Re: Arisaemas
- Subject: Re: Arisaemas
- From: "Marge Talt" m*@hort.net
- Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2003 03:05:13 -0400
Nice lot of children you have Walter - A. sikokianum is a favorite
and the silver center form is really special - hard to keep as it
seems to just die after a few years, but such a beauty...it wants dry
winter conditions and/or very sharp drainage. I have lost A.
serratum once, too...seems to be one that is a bit touchy; have it
again in tiny seedling form and hope to do better by it this time
around.
Some do go dormant for more than a year if stressed in any way, so
you don't want to give up hope for them unless you dig and find
nothing or mush.
Yes, they are 'exotic':-) They are all Asian species. Advice on
growing many of these is to plant in "dirty" sand - i.e. sand with
organic material added - before I read this, I had read that they
needed very good drainage so put a wad of coarse sand under the
tubers when I planted in my new woodland garden's amended clay.
Seems to have worked as all of those have returned, even after last
winter. We shall see what the monsoon season we're having in lieu of
drought does for or against them next year:-)
I have grown bunches from seed; most are still not at flowering size
or have only been in the ground a year or two - too early to really
say how they will do in the long run, but have a very nice expanding
clump of A. fargesii (some insist it is only a variation of A.
franchetianum, but I go with Guy Gusman's assessment). Highly
recommend it - got my tuber from Ellen Hornig several years ago and
it's now a nice big clump. Closely related A. candidissimum is also
a good grower with a lovely pink spathe (generally) and highly
recommended as is A. ringens - really exotic inflorescence on that
child! My seedling A. tortuosum flowered for the first time this
year - pretty neat, too - this is their 3rd year in the ground, so
seems they will do OK.
Well, there are so many totally neat species:-) But the above have
done well for me.
If you are interested in this genus, I highly recommend Guy and
Liliane Gusman's 'The Genus Arisaema', just published last winter. I
believe it's available through Timber Press and I know Barnes & Noble
were listing it not long ago. Might even be on Amazon.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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> From: OXFORDWALT@aol.com
> Hi Marge:
> Let's see now.......I have Thunbergii, Sikkokianum, Sikkokianum
Silver Center
> and I may have lost Serrata as it didn't come up this year after
planting
> last year. That happened with Thunbergii when I moved. Thought I
lost it but
> after discussing with Tony Avent, he said they don't like being
disturbed and
> may go dormant for one or two years. It did. So I still have hope
for Serrata.
> I do hope they are exotic? maybe wrong choice of words, but
imports?, not
> your tried and true domestic beauties.
> Do yopu find some are better growers than others? I'd like to hear
peoples
> opinions & experiences.
> Walter in Bucks County
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