Bulbs bought at Harrogate Flower Show.

I have just come back from Harrogate Flower Show - see seperate thread under Events.

To justify the cost of getting in I had to buy something, and for some reason found myself buying bulb/tubers. I bought them because I don't know anything about them - well thats as good a reason as any. :D Whilst I can Google them, I would be very grateful for any personal experience and tips on growing and especially overwintering. Plants are :-

Eremurus. Just called mixed hybrids - so I guess they must have been grown from seed. There were two sellers one said they wouldn't be happy in a pot, and one said they would. I remember a couple of people here said they grew them in pots - so I will give them a try.

Eucomis comosa. I have Eucomis bicolour, which flowers for a very long time. The picture of the Eucomis showed an orange flower, which I liked the look of. But when I looked it up in my book, it said comosa was white.

Gloriosa rothschildsiana. Looks wonderful but will it like a cold Yorkshire summer?

Hedychium - orange coloured. I tried to grow Hedychium gardenarium this year from seed, but failed so I thought I would buy some. Only later I saw the H. gardenarium on sale as well and realised that it wasn't orange - so any ideas on what I have? The seller said he didn't know as the supplier hadn't given a full name.

Hedychium gardenarium. Having seen it I couldn't go away without buying this as well. Pete suggested that this was the easiest/best Hedychium to grow.

Does anyone have any experience of any of these.

 

Oh Peter you didn't buy Gardnerianum, I 've just broke up a massive plant and could have sent you a lump.

The Orange flowered one might be densiflorum, which is good in cooler conditions and flowers early, the flowers are small and not fragrant.
It might also be "tara" which is also orange in colour and a hybrid.

Gloriosa, I have grown, and its really a greenhouse plant, I'd not expect much from it outdoors, it loves heat, it needs to dry off in September.

Eucomis I have grown from seed, I find it hardy, but I think I have Autumnalis. There are some very nice looking ones available now with dark leaves.

Eremurus, I tried once from seed with no luck, so gave up, but I'm sure it would do better long term planted out in the hottest spot you can find.

 

Pete - I knew you would have the answers - thank you.

Thanks for the offer of a lump of H. gardnerianum. I had every expectation of growing it from seed - but nothing germinated. I put the last of my seed in a polybag and sprayed it with copper compound. But it just went mouldy. So I suspect that the seed was dead when I received it.

By the way your Canna Cleopatra is growing great guns and so too are some of your yams. I put them all in my heated propagator, which is in my light box. And the heat has woken them up a treat. I suspect its a good way to kickstart all bulbs/tubers/rhizomes in the spring. But my lightbox is just not big enough.

My ignorant purchase of the wrong Hedychium has probably done me some good, as I have now got two different varieties, that I am sure I wouldn't have found in any local garden centre.

I am excited about the Gloriosa, but not expecting too much. You generally find that if something looks stunning but very few people grow it - there is a good reason. Still with global warming - who knows.