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Moraea

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Daisy

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Moraea
« on: August 09, 2011, 04:18:30 PM »
I feel just like a child at Christmas.  ;D ;D ;D
My spring bulbs have arrived. So exciting!!!! There is nothing like opening a boxful of new bulbs. All that promise. ;D ;D ;D
I only ordered them from Bulb' Argence eight days ago. That was quick.
I am used to some parcels from the U.K. taking weeks.

They are mainly Narcissi, but I also have Moraea polystachya and Moraea collina (syn. M. flaccida aurantiaca).
These last two are new to me. I have googled them to see if they should be planted immediately, or not until the autumn rains start. But I cannot find that information. Does anybody know?
Daisy :)
« Last Edit: April 23, 2013, 07:35:54 PM by Alisdair »
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Amateur gardener, who has gardened in Surrey and Cornwall, England, but now has a tiny garden facing north west, near the coast in north east Crete. It is 300 meters above sea level. On a steep learning curve!!! Member of both MGS and RHS
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Alisdair

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Re: New Bulbs
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2011, 07:04:22 PM »
Get them in as soon as you can, Daisy!. What they have in their catalogue under the name M. flaccida aurantiaca appears from their picture to be Moraea collina (syn. M. aurantiaca), rather than M. flaccida, which instead has yellow-eyed flowers, but anyway both will flower in spring, as does M. polystachya. M. polystachya is particularly drought-tolerant.
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Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

Daisy

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Re: New Bulbs
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2011, 07:48:10 AM »
Thanks Alisdair. I will pot them to-day.
Daisy :)
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Amateur gardener, who has gardened in Surrey and Cornwall, England, but now has a tiny garden facing north west, near the coast in north east Crete. It is 300 meters above sea level. On a steep learning curve!!! Member of both MGS and RHS

Daisy

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Re: New Bulbs
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2011, 05:00:02 PM »
The first of my new bulbs arrived on the 9th August. I potted them on the 10th August.
I arrived home from shopping today 4th October and found the first flowers of the Morea polystachya had opened. ;D ;D ;D
Daisy :)





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Amateur gardener, who has gardened in Surrey and Cornwall, England, but now has a tiny garden facing north west, near the coast in north east Crete. It is 300 meters above sea level. On a steep learning curve!!! Member of both MGS and RHS

ezeiza

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Re: New Bulbs
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2011, 05:46:46 PM »
I have missed this.

The flowering season of M. polystachya is autumn (and winter). A similar smaller species, M. bipartita only flowers in spring.
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Alisdair

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Re: New Bulbs
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2011, 07:07:36 PM »
Well done Daisy - how nice to see them flowering so soon after potting!
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Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

David Bracey

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Re: New Bulbs
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2011, 08:32:28 PM »
Daisy you can speak to Lauw directly , he speaks English- he studied in Scotland, French and Dutch so take your pick. David
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 I have gardened in sub-tropical Florida, maritime UK, continental Europe and the Mediterranean basin, France. Of the 4 I have found that the most difficult climate for gardening is the latter.
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Alisdair

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Moraea fugax - now you see it, now you don't
« Reply #7 on: April 23, 2013, 07:37:57 PM »
Moraea fugax is one of the prettiest in the genus, but is aptly named as its flowers though profuse are so short-lived. These flowers opened just before noon today, and were over by teatime. Depending on weather, they should produce seed in a couple of weeks or so. They have a good slightly spicy fragrance, and like others in the genus are well worth looking at closely. Some populations have white or blue flowers. It comes from the winter rainfall area of South Africa and does well in mediterranean conditions, but in its native areas does not grow on alkaline soils.
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Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society
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JTh

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Re: Moraea
« Reply #8 on: April 23, 2013, 09:48:45 PM »
Beautiful, Alisdair, you were lucky to catch it just in time, if the flowers last for such a short time.
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Trevor Australis

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Re: Moraea
« Reply #9 on: April 24, 2013, 12:13:31 AM »
Just a word of caution: some Morea's have weed potential in Med. climates. Their seeds pop out unless carefully watched and some make numerous very fine cormlets that can be spread by digging and on garden tools used for digging them.
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M Land. Arch., B. Sp. Ed. Teacher, traveller and usually climate compatible.
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Alisdair

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Re: Moraea fugax
« Reply #10 on: April 24, 2013, 07:19:52 AM »
Thanks, Jorun; last year, the year before and the year before that I missed it altogether - each time we were away for a week, and came back to see seed pods. So this was the first year we'd actually seen it! The first flowers had opened the previous day, so yesterday I was virtually lying in wait for it and luckily it was another sunny day - they may not open at all on dull days.
So it all was just in the nick of time, as crack of dawn tomorrow we're off on the MGS trip to Croatia.
Quote from: JTh on April 23, 2013, 09:48:45 PM
Beautiful, Alisdair, you were lucky to catch it just in time, if the flowers last for such a short time.
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Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society
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Fermi

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Re: Moraea
« Reply #11 on: October 08, 2013, 07:44:45 AM »
Some Moreas in our garden this spring,
The short but prolific Moraea (Gynandriris) setifolia,
Moraea aristata (though it might be a hybrid!) x2
cheers
fermi
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Mr F de Sousa, Central Victoria, Australia
member of AGS, SRGC, NARGS
working as a physio to support my gardening habit!
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Fermi

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Re: Moraea
« Reply #12 on: December 02, 2013, 02:01:33 AM »
This is a moraea which came up as a "volunteer" in a pot of Dichelostemma which I got from Garry Reid a local bulb seller; we think it might be Moraea gracilenta. It sends up a long whippy leaf stalk and the flowers arch outwards from the stem. The flowers open suddenly in the late afternoon and fade by nightfall, so rather fleeting and I only seem to get good seed set if 2 plants are present - unfortunately this doesn't happen every year and this is one of the years where there's only one in bloom,
cheers
fermi
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Mr F de Sousa, Central Victoria, Australia
member of AGS, SRGC, NARGS
working as a physio to support my gardening habit!
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Alisdair

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Re: Moraea gracilenta
« Reply #13 on: December 02, 2013, 10:20:58 AM »
Nice, Fermi! That's one of the scented ones, isn't it? (I've never seen it myself.)
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Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society
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Fermi

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Re: Moraea gracilenta
« Reply #14 on: December 06, 2013, 07:46:16 AM »
Quote from: Alisdair on December 02, 2013, 10:20:58 AM
Nice, Fermi! That's one of the scented ones, isn't it? (I've never seen it myself.)
Alisdair,
I've never thought to sniff it!
I'll see if I can get close enough to do so the next time I notice it in flower,
cheers
fermi
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Mr F de Sousa, Central Victoria, Australia
member of AGS, SRGC, NARGS
working as a physio to support my gardening habit!
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