Unusual Bulbs

Hi,

Well Sal seems to be getting interested in bulbs.
So I thought I would post some photos of some I saw last week at Kirstenbosch.

The first is Clivia caulescens. A rarer species than Clivia miniata.

 

And the second is Ammorcharis coranica
A fantasic Ammaryllid

 

I Didn`t know before about the vast collection of South African bulbs ,untill I`seen few of them , It would be interesting to introduce few to the forum.

 

Dam wrong Zone for me.

 

Most grow well in a pot in a greenhouse.

 

sal, there are litterally hundreds of types. Maybe even thousands.

They fall into 2 broad catagories.
Those found in the Western Cape are in a winter (April to October) rainfall area. These grow during these months.
And those that grow in the Eastern part of the country, and these get rain during the summer, and grow then.

 

Sal - have I not shown you my Scadoxus.................


Galtonia candicans is another that may interest you. Tall Growing and bloomed well for me even last year.................


Albuca shawii is another easy SA bulbous plant..................




I grow all the above in summer.

In growth at the moment I have Feraria crispa and Ledebouria violacia. I could use tips on these if Sirius has any?

 

One of the more unusual Haemanthus, Haemanthus humilis

 

longk,
Ferraria is a winter growing bulb.
I would water plentiful Sept - end of Nov. A bit less often Nov - end of Feb. And then a bit more in March, and then dry off to allow to become dormant.
Give as much sun as possible.

Ledebouria violacea is really easy to grow.
Water quite liberally in summer

 

Those are some of my favorite .

Boophone haemanthoides



Massonia pustulata



ferraria crispa



albuca spiralis



Gethyllis

 

I completely love the ferraria crispa

 

Sal,
Have a look at Silverhill seeds.
They have a fantastic selection of bulbs

http://www.silverhillseeds.co.za/

 

This is a Ledebouria sp I saw growing in the veld in Pilanesburg Game Reserve.
Photo taken 2 years ago (December)

 

Thank Sirius , bought some seeds of aloe polyphylla years ago , really had a good germination , unfortunatly didn`t know how much snails love to eat young cactus ..

Silverhill it`s a really reliable supply , if I really want to start a collection of rare bulbs I think the cheap way is seeds.

 

sal,
Aloe polyphylla is marginally hardy. Ok with temps, just needs to be kept dry.

Yup, Silverhill have a fantastic range of bulbs