--I keep trying to grow some of my natives and have had only limited luck with the Smilacinas. I suspect the seed might need to be fresh or that it might take two years for it to germinate and have to go through a wet winter and then a dry summer and another wet winter. At least I have some come up the second year. In nature here where it is growing it is found in wet shady places and if I give some summer water it doesn't die back until late fall and then resurrects in the spring. Since the deer often eat the berries maybe it needs to go through their digestive system too. Diana, have you tried this or anyone else? *Zagadenus fremontii-- You must mean Zigadenus fremontii. This has a wide distribution which would make me think it would be adaptable. This one is native to where I live, at least the big tall impressive version. The only time I tried it from seed, I started it in December and it came up in early February. It definitely grows faster with a deeper pot. I will look for some of my saved files on starting from seed and send them on to you privately tomorrow. I hope every one else will help Jennifer as I realize there are a lot of gaps in my answer. Mary Sue From ???@??? Mon Oct 14 22:38:07 2002 Message-Id: <5.0.2.1.2.20021014204042.00a498d0@mailbox2.cts.com> From: Marguerite English Subject: Melasphaerula ramosa Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 20:41:47 -0700 It certainly wasn't nice here. It did spread rapidly inside my greenhouse from seed I never saw! It wasn't so pretty that I wanted to keep it. At 1022 AM 10/15/02 +1000, you wrote I would be interested to hear if it is well behaved somewhere, Lyn Edwards Marguerite From ???@??? Tue Oct 15 07:09:53 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021014225227.00c1d9b0@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Melasphaerula ramosa Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 22:56:08 -0700 Dear Lyn, It died for me here in Northern California. It was one of those bulbs they call collector's items, but before it died it bloomed a long time so I did try it again from seed, but didn't have any luck and by then was growing so many other things that I liked better that I have never tried to acquire it again. Maybe it didn't like our really wet winters. Mary Sue From ???@??? Tue Oct 15 07:09:53 2002 Message-Id: <004a01c2741a$017aec40$0500a8c0@main> From: "Ixia" Subject: seed starting Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 17:10:51 +1000 Lynn, you are so right about M. ramosa. It is popping up everywhere in my garden right now in the most amazing places. I'm sure it will be hard to eradicate. Lucky it's a nice flower. regards, Bill Richardson Gippsland Australia 0-21 Lovely days of Spring. Need rain desperately. Ixia site http//www.angelfire.com/ri/ixia Suite 101 site http//suite101.com/welcome.cfm/bulbs_and_plants From ???@??? Tue Oct 15 09:16:05 2002 Message-Id: <20021015153924.63510.qmail@web11301.mail.yahoo.com> From: John Ingram Subject: Freaky Glad Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 08:39:24 -0700 (PDT) I have a clump of G. dalenii that has just freaked out on me. It has two "stems" coming out of the ground about 4" with a "glob" on the end that looks like it should develope into a bulb. The best description I can give is that it looks like an allium flower head (about 1/2 to 1 inch across) that has not opened yet. It arched up out of the soil, 1/8 of an inch away from the glad growth and then back down again. I will try ot get a photo in the next day or so to post onto the Bulb Images group. I can also email it to anyone who is not on that list when I take it. Anyone have thoughts? Is dalenii rhizomatous and this one just went up instead of down and over? The "stems" are round and seem to be somewhat firm (not hollow). John Ingram jjingram@adelphia.net Floralartistry2000@yahoo.com groups.yahoo.com/group/FloralArtistryPhotoPages www.floralartistry.org From ???@??? Tue Oct 15 10:09:11 2002 Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.2.20021015084342.01747648@pop3.midtown.net> From: Joyce Miller Subject: Seed starting advice Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 09:20:08 -0700 Dear Jennifer, There is little I can add to Mary Sue's remarks. She has given solid general sowing advice. I can add only a couple of details. Persevere. Like you, a oftentimes acquire seeds of an interesting plant without researching thoroughly. It is an unwise practice, but since I live in USDA Zone 9A, have an outdoor garden and small greenhouse, I can grow a wide range of plants. Sometimes you will fail with your first sowing. Try to learn why and try again. I sprinkle coarse sand on top of all my sowings. Partly, this serves as a mulch, secures the seeds, and reminds me these are seeds, not bulbs. *Bomaraea caldasii-- Germinates best when pre-soaked in Gibberelic Acid (GA-3). GA-3 can be purchased from J.L. Hudson, Seedsman, Star Route 2, Box 337, La Honda, CA 94020. It is not expensive. I managed to germinate B. caldasii, but not B. multiflora or B. salsilla. I may have soaked the seeds too long i.e. 48 hours or the seeds rotted. *Gynandriris setifola. I started these in pots and since put them in the ground. *Neomarica caerulea, N. candida, and N. northiana These require cold stratification. Plant in fall and leave out all winter. Alternatively, you can store in refrigerator for 3 to 4 months. Bring out in Spring. A valuable addition to your propagation library is a set of Norman Deno's books describing experiments on germinating seed. Deno, a retired Chemistry professor, states many seeds have a germination inhibitor which must be considered in sowing. Sometimes stratification (cold), GA-3 soaks, water soaks etc are needed to deal with the germination inhibitors. Deno was not a grower. All he was interested in was germinating seeds. I consider his work a valuable adjunct to propagation theory. His books are soft bound and self published. I think Vol. 1 was $20, Vols. 2 and 3 were $10 each. The first volume sets out his theories very well. The remaining volumes report out experiments with more genera and species. I do not know if the books are still in print. Deno's address is Norman C. Deno, 139 Lenor Drive State College PA 16801 USA Titles are 'Seed Germination Theory and Practice' 'First Supplement to Seed Germination Theory and Practice' 'Second Supplement to Seed Germination Theory and Practice' Kind regards, Joyce Miller Joyce E. Miller mailtoonager@midtown.net 859 56th Street, Sacramento, California 95819-3319 USA Zone USDA 9A Summer highs 100+degrees F for several to many days. Winter lows 27 degrees F From ???@??? Tue Oct 15 11:03:31 2002 Message-Id: <81.230b2283.2addad8b@aol.com> From: GardenPT@aol.com Subject: Freaky Glad Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 13:42:35 EDT In a message dated 10/15/2002 83949 AM Pacific Daylight Time, jjingram@floralartistry.org writes I have a clump of G. dalenii that has just freaked out on me. It has two "stems" coming out of the ground about 4" with a "glob" on the end that looks like it should develope into a bulb. And it will. It's vegetative propagation. From ???@??? Wed Oct 16 13:23:54 2002 Message-Id: From: Dell Sherk Subject: Pacific BX 11 Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2002 15:37:19 -0400 Dear All, The items listed below have been donated by PBS members for sharing. If you are interested in obtaining some of them, please email me PRIVATELY at . Include "BX 11" in the subject line. Specify the NUMBERS of the items which you would like; do not specify quantities. Availability is based on a first come, first served system. When you receive your seeds/bulbs you will find included with them a statement of how much money (cash or check) you should send the PBS treasurer for you order. Each item costs US$2.00 to cover first-class postage and packing. It is a good idea to include you snail mail address too, in case I don't already have it. Some of you are members of the PBS discussion forum but not members of the Pacific Bulb Society. THIS BX OFFERING IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO MEMBERS OF THE PBS. Consider joining the PBS so that you can take advantage of future offers such as this. Or contact me at dells@voicenet.com If you would like to donate seeds or bulbs/corms to the PBS, please send clean, clearly labeled material to: Dell Sherk, PO Box 224, Holicong, PA 18928, USA. OFFERINGS: Pacific BX 11 SEED: From Charles Hardman: 1. Fortunatia sp. : "Chilean bulbs with white flowers"; Liliaceae; see photos at 2. Freesia alba 3. Freesia middlemostii (syn. F. leichtlinii) 4. Freesia muirii (syn. F. leichtlinii) 5. Freesia refracta 6. Freesia sp. 7. Freesia sp., pale lavender 8. Freesia xanthospila, green flowers 9. Geissorhiza bracteata 10. Geissorhiza aspera, violet, indigo, blue 11. Gladiolus scullyi 12. Gladiolus tristis 13. Gynandriris setifolia 14. Gynandriris simularis 15. Gynandriris sp., violet purple Thank you, Charles !! Best wishes, Dell --Dell Sherk, Director, Pacific BX From ???@??? Thu Oct 17 13:42:40 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021017090040.00bbeaf0@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Erythronium multiscapoideum Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2002 09:07:28 -0700 Dear All, Paul Tyerman who once was on our list, but is no longer has twice posted this on the Australian Images list. Since I assume we may have some members that are not on that list who may have an answer, I am posting it here and will forward any replies to him. I checked the new Jepson manual and it states that the pollen on this species is white to cream and in his pictures the anthers do look pink. Any ideas anyone? I can't attach the pictures naturally, but could send them to anyone if it would help to answer the question. Mary Sue Howdy All, I have something interesting I have noticed with my Erythronium multiscapoideums. I have a couple of different pots and I noticed last year that one of them had pink anthers on it's flower. I only noticed this as the flower was dying so I thought it may have been part of the aging process that the other pot did not do for some reason. Well..... this year they've started flowering. One pot opens with white anthers and the other opens with pink anthers. The white anthered variety starts with much more silvery foliage while the other has much darker markings (these later age to the silvery markings similar to the white-anthered variety). I have checked my books where possible and it is explicitely stated that E. multiscapoideum has white anthers. Both the varieties I have branch below ground, giving the effect of having multiple flower scapes (hence the name). To my knowledge multiscapoideum is the only species to do this. Given that it has white anthers... what do I have that has the same habit but has pink anthers and slightly different foliage? If it is a hybrid then it has kept the full multiscpoideum habit of branching below the surface! I have attached two pictures to this email, showing the differences in the two flowers. The flower size is similar, but you can clearly see that the anthers on one are a solid pink colour. It makes quite a difference to the appearance of the plant. Anyone have any ideas? If you know anyone who might be able to help then please forward this email on to them. I would rather like to know whether this is a hybrid and needs to be labelled as such, or whether there is a subspecies or somethign that does this. Thanks in anticipation. From ???@??? Thu Oct 17 13:42:40 2002 Message-Id: From: "Alberto Castillo" Subject: Seed starting Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2002 16:40:23 +0000 Jennifer et al Seed sowing is a most rewarding part of the hobby. My advice is sow in very well drained soil, maintain a slight constant moisture WHEN the seeds are supposed to germinate, top your mixes with really coarse sand or minutely crushed rock and DO NOT COVER your seed at first (at least two whole weeks). Germination takes LOTS of oxygen and on countless occasion the seeds fail to breathe and die. Seed must be alive and many times a beginner think he has bad luck when the answer is that seed is old and dead. This you will notice when you will begin harvesting your own seed which will germinate like grass. Sow thinly. Find a place with good light (not necessarily full sun) and with very good ventilation (strong winds are very harmful to seedlings). Do not disturb seedlings or domant seedling bulbs or corms until their second season of growth is over.Allium damping off. Indicates a fungus attacking the seedlings, of course. Either the compost was very organic, or the sowing was made with dirty hands, or the water was stale. * Bomarea caldasii, must be sown as soon as possible and kept under frost free conditions. Seeds will germinate in spring but it is better not to let them dessicate. Very slight moisture will keep the seed fresh. * Winter dormant Bulbinella elegans, easy as all other S African Bulbinellas. Sow in Fall, give them sun and frost free conditions. Dry summer dormant. * Calochortus venustus, there are experts that could add a lot more but basically very well drained soil, full sun. Sow in Fall. Summer dormant. * Gelasine azurea (now the proper name is Gelasine elongata). Sow in Fall in full sun and in a well drained soil. In the wild it receives year round rains but is dormant in summer. Flowers in early Spring and give it rather frost free conditions. * Gynandriris setifolia. Easy. Sow in Fall. Well drained soil, sun, frost free conditions. Dry summer dormant. * Herbertia lahue. Is this the Chilean one? The Texan one? Full sun, good soil rather on the drained side. Sow in Fall. Can take slight frosts. Summer dormant. * Iris giganticaerulea. Rare, one of the Louisiana marsh irises. Sow in fall, will germinate in spring, evergreen from then on. Likes lots of water. Full sun or dappled, rather warm conditions. A winter rest is normal. * Melasphaerula ramosa, same as G setifolia above. * Neomarica caerulea, candida and northiana. Very hot conditions, say like in Honolulu! Deep shade to dappled sun. Sow now and always keep warm. Evergreen foliage. Water less in winter Flowers in Spring. * Sandersonia you already have info on. Very easy (weeds?)in New Zealand pumice soils. * Smilacina stellata is not a bulb , does not behave like one and I wonder what is it doing here? * Zigadenus fremontii. Sow in fall, frost tolerant, full sun. Will germinate easily. Dry summer dormant. Regards Alberto From ???