[pbs] What promotes blooming?
totototo at telus.net
totototo at telus.net
Tue Oct 16 14:15:47 EDT 2007
On 14 Oct 07, at 10:09, Jane McGary wrote:
> ...I know that I will never get Nerine or Crinum to flower here...
O ye of little faith!
Nerine & Crinum both do well here, and your climate probably isn't
that different from Victoria's. Based on what I saw in flower on a
trip to SF in late Feb 2002, I'd say the Portland spring is a good
month ahead of ours, so you can't be *that* much different, can you?
I have my crinums planted close to the house in the belief that heat
loss through the foundation will mitigate the effects of hard
freezes. Such crinums as I have do well enough, though I wouldn't
call them stellar performers.
Nerine bowdenii doesn't do well for me, but I'm pretty sure the
problem is the high winter water table -- I live in an old swamp and
during wet winter weather, there's standing water. Nonetheless, a few
of them throw up a few flower stalks. Again, not a stellar
performance, but better than nothing.
[The swamp totally dries out in summer.]
Nerine crispa planted amongst some no-name crinums pops up every once
in a while: it seems to be sensitive to hard freezes and after we
have one, there's no floral sign of it for a few years -- though
there may be foliage I don't notice.
In other sites around town, Nerine bowdenii grows like gangbusters.
The best stand I know of is in the shade of Garry oaks (Quercus
garryana) on the side of a small (400') mountain: front garden beds
carpeted with the things, a few in the neighbors' as well, obviously
handalongs.
It's true that Victoria is a maritime city with the saltchuck on
three sides, so perhaps your humidity theory is operative, but still,
I wouldn't give up hope.
--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate
on beautiful Vancouver Island
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