Another Contribution from Argentina

The white American spider lilies, Hymenocallis, are one of my favorite bulb groups. Found from the Southeastern USA and the Mississippi Valley through Central America, some of them make great landscape plants in mild climates while others are great pot plants that grow in summer and sleep through the winter. One species, Hymenocallis occidentalis (a.k.a. caroliniana) is even hardy outdoor in the ground here in central Indiana.

Here is a photo from Mariano Saviello of his plant of Hymenocallis sonorensis in bloom. Up here in the northern hemisphere, this species blooms at the end of summer. I guess May is pretty much the end of summer in Argentina.

Hymenocallis sonoriensis grows along streams and valleys in Sonora, Mexico. An easy Hymenocallis to grow and bloom in mid autumn (Southern Hemisphere).

My own plants are just starting to grow, except for the lone clump of Hymenocallis liriosme growing at the south end of my greenhouse. It has already started to bloom.

Hymenocallis liriosme
Growing outdoors in the ground, but very close to the greenhouse wall!

I'm going to test several plants from H. liriosme out in the open garden. Maybe, with lots of mulch, some of them will survive the winter here.

We have bracketed the Hymenocallis growing season right here, from the last flowers of the summer in Argentina to the first flowers of the summer in Indiana.

Good gardening, from here in central Indiana

Jim

Iris

In the Siberica group of irises, a standout is Iris sanguinea. I have one particular variety that has made a huge clump over the years. Unlike many other irises, this one survives my neglect and still blooms every year in springtime.

Iris sanguinea 'Kamyama'

Even earlier to bloom is Iris lactea, distinguished mainly by its flowers blooming down in the foliage. The tall bearded iris have all bloomed too, of course.

Scadoxus

These bulbs in the Amaryllis Family are native to Southern Africa. I am very fond of Scadoxus puiniceus, which is very easy to grow in the greenhouse and lath house, and which blooms reliably in February before the leaves have developed. Scadoxus multiflorus katherinae, the pretty sister of the multiflorus multiflorus found in many bulb catalogs, is harder for me to bring to flower. When it blooms, it blooms in July here.

A plant acquaintance in South Africa has crossed these two species, and then crossed their offspring. Seeds from the offspring, the F₂ generation, have started to bloom for me. Here is one of the first two to bloom, as it appeared in late May in my lath house. So far, the February bloom time and the July bloom time of the grandparents seem to have produced a median bloom time in these grandkids.

Scadoxus [puniceus x katherinae] F2

Proiphys

This is a genus of the Amaryllis Family that is native to Australia. I have had Proiphys amboinensis for years. It blooms in mid-summer, when it blooms, and is usually deciduous in the greenhouse in winter. A second species in this genus, Proiphys cunninghamii, came my way a few years ago; and now it is blooming.

Proiphys cunninghamii
The flowers are about 1½ inch across.

Note that in the picture above, the center flower that you are staring straight into is a little unusual: it is a polytepal, having four petals and four sepals instead of the usual three of each.

I kept this one watered and growing in the warm greenhouse all last winter. Now both plants are in bloom, so it must have liked the treatment it received. I'm cross-pollinating the two blooming plants in hopes of getting a few seeds. This plant deserves to be better known.

Good gardening, from here in central Indiana

Jim

Weeds

Weeds actually dominate May and June in the garden. My helpers have been attacking the weeds since early May, and we still have plenty to go. The bane of my existence is Canada Thistle, but Bindweed, Mustard, and miscellaneous grasses contribute their shares as well. We try to spray for weeds, of course, but while that can help, we have to watch out for damage to our flowers. Having been a chemist most of my life, I am not opposed to spraying weed killers. I just want to use them in a reasonable way. I can say from personal observation that most people who spray to kill bugs or weeds do not use the proper precautions to keep the sprays off their skin and out of their lungs. Read the directions, take all the precautions, wear protective clothing and gloves, and wash the clothes and yourself thoroughyly after spraying.