@??? Thu Oct 17 13:42:40 2002 Message-Id: <003b01c27602$d4839300$9bd2efd1@stenomesson> From: "diana chapman" Subject: Erythronium multiscapoideum Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2002 10:30:03 -0700 Dear All Paul Tyerman wrote I have something interesting I have noticed with my Erythronium multiscapoideums. I have a couple of different pots and I noticed last year that one of them had pink anthers on it's flower. It's part of the aging process. The tepals can turn pinkish too as they age. Diana From ???@??? Thu Oct 17 23:02:20 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021017223943.00b9c580@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Erythronium multiscapoideum Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2002 22:49:55 -0700 Dear All, I sent Paul Diana's comments and John's agreement with her after he sent him the pictures and got the following response from Paul. I will send an attachment of the current picture to Diana and anyone else that needs it to answer the question. The anthers are very pink. I know Paul would really like some help with this. Mary Sue Could you possibly pass on that this is definitely NOT a part of the aging process. I have two pots that opened at the same time. I have a picture of one of the pots with a flower partly open and the pollen is clearly a deep pink, whereas the other pot has pollen that is creamy white. The later never goes pink at all, whereas the first has pink pollen and stays pink until it shrivels. If it had aged to pink I would have understood. This particular pot clearly OPENS pink and stays that way. Initially the foliage has darker markings than my white pollened one, but they age the same colour in the leaves. The buds definitely open with pink anthers though. Just to verify this I have attached a picture to this email which clearly shows one of the flowers just opening, with very dark pink anthers. This flower is I think the same one as that which was attached to the AB-Images message. From ???@??? Fri Oct 18 18:00:24 2002 Message-Id: <004f01c276ff$8cf0bb00$6501a8c0@John> From: John Lonsdale Subject: Erythronium multiscapoideum Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 19:39:05 -0400 I'd appreciate seeing Paul's new picture. Based on the ones I saw before it could have been aging, but Paul knows what he is talking about and if he has a new flower with good pink anthers then that is certainly interesting. It could be a hybrid but then again I'm not sure how diagnostic anther color really is in erythronium - versus how diagnostic it is supposed to be ! J. Dr John T Lonsdale 407 Edgewood Drive Exton Pennsylvania 19341 USA 610 594 9232 - phone 801 327 1266 - fax Zone 6b From ???@??? Fri Oct 18 18:00:24 2002 Message-Id: From: "Cathy Craig" Subject: Clivia Book Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 16:47:32 -0700 Hello all, We were very fortunate to have had both Harold Koopowitz (author) and Jim Comstock (photographer) here for the pot luck dinner so both signed the new Clivia books that many of our members ordered. I sent the books out today Priority Mail to you. MANY THANKS to Harold and to Jim! And thank you to our members who supported this little project. Any profits will go to PBS for member benefits. IF ANYONE ELSE is interested in this book, I may be able to order a few more from Timber Press. Let me know PRIVATELY please. MailtoBatlette@cox.net Cathy Craig President PBS Maritime zone 9b From ???@??? Fri Oct 18 22:26:37 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021018202416.00c7e6a0@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Albuca spiralis Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 20:38:30 -0700 Dear All, Alberto donated seed of Albuca spiralis to the IBS SX and I was fortunate enough to get some. I couldn't find out much about it, but thought from the sound of the name it might have cool leaves so asked for it. Since then I have a copy of Cape Plants and have read that it is from sandy and stony slopes from Namaqualand to the Cape Peninsula in South Africa so I think I have a chance of growing it. There was a generous amount of seed and so I tried floating some of it. It germinated really well the regular way, but it also germinated by floatation as well. The ones I floated never went dormant but the others did so it will be interesting to see how they compare at the end of the second year. But my question is this. In Cape Plants it says that this Albuca is 20 to 40 cm. But in my copy of BULBS in an article by Bill Richardson, he says he planted his out and it produced massive leaves and flowers spikes up to 5 or 6 feet tall. Is this another one of those Australian stories that I remember from years past or is this what I can expect? What does it do in Argentina? Rachel, if you are reading, does it get to be this big in South Africa? And do the leaves spiral in cultivation? Thanks in advance for any answers. Mary Sue From ???@??? Fri Oct 18 22:26:37 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021018193138.00bd57c0@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Seed starting Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 20:39:48 -0700 Dear All, I was very much interested in Alberto's very complete reply to Jennifer's request for help with growing from seed. I have always wondered about the usual suggestion to cover seeds with a layer of grit since in nature seed would seem to fall on the ground. Some seed are so tiny I have wondered how they could manage to get through all the layers. I have experimented with many types of cover of seed and not been sold on any I tried including sand. Last year I tried mixing a little coir and profile (the only time I could find the latter) and that worked as well as most things I have tried. Since I had already started some seed and covered it, I will not cover the rest for a couple of weeks and then compare how they do. His explanation makes a lot of sense however. I am curious about what the rest of you have found works for you. It was good to read about Gelasine elongata. Bill Dijk gave seed to the IBS BX a number of years ago and I couldn't find out anything about how to treat it. But as a lover of blue flowers I wanted to try. I wasn't successful germinating it starting it in spring, but my friend Jana did better and she potted up some for me. It never went completely dormant, but I was trying to make it dormant in winter. It was not very happy in a container so I finally planted it in the ground in a place that we water a little every week and it looks much better. It bloomed nicely for Jana and with her permission I collected some seed for the BX, but it bloomed in summer and neither of ours is dormant now. I am interested that it is dormant in the summer in the wild. Jana lives in a cold spot in Sebastopol and it has survived freezing temperatures in the ground. Is this another one that we have gotten out of sync by not knowing much about it? Gelasine azurea (now the proper name is Gelasine elongata). Sow in Fall in full sun and in a well drained soil. In the wild it receives year round rains but is dormant in summer. Flowers in early Spring and give it rather frost free conditions. Is there a Texas form of Herbertia lahue? I would love for Alberto to give us a clear explanation of how to tell apart Herbertia lahue, Alophia drummondii, Herbertia amatorum, and Herbertia pulchellum. I have started seed of all of these and many of them look alike and I am not sure what is what. I suspect some of them may be misnamed. Herbertia lahue. Is this the Chilean one? The Texan one? Full sun, good soil rather on the drained side. Sow in Fall. Alberto's comment about Smilacina made me smile. I have grown from seed some California natives that were once classified in the Liliaceae family. Some still may and I believe some of them have been moved to other families. As Alberto states, many of them are not geophytes I have found out when they were dormant and I dumped them out. I always thought many of them were. I really had to search for Scoliopus bigelovii and Clintonia andrewsiana roots. I wasn't sure there was anything left in the pot. I haven't looked at my dormant Trillum, but perhaps it is the same. To see them in growth and flower, you'd really expect them to be geophytes, but I guess we'd have to call them monocots and perennials. Smilacina was probably donated to the IBS BX since it was in the Liliaceae family. In my notes from Alan I see it is now in Convallariaceae along with Maianthemum. Smilacina stellata is not a bulb , does not behave like one and I wonder what is it doing here? Mary Sue From ???@??? Sat Oct 19 07:28:02 2002 Message-Id: <00c401c27745$f7321ae0$3c9d22c4@saunders> From: "Silverhill Seeds" Subject: Albuca spiralis Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2002 10:01:56 +0200 Dear Mary Sue Yes I am reading it, and as far as I know Albuca spiralis is small, not over 1 meter tall. I think that Bill Richardson has something else. I have not grown this species, so I am not sure if the leaves spiral in cultivation. For some reason, many curly or spiral ones don't retain this in pots - not sure why not. Regards Rachel Saunders Cape Town From ???@??? Sat Oct 19 07:28:02 2002 Message-Id: From: Dell Sherk Subject: Crocus scharojani Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2002 07:41:04 -0400 Dear All, Does anyone know of a source for the above-mentioned Crocus. It seems to be the only autumn-flowering one which is yellow. Also sounds like it is hard to grow, needing constant moisture - not very hard to provide here. Best wishes, Dell -- Dell Sherk, SE PA Zone 6. Amaryllids, South Americans, Cyrtanthus, Nerine, Hardy bulbs. From ???@??? Sat Oct 19 07:28:02 2002 Message-Id: From: Arnold Subject: Crocus scharojani Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2002 10:28:02 -0400 Dell Yes it is an autumn flowering crocus found near streams so constant moisture is a must. Named after Herr Scharojan who found it in the Caucasus in 1865. Requires a moisture retentive soil and cool growing conditions, such as one would associate with a peat garden, although at the same time full sun must be provided. Flowers from July to October. Arnold From ???@??? Sat Oct 19 07:53:05 2002 Message-Id: <003001c2777e$69f14780$32ccefd1@stenomesson> From: "diana chapman" Subject: Erythronium multiscapoideum Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2002 07:47:13 -0700 Dear All There is quite a bit of variation in anther color in other populations of Erythroniums in the west. Some have given subspecific status based on this, although understandably this is not accepted by others. Erythronium grandiflorum has three different anther colors, and I am told different colors can be found in the same populations. Erythronium citrinum has yellow/cream anthers, but the var. roderickii has anthers that are usually described as purple, but when I found it in the wild last year they looked sort of rusty to me, but anyway they certainly are dark. All of my notebooks are packed up for moving, so I can't give a more complete answer than this! Although I said previously the anthers of E. multiscapoideum age to pink (they often do), it wouldn't surprise me that there are some that are actually pink. Erythronium californicum also ages to pink, and some flowers in the wild have a very pronouned red reverse to the tepal. So, it probably isn't due to hybridization, but is actually a variation on the basic cream. I will look this spring in the wild to see if I find any others with pink anthers, but I would certainly hang on to that one you have. They offset well, so you have something a little special, Paul. Diana From ???@??? Sat Oct 19 10:13:21 2002 Message-Id: From: "Alberto Castillo" Subject: Albuca spiralis Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2002 16:52:06 +0000 Dear Mary Sue et al Yes, Albuca spiralis is small, say 10 cm in foliage and 20 cm when in flower. The foliage is its main attraction. Leaves are narrow and a deep green and at first are ascending and then coil into a tight spring. This shape is normal in cultivation. Apparently the spring (not a spiral) is a mechanism to expose less leaf surface to the dessicating sun. This plant must be grown like a succulent with very gritty well drained soil and a DRY summer dormancy. It is not easy if you are fond of watering in abundance. Now to the controversial part of it I have lost most of my plants (I think only one remains) from letting them set abundant seed for three years in a row. This I have experienced with a number of plants. Hence my advice "DO NOT LET THEM SET SEED" in case of very young or freshly imported plants. We had a variety of experiences along years ago when I was actively collecting in the wild in Uruguay and Southern Brazil and all pointed to the fact that seed production takes excessive energy and this only robust plants can cope with. Regards Alberto From ???