Cypella herbertii

Diane Whitehead voltaire@islandnet.com
Tue, 06 Aug 2002 09:16:04 PDT
Prior to Google Images serving up screensful of flower pictures, I 
relied on Clive Innes' book, The World of Iridaceae, to help me 
decide which bulb seeds to buy.

I decided against any flowers that are fugaceous, as I had been so 
disappointed with one, name now forgotten, which flowered one morning 
while I was at work, and that was it.  All I saw was one withered 
flower.

Therefore, despite my fascination with the ornate architecture of 
Cypella herbertii, I never tried to grow it.  I admired a pot of it 
on display at our June alpine garden meeting, and the grower gave me 
the pot.  I put it on the display shelf beside my shady front door, 
and it has been flowering ever since.  That is six weeks that I have 
had it, and I don't know how long it had been flowering before I 
received it.  It seems to have more buds to come, too.  The flowers 
are just as exotic looking as its photos (not always the case), and 
last all day and into the evening. It is discreet about its dead 
flowers which drop away on their own. What a great plant!

I've just noticed that the leaves are brown, so I don't know whether 
I should cease watering now, or wait until it finishes flowering and 
the several seedpods are ripe.

Diane Whitehead   Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
maritime zone 8
cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter)



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