I have a few cardiocrinums (himalayan giant hollyhock thingies) that I
grew from seed and that moved house with me 3 years ago.
One flowered back in June. It was big and smelly (quite nice perfume)
and is now setting seed I think. It is now supposed to die. What do I
do next? It is supposed to leave bulblets. Do I just do nothing or is
it best to dig them up and replant?

Des

wrote in message
ps.com...
I have a few cardiocrinums (himalayan giant hollyhock thingies) that I
grew from seed and that moved house with me 3 years ago.
One flowered back in June. It was big and smelly (quite nice perfume)
and is now setting seed I think. It is now supposed to die. What do I
do next? It is supposed to leave bulblets. Do I just do nothing or is
it best to dig them up and replant?

Des

Mine also flowered, so I too am interested in advice on what next.
I was told that they form bulbets a year or so prior to flowering and thus I
would not have to wait another seven years.
Interested to hear you grew from seed. I will give it a go when the pods
have matured. At the moment the plant looks like giant leafy cactus.

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
wrote in message
ps.com...
I have a few cardiocrinums (himalayan giant hollyhock thingies) that I
grew from seed and that moved house with me 3 years ago.
One flowered back in June. It was big and smelly (quite nice perfume)
and is now setting seed I think. It is now supposed to die. What do I
do next? It is supposed to leave bulblets. Do I just do nothing or is
it best to dig them up and replant?

Des

Mine also flowered, so I too am interested in advice on what next.
I was told that they form bulbets a year or so prior to flowering and thus I
would not have to wait another seven years.
Interested to hear you grew from seed. I will give it a go when the pods
have matured. At the moment the plant looks like giant leafy cactus.


I bought the seeds at a local sale of work/plant stall in September or
so, 7 or 8 years ago.
I stuck them in a propagator and waited expectantly. Nothing happened.
I waited and waited and waited and christmas came and went and I gave
up and un plugged the propagator. Luckily, I did not empty it; I just
left the seed trays in and in a cold damp room as it happened (this was
in Cork, Ireland; dampness a speciality).
I walked past 2 months later and to my astonishment, 40 or 50 had
germinated with big spindly odd looking seedlings. I planted a dozen
in pots and they became a pain as every year they would get pot-bound
and mangled by slugs. I knew I was moving house so I did not plant
them out. 3 years ago we moved to Dublin and I took the remaining 10
Cardiocrinums and 7 tree ferns (also from spores) with us in the
removals van.
We finally planted some out last year and the rest this year. I have
only 6 or 7 left but one just flowered so I wondered about the
bulblets.

Des

wrote in message
oups.com...

snip

I bought the seeds at a local sale of work/plant stall in September or
so, 7 or 8 years ago.
I stuck them in a propagator and waited expectantly. Nothing happened.
I waited and waited and waited and christmas came and went and I gave
up and un plugged the propagator. Luckily, I did not empty it; I just
left the seed trays in and in a cold damp room as it happened (this was
in Cork, Ireland; dampness a speciality).
I walked past 2 months later and to my astonishment, 40 or 50 had
germinated with big spindly odd looking seedlings. I planted a dozen
in pots and they became a pain as every year they would get pot-bound
and mangled by slugs. I knew I was moving house so I did not plant
them out. 3 years ago we moved to Dublin and I took the remaining 10
Cardiocrinums and 7 tree ferns (also from spores) with us in the
removals van.
We finally planted some out last year and the rest this year. I have
only 6 or 7 left but one just flowered so I wondered about the
bulblets.

Des

I read somewhere that the fresh seed is propagated at a temperature about
60F. After a few weeks any seeds that have germinated are removed and the
tray of ungerminated stuff is put in a fridge at about 4F for a few weeks
and then returned to a heated propagator where germination then commences.
IOW what you did more or less.
In the absence of any authoritative info about the bulblets I will allow the
plants to die back naturally and hopefully feed the babies.
A congested clump of Cardios might look nice but I guess they will be
slightly stunted.