The Bulb Maven

Greenhouse work

The seasons march on, and this time of year I am thinking constantly of what lies ahead:  seed sowing the Mediterranean species; reorganizing the greenhouses; repotting most of the bulbs and getting ready for winter in general.  Autumn is the busiest season as far as bulb care is concerned, since the Mediterranean climate bulbs must all be repotted before they start to grow around the end of October to the middle of November.  A few can wait a bit longer, and during the same time period seed must be sown of most species.  Some bulbs multiply, but others, like Calochortus, must be sown every fall, and it is a very big job. 

In preparation for the tasks ahead, I am completely reorganizing my Mediterreanean greenhouse and having benches made.  In the past I have had all the pots on the floor.  This was largely due to the expense involved of buying or making benches, but now I am happy to say that I am able to invest the needed money.  This is helped by a new product, a plastic bench top that is light weight, easy to clean and relatively inexpensive.  Before now greenhouse benches were made of metal, so they were very heavy, very expensive and would degrade over time.  The new bench tops are UV stable, and should last a long time.  Here above I am in the process of moving every single pot twice, fist off the floor and out of the way as each bench is brought in, then organizing them alphabetically on the benches (and still smiling!).  I won't trust anyone else to move them, since they must be kept striclty organized or I simply can't find things.  Even so, as I put Calochortus plummerae in place, I will inevitably stumble across a couple of pots of C. bruneaunis that I overlooked, necessitating moving them all again.  Arrrgh!

Mark and Shawn, seen here, have also put a new ventilation system in, and now the greenhouses are vented automatically, keeping the temperature well below 85F even on warm sunny days.  Both the new benches and the new ventilation system are intended to make my work easier and more efficient, and, hopefully, to reduce losses.  The problem I have had with the pots on the floor is inadequate drainage, with the bottom layer of potting medium not drying out completely in the bulbs' summer dormancy.  Summer dormant bulbs need to be kept completely dry during their dormancy, so any excess moisture can encourage rotting.  I am expecting that elevating the pots off the ground will improve things considerably with better drainage, better air circulation and easier access.

www.telosrarebulbs.com  

February

After a long spell of really beautiful (and much too warm) weather, winter has returned, with one storm front after another marching across the Pacific Ocean, and bringing cold, wet and windy weather.  In the greenhouses yesterday a hail storm erupted, and the noise was so intense that when I tried to call the dogs I couldn't even hear my own voice.  The wind is bitterly cold, making work outside virtually impossible, but in the spell of sunny weather I was able to start clearing out a big flower bed in my front garden, removing shrubs that were not particularly attractive and perennials that were becoming invasive.  I have little time to spend on the garden, so anything that spreads or seeds itself about is now permanently banned.  The wind makes it impossible to grow large or lanky things, either, so out they went too.  Now the bed is completely replanted with clumping perennials, some bulbs and small compact shrubs, and I am looking forward to seeing how it will fill in.  It has been great fun, and I am reassured that I can still do heavy digging and shrub removal.

During the sunny spell the Oxalis were breathtaking, literally a carpet of color in my Mediterranean climate greenhouse.  Oxalis obtusa is at its peak with beautiful veined flowers in a wide range of lovely colors, all shades imaginable of orange, many different pinks and yellows and various combinations.  I am choosing new ones to list on the web site, racking my brain to think up names, since I have completely run out of color descriptions.  The one above is Oxalis obtusa 'Strawberry Cream'.  It is interesting that the color intensity of Oxalis obtusa varies from year to year.    I have not figured out why, whether it is temperature, sunshine or nutrients.  This year the colors are particularly intense.  Here is O. o. 'Buttercream' to the left and O. o. 'Lemon Cream to the right.

