Madeira bulbs

While on holiday in Madeira last week I went to the flower market in Funchal.Beautiful.
Anyway while there I was pushed into buying a bag of mixed bulbs.
I have no idea what they are only that the man was sure they would grow in England. :confused:
I'm not sure about that.
So I have got the bulbs one is sprouting and I don't no what to do with them.
Help.

 

I think that bulbs have to rest in winter.
Don't they put them in some nets and let them rest in the dark until re-potting at the start of the warm season?

 

Lyn, without knowing exactly what they are it is very difficult to say, I assume that if they were sold in a market in Madeira, they stand a chance of not being totally hardy over here.
But who knows.
Maybe we have someone who has also bought bulbs from Madeira in the past.

 

Hello, Lyn, a picture of the bulbs may help. It's difficult for anyone to advise you if we have no idea what they are.

I am probably the closest to Madeira that you will get but our flowering times are different than yours, ie, my Autumn Freesias bloom February-April here and Sweet Peas only in the Spring.

If they are Spring flowering bulbs, then they need to be planted now, Autumn flowering ones in the Spring.

 

I no I probably shouldn't have got them but the man was old and he was so nice.
Just got the bulbs out to photograph and noticed the names written on the bags
Guihgy lilly
Watsonhia
Mombrelia
Orhitogalo
Beladoha lilly
The hand writting is a bit difficult to understand but can you recognise any from the names above. :confused:

 

Hi, Lyn. I have Belladonna Lily (Amaryllis) which are relatively hardy (these are not the house Amaryllis ... here is my Belladonna blooming at the moment ...



Montbretia is commonly grown in the UK and grows wild here, there too in the Southwest.

There is an Ornithogalum. They have white flowers and there are two species, one hardy, one not. The non-hardy one has flowers in spikes, the hardy one individual flowers.

The Watsonia is the Bugle Lily and has tall stems of flowers in orange or pink. They are a relative of the Gladiolus and are not hardy. I think I have just discovered one of the wildflowers of Portugal ...



I'm afraid I can't be of any help on the Guihgy Lilly.

Hope this helps.

 

honouring their name, some more "belladonna" from Italy:

 

Thanks for the info.
When should I plant these bulbs?

Should I wait until the spring to plant them outside ?
Or will they be O.K underground through the winter.

I might just get a bit pot and plant them all in the conservatory and see what happends.

 

Morning Lyn

The hardy ones can be planted now, the non-hardy in the Spring. You could try the big pot theory and see what kaleidoscope of colour you get. For what it's worth, the Watsonia above were over five foot tall.

Lovely Belladonnas, mira, paler in the middle than mine.

 

Very interesting thread - I would plant them all in a tub too and just see what appears!!

 

The Lily could well be Guernsey Lily = Nerine.
If so then it is reasonably hardy in Britain. Plant in a sheltered spot with the top of the bulb out of the ground.
Orhitogalo possibly equals Ornithogalum. Now the trouble here is that there are tender ones from South Africa and hardy ones from Turkey. If the bulb for these are fairly large then they are likely to be the tender ones ? Chinchincheree? common name.
Watsonias are basically Gladioli and usually are treated as tender late summer flowering bulbs. We keep ours like Glads, frost free and dry over winter for spring planting.

 

O.K I think it will have to be the pot.
If they grow and flower I might have a better idea of what they really are.
Be prepared to hear from me again, with more photos. :D

 

The top left are the Belladonna Lillies and they always flower on bare stems/bulbs after which strappy leaves appear. I'd get them planted pretty promptly with the tip of the bulb at soil level.

I would guess the bottom left are the Watsonias because of the size of the corn in relation to the size of the plant.

The top right looks more like a vegetable. :eek:

 

Yes your right with the Belladona
and the Watsonia.
Although they are spelt a little different.
The one you said looks like a veg is the one with Giligy or Gihgy lilly on it.
The others the small ones say
Bottom
Motibrelia or mombrelia
and the top
Orhitogalo
The writting is very difficult to read. :confused:
O dear what have I done. :rolleyes: :D

 

The Ornithogalum ones are too big for hardy ones so look more like O. thyrsoides. This is normally grown as a pot plant in Britain. Plant now for spring flowering.
The top right one is definitely not a Nerine and not Lilis either. Interesting that one.