A. griffithii v.pradhan

[Adam Fikso]

Thanks, Henry.  Very different from mine.  My basement is not finished nor
is it  kept as warm as the rest of the house.  However, it does not go below
60 inside.  The ground next to the house is roughly level and exposed to
morning sun, only.

If your grape hyacinths are along the tiered edge of an asphalt driveway,
below the lawn on the south they are warmed partially by the heat absorbed
by the driveway during the day (released at night).  As I visualize what
you've told me, the driveway is warmed by the sun both from the south and
west  unless something blocks the sun from the west?.

I am not suggesting that all the effect on the grape hyacinths is due to the
sun; It probably isn't, and I'd guess that radiation from the house does
warm the earth under the lawn area substantially.   And you do have a real
temperature gradient running from the house out to the street.   Twenty
feet., huh?   Whatever I've got was not enough to keep a Crinum "Super
Ellen"  alive at about 15 feet (a Zone 9-10 plant) from the house.   I note
this morning that an Arisaema thunbergii var.urashima is also up about 2 ".

I note that Wayside Gardens is rating  griffithii, v. pradhan at Zone 6, and
I've not seen them do this before.  I tend to trust their rankings much more
than van Bourgondien or Breck because they have a strong guarantee, and
they've proably checked it out.  The others, (Dutch) merely carry over lots
of ratings, that are misprints, e.g., Lycoris radiata at Zone 3, and have
shown pictures of Amaryllis belladonna as Lycoris squamigera  (until I
argued with them about the ID and they stopped.)

Another tropical that got carried through this winter was  two bulbs of
Scilla peruviensis, about 18-20" from the foundation under the drip line of
the eaves on the WEST side of the house.

Anyway. thanks for the info.  I've tried to get adequate recordings of
winter soil termps at varing distances from the house, but when the ground
is frozen, there's a real equipment and engineering problem that I've not
yet solved.    Regards, Adam Fikso in Glenview, IL







----- Original Message -----
From: "Henry" <treehugger53ah at YAHOO.COM>
To: <ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL>
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 10:10 AM
Subject: Re: A. griffithii v.pradhan


> Adam,
>
> The grape hyacinth were planted along the edge of the driveway in a
> raised bed that is the lowest level of a terraced hillside.
>
> They are planted in a straight line from the house to the street.
>
> They are on the south side of the house. The lawn is four feet above
> the driveway and to the east so they are slightly shaded from the early
> morning sun.
>
> The foundation is cement block. House built in the late fifties so
> probably minimal foundation insulation. The basement is finished living
> space kept comfortably warm.
>
> The siding is cedar shakes painted light brown; the block foundation is
> painted the same color.
>
> The raised bed is directly adjacent to an asphalt driveway for its
> entire length. The tier with the grape hyacinth is less than a foot
> above the driveway.
>
> --Henry
>
>
> --- Adam Fikso <irisman at AMERITECH.NET> wrote:
>> Hello again, Henry.  Which side of the house were the grape hyacinths
>>
>> planted on? , and , how warm do you keep your basement?.  I'm tryng
>> to
>> assess the difference between reflected heat, i.e., heat reflected
>> from the
>> surface, or absorbed during the day and then radiated vs. heat
>> radiated from
>> the basement.   Also, composition of the house exterior and amount
>> and kind
>> of insulation would seem to be a factor...  brick? shingle, asbestos
>> shingle, aluminum shingle? other?  limestone facing?  clapboard?  I
>> would
>> appreciate more detail if you can take the time.  Regards, Adam
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Adam Fikso" <irisman at AMERITECH.NET>
>> To: <ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL>
>> Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 4:46 PM
>> Subject: Re: A. griffithii v.pradhan
>>
>>
>> > Well, Henry--On the basis of your observations, I'll accept  it.
>> >
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: "Henry" <treehugger53ah at YAHOO.COM>
>> > To: <ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL>
>> > Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 4:13 PM
>> > Subject: Re: A. griffithii v.pradhan
>> >
>> >
>> >> Adam,
>> >>
>> >> As an experiment, I planted a row of grape hyacinth perpendicular
>> to
>> >> the house all the way to the street.
>> >>
>> >> Those near the house came up first and were a foot tall before
>> those
>> >> twenty feet from the house came up at all.
>> >>
>> >> There was a gradual shortening of the plants as you left the
>> house, but
>> >> out to twenty feet they came up early. All the ones beyond twenty
>> feet
>> >> came up together much later.
>> >>
>> >> The plants five feet from the house were only a few inches shorter
>> than
>> >> the ones directly next to the foundation.
>> >>
>> >> Based on this, it is my feeling that foundation heat would be
>> playing a
>> >> modifying role even five feet from a foundation.
>> >>
>> >> --Henry Fieldseth
>> >> Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, zone 4
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> http://mail.yahoo.com
>> >
>>
>
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