DORMANT Gethyllis villosa 4-yr-old juvenile bulb plant

Description: General Information on Growing GethyllisAfrican (or South American, or North American) bulb plants are amazing little things. They spend all summer long underground, and then in the fall, without prompting, they emerge and give a spectacular show. They are so beautiful, and varied in form, that you will want to look at them very close to enjoy all the tiny, exquisite details. They are fantastic, and once you start growing them, you'll want to collect vast numbers. Beware!They are also super easy, just as long as you give them lots of light during the growing season.These are not large plants--they are more like little jewels. So don't expect monstrous tulip-sized beasts!I would argue that for many (certainly myself included), Gethyllis is considered one of the most fab of the African bulb plants. Maybe you disagree...and that's cool...but let me describe why this plant is so beloved.For much of the year, a pot of Gethyllis looks barren and empty. But then, in the fall, adorable little leaves pop out of the ground. For a few, the leaves are unremarkable. For others, like G. villosa, the leaves can be madly twisted and corkscrewed. The leading hypothesis is that the curled leaves harvest dew. Oh my god that's cute.After a long season of making silly leaves, the plant dies back to the ground. The pot looks empty.But then, about a month later, flowers skyrocket out of the ground. The grow madly fast, and almost remind you of mushrooms, but a floral kind. (This is mad, I know.) Then the flowers wither back to the ground. The pot looks empty. Adorable!!!!Then, about another month later, a sausage like sack of seeds is squirted out of the ground!!! It's sooooo funny!You have to plant the seeds as rapidly as possible, in my experience, for good results. All this running back and forth from underground to the surface, the plant needs an easy highway. So it makes a kind of hollow tunnel from ground surface to the subterranean bulb. Accordingly, I try to avoid disturbing my Gethyllis as much as possible.Gethyllis are maddeningly rare in cultivation because it's hard to grow enough for one to be an effective seed producer. To my knowledge, the bulbs rarely divide naturally. The seeds do not have a good storage longevity either. Finally, if you do get plants or seeds from the southern hemisphere, you'll have a rocky few years getting them onto the northern hemisphere cycle. If you can get them, I find that growing them is quite trivial. I grow mine in small but deep pots, in a very highly draining mix of about 60% pumice (or perlite or gravel), 20% sand, 20% organic material, and a dose of slow-release complete fertilizer every spring. They'll start growing around September through November (depending upon your temperatures), at which point you want to make sure you water them regularly. In late winter through spring, the plant dies back. When all the green parts are no longer visible, stop watering the plant entirely. Remove the above ground dead stuff, then store the pot someplace dry until the next fall. Keep an eye on the pot in case you have a flowering size bulb. The flowers appear, flower, and then die in just a few days, and it is seriously frustrating to look at a pot, just to discover the desiccated remains of a flower! If you have two plants in flower, cross them! Even self a single flower...you don't know if it will work! The sale plantsThese are medium-sized plants, about one season from flowering size. I have a small population of breeding specimens, and I propagated the plant from my own seed about four years ago. As it is seed-grown, it would be a great parent if you breed your plants--no possibility of this being a clone of something you might already have! (Fortunately, the plants tend to flower simultaneously, even if they're in different pots.)I have a photo of the bulbs in the sale photos. Notice that these are nice sized bulbs, and are the EXACT bulbs I'm selling here. Yum yum. I'm also including photos of the plants in flower, and also a macro photo I took of the fruit sticking out of the ground. I'm not selling a plant I've just imported from South Africa...this is a plant germinated in the USA, and is fully on a northern hemisphere cycle. The plant will potted in a 2" tall pot (great for growing the plant). If you want it bare root, tell me and I'll refund you your savings on shipping. This is an expensive plant, no doubt, but finding plants in this genus for sale, in the USA, is damned rare!Shipping, etc.I'll do everything I can to get this plant to you in top conditions, but please ensure that your shipping address will not expose the boxed plant to extreme conditions. Mailboxes in full sun can become dangerously hot. As soon as the plant arrives, open the box and make sure the plant is in good shape. I will NOT ship plants out of the USA, so non-USA eBayers, I have blocked you from buying. Sorry, but I simply don't care to deal with international trade issues. If you buy plants and then ask for me to ship it overseas, I will cancel the auction.Just before I ship the plants, I'll give them a careful lookover to make sure I'm happy with them. While I prep your plants for shipping, if I find any problems with the plant--anything that I think might be a cause for concern--I'll contact you before shipping the plant, and we can discuss what to do. If there are problems with the plants when they arrive, please discuss it with me so I can make things right with you (instead of giving my eBay account a bad review). I work to fulfill orders as soon as I can. If you purchase multiple items from me, I will combine shipping charges if possible. If you want me to hold off on shipping, notify me immediately when you pay for your items. As long as you notify me, I will wait until your shopping is complete before shipping. Please pay for all your items, and then when I box everything up I will calculate the new shipping charges, and refund you the difference via PayPal. That way the plant spends the least amount of time in a dark box.

Price: 50 USD

Location: Woodland, California

End Time: 2024-09-10T01:00:01.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD