Most section Horaea Pelargonium bloom as their leaves are fading at the end of the growing season. Tim >From: Mary Sue Ittner <msittner@mcn.org> >Reply-To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> >To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >Subject: [pbs] When plants bloom >Date: Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:51:26 -0700 > >Hi, > >I know lots of exceptions to Jim McKenney's remark that "Most plants bloom >at the beginning of the growing season, and their developing seeds have the >advantage of clement conditions. " How can you assume that the best >conditions for developing seeds is in the beginning? Climates around the >world are so varied. There are Amaryllid species in the winter rainfall of >South Africa that bloom before their leaves or with their leaves which >works as the seeds start to grow right away and need the winter rain to >keep them going. But some seeds need a long dry period to season or would >rot if they were formed during the wettest time of their growth period. And >there might not be any pollinators about in that kind of weather either. In >California, a lot of the native bulbs I grow bloom after their leaves have >withered when there is a better chance for them to be pollinated and when >the seeds won't be ruined by the weather. There are winter rainfall South >African Irids I grow that bloom at the start of the growing season, in the >middle, and in the end. Most of the ones I grow show up from September to >October. Some bloom before their leaves, but most of them don't start >blooming until February or March. Others bloom in April. Many Tritonia and >Ixia species aren't in bloom until May and there are Gladiolus species just >opening now. Where I live most native plants don't bloom at the beginning >of the growing season. The peak wildflower season here is late April to May >extending to June some years if there are late rains. But if you count the >growing season as starting with the first rains, that would be late fall, >and there are very few native plants that are in bloom then. Maybe this is >just typical of a Mediterranean climate and Jim's rule applies to other >climates. How about some of the rest of you around the world? When in their >growing season do plants bloom where you live? > >Mary Sue > >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/