Colchicum byzantinum and friends
Jane McGary (Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:25:59 PDT)
John Grimshaw wrote,
2) The 'other byzantinum' Jim describes, with longer but narrower segments,
is also commonly grown here, without a satisfactory name, though it is
sometimes erroneously labelled C. laetum. I see that the RHS Plant Finder
refers "C. laetum misapplied" to C. parnassicum but on what grounds I don't
know. It is an excellent free-flowering plant, which I've also grown for 30
years - came as a novelty bulb to flower dry on the windowsill.
Is there, then, an actual C. laetum? I have a plant under this name,
acquired from a Dutch wholesaler, but it is quite different from what
I have under the name C. parnassicum. I suppose my plant is the same
as John's "excellent free-flowering plant," as it makes quite a show,
despite its narrow segments. It is a good performer in the open
garden here in western Oregon and will be an important element in the
Colchicum bed I plan for my next garden, where I hope to combine the
big colchicums with Ceratostigma plumbaginoides if I can just figure
out the trick to propagating the latter. (It ought to be a
no-brainer, but nothing I try results in a quantity of viable plants.)
Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA