Kniphofia multiflora

Ellen Hornig hornig@oswego.edu
Sun, 30 Mar 2014 09:09:00 PDT
My guess, and that's all it is, is that as with many plants from damp
environments, the seeds are short-lived and need to be sown fresh - that
would account for inviable seed.  It doesn't grow in the wild in very cold
places, and in any case winters are dry; so it would be unusual for it to
need stratification (few plants from the Eastern Cape do).  I was always
surprised that mine lived in Oswego.  They did die 'way back, and came up
from deep underground; but they did so reliably and repeatedly, and they
did maintain blooming size.  They also lived in a catch basin that
intercepted runoff coming down hill (but released it once it got a few
inches deep).  My North Hill hybrid primulas (mixed candelabra types) did
very well there, until the hot summer sun hit them, so that should be an
indicator.

Ellen


On Sat, Mar 29, 2014 at 10:34 PM, <pelarg@aol.com> wrote:

>
> Thanks Ellen for the info, I will keep trying to get them to germinate.
>  Maybe they need more cold to germinate or something else than the others,
> its strange, most other spp germinate easily at moderately coolish to
> intermediate temps.   Down here the falls are longer than upstate so if I
> can ever get them going they should be magnificent here.
>
> Ernie
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ellen Hornig <hornig@oswego.edu>
> To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Sat, Mar 29, 2014 6:19 pm
> Subject: Re: [pbs] re Kniphofia multiflora
>
>
> Ernie - I had a few long-lived plants of K. multiflora in Oswego, and they
> must have been grown from Silverhill seeds.  Most years they froze before
> they could bloom, but in one or two memorable years they did bloom
> successfully, and I would say it was worth every square inch of ground that
> they occupied in the off years.  They were the orange-to-gold form.
>
> Ellen
>
>
> On Sat, Mar 29, 2014 at 5:48 PM, <pelarg@aol.com> wrote:
>
> >
> > While on the topic of Kniphofia I was wondering has anyone ever had
> > success germinating K. multiflora?  I have gotten orange and white forms
> > from Silverhill and never had success getting them to germinate, whereas
> > other kniphofias are usually not a problem.  Is there something special
> > this species requires or does the seed need to be inordinately fresh?
> Also
> > has anyone tried it in cold winter climates?
> > As for knips in NY after this beastly winter, K northiae took a beating
> > but they are alive, the centers are green or side shoot where present but
> > leaves were browned back, K hirsuta ,K. brevifolia , and caulescens look
> > fine, others have foliage that died back (pauciflora, triangularis,
> > tysonii, and others)  but should, I hope, regrow. Hybrids (one from the
> > Shenandoah valley, and seed grown ones from Chilterns) seem okay with
> > dieback. Did dig in the garden the other day and found a Crinum
> > bulbispermum bulb that appears to be fine.
> >
> > Ernie DeMarie
> >
> > Briarcliff Manor NY watching the drizzle outside, more exciting bulbs
> > blooming under lights in the garage right now, eg Sparaxis elagans,
> > Gladiolus aurea, G tristis, and G. splendens, Hesperantha oligantha, a
> > white Hesperathus received as H vaginata but is not, Babiana villosa red,
> > Geisshorhiza inflexa, and an ugly little Sparaxis sp. of the type that
> used
> > to be synnotia  with little white and yellow fls.  Also Pelargonium
> > incrassatum and a rather wishy washy form of lobatum.
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Ellen Hornig <hornig@oswego.edu>
> > To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
> > Sent: Sat, Mar 29, 2014 10:42 am
> > Subject: Re: [pbs] re Kniphofia typhoides
> >
> >
> > Hi, Ernie et al - Yes, K. typhoides did do quite well in Oswego - I
> think I
> > left that off my list, along with K. baurii, some forms of K.
> triangularis,
> > and K. ichopensis (that one was lovely, but iffy).  At some point I
> removed
> > all the K. typhoides, having satisfied myself that it would grow, because
> > although the bees sleeping on it on cold mornings made a sweet picture,
> it
> > was not, if truth be told, especially attractive.
> >
> > I was top-dressing the front garden here (Shrewsbury, MA) with composted
> > manure yesterday, and found that the little K. caulescens seedlings I set
> > out last fall looked just fine - happiness!  That one will always be a
> > thrill to grow.  These were from NARGS seed, and I don't know whether or
> > not they'll turn out to be good blue ones - so if anyone out there has
> > seeds of a really blue form going to waste, I would be very grateful to
> > have a pinch.  Just a thought!
> >
> > Ellen
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> >
>
>
>
> --
> Ellen Hornig
> 212 Grafton St
> Shrewsbury MA 01545
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-- 
Ellen Hornig
212 Grafton St
Shrewsbury MA 01545



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