@??? Sat Oct 19 11:20:52 2002 Message-Id: From: "Alberto Castillo" Subject: Seed starting Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2002 17:18:36 +0000 Dear Mary Sue et al. As we all know very many kinds of seeds have a water soluble germination inhibitor. To dissolve this you need to water (abundantly in many cases). If your seed is covered the abundant watering (or rain) will exclude air (oxygen!) and the seed can be suffocated and die. So it is better to leave the seed uncovered and water abundantly to dissolve the inhibitor away. The layer beneath the seed must be porous enough to let excess water through but must withstand the pressure. Vermiculite is very good but unless one waters by gentle spraying it breaks apart easily and turns into dust. In my case crushed rock (to the size of a rice grain or so) have proved excellent for years. Seed lodges in the crevices and remain largely uncovered. After two weeks (although I often wait for a lot longer) I start covering the seeds with a thin layer of the same crushed rock. In case of large seeds like irises this is necessary to anchor the seeds in place rather than actual exclusion of light. Emerging radicles, bulblets and cormlets adjust marvelously to the necessary depth as they would in Nature. As for the subject of temperatures, it is plain clear that are seeds that need special treatments like alternate periods of cold and warmth, etc. Once the cold treatment is over, you can sow the seed uncovered and water well. Gelasine elongata is not a difficult plant but it is big, more so than Tigridia pavonia and will resent being restricted to small pots. In the wild it was almost 1 metre tall in flower. There are blue violet forms with a white star in the center and another one that is actually white with a broad blue edge. It comes from the huge region of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and S Brazil that receives year round rains. In it native bulbs are summer dormant but the climate is NOT Mediterranean. There is a Gelasine elongata population south of Buenos Aires where -10 C frosts are not uncommon in winter. And the wind chills the bones. But, from winter on there is along warm sunny season. If you give it full sun, put it to rest in summer (with the occasional watering), and give it a big pot, it will be quiet and dependable. Yes there is a Texan form of Herbertia lahue. It is dormant in winter and can stand a lot of cold. It is Herbertia lahue ssp coerulea. The Chilean Herbertia lahue grows under conditions suitable for a Cape bulb and is DRY summer dormant Alophia drummondii is a winter dormant tigridioid from Louisiana and Texas Herbertia quareimana (ex H amatorum) i a robust species from N Uruguay and S Brazil that lives in a hot region where soils and poor and acid and is hot summer dormant with year round rains. It resembles a short Tigridia violacea. Herbertia pulchella is a beautiful species from Uruguay in which the outer tepals extend horizontally and then droop, always with a white line a long them. There are several forms , the most striking a deep ultramarine blue and a varnished appearance. There is a picture of it in one of my Herbertia articles. To explain the differences among them we must see images. They are very different from each other (if the images are properly named!). Go to IBS Images for instance Herbertia quareimana (amatorum) is well depicted in an image by German Roitman Herbertia pulchella is in two images by Maurice and by German Roitman Herbertia lahue in a couple of great images by J. R. Manhart Alophia drummondii is in two images by J. R. Manhart The other two by Mike Vassar and by Gary Buckley are of Herbertia lahue ssp caerulea. So you have the whole picture! Yes, Smilacina and others are monocot perennials. Since IBS and PBS are bulb societies it makes no sense to include other kinds of plants. After all, Salvia guaranitica and Salvia patens have tuberous roots like Dahlias! Time ago, I insisted that Smilacina, Tricyrtis and others of the kind should not appear in IBS List but no one payed attention and they were included anyway. Regards Alberto From ???@??? Sat Oct 19 11:47:36 2002 Message-Id: From: Jennifer Hildebrand Subject: Crocus scharojani Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2002 11:38:58 -0700 (PDT) Hi Dell & all, This might be a good place to start: http://www.rnzih.org.nz/pages/crocus.htm It's a great article on Crocus on the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture's website. The article notes that "One of the activities of the RNZIH has been to assemble a list of New Zealand Plant Collections, which collates information on people and institutions who hold collections of particular groups of plants" - to that end, there is a list of crocus in the collection at the end of the article. C. scharojani (spelled scharojanii) is included as a part of their holdings. Anyone else interested in Crocus should check out this great article and the LONG list of holdings. Good luck in your search! Jennifer Dell Sherk wrote: Dear All,Does anyone know of a source for the above-mentioned Crocus. It seems tobe the only autumn-flowering one which is yellow. Also sounds like it is hard to grow, needing constant moisture - not very hard to provide here. Best wishes, Dell-- Dell Sherk, SE PA Zone 6. Amaryllids, South Americans, Cyrtanthus, Nerine,Hardy bulbs. From ???@??? Sun Oct 20 07:37:08 2002 Message-Id: <000701c27804$6d785480$0500a8c0@main> From: "Ixia" Subject: Albuca spiralis Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 16:46:25 +1000 Dear Mary Sue, Since I wrote that article, further investigations lead me to believe that what I have is A. nelsonii, which fits more closely with the description. It is also evergreen. You will notice in the article that I did have a question mark after it. My apologies for the confusion. regards, Bill Richardson Gippsland Australia 0-21 Lovely days of Spring. Need rain desperately. Ixia site http//www.angelfire.com/ri/ixia Suite 101 site http//suite101.com/welcome.cfm/bulbs_and_plants From ???@??? Sun Oct 20 07:37:08 2002 Message-Id: <001101c27806$1e54b540$0500a8c0@main> From: "Ixia" Subject: germination from seed Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 16:58:37 +1000 Mary Sue, further to your asking about germination from seed. I can report that Ixia scillaris planted here in May last year has just flowered. The other Ixia that has flowered for me in one season was Ixia viridflora. Also, Allium acuminatum, which I sowed from the BX in 2000 is just coming into bud and will flower soon. There is a picture of it my book "Taylors Guide to Bulbs" color says rose-purple, so can't wait to see it bloom. Hopefully will be able to post an image of it then. regards, Bill Richardson Gippsland Australia 0-21 Lovely days of Spring. Need rain desperately. Ixia site http//www.angelfire.com/ri/ixia Suite 101 site http//suite101.com/welcome.cfm/bulbs_and_plants From ???@??? Sun Oct 20 07:37:08 2002 Message-Id: <002101c27809$dbb1da20$0500a8c0@main> From: "Ixia" Subject: flowering now Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 17:25:23 +1000 Dear all, I've just spent two lovely days in the garden, excited over so many species flowering now - too many to mention. Here are a few Two species of Wachendorfia, parviflora and paniculata and absolutely stacks of Lachenalias, too many to name. Two different color forms of Veltheimia - from seed from SA - one was labelled "brick red "and the other "dull pink", which came from IBSA in SA. I have photographed them together and if suitable, will post the image on the bulb robin. Also, for the first time, I have a flower coming on my Cyanella - I had just about given up on it. Gladiolus quadrangulus has just finished flowering and although unusual, I was not so impressed with this one. Allium giganteum is looking really healthy in the ground but flowers are a little way off yet. Ixias include scillaris, flexuosa, dubium, marginifolia, speciosa just to name a few. It's been a very dry year and we are looking at water restrictions very soon here in Victoria but the weather has been very nice for this time of the year. Although further north they are having very bad bushfires and we will be on fire alert soon as well. regards, Bill Richardson Gippsland Australia 0-21 Lovely days of Spring. Need rain desperately. Ixia site http//www.angelfire.com/ri/ixia Suite 101 site http//suite101.com/welcome.cfm/bulbs_and_plants From ???@??? Sun Oct 20 10:42:23 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021020074214.00bd4950@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: flowering now Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 08:25:23 -0700 Dear Bill, Thanks for giving us a picture of the spring flowering in Gippsland, Australia. I am looking forward to seeing your different color forms of Veltheimia. It sounds like they came true from seed. Are you finding some things are better with less rain and some things are not blooming at all? Would you give us a report? Thanks too for adding another geophyte to one year from seed. Also was interested in your comments about your Cyanella blooming. I too have had trouble with these and have decided they do not like to be disturbed and that perhaps I was repotting too much. I purchased a Cyanella lutea I think from Jim Duggan that took quite a few years to bloom once I planted it in my raised bed and after it started blooming reliably I realized I had put it in the wrong spot as it had taller things surrounding it so I moved it. It was years before it reappeared and I had given up on it when last year it once again came up and bloomed. I never could get some of the violet ones to bloom and in early summer last year my husband told me he had discovered something blooming in the ground (unmarked) and did I know what it was. Apparently I had planted some out which is what I do before tossing things that don't bloom and one of them was blooming. It will be interesting to see if it comes back. Yesterday we finally had some fall sunshine. I have my Oxalis clustered on my deck as I remember Diana talking about hers in the past being dazzling. Since I have talked about them before I won't belabor the point, but the bright pink, purple, and orange flowers are such a boost to the spirits. Blooming for the first time for me from a recent Telos purchase is Oxalis callosa. It is really beautiful, kind of a pinkish purple color with a reddish purple ring and a yellow center. My husband tried to capture it with his digital camera, but the colors get washed out. I also have some Oxalis ambigua blooming with big white flowers and Oxalis polyphylla v. heptaphylla that Mike Mace gave me that has really cool leaves and the outside of the flower before it opens is bicolored and very pretty too. I gave the same clone to Lauw and Uli of Oxalis flava and they have remarked on how nice it is, but it has never bloomed for me and so far isn't this year either. But it does have interesting leaves. What I find fascinating given our earlier discussion about Oxalis not setting seed is that the bees love these fall blooming ones. Two more of my Zinkowski nerines are blooming for the first time. One is a gorgeous bright red that is also luminous and sparkles in the sunshine. Years ago when my first Zinkowski bloomed and was not very spectacular and I talked about tossing it on the compost pile, Mike Mace protested. I have kept it and it has bloomed every year but it doesn't compare to some of these others so I am really glad I didn't give up. Andrew Wilson reports that he is getting wonderful blooms for his this year in San Diego by watering once a week in summer. Some of you may know Andrew who I have not yet gotten to join this list. He is a succulent fan (appropriate in Southern California) who once had a wonderful Oxalis collection that was eaten by rodents last year when it was so dry. So it seems the rodents do not like nerines! This time of year I really do enjoy the Cyclamen. One pot of Cyclamen purpurascens has been blooming since July and one Cyclamen hederifolium started then and flowers of other plants of that species keep appearing. I have my first flowers coming up on C. cilicicum and some second year seedlings of a couple of species are showing up. I love Cyclamen leaves and find it interesting to see how they develop as they get older and more marked. Mary Sue From ???@??? Sun Oct 20 12:49:06 2002 Message-Id: From: "Alberto Castillo" Subject: Albuca nelsoni Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 18:57:15 +0000 Dear All Albuca nelsoni as we grow it from South Africa is a big plant with broad dark green fountain like foliage, evergreen. Bulbs grow half buried to almost sitting on the ground. Right now there a number of flower scapes well up. Flowers are large , white and green and unlike most Albucas we know they look upwards, not nodding. This plant is very decorative on its own and look extremely robust, 80 cm to 1 m in flower. Regards Alberto From ???@??? Mon Oct 21 07:26:41 2002 Message-Id: <006c01c278c7$befef480$0500a8c0@main> From: "Ixia" Subject: Albuca nelsoni Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 16:04:38 +1000 Alberto, Mary Sue, Alberto, my plants fits this description exactly. It is just producing many flower stalks now. The bulbs are sitting way out of the ground and have increased in size immensely. Although unusual, they are extremely untidy plants and I considered pulling it out not so long ago, until I saw the flower shoots coming again. Anyway, where would I put this huge thing? I would probably shave to split it into 3 and then replant it somewhere or toss it in the bin. Couldn't really do that as it took so long to get it to grow originally. Anyway, the flowers are a real talking point here - maybe I will get some seed this year, as it didn't;t produce any last season. regards, Bill Richardson Gippsland Australia 0-21 Lovely days of Spring. Need rain desperately. Ixia site http//www.angelfire.com/ri/ixia Suite 101 site http//suite101.com/welcome.cfm/bulbs_and_plants From ???@??? Mon Oct 21 07:26:41 2002 Message-Id: <008e01c278d0$bb0394e0$0500a8c0@main> From: "Ixia" Subject: Cyanella Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 17:08:54 +1000 Dear Mary Sue, I sowed my Cyanella seed in 1997, so you can add this to the seed germination list (for me at least) of 5 years from seed to flower. I've been meaning to ask here if anyone had experience with it, as I was starting to give up on ever seeing a flower. This one is C. hyacinthiodes, I would be interested in any other comments about this species. Mine are still in pots but I might try planting some out next season. It might do better then. I have never disturbed the roots on mine when potting on. regards, Bill Richardson Gippsland Australia 0-21 Lovely days of Spring. Need rain desperately. Ixia site http//www.angelfire.com/ri/ixia Suite 101 site http//suite101.com/welcome.cfm/bulbs_and_plants From ???@??? Mon Oct 21 09:12:10 2002 Message-Id: From: "Cathy Craig" Subject: Member Reports on Oct 5th PBS gathering Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 08:08:14 -0700 In my nightly prayers, I thank the Lord for the little joys of the day. I don't often experience the big ones, lately. The afternoon of October 5th was one of them. Rarely have I spent a more pleasant time. Everything was a plus the company; the food (I go BONKERS for devilled eggs!) and the conversation. Dr. Koopowitz has certainly mellowed since our first meeting. Our chat spanned many topics, which confirmed for me his wide range of knowledge. He doesn't realize it, but I always address him as 'Doc'. I have always felt that if someone works so hard to earn the title of Doctor, I shall always honor him for his achievement. And 'Doc' is a friendly form of address. The only flaw in the evening was the fact that, having bought three copies of his marvelous book (a BIG joy!) I could only find my copy for him to sign. (The other two were in a 'SAFE' place awaiting Santa's delivery to two special friends). My friend Jim Waddick had in a previous E-mail asked me to look up an interesting bloke named Jim Comstock, whom he had met at last year's Symposium. Being the shy guy that I am, I kept putting it off. Well, I finally got to meet this genial fellow. Prior to this, his name had popped up on my computer many times. I had not realized he was such a high mucky-muck! (VIP). And Jim W's evaluation was certainly correct. Anyone who laughs at my jokes as much as Jim C. dis is most certainly a charming and erudite fellow! It was nice to see Patty Colville and Charles Hardman again - old friends from SCHAS. Patty is a good sport - enduring my ribbing about a flowerpot hunting expedition with good grace. Charles brought many things for sale - proceeds of which go to PBS. Always ready to help PBS, I purchased gangs of things - including all the nerines (for which Charles is famous) that were left. Quite a few of his I had purchased at SCHAS are blooming now. The slide presentation by Dr. Koopowitz of a previous Holland visit was entertaining and informative. He always manages to convey some unexpectedly interesting aspects in his comfortably conversational comments. What struck me here were the unusual Mondrian-like landscaping possiblities of tulips, daffodils and other Dutch bulbs. So caught-up was I in all this congeniality, that I did not get to see Cathy's garden. How could this have happened?!!! Perhaps someday I'll have the opportunity. In any case, I salute Cathy Craig - the hostess with the MOSTEST on the ball! (Someone should write a musical about her!) And thanks to all who attended. It just goes to show me that joining PBS was one of the LUCKIEST things that has ever happened to me. A BIG JOY !!! ROBERT PARKER (as SPARKY McFARKLE) PBS 10038 From ???@??? Mon Oct 21 12:02:03 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021021104852.00c019f0@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Cyanella Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 11:12:03 -0700 Dear All, Sorry to post this on three lists, but I hate to leave out anyone and I know there are people who have subscribed to PBS and not one or the other Australian lists and vice versa. And in this case Cyanella is being discussed three places at the same time which is great for those of us who belong to all three. I am happy to see the conversation about Cyanella and the images too of some now blooming in Australia for Lyn Edwards and Andrew Harvie. I fell in love with the yellow form of Cyanella alba when we visited South Africa and hoped Rachel would offer it as seed some time, but she says they never find seed and maybe it lacks a pollinator. The white one looks nice too . In my field guides there were always a picture with just one flower open and I thought even if it was very nice, would it be worth one flower? But in the wild I could see it would produce more than one flower. And Andrew's yellow and orange Tritonia deusta is gorgeous too! I collected seed from Jana's Cyanella plants, but I'm not sure which species (either orchidiformis or hyacinthoides and will send it to the BX and check with Jana about which.) I think hyacinthoides. And for those of you not on the PBS list Bill Richardson and I wrote about how long it took for us to get ours to flower from seed and my experience that Cyanella lutea did not appear for a couple of years each time I transplanted it. Mary Sue For PBS list members Alberto posted this description on the Australian Bulbs list Hi Andrew and all We have grown Cyanellas for years here and they are very easy, coming up and flowering season after.season. Corms are like white flattened Moraea corms Inside the tunics the actual corm is tiny hence the long time to reach flowering size. In summer while dormant all roots die off. From seed they are not the easiest of plants and the percentage of germination is low. C orchidiformis is a tall species with lilac pink flowers in the ones we have rather than the violet shade of the image. C orchidiformis has small pale violet flowers. C lutea from Dirk Wallace is extremely robust and has been flowering for a month over. Dirk grows his material from seed and thus the plants are extra robust and healthy. C alba we no longer have but was easy too. The only problem we had was a strange disease in which the corms "bleed" small drops of a resin like substance. Wether it was a bacteria or a fungus it was eliminated by drenching with a weak formaline solution. Many thanks for sending those gorgeous images. And the Tritonia is absolutely stunning! Regards Alberto From ???@??? Mon Oct 21 12:02:03 2002 Message-Id: <3DB44577.A701EF1@bulbargence.com> From: Lauw de Jager Subject: Albuca nelsoni Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 20:20:38 +0200 Alberto Castillo a *crit > Albuca nelsoni as we grow it from South Africa is a big plant > with broad dark green fountain like foliage, evergreen. Bulbs grow half > buried to almost sitting on the ground. Right now there a number of flower scapes well up. Flowers are large , white and green and unlike most Albucas we know they look upwards, not nodding. This plant is very decorative on its own and look extremely robust, 80 cm to 1 m in flower. Dear Alberto, A nelsoni does very well here in a position where it does not get too much rain. One clumb located in a shade hall, where it received a lot of rain this autumn has rottted at the base by the excess water which was caught up by the leaves. Kind regards -- Lauw de Jager BULB'ARGENCE, 30300 Fourques, France Région Provence/Camargue; (Climat zone 9a Mediterranean) From ???@??? Mon Oct 21 12:02:03 2002 Message-Id: From: IntarsiaCo@aol.com Subject: Cyanella Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 14:36:01 EDT In a message dated 10/21/2002 2:15:24 PM Eastern Daylight Time, msittner@mcn.org writes: And for those of you not on the PBS list Bill Richardson and I wrote about how long it took for us to get ours to flower from seed and my experience that Cyanella lutea did not appear for a couple of years each time I transplanted it. Hi Mary Sue: Cyanella lutea bloomed for me this past winter from a fall 1998 sowing. It too took an entire year off in 2000. Nine corms repotted this August have recently reappeared. Best, Mark Mazer Intarsia Ltd. Gaylordsville, CT 06755-0142 www.therapyshapes.com USDA Zone 5 Giant Schnauzer Rescue From ???@??? Mon Oct 21 17:50:44 2002 Message-Id: From: "Andrew Harvie" Subject: [Australian_Bulbs] Re [AB_images] Re Cyanella Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 10:12:49 +1000 Hi Mary Sue I too long for seed of the other colour forms. I am also looking for Cyanella aquatica, which is supposed to have orange flowers. If anyone wants some more detailed info on this genus, there is a revision of the genus in the South African Journal of Botany, 1991, 57(1) page 34-54. I am intrigued to know how long yours have taken to flower. I planted my first seed in March 1999 and they flowered for the first time last year. So that would make it flowering in their third growing season. I don't consider this long compared to some other bulb seeds that I have sown, but then others flower in the same season that you plant them. Alberto mentioned poor germination. I have not experienced this with Cyanella lutea or C. hyacinthoides, but then I didn't count how many seeds I sowed. All I know is I threw a handful of seeds into a foam box and now I have a box full of seedlings. As to them not appearing after repotting, I repotted mine from a six inch pot to an eight inch pot without disturbing the soil, and they all came up no problem. I have experienced this no show with Cyanella amboensis, but not after repotting. They simply didn't come up again after there first year. Upon inspection the corms seemed to be OK. This year will be the test, if they don't come up this summer they will get tossed. I am still hopeful because the plants grow in a very arid area of Namibia and take advantage of years with good rain and then no show in bad years. Regards Andrew From ???@??? Mon Oct 21 21:52:09 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021021201426.00b1a2a0@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Cyanella Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 20:33:47 -0700 Dear Andrew, I sent along your response to the Pacific Bulb Society list. We'd love to have you and anyone else on the Australian Bulbs list join us. I am happy to sign anyone up or you can do it yourself by sending a note to requests@lists.mcn.org and in the body write subscribe pacificbulbsociety or subscribe digest pacificbulbsociety. I just mention this as if you haven't joined and send a message to the pbs list your message will get returned. I just looked on my data base and I bought a Cyanella lutea bulb in 1989. My data base says that I no longer have it so I just corrected that since it bloomed this spring. It was years before it showed up, then it bloomed for several years in a row until I moved it and then it took three years before it reappeared this year again. My first attempt to grow Cyanella orchidiformis from seed was unsuccessful, but it was Kirstenbosch seed and that seed I don't think is very fresh as I often had very poor results and good results growing the same species from Silverhill Seed or IBSA seed. I had good luck with seed from IBS and Bill Dijk of C. orchidformis and C. hyacinthoides, but then had the dwindles or just found they remained dormant for a season. One year only 3 or 11 came up. I started seed in 1997 and 1998 (fall to winter) and got my first bloom this year, but I think that some of my non blooming corms I gave to Jana bloomed before that so maybe I didn't give them what they needed. Before you toss the one out maybe you should just plant it out or does it get too wet where you are in summer? Another member of our list shared his results Hi Mary Sue Cyanella lutea bloomed for me this past winter from a fall 1998 sowing. It too took an entire year off in 2000. Nine corms repotted this August have recently reappeared. Best, Mark Mazer From ???