We now have been transferring crops throughout the backyard to supply extra supportive environments, create a simpler show, and free area for different crops. Right this moment, we’ll overview the relocation of two crops, specializing in their annual cycles and the timing of the transfer.
These two crops from very completely different areas of the world are each hysteranthous geophytes, which means that their leaves emerge after the flowers have pale. They’re known as “leafless autumnal-flowering geophytes.” This adaptation helps to forestall main water loss, as a result of each the leaves and inflorescence lose substantial quantities of moisture.
By comparability, crops that flower on the identical time that the leaves are current are known as synanthous.
The Large White Sea Squill (Drimia maritima)
This bulbous plant is extensively distributed all through the shores and islands of the Mediterranean Sea and is well-suited to the Monterey Bay space local weather. Within the late summer time, round August, the leaves fade away and the plant generates a 3- to 4-foot tall stalk topped with a placing inflorescence of star-shaped white flowers with yellow facilities. The flowers fade by the tip of October, from November to August, the plant develops 4-inch by 18-inch glaucus blue-green leaves in a lovely clump.
As an alternative of propagating by forming bulbils as basal offsets, this plant’s bulbs cut up dichotomously, forming two bulbs for each, and ultimately making a big clump. These bulbs might be lifted and divided to relocate throughout the backyard or to share with different gardeners. The best time to maneuver the bulbs is the temporary interval after the flower fades and earlier than the brand new leaves type a clump.
A number of crops had developed in my backyard, however a close-by olive tree had grown to restrict the solar publicity they wanted to blossom. My venture was to raise the bulbs and relocate them to full solar publicity. We created area throughout the Mediterranean-themed backyard mattress by lifting and transferring a rising assortment of the tall bearded Iris ‘That’s All Of us” (the final venture of a retiring hybridizer).
The Large Squill’s bulbs can develop to a formidable dimension, as much as 12 inches throughout, and might be so shut collectively that separating them might trigger injury. When divided as particular person blubs or tight clumps, they need to be spaced two ft aside to permit rising room.
We relocated a number of massive bulbs and are within the strategy of sharing further bulbs with mates. We are going to replant their outdated area after discovering shade-tolerant crops native to the Mediterranean basin.
The Blood Lily (Haemanthus coccineas)
Every of those South African bulbs develops simply two strap-shaped leaves that may be 8 inches extensive and as much as 27 inches lengthy. In our local weather, the blossoms emerge in September or October, with every quick stalk (pedicel) displaying an inflorescence (umbel) of many small pink flowers surrounded by six showy scarlet bracts. Yellow anthers make a spectacular pink and gold impact. The leaves emerge in March and fade in October.
These crops have been spreading inside a small part of my South Africa-themed mattress, needing extra space for the unfold of their massive engaging leaves. We made a shady area for them below a Mock Orange (Pittosporum tobira) by eradicating a number of sq. ft of the spreading groundcover Pig Squeak (Bergenia cordifolia ‘Apple Blossom’), a very good plant for sharing with different gardeners.
The area the Blood Lilies left behind will accommodate new South African succulent crops.
Advance your gardening data
The Cactus & Succulent Society of America will current the webinar, “Succulessense: Hints to Capturing the Plant’s Character In Your Pictures,” at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The Cactus & Succulent Society of America’s description: “On this day of sensible telephones and digital cameras, its solely pure that all of us are photographers. In any case, lengthy earlier than the times of written language, our ancestors painted in caves to protect data and talk with others. Create pictures with higher visible affect that reinforce the bonds we’ve with the crops we love, whereas extra successfully utilizing imagery to share your observations. Get useful hints for visually capturing the essence of cacti and succulents in footage.”
The presenter, Irwin Lightstone, closed his legislation observe of 29 years to turn into a full-time photographer, specializing in extremely detailed, inventive pictures of cacti and succulents. His images have been extensively revealed, and his workshops and talks have been sponsored by many nationwide organizations. Along with his different volunteer actions, he’s a Cactus & Succulent Society of America board member.
Our digital pocket cameras are highly effective instruments for documenting our gardens and sharing their pictures with mates. The cameras automate the technical facets of images, i.e., publicity, focus, storage, information of time, date, and placement, and much more. The aesthetic facet of the picture is the photographer’s problem. This presentation will enable you to provide pleasing footage of your crops.
To achieve extra data and register for this free on-line occasion, browse to cactusandsucculentsociety.org/ and mark your calendar.
Get pleasure from your backyard!
Tom Karwin is previous president of Mates of the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and the Monterey Bay Iris Society, a Lifetime Member of the Monterey Bay Space Cactus & Succulent Society, and a Lifetime UC Grasp Gardener (Licensed 1999–2009). He’s now a board member of the Santa Cruz Hostel Society, and lively with the Pacific Horticultural Society. To view day by day pictures from his backyard, https://www.fb.com/ongardeningcom-566511763375123/. For backyard teaching data and an archive of earlier On Gardening columns, go to http://ongardening.com.
