Ipheion and Nothoscordums

Antennaria@aol.com Antennaria@aol.com
Sun, 04 Aug 2002 21:12:17 PDT
I grow most of the yellow Nothoscordums, it's species sometimes floating 
between Nothoscordum and Ipheion.  Many came to me from Texas bulb expert 
Thad Howard, who got many of his Nothoscordums from Alberto Castillo.  The 
delightful dwarf yellow Nothoscordum species that I grow include N. 
montevidense (small picture at my homepage http://www.plantbuzz.com/), 
minarum, ostenii, dialystemon, sellowianum, hirtellum, and felipponei; some 
of these sometimes showing up as Ipheion.  I think they are more like 
Nothoscordum than Ipheion, just a personal opinion.

I put my pots out during the summer, exposed to sun, rainfall and watering, 
which they seem to benefit from.  In fact, N. montevidense has recently 
reawaken and started flowering already with it's little yellow cups on 3-4" 
stems... an "early starter", as it's dormancy is very short.  In autumn the 
plant blooms heavily, as it does on my warm windowsill for the winter.  All 
of these tender Northoscordum species come indoors for our New England 
weather, and serve as nice sunny-windowsill houseplants, with bright, sweetly 
scented blooms in the winter.  N. montevidense blooms again in the spring... 
almost a 3-season species, blooming fall, winter, and spring!  As Alberto 
Castillo expressed, these Nothoscordums experience a very short rest, but 
grow and flower much of the year.

Contrary to what Alberto reports, I do frequently get seed of N. 
montevidense, even indoors over the winter, as well as seed of N. sellowianum 
& felipponei.  Seedlings have resulted in plants similar to the parents.  
These are easy to grow "delights" that should be sought after. In warmer Zone 
8 or 9 climates, these plants might prove hardy.  In New England they are 
certainly best regarded as "tender bulbs" and wintered in a warm house or 
better yet; in a cool greenhouse.

Mark McDonough        Pepperell, Massachusetts, United States  
antennaria@aol.com    "New England"               USDA Zone 5
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