Hi Glads fanatics ;o))
I am wondering what Acidanthera is?
Some places it is listed as a lily, other places as a genus of its own, and other places
it is referred as being under the gladiolus genus.
What is it really? can anyone help me get rid of my confusion :o)))
Monica
Acidanthera?
Hi Monica, Acidanthera is now included in Gladiolus, the one which is readily available here is A. bicolor, or Gladiolus callianthus.
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/bulbs-summer/acida_bi.html
I grew some last year in the greenhouse, they did well.
Thanks Janet
Got a bit confused with all the different info I found about it.
Did a good bargain last week, now I ca`t wait to se them grow and flower.
But you planted it in your green house?
Oh one last question, for about how long a period did yours bloom?
Yes I had half of them in a large pot in the greenhouse, the other 7 I put in the ground.
The greenhouse ones grew tall and lush, they flowered for a long time as they make several flowers in succession.
The ones in the ground didn't flower or grow as well, but I left them there to see what they do this year, if anything!
This was on 26th September, and as you know it was hot last summer here, but the greenhouse door was open and it gets a lot of shade, as well a some glass panes missing. The one in the roof was the apple tree testing Newton's theory of gravity, but it went on a wind driven detour!
You may be best putting them in a pot in a sheltered warm place.
Oh wow it really looks beaautiful!
I can understand it is from Ethiopia? Probably why it needs a warm place.
But I got the right spot for it, I hope it will flower, it looks so beautiful :o))
To bad about the glass getting broken.
Yes it is from Ethiopia, and it's scented, not strongly so but pleasantly delicate.
I hope mine flower again this year, it's not very long since the stems died off completely so they are probably later growing.
Mmmmmhhh…. Can almost smell the flowers :o)))
Getting all excited, a good thing that summer is near.
I should think yours will bloom, a bit later as you say, and what a delight they will be.
Wondering about how well the ones that were plantet in the ground will make it, as they had a shorter growing season? Maybe the bulbs did not grow as big? or did you put them in the greenhouse as well (when it got cold)
The bulbs in the ground are still there, I wanted to see if they got through the winter. It was very dry last year and they are on the top of a bank, so probably didn't get the ideal conditions although it was very hot.
Those in the pot I could keep watered better, and are growing in my compost mix, good food!
I saw someone giving away lots of small bulbs as they increase well, perhaps I should tip mine out of the pot to see what I have but I am tempted to leave them for this year.. Other species Glads make small bulbs on the end of roots, papilio makes plenty.
Please let us know if they made it trough the winter, it would be very interesting.
About the small bulbs, it would be interesting to se how many they have produced.
When I plant bulbs in pots I only dig in there every two years. Don’t know for sure if it makes any difference not disturbing them or not.
Maybe it is just a habit ;o))
When I dug up my “nova lux” it had lost and lots of little bulbs, and I could not get all of the up of the ground.
Maybe they will grow this years, as the winter was so mild.
I think small bulbs are best left for another year, and if they grow again I will be able to see the young foliage.
That doesn't stop me wanting to have a look though! I have so many pots that need sorting before those, so they will most likely get left anyway. It turned into spring yesterday, and everyting needs doing at once! Today is sunny with large clouds going over, but it looks promising and the advance forecast promises similar weather for the next 10 days. It makes the world of difference, feels so good!
Some hybrid Glads. are hardier than others, so yours might return. Priscilla seems to be one which will live in the ground, as some have shown theirs to be long lived in fairly cold zones.
Hi Janet been away for a few days.
Then it looks like am not doing the wrong thing then :o)
Know the feeling about wanting to have a peek, and see what is going on.
We will have good weather her as well, jubbiiii can almost smell spring :o))
I've had those in the past but lost them when we sold the house. The locals here call them peacock orchids.
I just found a couple of packs of the bulbs last week at Walmart and I think I'll pot them up rather than in the ground where I'd have to dig them in the fall.
was thinking to do the same thing, but have now planed to plant them just by my door, so I can see it all the time :o)
I ordered 30 of them in Jan so I think when they arrive I will pot up, as per wallaby_1, two thirds of them for the green house and plant the rest in a spot next to the foundation to see if they will winter over. Thanks, again. Patti
They will not rebloom second year down here for me--I think it doesn't get cold enough in the winter or else it gets entirely too hot in the summer. Any other glads do fine--just not those. They grow real well and are hard to dig out--I finally had to give up on them about 5 years ago. I wish they would rebloom--they are very tough and pretty for hard to get to areas. =(
I can see why they are sold so cheaply, I pulled one up, it wasn't far from the top of the pot and in nice loose leafy compost very slightly moist. The mother bulb is twice the size at least of the ones I planted, I remember them being quite small rather like Iris reticulata bulbs, now they are a full blow Glad corm.
All these little bulbs were clustered beneath, some came off, I dug around and found 17 just off the one! They are a fairly good size too, I am sure the mother bulb will flower again! I pulled the dead stem off, I perhaps should have cut it off as it was still slightly moist inside but did come away cleanly, I may have damaged the growth point by doing that though.
I will now have to remove them all, replant and start a bulb farm with the small ones! I only have 7 in the pot. When I do it I'll try to remember to take a pic of the bulbs.
I dug the bulb up again to take a pic. It's about the size of a 12cm Glad corm. I'm sure the ones I bought originally had a whiter skin, these bulblets will probably be the same size as those next year. Notice the netting on them, perhaps they are for expansion.
bbrook; that will be beautiful to see ;o))))
Dmj;
I would never have thought that they would not rebloom in Texas, them being from Ethiopia and all. And as you wrote it does not get that cold in your area.
But do they grow and have foliage anyway?
Janet;
Wow that is a lot of bulbils, amazing how many are produced fro one mother bulb.
It will interesting to see if the mother bulb will bloom again, maybe that is why Dmj`s does not? The mother bulb does not look as the ones I have, maybe because of maturity?
Yours, as you wrote look much more as a “real” gladiolus bulb.
Took this photo today, it is a bit lighter as you wrote, has a bit of the netting as well, but is a bit more pointy, than my other glads bulbs.
Hmmm: netting for expansion or netting from shrinkage? Just conjecture here too.
Monica, mine were that shape when I got them, perhaps even smaller, they have grown a lot in one season. I thought I might get them repotted today but I mixed a wheelbarrow load of compost and used it all on other things, mainly Zantedeschias.
I'm surprised they don't bloom again for you too Deb, we had it hot last year and they were in the greenhouse, but partly shaded with plenty of ventilation. It will be interesting to see what happens with mine, it certainly looks like it should flower!
I wonder if growing in a good compost mix will make the difference, all my tenderish bulbs do well in that, the formation of the next season's flowers is I believe made the previous season after flowering, they must be getting what they need from the compost.
Lefty, now why didn't I think of that? A spur of the moment thought, but it's funny how I thought one way, you thought the other! Hmm, now if they have contracted, then they will again expand! So the netting will provide for expansion, I can fight my way out of a paper bag! They haven't been dried for long, it was a slow process over winter, and the bulblets have not as yet made any top growth but I imagine they would shrink a little, being tender little babies!
Zest--high temp is about 90F for four months of the year with rather high humidity.
Janet;
It looks bigger than it is (zoomed it).
I am a bit jealous of your compost LOL, it seems to be good for everything :o))
Them being from Ethiopia, you would think that they would do best when it is warm. Maybe all the mother plants energy goes to making babies? Sounds likely?
Dmj;
90F, kind of hot LOL soothing like New Orleans I think.
Maybe the callianthus come from a cooler part of Ethiopia, it could affect them?
Zest--we are much like New Orleans. Not all of Texas is hot and dry. We stay cooler in the summer too; but warmer in the winter.
ok that is about what I had imagine :o)))
Deb your weather is sounding better all the time! I think I could stand a little more heat, much preferable to too much chilling.
I managed to repot the G. callianthus today. All looked good and were much the same size, one a little smaller, but one of them was soft on one side so I discarded it, it was disintegrating with some sort of rot. They were close to the sides of the pot, it is a heavy terracotta one, they did well really to get through the winter.
Six bulbs was enough for the pot anyway as they are much larger, I took all the small ones off and kept 25 larger bulblets, put in one pot to grow on. The rest I think I should throw away, there was well in excess of 100. I can't grow all those!
I think they will need the same treatment each year, the old bulb had shrivelled and was attached underneath with lots of old roots and all the bulblets clustered around, I took the old bulb off too. It's amazing that they made a whole new large bulb on top as well as lots of little ones.
That may be one reason they don't thrive if left in the ground, Crocosmia are much the same, you need to remove the old and replant.
Well Janet it does make for rampant weed growth--lol
Took this "spindly" Glad pic for you yesterday--G carneus. The ones laying down have since "perked" back up.
I wish they were a bit more "sturdy" like these Veltheima bracteata where I would be sure they would make it. I think I'm going to let all these glads go dormant in my closet this summer so they will stay about 80F instead of warmer. At least for this first year.
You will be surprised how the glads come back strong, I put mine in the greenhouse a few days ago, many have already died back, the different species will all behave differently. Have faith! The temps in Sth Africa are not always very high so to keep them lower is probalby a good idea.
I'm thinking now it will be better to just sow the spring ones and leave the rest of the autumn sowing ones until early September. Besides I have so many seeds to sow, but have done well so far. Most of the Leucocoryne are germinating, I sowed them after at least 3 weeks in water in the garage at 5C or lower (to -7C!), some were sat in partial ice. I have one Phycella ignea showing, and I think a Placea arzae. Just about all the Rhodophiala rhodolirion have germinated, I sowed the first lot and left the rest to germinate in water, sowed them today.
Hey weeds grow like weeds here too! Mulch.
Very determined weeds here--they grow thru 6" of mulch, no problem. But most of these are winter species weeds so they should die off as soon as it gets a bit warmer. Then starts the nutgrass--the very thorn in the side of my gardening life.
Wallaby, I am surprised that they didn't flower for you. We grow them here in East Sussex (planted in late April), with only 1/2 day of sun, dappled shade in afternoon, and they blossomed like mad! Fab scent. And even in our heavy clay, they have already started to come back up this year. Could it be that they aren't getting enough water on your slope?
Janet it seems as if callianthus can be a potential weed, 100 babies is a lot!
Dmj; the baby glads look so small and pretty. When do you think they will bloom, in two tree years?
Laurie, yes it was very dry on the slope and we had no rain for 2 months, I will see what they do this year. Although you are probably in a warmer location last year was very hot, but it didn't warm up until very late. Clay soil is quite fertile too. Yours may have held moisture better in semi-shade, although I get lots of shade.
Monica, such a pretty weed though!
very pretty ;o)))))