Sparaxis

[Ann B.]

I truly adore these bulbs when they are in bloom. I took pictures of quite a few of them. Many are different, not only in color, but also in design.

Enjoy!

[Ann B.]

Another...

[Ann B.]

Another....

[Ann B.]

Another.....

[Ann B.]

Still another....

[Ann B.]

And another.....

[Ann B.]

Another....

[Ann B.]

These have already started to pop up. They are the ones that I planted last year.

There were so few bulbs on the market this year, and I have to tell you that I miss the early season and well as late season sales.

Thank goodness, some are coming back...

[Ann B.]

Whoa!

These beauties have multiplied! They are coming back in dense little clumps. No blooms yet, but I have not doubt that there will be some.

For those of you that live up north and have never grown these, please do try them in a pot. They are tiny bulbs, and they do multiply as well as produce seeds. They are such a treat, and they love cooler weather. If you plant some in the gardens, just dig them up and overwinter them in a dark, cool spot. They are awesome and quite inexpensive.

I can't wait to see them bloom! Can you tell? I am already tired of winter, and we really haven't had one yet. Gee! Someone told me I was spoiled, and I have to keep reminding myself that in some ways, I certainly am...

[lbfoss]

Ann
Are these also called Harlequin Flower? I think I have found them in the Michigan Bulb Catalog. I am looking for a living fence idea, and these look like your photos.
Thanks, Linda

[Ann B.]

Linda,

They are one and the same. The bulbs are small. The leaves only grow to about 6" high, but the blooms are spectacular.

If you use them in your living fence area, they will definitely need to be up front because they form small clumps. I planted them amongst my Pandora's Box daylilies which are dormant in the winter.

Along with the Sparaxis, I also have daffodils (which are just starting to peak through the soil) and Ixia bulbs and plan to add a few more. This is a small bed that surrounds my front light post.

Ie., these are fillers for late winter/early spring color.

Don't they sell them at the box stores near you? I would think that they should be arriving soon. You can get packages of lots of bulbs for very little because the bulbs are small (about the size of a dime).

[lbfoss]

Well, I have been to Walmart and Home Depot and the PX garden shop. No bulbs anywhere as of now. But we get a pretty good cold spell usuallly from January until late March, so i don't think the Spring stuff will show up for another month or so here. i did see packages of seeds at Home Depot, but no bulbs yet, onlly advertisements that they were coming soon.
I cannot recall seeing the Sparaxis bulbs in the past....I love color, and I think I might have noticed them. As I am ordering from Michigan Bulb company, they won't add any extra expense in shipping for them, so i will probably just order them from there.

thank you for introducing me to them, they look like a lot of happy spring colors, and should fit around my mailbox nicely.
Linda

[vicki]

Linda,
PLEASE rethink ordering from Michigan Bulb. They are a terrible company and many, many, people have been ripped off by their great prices and inferior products. Seriously check the ratings for this company and many others a Davesgarden.com.

[lbfoss]

Wow, thanks Vicki
I will go there and do just that. I had also thought to order from DirectSales.com. I will see if anyone has an opinion on that as well.
Linda

[Ann B.]

Linda,

If you can find some, don't worry about planting them until your garden is not frozen and is easy to work. Make sure that there are no forecast below 25 degrees. They are tropical by nature.

They bloom in cool months and go dormant in the summer, like daffodils do here. I could always try to gather some seeds for you. I do gather them every year, but don't always get a chance to sow them. I should set up a window box and sow them to see what happens. The seeds are a little larger than mustard seed.

The leaves are about 6-8" high. The blooms are about an inch to 1.5" in diameter, but gee, they are so pretty and different and they bloom and bloom when very few other things do...


Vicki,

I have had good luck with what I have purchased from Michigan Bulb, but then again, I am sort of picky about what I buy with mail order. Some things, I simply like to purchase locally, if I can. Plants tend to be cheap here, but they should also be in your state. Michigan is pretty high on the list nursery production. Many things that are tough to grow here will grow great in Michigan.

[lbfoss]

Thanks, Anne
i would love some seeds if you have them. I still may order from Michigan Bulb co, they have lots of things I am admiring.

I am so excited. I put a few seeds of my Tonto crape myrtle in a paper towel last Friday and i have had a seedling explosion.!!! I have tons more seeds, but already have potted up 12 germinated seeds, and must do more on Friday....I hate to waste germinated seeds.

Also my Red rocket crape myrtle seeds are germinating, slower but stll doing it, so I will have seedlings from them. I am busy trying to create light areas for them to grow as the garage is too cool yet. I will have seedlings in every nook and cranny soon.