@??? Mon Oct 21 22:12:20 2002 Message-Id: From: "Cathy Craig" Subject: BX contribution - Lilies Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 22:04:12 -0700 Hi everyone, I am digging and dividing some lilies from my beds and am sending Dell Sherk, our wonderful BX guy, a couple dozen small Lilium bulbs from the Golden Splendor Group. My A-Z has this to say about this group: Div VI(a) (trumpet-shaped hybrid), vigorous, strong stems, blooms mid-season, hardiness zone 5-7, 4-6 ft tall, large outward-facing shallow trumpets, scented. I have had my bulbs since '99 and the original three have now become about 30 bulbs. Most of the bulbs are quite small but will bloom in a year or two. This is a really nice lily, nice scent, strong grower, beautiful and striking golden yellow (not orangy-yellow) - a nice pure color - more yellow than gold here. Seems to hold its color well in sun and lasts pretty well. If I remember correctly the flower has nice thick substance for a trumpet. Plant the bulbs deeply enough so that the stem, when it emerges from the bulb, has enough dirt to hold the stem roots - perhaps at least 3 inches of soil over the top of the bulb. Lilies like soft dirt around and under the bulb (although mine have been growing in some pretty hard soil - but with each redigging of the bed the soil improves) so you might amend the planting holes and make sure they are big holes because the roots will eventually grow out 6 inches away from the bottom of the bulb. Plant in full sun, you know how trumpets are - they tend to bend toward the sun especially when they are still young. I'm sure you will like this plant. In two or three years you will have a nice clump of them. Enjoy! Cathy Craig President PBS Maritime zone 9b From ???@??? Tue Oct 22 07:30:07 2002 Message-Id: From: "Cathy Craig" Subject: Fritillaria imperalis Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 22:17:12 -0700 Hi all, Anyone out there grow these? I have bought several this year and am trying them again. I noticed that even though all mine came from the same nursery, the ones I bought first had roots and the ones I went back and bought later had no roots. What's up with this? Cathy Craig President PBS Maritime zone 9b From ???@??? Tue Oct 22 07:30:08 2002 Message-Id: From: Dell Sherk Subject: Pacific BX 12 Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 06:34:32 -0400 Dear All, The items listed below have been donated by PBS members for sharing. If you are interested in obtaining some of them, please email me PRIVATELY at . Include "BX 12" in the subject line. Specify the NUMBERS of the items which you would like; do not specify quantities. Availability is based on a first come, first served system. When you receive your seeds/bulbs you will find included with them a statement of how much money (cash or check) you should send the PBS treasurer for you order. Each item costs US$2.00 to cover first-class postage and packing. It is a good idea to include you snail mail address too, in case I don't already have it. Some of you are members of the PBS discussion forum but not members of the Pacific Bulb Society. THIS BX OFFERING IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO MEMBERS OF THE PBS. Consider joining the PBS so that you can take advantage of future offers such as this. Or contact me at dells@voicenet.com If you would like to donate seeds or bulbs/corms to the PBS, please send clean, clearly labeled material to: Dell Sherk, PO Box 224, Holicong, PA, 18928, USA. OFFERINGS: Pacific BX 12 SEED: From Mary Sue Ittner : 1. Lachenalia contaminata 2. Lachenalia unicolor 3. Lachanalia pustulata 4. Lachenalia juncifolia 5. Lilium maritimum 6. Ixia frederickii 7. Allium jajlae 8. Delphinium luteum 9. Delphinium hesperium 10. Delphinium nudicaule 11. Calochortus uniflorus, marked with spots 12. Tulipa clusiana 13. Tritonia deusta 14. Tritonia securigera 15. Romulea tetragona 16. Sparaxis meterkampleriae 17. Zigadenus fremontii From Jana Ulmer: 18. Gelasine azurea Thank you, Mary Sue and Jana !! Best wishes, Dell --Dell Sherk, Director, Pacific BX From ???@??? Tue Oct 22 07:30:08 2002 Message-Id: From: Dell Sherk Subject: About Pacific BX 12 Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 09:50:18 -0400 Mary Sue, whose seed donations are offered in BX 12 sends this information about those seeds: Allium jajlae--Tight umbel, purple flower, blooms summer Calochortus uniflorus--I collected seed from one of my plants that has small dark purple spots on the pale blue flowers. One of our local populations has nice markings and I collected seed from them a number of years ago and got some interesting variation. I would hope that seedlings would also have the spots. Delphiniums--Alberto is going to scold me, but I am giving seed of some of my native California Delphiniums. They are a quasi geophyte as most of them have a woody rootstock, but they can be treated like geophytes and kept moderately dry in summer when they are dormant. I know Marguerite wanted some seed so have sent some to Dell. I try to keep my species separated, but can't promise they are pure. Delphinium hesperium--purple, seed collected in Marin county Delphinium nudicaule--red, one of the delightful spring wildflowers where I live, found on rock crevices on steep mossy banks, often shaded Delphinium luteum--yellow, short, extremely rare, found in only a few locations from coastal bluffs near Bodega Bay, California. These are descendents from California Horticultural Society seed Gelasine elongata--Alberto told us about this one recently Lachenalia pustulata--South African Lachenalia unicolor--These were grown from misnamed seed, but I am reasonably sure this is correct. There was a nice variation in the color of the flowers, blooming in April and May, South African Lilium maritimum--This is wild collected seed from our local populations. This lily has small tubular red flowers and is considered rare. It is found in wet places, and blooms better in wet years and is found close to the forest. Romulea tetragona--violet rose with interesting markings, South African irid Sparaxis metelerkampiae--This is one of the prettier species of what was once Synnotia, South African irid Tritonia deusta--South African irid Tritonia securigera--South African irid Tulipa clusiana--I was able to get bulbs of the real thing when I visited Lauw in France a few years ago. Before that I had ordered bulbs and never got the real species. It is really lovely and supposed to be one of the Tulips you can naturalize in Southern California. Zigadenus fremontii--This is another plant that grows in the wild close to where I live in coastal northern California. This one is tall with white flowers and is supposed to be poisonous so the critters aren't supposed to eat it. Thank you, Mary Sue! --Dell Sherk, Director, Pacific BX From ???@??? Tue Oct 22 10:57:19 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021022085723.00abd330@mail.mcn.org> From: "SheilaB" Subject: Germination times Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 08:59:05 -0700 Hi Mary Sue, You asked on one of the lists about seed germination times. I have a pot each of Geissorhiza radians & G. aspera flowering now, which I sowed in May 2002, so 5 months to flowering. This equals my Freesia laxa 'Joan Evans' which also too 5 months to flowering (last year.) Regards Sheila Note from Mary Sue. Add this to our bloom in less than one year from seed. I am so impressed! Sheila, tell us what you did to get these Geissorhizas to bloom so quickly. From ???@??? Tue Oct 22 10:57:19 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021022074718.00bb0620@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: About Pacific BX 12 Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 09:57:30 -0700 Dear All, It looks like I lost track of a couple of things that I sent Dell so didn't describe them. Ixia frederickii is a really pretty orange Ixia with a dark center that Graham Duncan told me was one he thought I could plant in the ground in Northern California and it would come back. The hybrids have been weedy for me, but some of the species have disappeared once I planted them out and left them, but it looks like this one may be different. Lachenalia contaminata--grass-like leaves, white flowers. This one I saw many years ago on African hill at UC Berkeley looking really stunning (back in my days before I was a fanatic). It definitely pushed me in the direction of wanting to grow Lachenalias. Lachenalia juncifolia-- this one has two long narrow green channeled leaves with maroon markings on the base making it very different from other Lachenalias I grow. From ???@??? Wed Oct 23 15:36:43 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021023092527.00abb410@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Fritillaria pinetorum Date: Wed, 23 Oct 2002 09:38:19 -0700 Dear All, On the California Horticultural Society seed exchange list this year was seed of Fritillaria pinetorum donated by Wayne Roderick and I obtained some. I have reread Diana Chapman's article on Fritillarias of California in the NARGS bulletin and the chapter on the genus Fritillaria in Bulbs of North America and am thinking that perhaps I was a bit too quick to think I could possible grow this if is found at an elevation of 1800-3000 meters (6000-10000 feet) in central and southern California and experiences harsh extremes of weather and is covered by snow in winter. It reminded me of a talk on Fritillaria that Wayne gave long ago when he told us just to admire some of those mountain beauties in the wild and not attempt to grow them because we would be bound to fail. There is a picture of this one in Bulbs of North America. Has anyone on this list succeeded in germinating or growing this? I assume the only hope would be to stratify the seeds. Or should I just send the seed to Diana who has found ways to germinate high altitude Calochortus seed and is a much better propagator than I am? Mary Sue From ???@??? Wed Oct 23 18:21:04 2002 Message-Id: <3DB72F20.D47FD375@earthlink.net> From: Elizabeth Waterman Subject: Curtis Botanical Magazine Date: Wed, 23 Oct 2002 16:22:08 -0700 The Curtis Botanical Magazine Here's a lovely illustration of the Yellow-flowered Clammy Moraea at http//www.nal.usda.gov/curtis/1045jpg.shtml Or the Cut-leaved Lapeyrousia at http//www.nal.usda.gov/curtis/606jpg.shtml There are oodles more illustrations arranged by equally florid names but in the text is the botanical name and a fair amount of information and the illustrations are marvelous. From 1787-1800 (Volumes 1-14), William Curtis published The Botanical Magazine. From 1801-1807 (Volumes 15-26), John Sims published Curtis's Botanical Magazine The Principal artist for both publishers was Sydenham S. Edwards William Curtis (1746-1799) was a trained pharmacist living in London, whose greater interest was the study of flora and insects. He maintained a large garden where he grew beautiful exotic plants, and began publishing the Curtis Botanical Magazine in 1787. This digital presentation represents one thousand fifty records, one thousand forty-eight plates, (two of the original plates are missing, plates 797 & 860), and there are one thousand four hundred fifty-six related pages of text from the first 26 volumes. The entire print collection of 164 volumes is housed at the National Agricultural Library in Beltsville, Maryland Also an article on cape bulbs in the SF Chronicle at http//www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/gate/archive/2002/09/18/greeng.DTL Liz W From ???@??? Wed Oct 23 20:31:09 2002 Message-Id: From: "Cathy Craig" Subject: Fritillaria pinetorum Date: Wed, 23 Oct 2002 20:22:40 -0700 Mary Sue, Don't you miss Jack Elliott terribly? He'd have been all over this one. I can almost hear him saying these things are never as difficult as one might imagine. Divide the seed into two lots, give one to Diana to germinate, keep the other and go for it. I have not grown any of the Frits except a couple of the common ones sold in bulb form. If my F. imperialis grow and bloom this year I shall consider my self a Fritillaria expert though! Just kidding. I can think of several reasons why F. pinetorum is found in the conditions you state. And none of them would include that they like these conditions. Perhaps it is only surviving there and has been grazed almost into extinction in the more moderate habitat(s). Perhaps it is extinct everywhere else and is only hanging on there for dear life through the inadvertent passage of a bird who ate the last surviving seeds elsewhere. No one knows these things. I am sure Wayne was trying to be kind and save us a lot of hard work. But I wouldn't let that discourage you, try it! From ???@??? Wed Oct 23 21:34:33 2002 Message-Id: From: "Lyn Edwards" Subject: fritillaria pine Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 14:18:31 +1000 Mary Sue and Cathy,I had never heard of this one before, I looked it up in John Bryan"s book, it looks wonderful. Definately worth trying to grow it, I'm quite envious, Lyn Edwards Canberra From ???@??? Fri Oct 25 07:16:59 2002 Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.0.20021024221133.00b31b40@pop.earthlink.net> From: "Barbara L. Weintraub" Subject: Fritillaria pinetorum Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 22:13:16 -0600 Stratification of high elevation plants is always a good idea. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with this one, but would LOVE to grow it! - Barbara at 7000' in Santa Fe where it is definitely autumn! From ???@??? Fri Oct 25 07:16:59 2002 Message-Id: From: VRean@aol.com Subject: Pumice Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 09:35:57 EDT I like pumice as a soil amendment better than perilite. This doesn't have to do with any study about how plants grow, it is about how it feels in my fingers. Does anyone know of a cheap source of pumice? I saw in one catalog 1/3 cubic feet for about $20! Right now I am using a hammer to break up pieces collected from a family trip to Oregon many years ago when I was a child! Vicki Sironen PBS Membership Chair From ???