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Old 17-01-2010, 11:59 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening
Spider[_2_] Spider[_2_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Feb 2009
Posts: 572
Default a real challenge

"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:46:20 -0000, "Spider"
wrote:

"Private" wrote in message
.. .
Here a real challange for all you gardners
My wife is looking for a plant she has seen in someones garden a while
ago
back, and can't remember where she saw it.

Anyway the plant had long thin green leaves (about 2-3 foot long)with
tiny red flowers on the end of a stalk which stuck out slighty above the
leaves

Any Ideas??? spend most of today surfing google for plants like it, but
with no luck

Any ideas


It would help if she could pin down the time of year, so we can consider
the
flowering season. As the others have said, possibly Crocosmia 'Lucifer'
(or
similar cultivar), or Schizostylus coccinea 'Major'. The Crocosmias are
generally late summer flowering. Schizostylus is autumn flowering.
Dierama
is a possibility, but I don't know of one with red flowers; they tend to
be
pinks and purples.

Do google on both the above and, if it's not one of these, ask your wife
if
she can describe how 'hers' were different. We will then keep thinking.

Spider


My first thought was schizostylis, but as Spider says, it depends on
the time of year. Also, I wouldn't call those flowers "tiny". and
they are more "red" than the common montbretia/crocosmia which are
orange.


Pam in Bristol


.... which is why I named Crocosmia 'Lucifer'. However, as you say Pam, most
of us wouldn't call either Crocosmia or Schizostylus flowers 'tiny',
although seen at some distance, they may appear so. Another thought that has
occurred to me is that the OP's wife saw the tiny red flowers of one plant
growing through the green, strap-like leaves of another plant. In which
case it could be a red flowering Geum, Potentilla, Lychnis, Knautia
macedonica (arguably red) ... or many others. As the OP said, "a real
challenge". Just what we like :~) ... it helps to keep the Cabin Fever at
bay.

Spider