AGS Vic Group members plants out in the middle of winter.

Members flowering plants out in the middle of Winter.

Jon's Crocus imperati from Lambley Nursery, that David says he received from Otto +30 years ago. Jon is a beautiful grower, every plant is researched and positioned so that it looks and grows perfectly, his photography is pretty good too. Summer dormancy is given to all his bulbs that require a summer drying out, in the garage. Crocus imperati is from W. Italy, a large flowered Crocus suitable for the rock garden, rich violet on the inside and biscuit-coloured outside, with violet stripes. There is also a white form available. It is very impressive, Jon has read it will tolerate a little dampness in the summer and will try some corms in the garden next year. These flowers are laden with pollen, and there is an ant deep in the flower so Jon may get seed set too.

A new Cyclamen for sale in the largest garden stores, the hybrid Petticoat Cyclamen.

Morea ciliata another of Jon bulbs out in flower so beautifully marked. Approximately 20cm high, the leaves are 3 to 5 and overlapping, they are sparsely to densely hairy usually grey. Flowers are enclosed in large, lightly hairy spathes similar to the leaves, where it gets its name ciliata from (cilia-hair like bodies. -te with fine projecting hairs). Flowering July to September in sand clay slopes Namaqualand and Karoo to Riversdale, Southern Africa.
From Cynthia? on the Bunfight.

Otto's Iris nicolai approx 12-15cm tall North-eastern Afganistan and adjacent Asian Russia, on clayey slopes at 1,000-2,000m. Alpine house in the UK keeping the foliage dry at all times. Otto's grows in his garden, he shrugs his shoulders and says "if they grow they grow if they don't they don't". He has no more room in his glass house now, so they have to grow outside, and it is growing well, and course gravel is always mixed in his soil where bulbs require sharp drainage. The marking's are exquisite.

Otto's other Iris out in flower is Iris planifolia 10 -15cm in height flowering late winter to spring, but in the wild sometimes late autumn. Mediterranean region Crete to Southern Spain, Portugal and Morocco growing out in the weather in Otto's garden.

Late Winter to early Spring flowering Colchicum doerfleri now under Colchicum hungaricum. From Hungary, Yugoslavia Albania, Bulgaria in dry stony and sandy habitats, sometimes at the back of the sea shore. Another bulb with very hairy leaf margins almost pure silver to the naked eye. In Otto's garden.

My Oxalis truncatum from the Beefy Boy's Nursery no longer selling plants, a lovely hairy Oxalis too, covered in hairs as it comes through the soil, but as it ages the hairs disappear. No information anywhere on this Oxalis in any of my books or the web. Oxalis truncatum likes a dry summer but kept in a cool position. I grow it in a good potting mix with a course sand mixed through and topped dressed to keep the leaves clean (above and below).