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hardy  Aroids)" <ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL> Aroids)" <ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL>
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From: "George R. Stilwell, Jr." <GRSJr at WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
Subject: Re: A. candidissimum
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At  1/15/2006 03:26 AM, you wrote:
>I am a new member to AEG but have been interested in the recent
>discussions so thought I would make some humble comment.


Thanks, Rick. We can all benefit from a few humble comments.

Here's mine on the subject of A. candidissimum:

I've tried to grow several different plants from both seed and purchased
tubers. The life for all but one batch was less than 2 years.

They were planted in sun, in shade, in clay, in raised beds with amended
soil, etc. All the mature plants flowered once and then gave up the ghost.
The seedlings died quickly as well.

We have rather mild winters and hot, humid, summers - zone 7a. So it isn'=t
cold that's doing them in.

The one clump that lives on and flowers every year is the remainder left
when I moved this group to another "more suitable" location and failed to
get all the little tuberlets. The moved plants died. Obviously the new
"more suitable" location was not more suitable for the plant, only for me.

The remaining, and flourishing, plants are not cared for particularly. Th=ey
are growing on their own in the full, hot, North Carolina sun with no
watering system or fertilization program. Actually, they were only
heeled-in there temporarily while I prepared places for them, a process
that took a long time.

They are growing in the area where masons stored sand used to make mortar
for the brick house 29 years ago. After construction, the remaining sand
pile was flattened and "top soil" (and I use the word loosely) was spread
over the area. Hetzi holly were planted in the area near the heeled-in A.
candidissimum, A, dracontium, and A. triphyllum.
The area is covered in Vinca minor; native ferns also pop up as well.

All of these Arisaema are thriving on total neglect. In fact I haven't be=en
able to eradicate them. So, for what it's worth, this area of clay soil
covering a 6 inch (15 cm) layer of builders sand situated in full sun, is
working well for A. candidissimum, etc.

Other areas with the same soil and sun, but no sand layer, work fine for =A.
tortuosum and many other Arisaema, but have been death for A.
candidissimum. Even the carefully constructed raised beds with drip
irrigation haven't worked for candidissimum. Go figure!

So much for unscientific messing around coupled with serendipity.
It's not the right location from a landscape architectural point of view,
but the Arisaema love it there.