Moraea - Part 4
It is very hard to advise folks from different climates which Moraea to grow and flower. If you are in a cold snow area or heavy frost, ground freezes overnight area; you will have to consider the following. In general the summer flowering species would be best suited for cold regions. These can take temperatures down to around - 9 to 10C which is - 14F; I think.
Ones beyond these will of course need protection, as does anything grown outside of their normal temperature range.
In cultivation Moraea demand a bright sunny open position. The growing medium should be well drained and when your plants are in active growth; keep the water up to them. Corms should be planted two to three times as deep as their diameter, then watered sparingly and kept moist once they begin to sprout. Whether growing in the ground or in pots, never allow the roots to get too wet. In hotter regions keeping your corms dry when dormant is not all that important, given that you have given them good drainage to begin with. Yes, I know the books say they demand to be totally dry when dormant, but I have found this not to hold true. But, in cooler climates, regardless of your good drainage I would play it safe and keep the corms dry when dormant. Plants if over watered can rot.
Again, by growing from seed, and finding more than just one source, you are allowing for genetic diversity in what you grow. Nature is very adaptive.
The temptation to buy flowering size bulbs and corms is always with us, even I give in occasionally and buy them.
This is not a put down to the nursery trade, far from it, we have good Nurseries world wide, like Kellydale who grow from seed. Also, Hillview Rare Plants in Tasmania, Silverhill Seeds in South Africa and others.
But, as technology advances, it is becoming more likely that you could be buying clones of plants that are easy for the grower to handle, or that are quick to come to flower. These may not behave well for you in the garden. Nurseries are service providers, so question them, ask them how they came by their stocks, and make your own decisions about buying.
While on the subject of bulb sources, might we look at a contentious issue?
Some Nurseries do dig from the wild, this in this day and age is just not on!
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