A aurea is a beautiful thug in UK gardens, and for smaller gardens, best planted against a wall where it's spread is limited. Its hybreds are popular herbaceous border plants and less robust. It is very widely grown in the UK. On Fri, Jul 29, 2011 at 1:20 AM, Jane McGary <janemcgary@earthlink.net>wrote: > Michael Mace asked, > >I'd like to ask your help in collecting feedback for the government. This > >is just the first round of proposed species bans, and I think it's > important > >that we get ourselves involved in the process. The government has said in > >writing that it is open to feedback from groups like ours, and I think we > >should take them up on that invitation. > > > >1. If you are in the US, do you grow Gladiolus undulatus or Alstroemeria > >aurea today? If not, have you tried them in the past? > > I have grown Alstroemeria aurea for at least 12 years, and it is very > well established in cultivation in North America. It is also a parent > or other ancestor of many hybrids that are cultivated here. > > > > > > >2. In your conditions, were they invasive? Were they easy or difficult > to > >keep growing? > > This species did not appear to be invasive in northwestern Oregon, > but it is easy to keep growing. In the similar climate of south > central Chile, it forms large colonies and even comes up through > thickets of introduced blackberries. I can imagine it being an > enthusiastic feral plant if it escaped in a favorable (moderately > warm winters, plenty of rain) climate, but it is neither toxic to > livestock nor overly competitive with other plants. The fact that it > hasn't yet been identified as a threat after many decades of > cultivation in North America suggests that it will not become so. > Some gardeners will not plant it because of its extensive root system, > though. > > > > > > > >3. Do you know of any sources for them in the US? > > A. aurea is widely available. > > > > > > > >4. If you are a grower outside the US, have you supplied these species to > >people in the US in the past? > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >