Viewing comments posted by kreemoweet

Described height is far too small. My neighbors have this vine growing in their border evergreen trees. The vines scramble up to a height of at least 20 feet. This weed is one of the most difficult to eradicate, the tough woody roots run very deep. I'd rather have kudzu.

This variety has the potential to become quite large. Mine were well over 7 feet tall this year, with thick stems that required no staking, with strong fragrance. I just finished digging the bulbs, which were quite large, one being over 6 inches diameter. The bulbs were bright yellow, with no hint of red/purple on them.

I obtained seed for this plant, sowed it in some small pots with moist potting soil, and put in refrigerator inside a plastic container with lid. Seed started germinating in the fridge about 3 weeks later.

Leeks vary quite a bit in their tolerance to freezing. I have had large leek plantings turned to slimy mush by temperatures of around 20 degrees F.

There is a brief period (sometimes a matter of a few days) when the developing flower stalk inside a bolting leek plant is a real culinary treat: tender, mild, and sweet. Soon after, the stalk becomes too tough and fibrous to enjoy.

My specimens (2) have no scent from foliage or flowers. When grown in full sun (such as it is in Seattle area), leaves and flowers/buds start developing ugly black necrotic areas about the same time as flower buds start opening, and will continue to develop and enlarge as long as plant remains in full sun. There will also be some stem die-back, and growth seems stunted. When moved to a mostly-shady area, development of those spots immediately stops, growth is greatly enhanced, and leaves become much larger. I've come acress several posts at gardening websites around the world that mention this blackening phenomenon. Rabbits will chew the bark off lower stems, with resultant stem death.

New thornless variety intended to replace the very fine-tasting but thorny Marionberry. Pretty large berries, and productive: my single plant has been yielding circa 5 gal. of berries every year. Foliage typically turns an attractive burgundy color at end of growing season.

Multiple thin, thread-like twining stems emerge in spring from rhizomes and grow quite rapidly. After summer flowers
produce their seed capsules, above-ground growth dies, turns brown, and drying capsules split open to
release seed.

One notable thing about this plant is the way the mature red/orange seeds will drop down from the opening
seedpods, hanging in a cluster from little silk-like threads. They look for all the world like some kind of berry.

Those intending to grow this plant for culinary purposes should expect to have to trial many clones from various sources before they find one that actually produces in their environment. Many clones have the trait of "premature senescence," which means the plant withers and dies in late summer/early fall before producing any appreciable number of flower buds. My own plants are quite vigorous, and will multiply tenfold in a season, but will turn yellow and collapse in early September, rarely making more than a half-dozen buds. This holds true in a wide variety of soils and sun exposures I've tried. Nonetheless, this plant makes an attractive, lush filler for the odd shady corner, although it arrives late and departs early.

Germination of seed of this species can take quite some time. I gave up on these after holding seeds outdoors in 4-in pots for 2-3 yrs, and dumped them all into a large common pot, also outdoors. Early the next spring, I found numerous seedlings emerging. Almost mistook for the nearly identical L. annua seedlings, which I have everywhere from a neighbor's plantings. The source of the L. rediviva seed was either JLHudsonSeedsman or Jelitto Perennial Seed, or possibly a mix of both.