[John]

In the western Algarve a couple of weeks ago we saw quite a few Romulea which I believe are probably R. bulbocodium. Despite the very heavy downpours they obviously can protect their flowers well.

[Alisdair]

Nice picture, John. I think these purplish forms are much prettier than the white or near-white forms that one often sees (at least in Greece).

[John]

Yes, I agree, and in all the years I have been visiting Crete I only ever saw one good purple form the rest in their thousands were white.

[oron peri]

Yes John, they are R. bulbocodium.

[John]

Thanks Oron, it's easy to think the obvious only to find out later that there are other species in the area which it could be.

[Alisdair]

This South African romulea grows in winter-rainfall areas, in places which can get pretty wet then. The picture was taken today (8 February), under glass in mediterranean conditions, here in the UK. A very cheering sight, as I ducked into the warm dry of the glasshouse to escape yet another of the downpours which show no sign of letting up!
I sowed the seed nearly two years ago and haven't yet moved the young bulbs out of their seed pot - I'll probably take them out to Greece now that I know they are true to name (the thin line of blue colour between the inner dark part and the main magenta part of the petals is a clincher).
The flowers are only about an inch across, and given sunnier skies their stems would be only about twice as tall as that, but here in these dismal days the stems are taller.

[Joanna Savage]

This photo shows the first flowering of purchased Romulea tetragona bulbs in late Feb 2007. I regret the poor photography. There was clearly still a lot of landscaping to do, as well as learning a new camera.

However  now 7 years later I am watching this Romulea closely. It threatens to be invasive as it spreads easily from seed. I am wondering if Romulea has a reputation as a Spreader, rather as some Oxalis do.

[Alisdair]

Joanna, some romuleas do have the reputation of being spreaders, at least in some places. We haven't had any trouble yet with the few species I've taken out to Greece, but I suspect we may be a bit too dry for them to get out of hand.
I don't myself know of any problems with R. tetragona (the fact that it is easy to grow from seed has been a plus point for me!)
The one to avoid generally is Romulea rosea, or "onion grass", which is widely naturalised and has become a weed in lots of places.

[Fermi]

Another South African romulea:
R. flava grown from seed from the NZAGS Seedex a few years ago - in fact a self sown seedling of it is now in flower in another pot!
cheers
fermi

[Charithea]

Fermi, I echo Hilary's words. In this heat they are such a pleasure to view. I love the daintiness of the Narc.romieuxii and N."Mondieu' and how lovely the S.African Romulea looks. I have noticed a posting by Alisdair that Romulea diversiforms thrive in med. conditions. I will note it down and attempt to grow it in our Autumn. I have been experimenting propagating seeds in the Autumn and very early Spring and had more success in our conditions in the former.

[Fermi]

Hi Charithea,
There are many South African romuleas which do well in Med conditions - you just need to make sure they come from the "winter rainfall" side of the Cape! Try Silverhill Seeds in RSA for a wide variety.
Likewise for gladioli which also do well here. Here in southern Australia many species from South Africa can go feral and become real pests. However some are difficult to keep going without extra water so they are less likely to get out of control.
Most of the arable land around here is infested with a pink flowering Romulea - possibly R.rosea - it is simply everywhere!
cheers
fermi

[Charithea]

Hi Fermi, thank you for the useful info. I will make sure I get the correct seeds. I have had good results with seeds that I brought from Sparoza after the AGM last Autumn. I had put them direct in the ground as soon as we got back. I had beautiful Nigellas. There are Nigellas in Cyprus but not in our area. They grow wild in Paphos among the ruins. I bought many packets of seeds in England in March including Nigellas and put them in pots. As soon as the warm weather came they dried up. Out of approx. 300 seeds of Cosmas only 4 germinated and finally 3 matured and produced some flowers. I have noticed the last few years that seeds which are given to me here in Cyprus or the ones from Sparoza do well here. Cuttings from Fleur's garden taken in April prospered. In the period of 2 weeks they actually flowered and are still thriving despite the heat. I feel a proper gardener as I have managed to grow Ipomoea quamoclitand intend to share the seeds they produced with my friends.

[Trevor Australis]

Try Chris and Rhoda McMasters in Sth Africa for seeds too. I've grown lots of good sm bulbs from them - and plenty of big ones too, esp. Haemanthus sp. in variety. We have had S-O-O-O much rain that Romulea sabulosa with 20 flower buds has hardly opened at all. I'm hoping for a few dry days to see what it does.

[Umbrian]

Charithea, I find that timing is all important when sowing seeds in the ground and one is very much at the mercy of the weather. If you do not sow early enough so that the seedlings are sufficiently strong to stand any sudden increase in temperature they tend to shrivel up and give up the ghost very readily. I like to have Night Scented Stock close to our eating areas but often they fail miserably I have had a good year this year mainly due to more rain and lower than normal temperatures in our area I think - so always worth a try is my motto

[Charithea]

Trevor and Carole thank you very much for the information. I shall certainly take your advice. I will let you know next year about the results. Charithea