I am going to buy some of the dwarf World's Fair crape myrtles from crapemyrtle.com I hope to get some seeds from them in the future. but......If anyone wants some crape myrtle seeds, I have viable ones!!
Linda

[lbfoss]

Found the sparaxis bulbs at Lowe's Home Improvement store yesterday. They don't say they are a tender prennenial but i will take you r word as they were with the dahlias and gladiolas. I will pot them up and put them in the garage. We are having a cold snap just now but it will pass and the garage should be okay for them.
I also found some stargazer lilies....5 for 6$ so I grabbed a bag and hope to figure out where I can put them for maximum enjoyment! As I have had zero luck germinating or growing any lily or daylily seeds, I must get the bulbs..But I am happy and await spring!!
Linda

[Ann B.]

I had a feeling that you could find these locally much cheaper than the cost of shipping them. Aren't you glad that you waited?

Put the stargazers where you will enjoy the fragance as well as the bloom. They are fantastic, and they should multiply readily for you, so give them plenty of space.

I'm still waiting for the Sparaxis that I planted last year to bloom. They have also multiplied like crazy.

Okay, so I have a weakness for bulbs. What can I say?

[lbfoss]

Yeah, but if I had ordered i would have gotten some winter hardy glads and some other toad lilies and fun stuff I wouldn't know where to plant!! This way I won't have so much to keep track of and get planted.......
Time to go and dig out some more lawn so i have some planting room.......

[Dazed_Lily]

Linda-
Zero luck on germinating daylily and lily seeds ?!
Lily seeds are slightly challenging but do visit over at the daylily forum and we'll get you back on track with germinating daylily seeds ! LOL! We can't risk not recruiting another potential daylily addict !:D

[lbfoss]

Well, I have read the posts on germinating lily seeds over and over. I think my goof is in not putting them in the refridge shortly after i harvest, but in letting them dry out before storing in an evenlope. I tried this fall with my stella seed pods, but no luck there either.
Good news is 3 of my lantana seeds have germinated and are now potted up.!!!!
Thanks for sharing those with me!!

[Rebecca]

Linda,

Lilium seeds (Asiatic, Oriental, etc) has a very short viability period so you need to harvest the pods as soon as they begin to split opne and put then in a paper envelop and then into a zip-lock baggie and into the freezer for at least a month before you sow them. After they have had their cold treatment let them set uot for several hourse, unopened. Have your pots/flats ready and simply scatter the fine papery seeds over the top of the mix and ten dust a little more soil over the seeds to help hold them in place and mist with a very fine spray. You should thoroughly moisten the soil before you scatter the seeds. Cover with a pane of glass or plastic and set in a warm spot away from direct sun, undre flourescents lights is okay. When the seeds begin to sprout statr lifinf the glass or sliding it kady-corner a little each day until it is more off than on. By the time the seedlings are about to touch the glass it should be off. Always use a fine mist when watering until the seedlings are well up'

Daylily seeds: Here's how I treat mine:

As soon as the pods yield to slight pressure or they have begun to split open by themselves, I snip or snap them off of the scape and using a fine point Sharpee I put the initials of each parent on the pod (pod parent X pollen parent) You should have this already recorded on a sting tag or some other means of recording this info on the scape. If you are harvesting "Bee Pods" you'll still use the same harvesting procedures.

I bring all the days pod inside and carefully lay them in a cardboard box for 24 to 48 hours, until the pods have pretty much split all the way open (think tulip bloom as this is what the pods will resemble). I then shell the seeds out into small zip-lock craft bags that I have written the parent info on and then put then in the fridge. (NOT FREEZER). Most dayliliy seeds will be ready to plant after a month but will hold for several months, until you are ready to plant them.

When you are ready to sow the Dayliliy seeds you can pre-sprout them although it isn't really necessary. I used to, but it got to be a big problem with so many to sow, so I don't anymore and it actually doesn't speed things up any.

As with the lilium seeds, prepare your pots/flats and thoroughly dampen the soil before hand. I prefer using flats and larger pots as I plant all the seeds of a cross in the same container since they generally have to remain there anywhere from3 to 5 months before I can plant them out in the ground (or in individual 1-gallon pots). Place the seed on top of the soil and gently push it down into the medium until your finger touches the soil, space the seeds 3/4 to 1-inch apart in rows with the same spacing. You can scatter a little extra potting mix to cover the seeds, but it isn't needed as the soil will close over the seeds when you mist the seeds in after planting. Use a fine, gentle mist so as not to dislodge the seeds. Place the planted containers where you will be growing them, under flourescent lights is probably the best, mist the top of the soil daily or (better) lay a piece of plastic wrap over the top. Seeds should begin to sprout in 7 to 10 days and can continue to sprout for up to several months later ( although the most of them will have sprouted within a couple of weeks.

If you are using pans or tubs without drainage holes it is better to mist water the growing seedlings every day then try to water heavily every few days, especially while the seedlings are still quite tiny. Once they are a couple of inches or so tall you can water more deeply, just be carefull not to get the mix too wet.