@??? Fri Oct 25 07:16:59 2002 Message-Id: From: Sue Haffner Subject: Pumice Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 06:40:23 -0700 (PDT) Hi, I don't know if you are near Orchard Supply Hardware, but they sell small bags of pumice. It's the only source for growers here in the Fresno area. Sue Haffner From ???@??? Fri Oct 25 12:09:32 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021025072031.00bb5a50@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Pumice Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 08:15:16 -0700 Dear Vicki, I wrote this before Tom gave you all those excellent resources, but will send on what I wrote anyway. It is an interesting thing about Pumice. We can find the expensive kinds in small bags occasionally in garden centers. We have taken to checking out all landscape supply companies when we pass one since they don't all carry the same things. Sometimes we find it and if so we buy it. There is a landscape supply that has two locations, one in Marin County and one in Richmond. At the Richmond location you can get large bags of pumice that is white or brown. At the Marin location you can get lava rock which is red. That is far easier to find in Northern California and what most people use here. You need to find the right size (not too big and without fines.) I always try to talk my husband into making a stop when we are in the East Bay (near Richmond) to get a couple of sacks of the white kind. I think before you joined our list (in July) we had a fascinating (at least I thought it was) discussion that I have put together in a large e-mail called volcanic rock/ decomposed granite. Some of the scientists/geologists weighed in with some explanations and others shared what they used and where they found it. I can mail it to you and anyone else who has joined since that might like it. If you want it contact me privately at mailtomsittner@mcn.org Mary Sue From ???@??? Fri Oct 25 08:13:31 2002 Message-Id: From: "Tom Stuart" Subject: Pumice Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 10:50:04 -0500 > Does anyone know of a cheap source of pumice? This is a Google question. Pumice is abundant anywhere near recent volcanic activity. In the western US, the Bureau of Land Management allows you to haul away up to 100,000 cubic yards for free. See, for example, http//www.ca.blm.gov/caso/materials2.html For those with lesser needs, the costs rise. This page sites $25/yard http//forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/jgard/msg081620002236.html Near the Rockies or the Sierras any landscape supply store is a candidate. Elsewhere, cactus grower suppliers are candidates. Here it is $12.50 per cu. ft. plus shipping, probably an equal amount http//www.cactus-mall.com/grigsby/shipping.html If you are into high prices, however, check out a geology supply house where 3 oz. can break the bank. Tom Stuart, New York far from pumice-land From ???@??? Fri Oct 25 12:09:32 2002 Message-Id: From: "Cathy Craig" Subject: Pumice Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 09:59:11 -0700 About the cheapest source we have around here is a farm supply. Last time I bought some the minimum was about 2 or 3 cu ft which took some years to use up, although I am about out now. Personally I like it a lot better than perlite too. From ???@??? Fri Oct 25 12:09:32 2002 Message-Id: <003401c27c50$eb609b00$1ccbefd1@stenomesson> From: "diana chapman" Subject: Pumice Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 11:04:09 -0700 If you don't have a landscape materials supplier in your area (and I don't), you can buy bags that are about 2 cu ft. (or 40 lbs) for about $8 that is sold for use in horse stalls. The stuff I have is called "Drystall". I think you'd have to be a millionaire to buy enough to use in a stall, but some of those horse people are!! It's not quite as good as the horticultural stuff (more fines), but it's better than doing without. It's also at least twice the price of the pumice I get when I go to the Bay Area. Diana From ???@??? Fri Oct 25 16:12:53 2002 Message-Id: From: ann marie Subject: Pumice Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 14:01:54 -0700 (PDT) Vicki I would also check out building material suppy places or suplliers of decorative rock. A feed store in Orange, CA sells 2 cu ft bags for $20 or so. Ann Marie Sue Haffner wrote: Hi, I don't know if you are near Orchard Supply Hardware, but they sell small bags of pumice. It's the only source for growers here in the Fresno area. Sue Haffner From btankers@chicagobotanic.org Fri Oct 25 16:12:53 2002 Message-Id: From: "Boyce Tankersley" Subject: New Member Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 17:11:13 -0500 Greetings from a cold and rainy Chicago. I think I know or have corresponded with many of you. For those I haven't met, my name is Boyce Tankersley and my interest in bulbs has been life-long. I grew up in southwest Texas and southern New Mexico and graduated from New Mexico State University and later Texas A&M University. I've worked in Ft. Worth, Texas for a commercial design build firm, at the University of Texas Medical Branch on Galveston Island, at Missouri Botanical Garden and currently work at the Chicago Botanic Garden as the Manager of the Plant Records department. I recently served on the BOD of IBS. I make suggestions to the horticulture staff and Director of Plant Collections but do not actively participate in the curation of the bulbs in our Garden. Jim Shields and I hosted the IBS meeting at Chicago Botanic Garden a couple of years back and I was delighted to meet so many nice people in the bulb world during the meeting. I have an interest in conservation of rare bulbs and bulb habitats and help out whenever and however I can (meagre resources, including time, but not meagre interest). Due to a lack of suitable climate controlled conditions, most of my bulb interests are related to bulbs hardy to USDA zone 5. However on my office windowsill I keep a couple of Veltheimia capensis var. dearii (both now in spike - hopefully in flower by next week) and a single specimen of Rauhia multiflora. Outdoors in my garden I enjoy experimenting with new species to see if they can survive in this climate. The Veltheimias are a gift from Dr. Jim Ault, our Plant Breeder at CBG who has developed an interest in other breeding opportunities (most recently lilies adapted to the upper Midwest). These plants are definitely not clonal, and if you are not familiar with this variety they have very beautiful powder blue leaves. With any luck my pollination efforts will be successful (I've never seen them in bloom) and I can harvest some seed to share with this group next year. Boyce Tankersley Manager of Living Plant Documentation Chicago Botanic Garden 1000 Lake Cook Road Glencoe, IL 60022 phone (847) 835-6841 fax (847) 835-1635 email btankers@chicagobotanic.org website with searchable database and signup for e-newsletter go to chicagobotanic.org From ???@??? Sun Oct 27 07:06:28 2002 Message-Id: <003c01c27d02$a7354d10$6501a8c0@John> From: John Lonsdale Subject: Fritillaria pinetorum Date: Sat, 26 Oct 2002 11:16:26 -0400 Mary Sue, Over the past three years I've been getting seed of a lot of western frits, including pinetorum, and germinating them fine. I sow them as soon as I get them, ideally before mid-winter, and they germinate readily when the weather warms up in early spring. My seed pots get cold but don't freeze through. So many bulbs germinate in late fall and very early spring that I don't risk the young seedlings freezing through. I can't think of many (any ?) high alpine bulbs that need freezing for germination - the seed does need to be moist and get down below 40F or so for a reasonable time though. J. Dr John T Lonsdale 407 Edgewood Drive Exton Pennsylvania 19341 USA 610 594 9232 - phone 801 327 1266 - fax Zone 6b From ???@??? Sun Oct 27 21:54:57 2002 Message-Id: <008b01c27e43$451e08a0$75df1ac4@saunders> From: "Silverhill Seeds" Subject: Germination times Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 07:31:13 +0200 We sowed a large bed of Sparaxis elegans 2 years ago, and many of those plants flowered in their first year of growth as well. So they germinated in April or May and were flowering by September - also 5 months. So it is certainly possible. Regards Rachel Saunders Cape Town From ???@??? Mon Oct 28 06:35:48 2002 Message-Id: From: Dell Sherk Subject: Pacific BX 13 Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 06:00:04 -0400 Dear All, The items listed below have been donated by PBS members for sharing. If you are interested in obtaining some of them, please email me PRIVATELY at . Include "BX 13" in the subject line. Specify the NUMBERS of the items which you would like; do not specify quantities. Availability is based on a first come, first served system. When you receive your seeds/bulbs you will find included with them a statement of how much money (cash or check) you should send the PBS treasurer for you order. Each item costs US$2.00 to cover first-class postage and packing. It is a good idea to include you snail mail address too, in case I don't already have it. Some of you are members of the PBS discussion forum but not members of the Pacific Bulb Society. THIS BX OFFERING IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO MEMBERS OF THE PBS. Consider joining the PBS so that you can take advantage of future offers such as this. Or contact me at dells@voicenet.com If you would like to donate seeds or bulbs/corms to the PBS, please send clean, clearly labeled material to: Dell Sherk, PO Box 224, Holicong, PA, 18928, USA. OFFERINGS: Pacific BX 13 SEED: From Charles Hardman: 1. Gynandriris sp., good, small violet 2. Hesperantha baurii, white segments with rose reverse 3. Hesperantha cucullata, delicious scent 4. Hesperantha pauciflora 5. Hesperantha sp., rose, ex. Basutoland From Joyce Miller: 6. Hippeastrum sp.? 7. Zephyranthes candida 8. Calostemma purpurea 9. Amaryllis belladonna, Bidwell hybrids, pod parent was solid rose color BULBS: From Mary Sue Ittner : 10. Cyrtanthus elatus X Cyrtanthus montanus-- I know some of you are getting this one from Bill Dijk to bloom sometimes more than once a year but mine just seem to produce all these little offsets that will eventually if you don't water them too much sprout. I gave a few of these before, but here are some more. 11. Geissorhiza monanthos--From Bill Dijk seed, this is a beautiful Geissorhiza with lovely markings, purple with a creamy center ringed in black. These are offsets and I don't know if they are blooming size, but the corms of ones that bloom are small. South African irid 12. Leucocoryne purpurea--Originally from Bill Dijk, this one has increased a lot for me. It is from Chile and really gorgeous, but these may not be blooming size. 13. Moraea lurida--I saw these in the wild and they were all different colors. None of mine have been the color in the Moraea book. They are yellow with dark markings. South African irid 14. Moraea tripetala--We saw this one in bloom in many different places in South Africa. The flowers last for a few days instead of hours. Once again I don't know if they are blooming size. South African Irid 15. Oxalis brasilensis--I talked about this earlier on our list. It is a spring bloomer (April, May last year) with a short dormancy 16. Oxalis #3 unknown--Mike Mace gave this to me. It is a Michael Vassar selection but he lost the tag. It has light yellow flowers about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter and large green leaves that are divided into threes, but not equally. The middle leaflet is two or three times bigger than the two side leaflets. It isn't hairy. It is light green on the back of the leaves and has very light grey green stems. I didn't get it identified. It bloomed last year in December and January. From Cathy Craig: 17. Lilium 'Golden Splendor' This is an outward-facing trumpet (probably an asiapet or orienpet), darker yellow, very fragrant, and is probably close to 4 ft tall. 18. Lilium cvs, probably three clones as they were in a clump of 3 mother bulbs sold to me as one clone, and all turned out different and not the one I bought but they each are very beautiful. VERY beautiful. Thank you, Charles, Joyce, Mary Sue, and Cathy !! Best wishes, Dell --Dell Sherk, Director, Pacific BX From ???@??? Mon Oct 28 07:05:08 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021028065001.00be0db0@mail.mcn.org> From: "Alberto Castillo" (by way of Mary Sue Ittner >) Subject: Germination times/ Sheila's images Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 06:55:47 -0800 Dear all I have no doubt that given the right temperatures many South African corms can flower during the first year. Here very many of them will invariably do it in their third season for it is cooler than convenient. And Sheila, where are those wonderful images we are longing for? Regards Alberto Note from Mary Sue Alberto posted this to the Australian list and since this is a response to the discussion on the PBS list I am redirecting it to our list. When you belong to quite a few lists it gets to be challenging to remember where something was being discussed. Sheila is a wonder with her digital camera and her scanner. Perhaps she could list a link where everyone could see some of her composite bulb pictures. They are awesome. From ???