Fall odds and ends

J.E. Shields jshields@indy.net
Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:02:59 PDT
Hi all,

We had Sternbergia lutea a month ago, and I'm pleased to note that at least 
two of my three patches are increasing!

Outdoors plants of Rhodophiala bifida (triploid, presumably) failed to 
bloom this year, being overrun by a clump of Iris sanguinea.  The potted R. 
bifida (both diploid and triploid forms) bloomed nicely a few weeks ago.

No signs of Lycoris radiata radiata blooming.  Arnold, most of my other 
Lycoris bloomed, but many fewer scapes than usually.  They have been 
finished for weeks.  The rain we had in mid- or late September brought up a 
second flush from chinensis, sprengeri, and longituba.

The Colchicum did not bloom much until quite a bit later than usual, when 
we had a good rainfall, about an inch or so in two days time.  Then they 
bloomed profusely. They have all gone over now.

In the greenhouse, Haemanthus coccineus are showing only scattered bloom, 
maybe because they bloomed heavily a year ago.  Our long, hot, dry summer 
seems to have bothered some of the Haemanthus, being confined to the 
greenhouse as they are.  Some may have tried to bloom by the calendar 
rather than following the temperatures, so several scapes aborted, stuck in 
the neck of the bulbs.  H. crispus seemed the worst afflicted by this.  H. 
barkerae (#358, the form from Calvinia/Roggeveld) bloomed blithely in 
August and September, in the midst of the heat and drought.  I got a few 
seeds from them this year; already sprouting and planted.

My Crinum 'Seven Sisters' (outdoors in the ground next to a greenhouse) 
sent up a scape earlier this month, and bloomed with the scape lying on the 
ground.  All other Crinum finished in early September, most in August.

We have not had crocuses here in years.  the chipmunks love them, the 
crocuses don't appreciate the weather or the weeds.  A lost cause.

Best wishes,
Jim Shields
in central Indiana (USA), where the first scattered frosts are expected on 
Monday morning.


At 08:53 PM 10/25/2007 -0500, you wrote:
>Dear All,
>         Not a big bulb season here, except to plant... hundreds
>awaiting the right day.
>.........
>         Any one else ?          Best    Jim W.
>
>ps After stubbornly refusing to bloom all summer, my Crinum 'Mrs
>James Henry' is sending up a flower stalk ( the rain and cooler
>weather? ), but will it bloom or get frosted. Jay any thoughts?
>--

*************************************************
Jim Shields             USDA Zone 5             Shields Gardens, Ltd.
P.O. Box 92              WWW:    http://www.shieldsgardens.com/
Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA
Tel. ++1-317-867-3344     or      toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA



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