June 2024

[Martin Bohnet]

@Wylie great to see I did chose flowering size bulbs, as intended - both species are about to flower here as well, where both ave proven hardy.

@Aad great to see you sharing the joys of our EX!

So now's time to wrap up June, which was even wetter than May, with a grand total (for now - somethins's cooking in the tropical air) 230 l/m² (=230 mm) - no surprise that my Hostas look like Monstera and some of the dahlias still didn't reach 5 cm height. At least Mirabilis multiflora seems to have finally reached the point of no more slug-down. but tose beasts also killed off a second year seeling of Clivia gardenii. But let's see what has survived:

Starting with something sold as yellow form of Bletilla striata

Height:	10-30 cm (0.3-1 ft)
Flower Colors:	pink, purple, blue, white
Life form:	deciduous rhizome
Climate:	USDA Zone 7-9

- it actually doesn't seem to be a ochracea, so "yellow striata" may be right? As always: rain from above is not popular with Bletilla. Another orchid in flower ist this hybrid Epipactis - I'm not too great i telling the hybrids apart - Summer? passion? Epipactis tend to "rhizoom" around, not making this any easier.

The potted Cautleya spicata

already has opened up, the outdoor specimen will need a few days more. Also early (for the Genus, not for the species) is Tricyrtis latifolia.

New in the list of survivors in the outside garden is this Freesia - I wouldn't dare to say either grandiflora or laxa, as both seed around. Ferraria welwitschii

Height:	30-45 cm (1-1.5 ft)
Flower Colors:	yellow, brown, patterned
Flower Season:	early summer

seems to once again prefer flowering in early summer, I've also seen them flowering synchronous with fall crocus - they seem to decide spontaneously, maybe depending on whether summer heat came early.

Next one is maybe not exactly a geophyte despite living underground most of the year. It's Orobanche centauriana (syn O. kochii), growing on Centauriana scabiosa - a very welcome surprise finding after heavy rain threw down the Centaurea. Growing parasites always is tricky and nerve-wrenching - I had put the seeds to that parent plant in fall 2021, and this is the first overground sign since then.

last one is a beautiful mutant flower of a Zantedeschia hybrid. would be brilliant if one could force those...

[Aad]

Caladium hybrids. The problem for me is not to get the tubers start growing in spring but to get them overwinter without drying out. Any pointers to increase my success rate of 30-40%?

[Robert_Parks]

The Bomareas are messy vines, but all is forgiven (B. aff. superba, B. sp. Fiesta)

Little bitty Ornithogalums are doing their thing, not pictured O. britteniae with a 25cm inflorescence over a barely 2 cm plant.

Haemanthus humilis making a surprise from the storage bench.

Arisaema candidisssimum Pink rushing to bloom before July...all of them are on the same schedule.

Arisaema af. consanguineum Dark Leaf, always with the curvy pseudostem.

Also not pictured, Biarum tenuifolium (focus issues), looking nice with the sun glowing through the red spathe. My climate seems to prompt a very extended bloom season for Biarum. Roscoea tibetica also didn't want its tiny picture taken.

Everything fairly seasonal although all the Arisaemas are late this year.

The Haemanthus is from SX seed.