Sternbergia and Zephyranthes
Rodger Whitlock (Sun, 27 Oct 2013 22:03:15 PDT)
On 27 Oct 2013, at 10:27, Kathleen Sayce wrote:
I have some questions about growing Sternbergia and Zephyranthes. I've grown
both for years, the Sternbergia in the garden, and Zephyranthes in pots in my
cold frame. Some foliage appears each fall, and seems to be healthy, but no
flowers. Any idea what I should be doing to encourage flowering in these
species?
My own sternbergias are in a raised bed about ten feet (3 m) from the south
facing wall of my house. The wall is white stucco and reflects a lot of heat in
summer, as I have found out the hard way from putting potted plants too close
to it. The wall may also radiate stored solar heat during the night, thus
alleviating the rather cool evening temperatures we experience in summer.
The bed is about 1 foot (30 cm) high.
That area of the garden is something of a quagmire in winter, so when in active
growth the sternbergias have lots of moisture available, but well below the
soil surface and the bulbs.
Scattering crushed eggshells on the bed seems to have improved flowering of
many things in it, not just sternbergia. My guess is that the eggshells
alleviate the calcium deficiency often found in PacNW soils.
Perhaps there's a clue or two in all this.
--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Z. 7-8, cool Mediterranean climate