@??? Mon Oct 28 07:05:08 2002 Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.2.20021028092615.00abd300@mail.insightbb.com> From: "J.E. Shields" Subject: Nerine breeding Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 09:59:29 -0500 Cc South African Bulbs Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Reply-To: "Pacific Bulb Society" Sender: Precedence: Bulk X-pstn-levels: (C75.3595 M99.8512 P95.9108 S16.3647 ) X-UIDL: JD3"!%jQ!!1Ec"!Joa"! Hi all, I seem at last to have a Nerine bowdenii that is fertile. In early October, this year, I put frozen pollen from 2001 blooms of N. krigei on the blooms of a bulb of N. bowdenii wellsii from South Africa, and obtained seeds on almost all florets. I also used the fresh pollen of this wellsii on blooms of N. filifolia, and have obtained some seeds. I have a scape starting on one bulb of Aad Koen's (from Monster, The Netherlands) hardiest N. bowdenii cultivar. This will be the first bloom on it for me. Aad says he has had very good winter survival of this cultivar grown outdoors in the field, even through bad (for the Netherlands) winters. I'm calling this one by the garden name "Koen's Hardy" until I find out if Aad has a better name for it. N. bowdenii wellsii has narrow tepal pink flowers with wavy margins and -- at least on the one that has bloomed so far -- a darker rose midline stripe. Wild collected material is said to have flowers in all shades of pink from very light to rather dark, and margins from frilly to straight. I've not seen it in the wild, and have had only one bulb of it to bloom so far. I have heard N. 'Pink Triumph' called a lot of things, mainly a "bowdenii hybrid;" but Dr. Marion Wood (from Devon, UK) tells me that it is a cross between sarniensis and probably flexuosa and that it is quite sterile. I got what I thought were a couple of seeds on N. flexuosa from 'Pink Triumph' pollen a couple years ago, but they were very slow to grow and after two years just died while still very small. Marion also said that a lot of cultivars of bowdenii are probably hybrids of bowdenii with sarniensis and are generally completely ovule sterile. I guess the pollen might sometimes work? Perhaps in backcrosses to one of the parents? Has anyone worked with this lately? Does anyone know of bowdenii hybrids that are fertile? I'm interested in any Nerine species from cold areas of South Africa and in any hybrids or cultivars that show exceptional winter hardiness in cold wet climates like mine. Jim Shields in 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 From ???@??? Tue Oct 29 06:19:05 2002 Message-Id: From: Dell Sherk Subject: Information about Pacific BX 13 Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 06:30:39 -0400 Cathy Craig sent this additional information for those who might be interested in #17 on the current Pacific Bx offering: Dell, regarding the notation below (17.), Dave Karnstedt has generously elaborated on my description for the BXers and explained that the lily is a pure trumpet, not a hybrid. (See last paragraph). I will leave it to you to post this if you wish to do so to the robin. 17. Lilium 'Golden Splendor' This is an outward-facing trumpet (probably an asiapet or orienpet), darker yellow, very fragrant, and is probably close to 4 ft tall. Dave responds: 'Golden Splendor' is a "pure" trumpet that was developed in the 60's and 70's by Jan deGraaf and his breeders in Oregon. The object of the breeding was to continuously select from each year's sowing of seed only the best examples to serve as parents to the next generation. Thus, the strain being offered was always better than its predecessor of even a year or two earlier. Cathy Craig President PBS Maritime zone 9b From ???@??? Tue Oct 29 15:40:20 2002 Message-Id: <005501c27f99$b5834cc0$b6f930d5@x7i6x1> From: "Dr Paul Chapman" Subject: Nerine hybrids and their names Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 22:22:32 -0000 Dear All, In response to a message from Diane Whitehead on the "South African Bulbs" list, which included the statement "It is proving difficult for me to find the parentage of Nerine hybrids", I sent the following response. I apologise for the cross-posting, but would request that that anyone, anywhere in the world, who grows Nerine hybrids, would consider providing whatever information they have available about names, in order to assist Barrie in his labour of love for these bulbs. Many thanks, Paul "It is not surprising that you are finding it difficult to find the parentage of Nerine hybrids... much of that information has been lost forever, for example Zinkowski's breeding records and, although some of the records of the UK breeders may still exist, they do not seem likely to appear in the public domain for one reason or another. The exception to this are the records made by Sir Peter Smithers in relation to his breeding programme. Sir Peter took over the Exbury collection of Nerines from the de Rothschilds, who had been breeding them for at least half a century in the UK. He carried on this work in Switzerland, but the collection has now returned to Exbury, where it is under the care of Nicholas de Rothschild, and at least part is open for public viewing (the Nerine and Amaryllid Society, of which Nicholas de Rothschild is President, has made an annual visit to view the whole collection in each of the last 3 years). Sir Peter recorded all his hybrids on an Access database, which has been deposited in the RHS library, and about 5 years ago Sir Peter offered a copy to anyone who was interested - I have one. I am on the committee of the Nerine and Amaryllid Society, and one of my colleagues, Barrie Ward, is collecting information about Nerine names and, where available, their parentage, with the aim of becoming an informal registrar for Nerine in the UK in the first place. If this is successful, I understand that it is likely that Barrie will be nominated as formal Registrar by the RHS. The first stage of this massive task is simply to collect the names that are known to exist, to prevent any further duplication as new hybrids are named. Following on from this is a request for anyone who has any named Nerine cultivars to let me know what the names are, so that I can pass this information on to Barrie. Even if you have a hybrid that is labelled, for example "Pink Panther x Tiger's Eye", this is worth recording as, even if the cultivars "Pink Panther" and "Tiger's Eye" are not part of your collection, they must have existed once, and might be the critical part of the jigsaw puzzle to fit together the parentage of a cultivar. Of course, if you do have any information about the parents, or the breeder, that would be even more useful. Paul Dr Paul Chapman, Wallington, Surrey, UK South London commuter belt suburbia - zone 9a - where Nerine bowdenii is in full flower outdoors, and many hybrids are flowering in the cold greenhouse and are on display in the house mailtocyrtanthus@blueyonder.co.uk From ???@??? Tue Oct 29 17:35:56 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021029165131.00be64b0@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Nerine hybrids and their names Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 17:01:30 -0800 Dear Paul, I just want to be sure I understand what you are asking. A number of us received Zinkowski hybrids from Steve Vinisky when we made a contribution to the rescue fund. If Steve could read the tag and I have at least one where I only had half of a tag, he wrote what was written on it. Do you want us to send to you (privately I assume) the names on those tags for Barrie to record as he could at least determine which ones were being crossed? I don't know if Steve is on one of those lists you cross posted to, but he might have stumbled across some of Zinkowski's notes and be able to help the most. Mary Sue PBS list administrator From ???@??? Wed Oct 30 06:58:23 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021029213833.00b65210@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Massonia/Polyxena Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 22:11:45 -0800 Dear All, It looks like I am going to have two pots of blooming Massonia pustulata this year. I only once before had one bloom so I am thrilled. One of the things I find so fascinating about so many geophytes is how their leaves change from year to year. Think about how Cyclamen leaves develop and become more colorful. Three or four of my Massonia pustulata bulbs are going to have pustules for the first time this year. The others are still smooth. One of them has pustules and is purplish and the others green. This year it looks like they need more room as they are going to cover the pot. I have a Polyxena blooming already that was from seed identified as Polyxena ensifolia, but they don't look at all like others I have grown by that name. They have almost linear leaves and one or two white to pinkish flowers right at the bottom where the two leaves divide. Dirk told me he thought they could be Polyxena longituba, but this is not one of the five spp. listed in the winter-rainfall area in Cape Plants. So often you see seed of Polyxena listed as Polyxena sp. #1, #2, etc. Does anyone know where you can learn more about this genus? Is anyone in South Africa working on it? After I wrote the above I looked at Google where I probably should have looked first and found the following On David Fenwick's page I found a picture that looks like the one I am growing http//theafricangarden.netfirms.com/polyxenalongituba.jpg And a Google search landed the information below which would explain why this species is not listed in Cape Plants since Namaqualand seems to be excluded. I suppose that means I should shelter it from our rain. How do you grow it Dave? I am not sure Dirk is online these days, but if so I'd like to hear from him too. A new species of Polyxena (Hyacinthaceae, tribe Massonieae) from Komsberg, Northern Cape Province AM van der Merwe and EM Marais* Department of Botany, University of Stellenbosch, Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa * Corresponding author, e-mail Emm@akad.sun.ac.za Received: 15 November 1999, accepted in revised form 23 August 2000 Polyxena longituba AM vd Merwe, from Komsberg in the Northern Cape Province is described as a new species. It resembles P. corymbosa (L.) Jessop, with regard to flower shape and colour but is distinguished by its long perianth tube and involute, canaliculate leaves. The flowers close at night and the species is self-pollinating. South African Journal of Botany 67 (1) 2001, 47-52 (c)2001 NISC Pty Ltd, www.nisc.co.za Now tomorrow I'll have to look at the flowers again and try to figure out what canaliculate means. Mary Sue PBS list administrator From ???@??? Wed Oct 30 16:59:21 2002 Message-Id: From: "Sheri Ann Richerson" Subject: New Member Introduction Date: Wed, 30 Oct 2002 14:18:18 -0500 Hello. I recently joined the list and wish to post an introduction. I am a Garden Writer, a member of the American Horticultural Society, Creative Hands, Grant County Evening Gardening Club and the Tropical Flowering Tree Society. I love plants and probley have well over 2,000 different varieties of both tropical and perennial plants. I am especially intrigued by fragrant ones. Since beginning to grow Theobroma Cacao a little over 2 years ago, chocolate has been the scent of choice closely followed by vanilla and pineapple. I have a 12 x 24 heated greenhouse and grow most of my plants from seed. I am really looking forward to learning more about Pacific Bulbs. Sheri ExoticGardening.com http://www.exoticgardening.com http://sheriannricherson.exoticgardening.com From ???@??? Thu Oct 31 07:06:49 2002 Message-Id: From: Dell Sherk Subject: BX UPDATE Date: Wed, 30 Oct 2002 21:05:03 -0400 Dear Fellow PBS Members, I am pleased to report that through the generosity of our donors and the enthusiastic participation of the membership in the Pacific BX, we are enjoying a new offering almost every week. We would all like this activity to continue and so have decided to show our appreciation in a small way to those who contribute seed and bulbs for sharing. From now on, anyone who takes the time to grow, harvest, clean, label, and package seed or bulbs for the rest of us will receive a credit for the amount of the postage. In other words, if it costs you $5.75 to send us a batch of plant materials, $5.75 will be deducted from your BX bills. A number of you have asked if we could offer particular plants, especially bulbs, as opposed to seed. The wish list includes Fritillaria spp, Cardiocrinum giganteum, Allium spp, Rhodophiala spp, Crocus and other hardy bulbs, and Lycoris spp/hybrids. If any of you grows these and has extras when you dig and divide, there are people out here eager to provide them with new homes! When you donate, please send cleaned, clearly labeled material to: Dell Sherk PO Box 224 Holicong, PA 18928 Happy growing ! Dell --Dell Sherk, Director, Pacific BX From ???@??? Thu Oct 31 07:06:49 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021030180141.00c079d0@mail.mcn.org> From: IntarsiaCo@aol.com Subject: Massonia/Polyxena Date: Wed, 30 Oct 2002 18:02:13 -0800 In a message dated 10/30/2002 75715 AM Eastern Standard Time, msittner@mcn.org writes It looks like I am going to have two pots of blooming Massonia pustulata this year. Hi Mary Sue I have two pots of Massonia depressa getting ready to bloom. Last year, pretending to be the snout of a Gerbil, I cross pollinated the two and actually got seed to sow. The nectar is very sweet and thick, fun plant to grow. First of the Lachenalias to bloom is L. pusilla. The blooms are not very attractive but I enjoy the way the leaves spiral out of the pot. Also in bloom is L. rubida. One of the last to start into growth but one of the first to bloom. Best, Mark Mazer Intarsia Ltd. Gaylordsville, CT 06755-0142 www.therapyshapes.com USDA Zone 5 Giant Schnauzer Rescue From ???