Thanks Jim After all, you started me down this path of growing Nerine and Lachenalia, and now I am hooked!. I did add a pot of a half dozen N. masoniorum last year, ( at least that is what they were sold to me as) of course they bloomed well for me last November since they we're fresh from the nursery,, this year, we shall see. I am SO inspired now to add to this Nerine collection, so I'm off to see what I can still order. Thanks Matt Mattus Worcester, MA USDA Zone 5 On 9/19/05 9:09 AM, "J.E. Shields" <jshields@indy.net> wrote: > Hi Matt and all, > > In stark contrast to the very difficult sarniensis hybrids, I have found > that the summer growing species are wonderful pot plants. I grow angulata, > angustifolia, appendiculata, filifolia, filamentosa, gracilis, huttoniae, > krigei, laticoma, platypetala, and rehmannii. I also have numerous > undulata. which are readily available in the trade; undulata flowers in > about January here in the greenhouse. > > N. masoniorum is similar to filamentosa, but is much less free flowering > for me. A plant received as N. gibsonii was shown not to be that > species. It is an excellent pot plant, and sets seed freely. The > seedlings look just like the parents, so it is probably a species, even if > not true gibsonii. It is in flower right now. Unlike some of the small > flowered species, its scapes are in good proportion to the flower size. > > I have bulbs received as hessioides; these may not be true hessioides. > > The krigei flowers first, in mid-July. The leaves are long, narrow, and > twisted around the long axis. The flowers are rather spidery, but up to 2 > inches across. It needs some winter chill to induce flowering. > > N. filifolia flowers after krigei, and their bloom times overlap in most > seasons. Both set seeds freely, and I have the cross [filifolia X krigei] > in flower too. My only laticoma large enough to flower also blooms at this > time, with flowers as large as krigei's. It has so far refused to set seeds. > > Now the rest are flowering. > > None have proved hardy so far, but I will keep trying. > > N. bowdenii flowers later -- November and December. It has so far not set > seed with krigei, and vice versa. Bulbs of N. bowdenii "Koen's Hardy" have > survived in the open field through a couple of winters, > unmulched. However, they were visibly weakened, producing smaller and > fewer leaves in the field. After two winters, I dug the remaining plants > and now grow them in pots. The flower well in pots in the winter > greenhouse, but never flowered in the field. This latter is not > surprising, since my ground is often frozen when the 'Koen's Hardy" in my > greenhouse flower. > > I obtained true N. bowdenii wellsii a couple years ago, and these bulbs > have proved very robust in pots. I expect them to start flowering this > winter. If they do, I'll cross them with "Koen's Hardy" for starters. > > "Koen's Hardy" is a clone selected by Aad Koen in The Netherlands for > production of cut flowers. It survives his winters there in the open > field, given a little mulch. Common bowdenii does not survive his winters > in the open, even when mulched -- at least, not healthy enough to then flower. > > So if the sarniensis hybrids do not perform well enough to justify the time > and trouble to grow them, try some of the summer growing species. You'll > like them! > > Sources of bulbs and seeds of Nerine species: Try Rachel & Rod Saunders > and Rhoda & Cameron > McMaster (see: http://shieldsgardens.com/GLOVBulbs/SOURCES.html/ ) > > Regards, > Jim Shields > > > ************************************************* > 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 > > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php