Albuca
johannes-ulrich-urban@t-online.de (Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:03:59 PDT)

Dear All,

Having followed the discussion about Albuca I am most amazed that a plant like
Albuca shawii is considered hardy. I have grown it for some years and like it
very much, especially the fragrant foliage. So I will try some bulbs in the
open garden and raise more from some seed that I saved from my own plants. So
far it has been pot grown and kept in its dry compost in the pot in my cellar
during winter.
What I am interested in are Albucas that can be planted in the open garden as
summer bulbs like let's say ordinary hybrid Gladiolus. I would not mind digging
them up and taking them indoors for winter if they are not hardy enough. So
far all Albucas I know except A. shawii are more or less evergreen so they
dislike being dug up every year and cannot be kept as dry bulbs over winter. I
grew something from seed that was meant to be Albuca angolensis but when the
first flowers appeared it did not match the Silverhill description. They were
greenish yellow not golden yellow and not fragrant as stated in the catalogue.
(In gerneral I am very satisfied with Silverhill's quality, my shawiis are
from them, too) And although being winter dormant this Albuca starts growth so
early (right now), even dry bulbs produce a scape of buds in the cellar like a
pale Asparagus so that again makes them difficult to handle. Does somebody in
the forum have a suggestion which Albuca would match my requirements?
There is also a potful of A. clamwilliamigloria, I hope at least..... It seems
to have an awkward growth pattern, sometimes visible but most of the time
dormant, I never really know when to water and when not to, any suggestions for
this one? I looked it up in the books and found that it is basically from a
winter rain area but flowers without leaves..... At the moment there is not
much foliage visible, strange for a winter grower.....
What kind of plant is Albuca maxima? Winter dormant?

With greetings from really cold spring weather with litterally snow-drop
Nacissus in the garden...... Uli