@??? Thu Oct 31 07:06:49 2002 Message-Id: <001701c28082$da62b140$0a01a2c6@jar> From: "Georgie" Subject: Massonia/Polyxena Date: Wed, 30 Oct 2002 18:11:39 -0800 Hi Mary Sue ------------- My Botanical Latin book (Stearn, 1983) says "canaliculate, i.e., with a longitudinal groove or channel." Hope this helps -------------- Georgie Robinett From ???@??? Thu Oct 31 07:06:58 2002 Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.2.20021031083008.00b071b0@mail.insightbb.com> From: "J.E. Shields" Subject: Haemanthus hybrids Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 08:47:41 -0500 Cc IBSMEMBERS@yahoogroups.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Reply-To: "Pacific Bulb Society" Sender: Precedence: Bulk X-pstn-levels: (C99.1786 M99.8512 P95.9108 S91.4278 ) X-UIDL: 6pf!!&IN"!=/L!!XA[!! Hi all, Thanks, everyone, for the assist with Dash's address. It seems he has not moved to Tasmania, or else has returned to Victoria already. Has anyone done any hybridizing in the genus Haemanthus? The only hybrid I have run across is 'King Albert', from albiflos X sanguineus or the reverse. It makes a large bulb with huge leaves and a very small scape and inflorescence. The bulb slowly produced offsets. It tries to grow at odd times, going dormant in late spring and sometimes trying to bloom or leaf out in July (mid-summer here). I've found that it does not like sitting out in the weather through summer here, so maybe I'll try it under a bench in the lath house next summer, along with the albiflos. I've been growing Haemanthus (other than albiflos) for about 5 or 6 years now. This year, I saw the first blooms on plants of coccineus and humilis hirsutus, and saw aborted scapes on barkerae. I could not resist all that pollen, so I hand-pollinated a bit of hirsutus onto albiflos and a bit of coccineus onto hirsutus. A few berries are forming. I did not put any pollen on coccineus, and no berries formed. Only a few of the florets of hirsutus were pollinated, and only a few berries are forming, about where I pollinated. In a separate earlier bloom of hirsutus, I did some self-pollinations. I tried to pollinate all the flowers, but only got two berries with 1 seed each. So I would say that hirsutus is only a little bit self-fertile, a point in favor of my new hirsutus berries being cross-pollinated, I suppose. Time will tell, maybe. Regards, Jim Shields in 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 From ???@??? Thu Oct 31 08:13:15 2002 Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.2.20021031095451.00aa3ec0@mail.insightbb.com> From: "J.E. Shields" Subject: Massonia/Polyxena and others Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 10:09:09 -0500 Hi all, The comments on Massonia/Polyxena are interesting. I have some bulbs of some sort of Massonia that were grown from seed (labelled "Androcymbium pulchellum") that are blooming this year. One bloomed for the first time last year, and the leaves were not prostrate; this year, most of the plants are showing prostrate leaves. I thought it might be pustulata, but the leaves are a smooth, plain, green. I posted a pic of that first bloom last year to IBS_Images, and I'll post more pics this year to Bulbs_Images. How about pics of your blooming plants, Mark and Mary Sue? I have seedlings from seed labelled "Daubenya aurea coccinea" that are trying to bloom. One succeeded this year, sort of. It produced one white, star-shaped flower. Probably not Daubenya aurea. I assume I should wait a couple more years for more mature behavior and bloom before I try to figure out just what I do have. I bought a bulb of Daubenya aurea (from I think Guy Wrinkle) last year. It has shown no signs of life so far, after over a year here. I guess it's probably a gonner. Might it have been a direct import from the Southern Hemisphere? Does anyone know of a North American source of acclimated Daubenya aurea coccinea bulbs? I still want to try it in my greenhouse. (I love red flowers.) A bulb of Lachenalia pusilla bloomed for me this year, just ahead of the L. rubida, as Mark found. It is a curious little plant and flower. Regards, Jim Shields in 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 From ???@??? Thu Oct 31 08:13:15 2002 Message-Id: <6BB43B42.0310643B.007B69A6@aol.com> From: TGlavich@aol.com Subject: Haemanthus hybrids Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 10:30:53 -0500 I have a hybrid H. "Sleeping Beauty", which I think was created by Bill Baker of Los Angeles. There is a label in the pot saying it is a cross between H. "Cocobolo Pink" and H. albiflos. I haven't seen Cocobolo Pink. The flower was pink, on a stalk about 50% longer than albiflos. The flower head is a bit smaller. Very pretty though. I have it selfed, and back crossed with albiflos. We'll see what happens. I may have a photo. From ???@??? Thu Oct 31 18:44:04 2002 Message-Id: <320083817243-0001@t-online.de.Fri,.1.Nov.2002.00:05:08.+0100> From: 320083817243-0001@t-online.de (Johannes-Ulrich Urban) Subject: Apomixis in Amaryllidaceae Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 00:05:08 +0100 Dear All, Can anybody give me information on further reading on apomixis in Nerine and Amaryllis belladonna? (Apomixis means setting seed without pollination, the seed being genetically identical to the parent) Apomixis can be very frustrating and misleading when hybridising Nerine and Amaryllis belladonna because the assumed hybrid seeds may just be apomictic seeds and no hybrid at all. Looking forward to hear from you Greentings from Germany, Uli From ???@??? Thu Oct 31 16:48:55 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021031161302.00bf7410@mail.mcn.org> From: "Mary Wise" (by way of Mary Sue Ittner >) Subject: Fw New List Member Introduction / try again ! Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 16:23:02 -0800 Dear All, I am forwarding Mary Wise's new member introduction to this group since she has tried twice and been unsucessful. It hasn't gone through I suspect because she has a vcf attachment. Can anyone tell her how to turn that off? This is the message she gets "Your message could not be posted to the Pacific Bulb Society list because the message seemed to contain an enclosure." Mary grows a lot more than you'd think from her message and she often shares her wonderful images with the Australian Image group. Mary Sue Mary Sue shook her finger at me (figuratively speaking) ! ) and suggested that an introduction would be a good move. My name is Mary Wise and I live in the lower South West corner of Western Australia. Our climate is described as Mediterranean so most South African bulbs do very well here both in the garden and ferally. My bulb likes are an eclectic mix of whatever survives the rather haphazard attention they receive and whatever the resident predators dont like to eat. Raising things from seed is my favourite thing to do. Liliums being the favourite subject and now also Cyclamen. I look forward to being a member of the list. cheers Mary From ???@??? Thu Oct 31 18:44:04 2002 Message-Id: <4.2.2.20021031162355.00c07510@mail.mcn.org> From: Mary Sue Ittner Subject: Massonia/Polyxena and others Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 16:48:37 -0800 Dear Jim, There was a very recent revision of Massonia and Daubneya and I haven't gotten them all sorted out yet. We saw lots of Androcymbiums in South Africa and I really liked them just because they were so weirdly different. I think Peter Maynard was growing one with a common name three men in a boat. And I remember your wondering last year what yours was and I think we decided it was not Androcymbium pulchrum (what you said it was labeled as last year), but a Polyxena, maybe ensifolia. Thanks to Georgie's help and Alberto who wrote "Involute, canaliculate means leaf edges folded inwards, like a pipe in which you cut a length wards section not reaching the diameter" I examined my plants and I think they must be Polyxena longituba. So I need to mark them before I forget and have to go through this again. They have a turquoise stripe on the outside of the pink flowers. Last year there was only one flower per plant and this year there are more. It was interesting that this plant is described as self pollinating because when I went to look at it a bee that was larger than the flowers was visiting each flower. It could barely get in the flowers without pulling the flower over. I tried to take a picture with my regular camera, but a white flower and a black bee may not equal a good picture. I'll see if Bob can get a picture with his digital camera to post of the Massonia pustulata plants that are both pustulate and smooth. In younger years they were all smooth. When we were discussing Daubneya in the topic of the week, it was mentioned that it might not like to be out of soil for very long. The red ones are such a great color and they are found in one of the colder parts of South Africa so I'd think it would be a good one for you to try. I seem to remember something in either the IBSA journal or bulb chat with advice on it. If I find that reference I will share it. Maybe Rachel remembers. Mary Sue From ???@??? Thu Oct 31 18:44:04 2002 Message-Id: <8ro3sugchki39ebh91a1vo3dlohn23qan5@4ax.com> From: Mark Wilcox Subject: Hieronymiella aurea & Rhodophiala advena Seedling Update Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 21:26:18 -0500 Hi All, For those of you who got these particular IBS B/X seeds in September of 2001 and March of 2002, I thought I'd provide a progress report. The plants in question are Rhodophiala advena and Hieronymiella aurea, respectively. With the recent posts about how Rhodophiala and Hieronymiella can't survive frost, I decided to dig up and take the seedlings I'd planted in the garden inside for the winter. Unusual for me, when I dug them up to pot them I snapped a picture. I'll post it to BULBS IMAGES. Both kinds of seed were planted soon after receipt, grown under lights in the basement until planted outside this year. I had a total of 4 R. advena and 2 H. aurea, only planting 1 of the latter outside. When I dug them up I found that the R. advena had pulled themselves to the bottom of their plastic mesh peat pots. It took some careful work to separate the mesh from the fleshy roots. They were at the absolute bottom, with fleshy roots protruding every whichway through the mesh. The bulblets not only didn't go dormant through our very hot, very dry summer, but the larger ones had even produced offsets! The H. aurea didn't fare as well, and wasn't in the bottom of its pot. In fact, the garden plant, which only managed to keep 1 leaf in growth at any time, did miserably under the hot, dry conditions as compared to the one kept cooler inside under lights, which has half a dozen much longer, larger leaves. I was told that this bulb is summer dormant in the wild, which may explain why the milder, consistently wetter conditions in the basement promoted much better growth in what the plant may have found to be an endless autumn. I've just taken and will post a comparison shot to show just how dramatic the difference is. In spite of what's been said about these bulbs and their relatives being frost tender, Rhodophiala bifida has been growing outside in the garden here for several years. When I tried to remove an offset earlier this year to share with a friend, I found that the bulbs had dug themselves down to at least 8 inches (20 cm) below the surface, which keeps them well below the frost line. However, the foliage has taken temperatures here as low as 15ºF (-9.5ºC) with very minimal damage. So R. bifida, at least, is made of sterner stuff and can withstand frost, even if it isn't routinely exposed to it in the wild. I'd be delighted if others would share their experiences with growing these plants. H. aurea in particular is practically unknown in cultivation. At least, I've never been able to find anything about it in my reference works, and Tony Avent, who donated the seed, wrote comments to that effect. Mark Wilcox Washington, DC From ???@??? Thu Oct 31 21:13:04 2002 Message-Id: From: "Cathy Craig" Subject: tuberose Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 18:47:14 -0800 Hi all, Have my first tuberose blooming. Looks like the double. This smells like a gardenia. Any one else want to comment on the fragrance? Cathy Craig President PBS Maritime zone 9b From ???@??? Fri Nov 01 07:12:20 2002 Message-Id: <001f01c2815a$2504b360$0a01a2c6@jar> From: "Georgie" Subject: Massonia/Polyxena and others Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 19:52:46 -0800 Hi Jim - Vic Girard and Stan Farwig were growing some Daubneyas in Concord, CA. After Vic's death, Stan donated all the bulbs to the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum. You might try contacting Brent Hall there to see if he has any spare bulbs. Sorry - I don't have an e-mail address for him, but perhaps you will be able to use the UC Santa Cruz website to access him. If not, I can provide you with a snail mail address. ----------------- Georgie Robinett