Watsonia bulbifera

Lee Poulsen wpoulsen@pacbell.net
Mon, 04 Aug 2003 12:05:36 PDT
Mary Sue (and Bob),

I'm glad you pointed this out. I had no idea of the problem with this 
particular species in mediterranean climates! I only have a single 
pot of it, and it did form some corms along the stalk here as well. I 
also personally didn't think it looked as good in flower as many 
other Watsonias do. But since I know that some things are a matter of 
personal taste, and that some people want to try new things or get 
every species in a given genus, I didn't want the extra corms, so I 
sent them to Dell. Of course those who have to give it protection 
won't have a problem with it. But I think I'm just going to dispose 
of the whole plant.

I'm not sure where I got the originals from--it was from some online 
offer--but no one mentioned its problems then...

Thanks again,
--Lee


>Dear John,
>
>The Watsonias are crowding out the beautiful native plants along 
>highway One. I know that you have a fondness for Watsonia, but this 
>one because it produces all those cormlets in the stalk and seed and 
>expands below as well is a menace. The cormlets get projected out a 
>way and soon the area expands dramatically so all you see for quite 
>a distance is Watsonia and much of the year dead Watsonia leaves 
>which aren't attractive at all. No one comes along the road to cut 
>back those leaves and destroy the corms so every year they expand. 
>And to my mind the flower on this species is not dramatic for very 
>long. It is rare that I have seen it looking very attractive when I 
>have passed it on the highway. There are some Watsonias that have 
>also naturalized along our coast that are really very pretty for 
>several weeks in the spring. Their clumps expand where they have 
>been planted, but you don't see the area around them in every 
>direction become solid Watsonias.
>
>I wish there was a way that nurseries were prohibited from selling 
>this species to anyone in California and hope Lee will never plant 
>his out.  When I explained the problem to Jim Duggan he took this 
>species out of his catalog and I appreciate Lauw doing this as well. 
>If we know that a plant can be a problem in one temperate 
>Mediterranean climate it seems important to do what we can to 
>prevent it becoming a problem in any others.
>
>Mary Sue
>
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