Hi
A few more photos.
Dave, it is a case of those who decide flower forms are not in harmony with hybridisers. Like you we produce thousands of intermediate sized cyclamineus hybrids. They are used for hybridising rather than exhibition because they are seen as too small. I suspect our best ones have far superior form to the to the large ones but often judging is by what has been around for years rather than what is before them. They, like a lot of our seedlings, will never be seen beyond our farm.
Graham
I would suggest that if you offer a smooth “not big enough” cyclamineus there are those of us who would buy it even if we could not enter it as an intermediate…
a bonus would be that the bulb would multiply, I am seeking any miniature which will multiply here,
I can only think of two little things that really multiply for me(three if you don’t require it to bloom…)
John,
In my experience Canaliculatus and the bulbocodiums multiply like mad but rarely bloom. I believe that if a bulb is happy and multiplying by bulb it doesn’t need to flower. If stressed the bulb thinks it is going to die and will make flowers in order to make seeds and ensure the survival of the species. Treat those ones with absolute neglect. At the moment I have a number of flower stems on a Canaliculatus where most of the bulbs were scratched out by the chooks having a dust bath.
Dave
Well the canaliculatus died in the gravel drive and in with the goats so real abuse is too much.. I had two bloom stems from each of my clumps- probably 40 decent size bulbs three blooming size and 50 too small to expect to see again(planted them anyway)But yes that is the one that multiplies and does not bloom. I was shocked to see a bulbocodium bloom this spring in my miniature bed- I really don’t want to kill any more of those- the ones from Steve that I grew in pots were exquisite- but none of the ones I planted out of doors came up….most others come up and die in one or two seasons… BUT I am still planting miniatures
Dave and John
I’ve bought canaliculatus twice and on each occasion they produce flowers in year one and then sulk I still have them all but they’re not flowering. The comment on stress interested me, I think I remember someone on Daffnet commenting that she kept her canalicalatus bulbs on a corrugated iron roof during the summer? It may be that the stress needed to encourage them to flower is to lift, dry and replant each year. Mine are presently lying around on my garage bench to be planted when I get round to it maybe I’ll leave it a bit longer and see what happens next spring.
Bob Moore