Re: Lachenalia in the ground?

I have also some plants of L. 'Ronina', which if I
remember correctly is a hybrid that is a fairly recent
introduction here in California distributed by
Nurseryman's Exchange.  In my experience with the
various Lachenalia species that I have tried, they all
need protection from slugs and snails here in northern
California if you expect to ever see them bloom a
second season.  They are not nearly as easy to grow as
other South African bulbs such as Romulea, Ixia,
Sparaxis, Veltheimia, and Watsonia, to name a few,
under our local coastal northern California
conditions, which I can plant and ignore and they
still bloom reliably every year.  

L. mutabilis should be one of the easier species to
grow here, but I suspect that I don't really have the
watering regimen down pat for them, and they probably
rotted out from being given too much water during
their dormant period.  Too bad, as they look so
gorgeous where I have seen them naturalized in Los
Angeles at a friend's nursery, where they grew like
weeds.

The occasional bouts of freezing weather in California
may cause loss of flowers that season, but the plants
will usually survive the occasional bad freeze and
bloom again next year in coastal California
conditions.  If you are subject to regular frosts
every winter, they are better off grown as container
plants that can be protected.  I think they are also
easier to protect from mollusks in pots, at least they
would be in my own garden, where slugs and snails are
rampant in early spring.
--- N Sterman <TalkingPoints@plantsoup.com> wrote:

> I received a gift of Lachenalia 'Rupert' and
> Lachenalia 'Ronina'  
> bulbs.  I've only grown Lachenalias in pots in the
> past but I am  
> wondering if I can grow these in the ground.  I have
> sandy soil and a  
> climate that usually doesn't go below about 25
> degrees but this year  
> got down into the upper teens (a real disaster).  I
> expect next year  
> won't be as cold.
> 
> Shall I try these guys in the ground?  And if so,
> under what conditions?
> 
> Thanks
> 
>
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