I planted Daylily seeds (244 of them) on 2-7 and by 2-22, 188 of them were up. Several crosses had failed to sprout and upon examination I found that they were too deep. So far only one of those seeds has since sprouted, but they have until spring so I am not too overly concerned, as more could yet come up, or not. Which is how it goes sometimes.

I used to try to grow those Stella Bee Pod seeds but finally gave it up once I was making so many of my own crosses. There always seemed to be a very low % of seeds that sprouted, even when planting fresh seeds and the few that I have kept and grown on to blooming size weren't really any better or much different from Stella. Stella does make a wonderful parent to use for crosses, especially if you are going for miniatures with extended bloom seasons.

Hope all this gives you some pointers for sowing and grow both Lilium seeds and Daylily seeds next (this) season.


Rebecca

[lbfoss]

Thank you, Rebecca
Your explanation was very thorough, and there is no excuse for my failures in future. I have just dug up and split up my Stella clumps again, and see that they are all sprouting out, so I have increased my plantings at least successfully that way. I will try to do some hand polinating this year and gather up some pods, just to grow some from seeds successfully. It is now a challenge!!!
I have always enjoyed reading the discussions of crossing the daylilies, but i don't think I will get into that aspect much. I am having too much fun with cuttings. There is such a joy in getting a plant to grow!
I started my tomatoes way too early but they arre really moving along. Now I need warmer weather so i can put them outside for part of each day!! Not likely for another month here.....I saved some seeds from a yellow pepper that was delicious from the store, and those seeds have sprouted everywhere!!! So much for refridgeration.....didn't destroy their viability one bit. I cannot get my Burpee green pepper seeds to germinate, guess i should just try out the latest purchase and plant them after I eat Momma. Who knows what i will get??
Thank you again for your willingness to share your knowledge. I will look for some seeds to try this all out when my plants begin to bloom!!
Linda

[Ann B.]

I came home today to find one of the Sparaxia in bloom. I sure hope that means more are to follow.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, I am not sure which, they have multiplied like crazy, so my clumps are really tight. And tight makes me think that I won't get as many blooms this year, but I can always dig up these small bulbs and spread them out.

Gee, they are so very pretty!

[lbfoss]

I bought several bags of these little guys at Walmart and Lowe's. I planted them easily 3 weeks ago but so far, nothing has come up in my yard or my daughter's yard. I hope they get going soon, as we have a short spring, by next week we will probably need the AC on!! I am getting impatient to see the stargazers pop up as well, all my other bulbs from last year are up, where are my newest ones???

[Ann B.]

Linda,

Only one of my Stargazers has surfaced, so far. They emerge and bloom much later for me than the Asiatics. I am sure they will be much later for you.

Asiatics have just started blooming, but are all up and buds are ready to pop on most of them.

Tiger lilies are up. The babies from the ones that Tom sent me are up. The mother bulbs, I have fear will not come up since they were weed whacked so many times. But nonetheless, the babies are looking good.

The White Tiger Lilies that Rebecca gave me are up, but I don't know if they will bloom this year. They look good, though.

Since you planted the Spraxis late, they will probably come up late. Scratch down in the area and make sure those tiny bulbs are still there.

[lbfoss]

Ah, you caught me, I have already done that!!! But, they are at the edge of a dense holly bush/tree I have been elevating and I bet they don't get as much light as they might want. The soil might be cooler there yet. I think I will dig up my stargazers and move them out into the sun more,too, as I have more yard dug up and now a better sunnier place to put them. I am slowly digging out 4' from all the borders of my backyard and turning over the soil, adding mulch and then plants. I have moved a lot of sod, some into barer lawn spots and lots is just piled here and there!! I will wait until they dry out and then shake out the soil.

But, I should have a lot of colorful flowering plants to look at by the time I am done. If only Nature sends us a reasonable amount of rain to keep it all going when I forget to water!!

Last summer I accidentally grew a rudbeckia "Prarie sun" and I had the most beautiful flowers all summer. It didn't come back, and the seeds I saved won't germinate. I may have to send for those seeds, I want more of those back in my gardens, the flowers are really nice and last a long time in a bouquet. The lily that popped up last summer is back full force with 4 other shoots. I look forward to it blooming as it smelled so wonderful!

thank you for this forum, it has really inspired me to try out things I might never have tried!!

[lbfoss]

Wow, I think my first sparaxis is blooming this morning. I saw something orange when I was watering but didn't have time to investigate.
Thank you for turning me on to these, Ann!!

[Ann B.]

Linda,

Have you actually seen one in bloom (up close) yet? They are quite spectacular even if the blooms are small.

I hope they put on quite a display for you. I enjoy them.

[sue salley]

Ann,Linda,
I just got back from my little trip and my sparaxis has it's first bloom,too. I have 2 pots of them so hope for a lot of bloom. I'll have to have a better look tomorrow when it is light outside. I bought these bulbs at Big Lots and filled 2 pots full. Feed them Tuesday before I left. I can't wait to see all of them in bloom. They are cute as buttons.