July 2024

[Robert_Parks]

(argh, failed to attach images!)

Aha! Another Haemanthus snuck in a bloom on the storage bench... H. humilis v. hirsutus...got some hairy leg action going on there.

Typhonium circinnatum with a curly spathe inside, next to Amorphophallus ongsakulii starting a summer of intermittent blooming...not shy one shots like the big relatives.

Gloxinia nematanthodes Evita is stating that this is a hanging basket kind of year.

And the Dieramas are coming into bloom nicely, but the wind never stops, so pictures are difficult.

Robert
in currently sunny San Francisco, looking to a couple days in the high 70sF/25+C...at least the Dieramas won't melt in the fog this week!

[Carlos]

Zeph time... longistyla ex Córdoba (ARG, received from Uli), tubispatha (no data, from Gianluca Corazza), katheriniae (from Rimmer de Vries). The tubispatha are my first ones and though it's common in collections, I'm in love.

There will be plenty of seeds of katheriniae for the next EU-SX. I know that many people have it in the US, but it's rare in collections in Europe.

I only have one flowering plant of longistyla and it is self sterile, which is strange for a Zeph.


Longistyla

Katheriniae

Tubispatha

[Sylvia]

Robert -

My Zephs (can't spell the rest of the name in any case) over many years have bloomed precisely once.  The few pots I've retained have foliage now but as for buds, nada.

What am I not doing or am doing that's counter productive?

Best,
Sylvia (in the East Bay hills without a trace of fog but cooling SW breeze)

[Robert_Parks]

Robert -

My Zephs (can't spell the rest of the name in any case) over many years have bloomed precisely once.  The few pots I've retained have foliage now but as for buds, nada.

What am I not doing or am doing that's counter productive?

I don't get great blooms on mine...but I do get some. I get better blooming with potted plants (pots warm in the sun) and I can give them intermittent water, let them go dry, and then have an occasional "thunderstorm". The ones in the ground are in a sunny corner with occasional watering, but more regular tree rain from the fog, often those bloom late summer/fall when the soil finally dries out. Like I said, not great blooming, but there will be a few sprinkling of flowers after rain events. I'm going to put a buch of them out in the street median and see if they will flower in the fall with the beginning rains.

Robert
in pleasant breezy San Francisco, where the past two warm days have helped the summer bulbs that crave warmth.

[Rdevries]

Habranthus on July 1,  3 days after 1" rain in 10 minutes

[Rdevries]

This habranthus, received under another name, blooming on same schedule (June 30) as above picture only it is inside open garage and did not get any rain, but shared same humidity and temperature as outsole plants located about 30 feet away

[Carlos]

Hi, except the most southerly ones like caerulea  (Habranthus caeruleus) which Rimmer told me that has an autumn-winter cycle, all Zephs should be kept dry in winter until minimum temperatures are above 15 degrees C and maximum reach 25 or more, plus the rainstorm effect.

We had one on Monday 1st and I photographed the tubispathus on Thursday 4th... I last visited the collection on the previous Friday 28, but I'm confident that there were no signs of scapes...

[Carlos]

Proiphys amboinensis, imported with a phyto from Thailand, going to flower in its second season here. It behaves quite like a rain lily but needs minimum temps above 20°C / 68F. I have three smaller bulbs which won't flower, so I'll try to self it.



Carlos 

[Uli]

Isn't this a bit early? I have the first Amaryllis belladonna hybrid in flower. It was seed grown from a large number of seed I got from William Welsh in 2017.

[Randy Linke]

Very early in my experience.  I have never seen an Amaryllis belladonna bloom earlier than the latter half of August.

[petershaw]

I saw my first one's in bloom on a walk yesterday, had to look at my calendar to remind myself its early July. Costal Central CA

[Carlos]

Hi, this is how the Proiphys looked yesterday. I covered the bulb after receiving a couple of suggestions. I had to spray it against those nest-making caterpillars. I had little time and did not take more focused pics.

[MarkMazer]

FarmLife: Mixed Habranthus tubispathus naturalizing next to the greenhouse after a couple of days of welcome rain.

Mark Mazer
Hertford, NC

[David Pilling]

The view from England on the 16th July. Its been a very cold Summer, yet some things keep to the timetable.

The lily cheered me up big flowers with little trouble and scented. When I started growing lilies, 20 years ago, lily beetles were unknown this far North, it is now getting to the point where it is not worth growing them.

Jim McKenney used to talk of the "tawny family curse" regarding day lilies.

Montbretia
Cosmos 'Cherry Chocolate'
Agapanthus
Dahlia/Begonia
Hemerocalis
A nice lily