Calostemma purpureum
Jane McGary (Sat, 04 Oct 2003 16:00:41 PDT)

Some years ago I grew a number of plants of Calostemma purpureum, an
Australian coastal amaryllid, from seed and have been keeping them in a
sort of solarium where I grow tender bulbs and house plants of various
sorts. This summer I moved all the plants that I could out onto my covered
deck, and having given the "greenhouse" a good cleaning, I am now going to
move them back indoors.

The Calostemmas put on a lot of growth over the summer and were watered
moderately all season along with the other plants near them. It seems to me
they haven't been dormant for quite a while. I just looked them up in
several reference books and learned that their dormant period is summer --
but they didn't get a dormancy this year. They still look quite lively,
with erect, glossy leaves, not like bulbs that are wanting to go dormant.

Which would be better: dry them off now, when it's not possible to give the
dormant bulbs a warm period (even indoors); or keep them moist and possibly
growing through the winter?

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA