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Berkshire, United Kingdom Gb

I recently asked about small bulbs found in my Ornithogalum Thyrsoides which I put into plug trays to see how they got on and what they were. Today when I went to tidy the dead leaves in the pot I found lots more attached to the leaves and looking on line this is what I found (below). Are they really that invasive in the UK and should I bin the lot?

"I grow two sorts of Ornithogalum in pots. The Chincherinthees form zillions of teeny bulblets at the base of the flower stalk. If I want to contain the numbers I need to remove them with care and dispose of them. I'd personally rate the spawn as much worse than any seeds.

(On the other hand - those my mother planted in her garden have all died out. They didn't like the conditions under the bark mulch and the watering from the neighbour's yard. She's z9b.)"



101_2847

Answers

 

I have never seen that on any bulb other than certain Alliums. There are two or three of them which split into millions of bulbs like that. Reading about Ornithogalum there is no mention of anything like that happening. I wonder if by some mischance you have got something other than what the label says.

12 Aug, 2017

 

Me too Owdb.

12 Aug, 2017

 

Lilies do this, or some of them do, and Ornithogalum umbellatum does too. This feature is not mentioned specifically for your particular plant in planting guides and sales sites, but there are mentions of it on the web, as you say. Certainly, in some areas of the world, this plant is considered a difficult to eradicate invasive weed, and this production of stem bulblets might be the reason why. For whatever reason, your particular one has decided to produce these, so it may be that you need to carefully remove them when they appear, but to be honest, since it doesn't like below freezing temperatures, (listed as H2 for hardiness) its unlikely to become a real issue outdoors in the UK, I'd have thought.

12 Aug, 2017

 

The flowers told me it was what it says Owdboggy but I've never seen anything like it before. They were loose in the soil when I posted the previous question but now it's as if they're attached to the leaf.

13 Aug, 2017

How do I say thanks?

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