Lachenalia and Albuca
J.E. Shields (Tue, 09 Nov 2004 11:24:55 PST)

Hi Joe and all,

I think Lachenalia are strongly a matter of personal taste. I have to grow
mine inside the greenhouse of course. Right now, L. rubida is in full
bloom, but starting to fade a bit.

Flower buds are just starting to shoot on L. viridiflora. This and rubida
are probably my favorites. L. mutabilis and L. pustulata seem to be too
weedy for my taste. That is, the leaves are etiolated and pale. The
scapes are long, lanky, and tend to flop over. This may be due to the
relatively weak sunlight here in the North in winter, at 40°N latitude,
compared to the stronger winter sun they get in South Africa at ca. 33°S
latitude. Besides, here they are under glass, but there they are under the
wide open sky!

If I were only going to grow two varieties, they would be LL. rubida and
viridiflora. L. rubida increases very abundantly, while viridiflora
increases much more slowly. I am also rather fond of L. aloides
quadricolor and of L. bulbifera. L. bulbifera increases fast while
quadricolor seems to increaser more slowly.

Best regards,
Jim Shields
in central Indiana (USA)
USDA zone 5, 40°N, 83°W, el. ca. 800 ft (240 m) above sea level
Avg. minimum temp ca. -12°F (ca. -24°C), avg. high temp ca, 96°F (ca. 35°C)
Avg. annual precipitation ca. 30 to 40 inches (750 - 1000 mm)

*************************************************
Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd.
P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/
Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA
Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA