Re: Anomatiheca Laxa

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>Hello Fellow Iris Fans,
>	On this month's San Diego and Imperial County Iris Society news letter, =
> our president, George Bange, sent a seed packet.  I can't wait to get =
>these little wonders planted.  They are labeled 15" African Irid- good =
>in border- coral/red flower.  The monthly meeting isn't until the 12th =
>and I want these in the ground before then.  Can anyone tell me how to =
>plant these seeds?
>


Hi,
I'm new on this list, though I have been interested in the Iris family for
some years.  My main interest is in growing species plants, mainly South
African Irids (Gladiolus, Freesia, Babiana etc etc) and more hardy species
from seed collected in the wild.  In total two or three hundred species.

Your request for information on Anomatheca laxa caught my eye.  Most South
African species are relatively easy to grow and this one fits into that
group.    It comes from the summer rainfall area of the Transvaal, but has a
winter growth pattern there.  An inhabitant of light woodland, it grows up
to a foot tall.  It may have red, white or blue flowers, a variety of
colours that happens with South African plants, causing confusion to some
growers.  

Here, in the UK, I grow it as a late summer growth plant with it flowering
in late Autumn (Fall). I grow red, white and white, with red beard types.
It is hardy down to a few degrees of frost, I find:  I grow it happily in a
cold greenhouse, as with most of my Cape bulbs, and temperatures in there
have been down to minus 3 centigrade in the last week, without many problems.

I grow, and germinate, all my Cape bulbs in a soil based compost, with
plenty of sharp sand and fine grit.  When I say plenty, I mean around 50%.
They tend to like very good drainage, fairly regular watering during growth.
A. laxa can flower in the first year.  I would feed regularly, but not too
richly, after germination and not let them go dormant for the first year, to
build the bulb up.

Its a pretty species, but there are many even more beautiful ones from that
country.  Can I suggest the book 'Cape Bulbs' by Richard L Doutt to you.  It
was published a couple of years ago by Timber Press.  He lives in San Francisco.

Best Regards

   
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