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Today's Topics:

1. Re: Nerine Thoughts - anew (James Waddick)
2. Re: Lycoris in summer dry climates -NOT and.... (James Waddick)
3. Re: Hi I am new (Douglas Westfall)
4. Re: Nerine Thoughts - anew (Mary Sue Ittner)

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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 07:54:49 -0500
From: James Waddick <jwaddick@kc.rr.com>
To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [pbs] Nerine Thoughts - anew
Message-ID: <p06240892c89819fe339c@[192.168.0.101]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

Dear Friends,
I thank you all for your comments both public, here, and private.

I am not seeking to grow any Nerines, although they do show
some excellent and admirable qualities.

I was curious then and confirmed now that there are few US
sources for named cvs. Far more in the UK and pleased to see the
unique Guernsey UK Nerine Festival. Wish there were more pix to
wander through.

The replies also reinforced my thoughts that casual growers
in the US find these difficult bulbs to maintain and bloom with
consistency. They seem to be greenhouse bulbs in even the mildest
climate to manage their precise water schedules.

I was also reminded of the dissolution of the Zinkowski
collection ages ago via the IBS with the help of Steve Vinisky (I
sure miss Steve's contributions to this group). At the time I didn't
think it was something the group should get involved with. With time
and a better understanding of their rarity, I guess IBS was as good
as any (with Steve's major hand at play) to get these into good
growers hands. Of course I now wonder how many of these still survive
to this day. And how many have been propagated and distributed
further?

It seems that Nick de Rothschild (http://www.nerines.com/) is THE
PLACE to acquire the best new cvs.

A note to Diane... You mention 'Quest' as purple. The wiki
also agrees, but the Rothschild Nerine page shows a white with rich
pink center line. Is one of these wrong?

And the flowers do look marvelous with intricate color blends
and a range of forms. When is the next Nerine show near Kansas City ?

An interesting diversion. Best Jim W.
--
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph. 816-746-1949
Zone 5 Record low -23F
Summer 100F +

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:06:13 -0500
From: James Waddick <jwaddick@kc.rr.com>
To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [pbs] Lycoris in summer dry climates -NOT and....
Message-ID: <p0624088dc8971b387d1f@[192.168.0.101]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

Dear Jim McK and all

I can unequivocally state Lycoris are NOT in need of summer
dry or summer baking and that they suffer from extended drought any
time during their growing seasons.

L. radiata is essentially a weed of rice paddies and swamp
edges. I have seen a number of species grown in wet soil immediately
near flowing water. Most species are native to regions with summer
rain fall either monsoon rains, or just scattered summer storms.

In pots, Lycoris need regular watering or they will dry out,
shrink bulb size, loose roots and die - not necessarily in that order.

This year we have had a very wet spring to the start of
summer, but as Lycoris bloom season approached, we entered an
extended dry hot period that covered a large part of the US. Lycoris
bloom has been way under typical and spotty at best. Established beds
throw up a few stalks here and there and a few more days or a week
later, but none of the major displays. In local gardens that have
automated sprinklers (evidenced by green lawns), the common L.
squamigera is blooming happily in abundance.

AND L. aurea is one of the most mis-Ided of any Lycoris species.

The true species is the largest in the genus with foliage
over an inch in width and up to a yard long. It is also quite
succulent in texture and almost 100 % frost damaged. In any climate
with extended frost and no protection, the leaves will be damaged or
killed, the bulbs are much less likely to flower etc.

L. aurea is also quite variable. Kurita, the Japanese expert
on the genus has identified 5 cytoraces with a 2n equal to 12, 13,
14, 15 and 16. Some of these are anatomically distinct. I suspect
some may have more hardiness.

AS a fertile species, seedlings may vary also in their
adaptability to specific sites.

There are other hardier yellow flowered Lycoris that can be
confused with L. aurea. These range fro slightly tender to bone hardy.
L. traubii
L. chinensis (and yellow hybrids with L. longituba and L.
longituba flava)
L. caldwellii
L. anhuiensis (rare in cultivation)

And there may well be L. aurea hybrids produced in Japan and
distributed commercially.

