Hi,
Post from Charles Crane (which ended up in the wrong place):
With 55 species of Zephyranthes and 20+ of Habranthus growing in a
variety of warm climates from marshes to semi-deserts, variation in
growing season is to be expected. Z. candida and Z. flavissima are
evergreen and will grow throughout the year if it is not too cold or
dry. Habranthus tubispathus grows in the fall, winter, and spring in
its native habitat, and typically enters summer dormancy even if
watered. Z. chlorosolen, Z. traubii, Z. longituba, Z. jonesii, Z.
smallii, Z. refugiensis, and Z. pulchella all grow maximally in fall and
spring, stay green in the winter if not frozen below about -6C (20-22F),
and optionally go dormant in summer if it does not rain. Z. pulchella
in particular will flower and put up young leaves (not just extend the
old ones) if soaked after a long dry spell in summer. Z. drummondii and
Z. lindleyana are also mainly fall-spring growers with frequent summer
dormancy. Therefore, I would encourage you to keep your Zephyranthes
growing under lights during winter. I keep mine in pots outside during
the summer and bring them into a sun room (in the heated part of the
house) when it threatens to freeze hard.
If one cheats, one can get Z. candida, Z. flavissima, H.
tubispathus, and perhaps others to survive a temperate winter outside.
I have some of each within 15 cm (6 in) my south-facing house
foundation, outside a heated basement. Two years ago, they survived a
night of -19C (-2F) with only a dusting of snow cover. Last winter,
they survived the cold snap around Jan. 1, when one night was -28C
(-19F) and one high was -20C (-4F), but I had piled about 40 cm (16 in)
of snow over them before the severe cold arrived. They looked ratty
each spring, but they flowered about a month late both summers, and the
Z. flavissima and Z. candida are expanding with offsets. However, the
lower temperature limit for the bulbs themselves (i.e., in pots left on
a deck) is about -10C (12-14F).
Charles Crane
West Lafayette, Indiana (zone 5b)
--
David Pilling
http://www.davidpilling.com/
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