Re: Back from England- Autumn colour

Grdnpeach@aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 11/4/99 8:58:40 AM, janetble@otenet.gr writes:
> 
> << Does anyone else find bulbs as easy and rewarding to grow as we do? >>
> 
> Hello Janet,
> 
> Years ago, spring blooming bulbs and corms awarded me with some of my first
> feelings of gardening success.  I could stick the bulbs into the ground in
> the autumn or early winter, let the rains water them, and enjoy the blooms in
> the spring.
> 
> I remember reading about some African tulips that bloom yearly without the
> winter chill.  Now I can't locate the article, and don't remember the names.
> They would thrive in a Mediterranean climate without having to be dug,
> chilled and replanted yearly.  Could anyone provide information?

Nancy
This seems to be problem of using popular names. There are almost no
true tulips native to Africa. In fact the only one I can find mentioned
is one with not very exciting small white flowers from the Algerian
mountains, which I doubt is even in cultivation.

The main centre of diversity is central Asia, with a few in the eastern
mediterranean (especially Turkey and Crete) and one or two in Europe. I
have Tulipa saxatilis from Crete in my garden planted in the top of a
drystone wall edging a terrace and this comes up every year and flowers
faithfully without any attention. The flowers are soft mauve with yellow
centres. (Saxatilis means "growing among rocks")

There is a group of South African bulbs called Homeria with yellow,
salmon or red flowers of which H collina is known as Cape Tulip. This is
very showy, but extremely poisonous. It got to NZ probably from
Australia around mid-century and was soon declared a noxious weed
because of danger to stock. In spite of a vigourous official eradication
campaign in the 50s and 60s it has never quite disappeared, but is now
apparently confined to a few marginal sites. I rememeber it
spontaneously appeared in our garden around 1960 (heavens knows where
from) and an Ag department official actually came to dig out the bulbs
and take them away.

Anyway the African tulips in your article were perhaps Homerias, or
maybe a special strain of ordinary tulips bred in Africa to be more
resistant to warm conditions.

We are always told here that tulips will survive better and flower more
regularly in warm districts if planted very deep (as much as 10 inches
down) and I have also seem good flowering for many years from bulbs
planted close to the shady side of buildings and then just left to fend
for themselves.

Moira
-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata, 
New Zealand (astride the "Ring of Fire" in the SW Pacific).
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