April 2024

[Too Many Plants!]

Lauw de Jager is the owner of the now defunct nursery Bulb'Argence in southern France. He sold a wide range of often unusual bulbs suitable for the Mediterranean Climate. He also wrote a nicely illustrated booklet on Mediterranean Bulbs but in French.
I also got the orange form of Moraea ochroleuca from him but it tends to disappear in my garden. It is planted in the open ground and I suspect mice........ there is just one single specimen flowering at this moment.
The yellow ones have also declined but seem to be less palatable to the critters.

Too funny you say that! IDK if you saw the little story I included with my yellow ones some posts back. I had a gopher come through my rather good-sized patch (peach and yellow together that always did great and was increasing each year) during the dormant time of year, when the next flowering came around all the peach were gone, and it looked as though he didn't dine on the yellow at all.

[Too Many Plants!]

So the gifter of this bulb confirmed this to be/should be Watsonia Coccinea. The leaves are like 12" tall on average, and it is MUCH smaller than the few other Watsonia I have.
When it's sunny on the plant the flowers look more orange, when it's in shade the flowers look more red.

[Arnold]

An unknown Gladioli.

Appreciate any info leading to a correct ID.

Addendum:  I now believe it G. carneus

Leaf width at 14 mm
Perianth tube    45mm
leaf 14 mm
anther mauve
pollen cream to purple

[Carlos]

I came back crossing a badly burned area in 2022, there are few signs of recovery, but I saw a few patches of Iris lutescens.

FANTASTIC seeing them in habitat like that! Thanks for sharing, Carlos!!

Thanks, I am used to seeing it but had to stop the car.

[Too Many Plants!]

I came back crossing a badly burned area in 2022, there are few signs of recovery, but I saw a few patches of Iris lutescens.

FANTASTIC seeing them in habitat like that! Thanks for sharing, Carlos!!

Thanks, I am used to seeing it but had to stop the car.

BTW... what are the blue leafed plants in the background that look like they could be Yuccas?

[Wylie]

This morning I found Neomarica northiana open.

[Carlos]

I came back crossing a badly burned area in 2022, there are few signs of recovery, but I saw a few patches of Iris lutescens.

FANTASTIC seeing them in habitat like that! Thanks for sharing, Carlos!!

Thanks, I am used to seeing it but had to stop the car.

BTW... what are the blue leafed plants in the background that look like they could be Yuccas?

Asphodelus cerasiferus. They also survive fires well.

[Arnold]

Always the last to  flower.  Scented of clove.

Lachenalia nervosa

[Uli]

Kohleria warczewiczii (sorry about the name...) in flower. The color combination is great. The plant is quite tall and does not produce many rhizomes and has no dormancy. Very easy from cuttings. I replace my plant regularly with new cuttings.

[Too Many Plants!]

I know I've posted my Ferraria crispa Burm. ssp. nortieri already in this months post, maybe even started in last months post, but had to share it's quite impressive staying power, compared to my many other Ferraria. AND...TONS of fragrant flowers too!

[Too Many Plants!]

This could be my send off for April...these flowers as with many of my bulbs this season are smaller than typical! Not sure what it is with the weather this season that's causing this?

Gladiolus Cardinalis hybrid.

These are darker striking beautiful Gladiolus flowers.

pic 4829 is from May 2023.

[Too Many Plants!]

Well...turns out I do have at least one more flowering to share to close out April (4/29). A quick (4/30) add of 3 pics of the second flower opened today, on the Final day to close out April. I was really hoping to post a few flowers open together. Maybe in the coming May days...so long April!

Ixia PolyStachya. From our last BX.

Again I offer a Thank you to those generous folks that share The bulb Love!

[Carlos]

Allium moly, the form described as subsp. Glaucescens, to say farewell to April.

[Carlos]

Well I stiill saw some wild bulbs yesterday. Dipcadi serotinum. There were also Iris lutescens, Asphodelus cerasiferus, Squilla undulata, Lapiedra martinezii and possibly Gladiolus dubius, Allium moschatum and some Ophrys, but I saw no traces of them.Happy worker's day.