Albuca nelsonii - frost free?
Paul T. (Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:07:38 PST)

At 01:01 PM 13/01/2012, you wrote:

Howdy All,

I am guessing that there must be variations in
the hardiness of Albuca nelsonii if slight frost
is supposed to destroy the whole leaf. Mine in
the garden are something like 10 years old, now
multiplying up quite nicely. They took -9'C in
late winter this year without missing a beat,
along with the normal -6s etc that we got at
various times in the rest of winter. I never
realised until Alberto's message that these are
supposed to be frost free..... mine most
definitely are not, and most definitely are
thriving where they are. Mine get about half day
of full sun, with dappled shade in the afternoon
from an open high Eucalypt. I would more or less
regard this as full sun, or well more than full
sun for some of you in colder climates <big
grin>. They just don't quite get the heat of the afternoon.

As Alberto says, the bulbs are sitting on the
surface of the soil, and therefore have no
protection from soil "insulation". Mine are
fully exposed in winter as they are amongst roses
that are pruned hard during winter and then offer
not much cover at all. In the case of mine, the
bulbs themselves would definitely be exposed to
freezing, and have never exhibited any major
problems with them. They keep their leaves
during winter, although they do tend to look a
little tatty by the end of it...... they do not
seem to suffer from this at all and the main
bulbs (now 3, currently ending their flowering
for this year) flower every year, with offsets
forming well in the last couple of years. Bear
in mind as well though that our night temps in
winter always rise to well above freezing during
the day, so the ground never stays permanently frozen.

Whether I somehow have a more cold tolerant form
or not I don't know? It's obviously worthwhile
experimenting to find out, although I would
definitely grow any seed for a while under more
protected conditions and only experiment when you
have enough to lose some. <grin>

All the best everyone.

Cheers.

Paul T.
Canberra, Australia - USDA Zone Equivalent approx. 8/9
Min winter temp -8 or -9°C. Max summer temp 40°C.
Thankfully, maybe once or twice a year only.

Growing an eclectic collection of plants from all
over the world including Aroids, Crocus,
Cyclamen, Erythroniums, Fritillarias, Galanthus,
Irises, Liliums, Trilliums (to name but a few)
and just about anything else that doesn't move!!