EX04_1 open for orders - some comments

EX04_046 & 068 Albuca pulchra. In flower it looks like a green Eremurus,
tall and upright. Seedlings will take several years to reach flowering
size. A. pulchra is strictly summer growing and winter dormant and does
not tolerate winter moisture. Otherwise easy in a sunny spot. Thank you,
Monica Swartz for letting me have seed a few years ago.

EX04_069 Aponogeton distachyus: a tuberous aquatic plant from seasonal
pools in South Africa. It grows and germinates in cold (no ice) or cool
water, warm water induces dormancy. Has become invasive in some parts of
the world, so do not allow it into natural water habitats. My plants are
strictly pot grown and kept dry during dormancy in summer. I use it as
an attractive scented winter flowering aquatic in a large tub on my
terrace. In summer the same tub houses Nymphaea pygmaea 'Helvola'. Will
be summer growing in cool water. Seed is moist packed and needs
immediate sowing in shallow /cold/ water with bright light.

EX04_072 and 073 Dahlia excelsa and D. rosea. Both are Central American
Tree Dahlias, not to be considered as summer growing garden Dahlias.
They are winter flowering and grow very tall, susceptible to wind
damage. They need frost free conditions to flower in mid winter. They
form tubers but have no dry dormancy. Both can be pruned down to the
ground after flowering but if left unpruned, especially D. excelsa
becomes a tall, branched woody shrub. Seed germinates in cool conditions
(do not use a heated propagator) , both plants grow naturally in moist
cool to temperate tropical montane forests. I offered seed of D. excelsa
last year under the name of D. imperialis which it is definitely not.
The identity is not certain, though.

EX04_076 Milla magnifica: Seed for the first time ever for me. A Mexican
summer growing bulb, dry winter dormancy . White scented stars

EX04_077 Tradescantia boliviana is not a trailer but a stiffly upright
tuberous perennial. Strictly summer growing and absolutely dry winter
dormancy. Needs ample water and low nitrogen fertilizer during summer
and as much direct sun as ever possible, otherwise it will not remain
upright. Lots of small pink flowers over a long season from morning
until early afternoon, popular with insects.

EX04_060 Neomarica: received as a new species, identity unknown to me.
Tall plant, magnificent dark blue flowers with beige patterns in the
centre. Needs to have a certain size to flower well but then
spectacular. Forms plantlets on the spent flower stalks.

EX04_061 Nymphaea 'Doris Holt' One of the best tropical Nymphaea
Hybrids. Attractive leaves with red splashes and bright purplish red
flowers with yellow centre, scented. Every leaf can form a new plant by
producing a tiny leaf tuber, these viviparous waterlilies may become
invasive in the right climate, so do not let them escape into natural
water habitats. Treatment of the leaf tuber you get: Depending where you
live: keep it in the fridge until light intensity and day length is
good. Do not allow it to go dry in the meantime. Then start it in warm
water (not below 20°C) in a small pot with loam or clay substrate (no
organic matter) in very shallow water and give artificial light if there
is no direct sun. The warmer the water is the more light it needs. The
tiny tuber will soon wake up and produce roots and small leaves,
submerged at first. Once the first floating leaves are formed fertilize
with Osmocote. Best grown outdoors during summer with as much sun as
possible, give a big pot and repeat fertilizing. Adult plants can grow
to a diameter of about 1,5m and are best in shallow warm water (about
20cm above substrate). Adult plants form a tuber but I never managed to
get a dormant tuber started again. I always found it easy to start from
leaf tubers which form at the end of summer. Here in Portugal it does
not go fully dormant. In Germany I have overwintered adult plants in a
frost free greenhouse in a bucket of water after trimming off almost all
the leaves, unheated and as bright as possible. I wrote a detailed
article on tropical waterlilies in the Bulb Garden, Volume 16, issue 2,
spring 2017.

--
Martin (pronoun: he)
----------------------------------------------
Southern Germany
Likely zone 7a

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