One of my customers/trading buddies in Kansas reports that Cyrtanthus breviflorus overwintered just fine for him in the open garden - and his conditions must be harsher than my snow-belt ones, so I will certainly be trying it here myself this year. Persuant to other recent discussions, I've had a colony of a small form of Tritonia disticha v. rubrolucens in the garden (top of the rock garden) for many years, and it has now spread so far that part of it will have to be removed to protect a fine Daphne arbuscula that used to be a safe foot away. This year I put in a very large form of the tritonia - so big it looks more like a gladiolus (from memory, close to 3ft/90cm tall) - also raised from Silverhill seed, but started several years after the small form. I hope it's as hardy as the little one - it's stunning. Also: much to my surprise, several Galtonia princeps bulbs which I stuck in last fall overwintered just fine, and are up and growing vigorously. This is a lower-altitude plant than G. regalis and G. viridiflora, and I really didn't expect it to make it. There are some advantages to living in the snow belt! Ellen Hornig Seneca Hill Perennials Oswego, NY USA USDA zone 5 - average 10ft of snow annually ----- Original Message ----- From: <IntarsiaCo@aol.com> To: <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Monday, June 13, 2005 2:43 PM Subject: Re: [pbs] Bulbs of south africa--Cyrtanthus breviflorus > In a message dated 6/13/2005 2:07:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > msittner@mcn.org writes: > C. breviflorus are Eastern > Cape species so would be a summer growers. I don't grow either so perhaps > someone could tell us their water needs. > > Cyrtanthus breviflorus bloomed in the greenhouse here perhaps 6 weeks ago. > We treat it as a summer grower, a dash or two of moisture over the winter and > a good soaking to wake it up in late March or very early April. We water > throughout the summer and begin to dry it off in late August or very early > September. All of our Cyrtanthus bloom in the same pots in which they are sown > unless they become really overcrowded (the sides of the pot swell and we know it is > time to repot). > > Cheers to all, > Mark > Mark Mazer > Intarsia Ltd. > Gaylordsville, Connecticut 06755-0142 > USA > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >