May 2023 photos

[David Pilling]

Hi Steve, Lilium apertum and Lilium mackliniae beautiful flowers of which I am envious having struggled to grow them. They're on the Nomocharis side of Lilium.

[Martin Bohnet]

Never had any luck with either Ammocharis or Notholirion, so I'm VERY envious of that first shot @Steve Willson , but may is just such a great month here with so much going on, so let's have a look:

• some things get bigger with time - this is the first year Kniphofia northiae
  

  Height:	120-170 cm (3.9-5.6 ft)
  Flower Colors:	orange, yellow
  Flower Season:	early summer to mid summer
  Life form:	rhizome

  does 2 stalks for me and I still can't even guess how large this plant could end up.
• I remember someone asked about diminishing Scilla peruviana
  
  in the open ground - I can't confirm, mine went olympic this year, at least in this view
• Some plants have a whole fan club - like this Camassia leichtlinii
  
  . I on the other hand start to feel the weed potential - all right as long as they stay in the bulb lawn - but they don't
• I'm slowly warming up to Oxalis - great leaves, somewhat boring flowers, but with these doubles..
• Arnold called "last Ferraria" on March 23rd, mine are flowering now...
• meanwhile in the bog it's Dactylorhiza time - don't even know where that came from - it's so entangled in a Sarracenia I somewhat doubt I have planted it.
• some things fit tight - very tight like this wood bee forcing her way into an Iris...
• Last but not least Triteleia hendersonii
  
  - I adore the blue anthers, such a lovely detail!
  

[Uli]

Hello @Martin,

Yes, the month of May is very beautiful in Germany. Here in Portugal drought has set in and only irrigated parts of the garden remain green.
Very nice pictures! I like the ,,olympic" Scilla peruviana and Triteleia hendersonii most. 
Uli 

[Carlos]

Very nice shots!

Last of my Iris and my most preciated plant, more than Oncocyclus, is Iris heracleana. Hoping to increase to send seedlings back to Morocco wherecthey will be planted in a safe place.



And the Albuca 'clanwillamaegloria' from Château Pérouse are opening. I have no clue with Albucas

Carlos

 

[Uli]

Hello Carlos,

Thank you very much for sharing these pictures. The Iris is spectacular.
For the Albuca, some questions. How tall are the flowering scapes? Do the spikes bend over with the tips pointing downward at the bud stage? Only stretching to an upright position shortly before the flowers open? 
Looking at the color of the individual flower and the size compared to your thumbnail the flowers are far too small for the true Albuca clanwilliamigloria. And are not deep yellow.
Your plant matches more a plant which I grow from Silverhill seed under the name of Albuca fragrans which is flowering now, late for a spring flowering bulb. No fragrance, at least not for my nose. A typical feature is the nodding inflorescence at the bud stage. Clianwilliamigloria does not do that. The inflorescence of fragrans is about 1m tall whereas Albuca clanwilliamigloria will reach at least 150 cm up to 2 m. 
I also have seedlings of the Pérouse ,,clanwilliamigloria" but mine have not flowered yet.
The picture attached shows the true clanwilliamigloria, not a good picture, though. And unfortunately no scale.

[Carlos]

Hi Uli, yes they are nodding before (and after) the first flowers open. They are about 30 cm tall, but they are very young plants,flowering in their second cycle.

CP states that they got seeds twice from Silverhill, so it may be your "fragrans" plant. I will check about smell this afternoon. I had already discarded true CWMGLR.

Carlos

[Carlos]

Hi again, they are not really 'nodding', only a bit bent towards the ground, and the flowers have a faint smell (good).



Carlos

[Carlos]

Lehmannnii, Monte Gallo, Sicily




Allium lehmannii, Monte Camarata, Sicily



Allium meteoricum



Allium sp (litardierei?). Oran, Algeria



Allium paniculatum (true paniculatum, at last!). Stavropol area, Russian federation


Allium valdesianum, Sierra Nevada, Spain





Allium pallens (again, true pallens!!). This is a nodding inflorescence, isn't it?



Carlos

[Carlos]

More Allium

What I consider Allium polyanthum, coast of Alicante, Spain





Allium caesium



Allium baeticum, near Granada, Spain



Now the wild 'ampeloprasum', small and medium size

The small was on a natural site, on clay whuch surely floods with heavy rains, the other one is always found along roadsides, sometimes edges of fields. It is a tetraploid, the type from Steep Holm island near Bristol, UK is a hexaploid.





Carlos