Dear Rachel and fellow forum members,
In spite of the lack of rain we saw a many species
in flower. I just looked through my file of pictures taken
during the 10 days I was there: including the species on the
showbenches (30-40 species), nurseries over 30 species, Kirstenbosch
(20 species) we saw flowering in the field at least 20-30 different
species (Masonia, Gladiolus Hesperantha , Geissorhiza, Chasmanthe
Watsonia, Aristea, Bobartia, Spiloxene, Lachenalia, Moraea, Satyricum,
etc). Mary Sue will put up a wiki page (when she returns the 17/9)
with all the pictures we took which will give a good idea of the
variety of species we saw in flower (in spite of the lack of early
winter rains) It has been a very rich experience to meet growers, to
visit their nurseries and to visit the areas, to actually see the
species growing in the wild. The mind boggles when thinking what it will
be like when we will attend the next symposium and direct our visits
more up northwest in the Sutherland, Nieuwoudtsville etc.
A great thanks to the Indigenous Bulbgrowers assocation of South
Africa (IBSA) for the warm welcome and tremendous effort to make this a
most interesting event; I glad to hear that there will be a another
occasion to meet the newly made friends.
I am still puzzled (with a slight feeling of injustice) why all
these beautiful plants grow so easily in often common places: road
verges, rocks overhanging the rolling ocean waves. Still trying to
figure out why we cannot grow here in France these masses of Lachenalias
on neglected traffic islands!! (Another reason to go back andtry to
find the clues).
Greetings
Lauw deJager, Bulb'Argence, France
Rachel Saunders wrote:
> In case anyone is interested, IBSA will probably be organising another
> Symposium in 3 or 4 years time. Hopefully the rain will be better and
> we will see more in the field.