Oxalis bowiei should be garden hardy in Raleigh. Mark Mazer Hertford, NC On Mon, Dec 19, 2016 at 4:22 PM, Ernie DeMarie via pbs < pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> wrote: > Hi Nick, > I am sure there are quite a few winter growers from the higher altitudes > of the Cape that could do well in your climate, though they might need > protection from your hot summers with rain. I have seen Brunsvigia > gregaria in bloom (summer time, but its leaves grow in winter) at Plant > Delights in Raleigh, also they have grown Oxalis palmifrons and flava I > think outdoors there. I suspect anything from the > Sutherland/Calvinia/Hantamberg area would be worth trying like Hesperantha > hantambergensis or Romulea hantambergensis (not easy to germinate, I am > still working on it, may need quite a bit of cold so I stuck a recalcitrant > pot of seeds in my new cold frame this time). Oxalis melanosticta > exhibits great frost hardiness against a wall here so it probably would do > fine in NC, as might O stenorrhynca,which like Moraea polystachya tends to > come up in late summer and bloom before cut down by frost, but unlike the > moraea it can also come back again for a repeat performance in sprin > g here against a wall before going to sleep for summer. So there should > be a number of possibilities, its just a matter of trying out different > things. > Good luck, > Ernie DeMarie > NY, Z6/7 border > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Nicholas plummer <nickplummer@gmail.com> > To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> > Sent: Mon, Dec 19, 2016 1:22 pm > Subject: [pbs] cold hardy South African winter growers? > > The Moraea polystachya planted in my garden has been blooming all autumn, > despite several frosts. I'm not sure if it will flower again after several > nights in the mid 20s and a low of 20 F (-6.5 C) on Friday morning, but the > foliage still looks good. This is its third winter planted in the ground. > > Are there other South African winter growers that exhibit similar hardiness > and would be worth trying here in Zone 7b? Ideally, they'd be plants that > bloom closer to the beginning of the growing season, so I'd be more certain > of getting flowers before a hard freeze. > > Any suggestions? > > Nick Plummer > Durham, North Carolina, Zone 7 > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >