Re: Scarlet Bells - Don't believe everything you read

robin corwin wrote:
Dear Medit Plant People:

I live in southern California and was also was intrigued by the "Scarlet Bells" showing up at local Trader Joe's markets and OSH hardware and garden centers. The tag did say it was a California native, reliably returning in zones 9 & 10. I read your postings questioning just what species/hybrid it could be and then I noticed that the plant tag included the name of the distributing nursery, Nurserymen's Exchange in Half Moon Bay, in northern California.

So, I called them and asked their customer rep. She said she'd check with the grower and get back to me and this is what she wrote:


"It is Meleagris. It is native to Europe and Asia. It is not
recommended for Zones 8 and 9. It IS recommended for Zones 1-7 and
15-17. In any case, it is a nice, fairly long lasting house plant in
any climate.




So I guess the moral is, don't trust plant labels, if it looks like
meleagris, it probably is.



Hi Robyn

I would deplore the lack of knowledge a lot of these vendors have of
their products. Selling this plant in California seems rather dishonest
unless it comes with a warning about its temperature preferences. My
garden is approximately zone 9 and though I have successfully grown many
of the Mediterrnean species, I have never had any luck with meleagris
which has always faded out after a year or two, very different from its
performance in England. Risking growing them was however my own choice
as I ordered them deliberately from a specialist nursery.



I certainly can't imagine any flower if this species being accurately
described as scarlet though; crimson maybe, but most would be nearer to
purple or even pink.



As to claiming it is a Californian native, there is indeed a Scarlet
Fritillary (F. recurva) which is native to both California and Oregon,
but is only found at quite high altitudes and is notoriously difficult
to cultivate. It is certianly not one that one could expect to buy from
any old store.



Moira





--

Tony & Moira Ryan,

Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ. Pictures of our garden at:-

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm

NEW PICTURES AND DIAGRAMS ADDED 20/Feb/2005














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