Galanthus--TOW pests
Rodger Whitlock (Thu, 05 Feb 2004 19:58:49 PST)

On 2 Feb 04 at 19:23, Mark Smyth wrote:

Curiously, snowdrops do quite well here, but many narcissus (and
other amaryllids) are destroyed in one season by the narcissus fly.
My immediate area used to host commercial daffodil growing
operations (there are still such operations outside of town), and
abounds with feral clumps of old, long-forgotten cultivars which
serve as so many typhoid Marys.

I have observed that the beautiful triandrus hybrid narcissus
(Liberty Bells, Thalia, and many others) are particularly prone to
the fly. You don't even get "grass" the second year!

Lycoris, except L. sprengeri, also disappear with astonishing
rapidity.

Yet crinums, amaryllis belladonna, lycoris sprengeri, and nerine
bowdenii all do well.

--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate

on beautiful Vancouver Island