Re: [gardeners] Re: Amaryllis & "sweet peas"
ronhay (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Thu, 13 Jan 2000 07:33:53 -0800
Good morning, friends:)
The polygala which is blooming right outside my window ("sweet pea bush") is a
vivid magenta, and that is the only color I have ever seen. I would be very
interested in obtaining a white-flowering one, since they thrive on benign
neglect, not even liking to be watered very much.
The color is so strong, that it is hard to pair with anything; but since the
bushes fill out our planter so thoroughly, that is no longer an issue:) Petunias
worked beautifully, however, when the bushes were in gallon cans from the
nursery, two years ago.
Has anyone had experience with African daylillies ("fortnight lillies")? Ours
seem to grow very readily from seed, and take about 4 years to grow to blooming
size. They, too, are amazingly xeric, and grow abundantly in parts of our yard
which are difficult to water. Thank goodness for such unthirsty beauties as my
above-mentioned choices.
Happy gardening to you all....in spirit or in fact:)
Ron
Bob Kirk wrote:
> > George, have you kept track of how long from seed to blossom? Someone asked
> > me a few years ago, and the only source I could find said it was about 7
> > years. That seems to be extreme. Thanks, Margaret
> >
> Right offhand, that sounds like the figure Wayside or White Flower Farm
> was citing for some exotic (yellow? butterfly?) amaryllis a few years ago -
> which didn't appear to be the most vigorous plant in the catalog.
>
> > From: ronhay <ronhay@pacbell.net>
> >
> > Our "sweet pea" bushes are continuing to bloom. (They are not sweet
> > peas, per se, and cannot think of their proper botanical name at the
> > moment...sometying like polygarum dalmatiana, or something like that),
>
> Polygala x dalmaisiana? (reminds me that blue! P. calcarea figured in
> one of the many potential breeding programs I've never written down,
> figuring I'd remember if I ever took a good look at the genus again). Had
> a white-flowered Australian one of these for a long time, not very big
> flowers but lots of them, and it basically bloomed forever in a gallon
> pot. Not in the Sunset WGB at least, but I believe it's pretty common out
> there. That name sounds familiar - maybe it was just a white-flowered
> form of yours?
>
> bk---
>
> new graduate committee: The US Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor, chair