Due to its essentially frost intolerance, the true species is
not widely grown successfully.

Any help? Best Jim W.
--
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph. 816-746-1949
Zone 5 Record low -23F
Summer 100F +

------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 07:57:35 -0700
From: Douglas Westfall <eagle.85@verizon.net>(by way of Mary Sue
Ittner <msittner@mcn.org>)
To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [pbs] Hi I am new
Message-ID: <20100823145817.8B3BF4C178@lists.ibiblio.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

Note from Mary Sue:
I'm passing on this reply from Doug minus the image that cannot be
included in posts to this list.

kuang huang,

You have to watch carefully to acquire sime if the more difficult
ones. You mentioned Paramongaia weberaueri. Not only is it difficult
to find someone who has offsets, but when you do, (depending on the
age/size of the bulb), the price will be rather high. To buy a mature
bulb (blooming size) the person MAY be asking up to $100 or more. Not
many people have it.

I had a bloom last year. I thought that I may have some
seeds, but it "decided" not to develop.

I was fortunate enough to acquire Hippeastrum intiflorum a few years
ago and it set seeds. As they developed, I discovered that I was the
only one in the world to have extras available for trade or sale. The
country of Argentina put a "halt" on bulbs being taken from their
country, so I even had a person from Argentina asking for one.

Being fortunate enough to have these for "trade", I was able to
acquire some of the "rare" Hippeastrums in trade.

You just have to be patient and purchase one or two rare ones and try
to "multiply" them (unless you have sufficient funds to purchase the
"rare" ones).

Best of luck, and don't give up.

Doug Westfall

------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:22:40 -0700
From: Mary Sue Ittner <msittner@mcn.org>
To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [pbs] Nerine Thoughts - anew
Message-ID: <20100823152320.D6D714C04D@lists.ibiblio.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

Hi,

I didn't have time to reply to the original post this weekend, but
I'd like to make a few comments. Some I've said in the past, but
we've had new people join our group since then.

Like Mike I sent money to Steve to assist him in trying to save some
of the bulbs in the Zinkowski collection. I talked with Steve at a
NARGS winter study meeting and he talked about what a horrible state
the collection was in when he tried to save some of the plants. One
of the benefits from participating was receiving some of the plants
as a thank you. I gave half of mine to Diana Chapman. I don't know if
she propagated any of them. I had very poor luck with them for years
although there was one that looked more like a species that bloomed
the best. At the time (1999) Harold Koopowitz advised us not to plant
any of these in the ground. As an experiment I planted one in the
ground and the rest in pots. The one in the ground has bloomed once
since 1999. It was a shock to see it as I was sure it was long gone.

Over the years I've tossed a couple of pots when leaves looked
virused and saved seed of some of my favorites and grown them on.
I've also given seed to the BX I think. Hamish Sloan offered seed to
the BX too and I have one plant in bud at the moment from some of
the ones I succeeded in growing.

During the topic of the week years we had some first rate information
on growing these from Hamish and our wiki team has also added a lot
of good information on the wiki Nerine page:
<http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/…>
My Nerines hybrids bloom so much better now that they get summer
water so the roots don't shrivel. I can't leave mine out in winter
because where I live it is too wet and they got stagonospora curtisii
(red blotch). So I leave them in the greenhouse where I have a fan on
24-7 and put them under the benches in summer and water every two to
four weeks depending on how hot it has been. If I lived in a hot
summer climate I'd probably move them to a cooler place during the
summer. Most years the majority of my pots bloom and they are
wonderful. I love the dazzling blooms. They are so sparkly (which you
can capture when photographed in the sun.)

Hopefully Matt Mathus will speak up since he grows a lot of the
hybrids in his greenhouse in Massachusetts.

Mary Sue

------------------------------

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End of pbs Digest, Vol 91, Issue 43
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