Re: Libertia peregrinans

Tim Dutton wrote:
> 
> As a result of Tim's question I thought I'd check on my clumps of L.
> peregrinans. The older clump is showing flower stalks with seed pods on
> about 50% of the older fans, but no flower stalks on the newer fans that
> have arisen from recent runners. As there are well over 100 fans in a space
> around 2 ft by 4 ft and each flower stalk has multiple flowers on it, there
> would have been several hundred flowers this year. There's hope yet Tim!
> Interestingly mine have leaves that are mainly green with the orange
> confined to the mid rib on most of the leaves. Only a very few are close to
> being orange all over. Conditions are shady for over half the day, dampish
> soil and they never get fed. The smaller clump (transplanted from the
> original one a few months ago) gets sun for most of the day, better quality
> soil and shows more orange in the leaves. This had some flowers too on the
> larger fans this year.

Hi Tim
Thanks for your earlier New Year wishes which are returned with
interest. I apologise for the tardy reply but our social life over the
festive season has been hectic, both visiting and being visited by the
family and a few days ago entertaining visitors from Ireland. 

Yesterday we were over in Papakowhai helping our youngest son and wife
tidy up their garden. There were a lot of overgrown shrubs and trees in
need of tidying and a few to be removed altogether. The prevous owners
had considerably overplanted and a jungle was in the process of forming.
We worked from 10.30 until 3 with a short lunch-break, I doing the
in-between stuff and Tim climbing ladders and getting down to ground
level, with Tony concentrating on the high-medium parts and Wendy coming
behind us weeding. Oh, and the two boys piling everything beside the
garage for removal..It was quite like old times for me pruning so much
and we got an amazing amount done. 

The previous owners seem to have had a passion for Hebes and while some
of the bushes were still attractive others were well past their use-by
date. When we removed one old monster at the base of a pillar supporting
a first floor balcony (well, really a raised deck) we found it had
overgrown a beautiful Star jasmine (Trachelospermum) which is now free
to twine its way up the post unhindered. In spite of being
half-smothered it was in full flower and the scent delightful.

Turning to the Libertia, I think it is possible to see a pattern. If you
grow it in full sun and poorish soil you get lots of the gold colour,
but few flowers, while if it enjoys richer soil and some shade the
colour is less intense but the flowering much better. All the plants I
have ever seen have been in sun and most in very dry places, which
accounts I am sure for my being unaware of the flowers. In any case, as
most people who mention flowers, such as you, notice rather the seepods
so I susopect the flowering itself is not particularly spectacular.

Cheers

Moira
-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata, New Zealand, SW Pacific. 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Time
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