PBS Forum

Turmeric used to be sold in small sachets called something like "Saffie" in the UK - fake saffron.

They taste vastly different, although I like both. For me, turmeric could never be a spice of sweet food, just savoury. I have probably eaten a million times more turmeric than saffron over the years, mostly in huge quantities of pickles (piccalilli).

I have only ever bought La Mancha in the UK and it has always been absolutely fine.

Quote from: Emanuele Mura on November 22, 2024, 10:26:30 AMWell, risotto can be made in a lot of different ways, but saffron is one of the best, a northern Italy regional variant.
As for growing it in a pot, there is an old man (my father) which threatens with his shovel every spot in the garden without a noticeable plant, so my best chance of protecting those who go dormant is to move pots around.
And Sardinia is actually considered a poor region, but I believe saffron to be produced here for at least a century, being it fundamental in many recipes of traditional festive sweets.

I know the older man with a shovel.  I had a grandfather with a pruning shears that threaten everything.

I had to give him a spot where he happily grew some arugula.

He was from Pordenone in the north of Italy and couldn't understand how polenta was a new treat.

He probably ate it three times a day as a child.

Well after talking about paella I decided to make one, savoured / coloured with turmeric.



To keep the post focused on plants, here the germinated seeds of Brunsvigia marginata that I kindly got from Château Pérouse (a personal exchange with them).

Saffron seems to be extra delicious to slugs, of all my crocus that's the one they shredder the most consistently... The only Crocoideae I have in flower now are Hesperantha coccinea

- and like last year , the last set of flowers of this usually pink cultivar end up being bright red - ah, the magic of color-temperature effects. The next three dahlia pics are actually the same plant - the almost completely white picture was taken days before first frost two weeks ago, the other two are from end of August.

Talking about colors, the first Nerine is classified a bowdenii, Cultivar "Pearl of Cherry" - with a bit of sun and good will you'll see the red, but surely not the catalogue version... On the other hand, the sarniensis from Wylie's EX09 donation (yes I kept the one that already grew a flower stalk, didn't want to risk another transport, sorry) on the other hand lacks the red of the species, but the pink anthers are adorable.

Last but not least: enough talk about colors, the very first Greencap of the season has opened up - don't worry, it wasn't outside when that snow fell.

Scilla madeirensis in bud

Wow, I need to replace my Madeirensis...

Unlike in Iris or Drimia, the splitting of Scilla seems to be well supported by molecular phylogenies, or so I understand with the knowledge I have.

This is Oncostema elongata, a smallish plant quite distinct from peruviana. It has an openrosette of 'fringed' leaves held rather tight on the ground and produces a stalk with yellowish flowers, whose pedicels elongate reaching 20 cm or more as the fruits ripen, hence the name. Some official websites still consider it as  synonym of Scilla peruviana.

Given by an ex-consul of Spain in eastern Algeria. 

Othonna cakilifolia

Scilla madeirensis

Drimia undata (Drimia purpurascens, Urginea undulata) was thought to occur from Morocco to Israel and Jordan, with a smalll area on eastern Spain and Sardinia.There were some names already published for different Moroccan plants, and the easternmost populations were splitted by 'our beloved' Martínez, Crespo and Alonso as Drimia palaestina, a desert species. There is much more to it, like an offsetting plant, but I will leave it here showing these three:



Purpurascens / Palaestina / Tazensis

And as a bonus

Allium chamaemoly



Daubenya stylosa, still quite young

Daubenya zeyheri

Just spied my Moraea Aristata from a couple BX's ago, sending up new growth! The first (last) winter after planting only one of the bulbs came up. Now I'm seeing 5 of 6! Excited!!p

Quote from: Arnold on November 29, 2024, 11:54:01 AMDaubenya zeyheri

Awesome, Arnold! I haven't tried this genus yet, but have been wanting to...

Quote from: Carlos on November 27, 2024, 02:56:00 PMDrimia undata (Drimia purpurascens, Urginea undulata) was thought to occur from Morocco to Israel and Jordan, with a smalll area on eastern Spain and Sardinia.There were some names already published for different Moroccan plants, and the easternmost populations were splitted by 'our beloved' Martínez, Crespo and Alonso as Drimia palaestina, a desert species. There is much more to it, like an offsetting plant, but I will leave it here showing these three:

Purpurascens / Palaestina / Tazensis

Awesome, Carlos! Love those squiggly leaves, and the wide glaucous leaves on those Drimia!!

I know it's not a bulb, or maybe even technically a Geophyte. A S.A. Mesembe that makes some nice winter flower displays in my garden with unusual atypical non "pedaled" large 2-3" flowers.

May your Garden grow!

Moraea PolyStachya and Boophane in the November Garden!

Gethyllis villosa.