This is the time of year when bulb work is far less.  Seed sowing continues, but is almost done.  The winter-growing species need watering and fertilizing regularly, and this year I am fertilizing them with a liquid fertilizer at every watering, diluting it to half strength.  I have had difficulty keeping to a schedule of fertilization, sometimes forgetting to write down what I did, so this is easier to keep track of.  I also treat the seedlings for damping off fungus, very prevalent in this cold damp environment, and I keep fans on the pots of seedlings to keep the air circulating.  I am repotting some of the South American species, plus twin scaling some rare bulbs that I need more of and that are slow to reproduce.

It is the time, also, when I start revising the web site.  I am getting very frequent "can I order now?" inquiries, since the site still has 2008 on it, and I don't want to change it until I have it largely done.  Customers can order now, but with the proviso that there might be changes that will affect their order.  I usually have the web site finished by the end of March or beginning of April.  I have great difficulty sitting still for any length of time, so I have to do my computer work in chunks of a couple of hours at the most, then get up and do something else. 

I am looking forward to spring, which comes early in California.  The storms are welcome, for the entire state is in the middle of a drought that started about two years ago, with reservoirs badly depleted.  I am thinking forward to the dog trials and my yearly trip to Table Mountain in the Sierra Nevada foothills to see the wildflowers, and hoping to squeeze in a trip to the high country in the middle of summer.  So much to look forward to!

www.telosrarebulbs.com

Sowing Seeds

The big seed sowing takes place in autumn and early winter here at Telos.  This is due to the fact that the majority of bulbs grown here are from Mediterranean climates, regions that have cool rainy winters and summers that are dry.  The bulbs from such regions come into growth when the rains commence in autumn, and are dormant in the summer.  In their native regions seeds ripen in early summer, some staying attached to the pod until the rains commence, others being scattered on the dry ground where they lie until there is enough moisture for them to germinate.  For gardeners accustomed to sowing annuals, this seems to be a surprise that many seeds need cold temperatures to germinate.  Indeed, heat would either be fatal to the germinating seed, or would completely inhibit germination of the seeds of Mediterranean climate bulbs.  To the left is a germinated seed of Lewisia rediviva.

For most of the bulbs native to the western USA I place the seeds in slightly dampened vermiculite in a ziplock bag, then put the bag in the refrigerator.  In an evening I can bag up dozens of species this way.  The bags are checked regularly, and the seeds are sown as soon as any sign of germination takes place. This saves me a great deal of time, making seed sowing spread out over the winter.  In addition, if I have bad batches of seed, I am not filling up greenhouse space and wondering whether to throw the pots out. I can tell after two or three months that nothing is happening.  Germination of the species native to the western USA takes anywhere from two weeks to four months, the longer period needed for the alpine species.  Here is a bag of germinated Calochortus kennedyi, ready for sowing. 

Seeds of bulbs from the western Cape Province of South Africa can't be handled in this manner, for they need a diurnal swing of at least ten degrees F. to facilitate germination.  If placed in the unvarying conditions of a refrigerator they would not germinate.  They are sown in situ in the greenhouses.  Tiny seeds, such as those of Lachenalia are left uncovered.  Here is a pot of freshly sown Gladiolus carinatus seed.  The gladiolus seeds will be covered with a thin layer of sand or seed starting mix.

Seeds of South American members of the Family Amaryllidaceae are sown when they ripen.  Most amaryllid seed does not keep for long, so it should not be stored for more than about three months before sowing.  These are also sown in ziplock bags, but they are kept at room temperature, since these species are not from Mediterranean climates, and are usually subtropical.  I keep them in my office at room temperature, which will average about 60F.  Here is a bag of germinated Hippeastrum mandoni seed. 

Growing bulbs from seed is an exciting and satisfying experience, but one that most gardeners have not attempted.  Many bulbous species will mature to flowering in three to four years, and you can grow species this way that are difficult to find in commerce.  The seed lists of plant societies offer a tempting array of unusual bulbous species, and there are small specialty seed companies that offer even more.

www.telosrarebulbs.com 

Season's End

The shipping season is virtually over.  I can still ship some bulbs, but the winter-growing species that are in storage are sprouting and need to be planted.  In addition, most of the bulbs in pots need to be repotted before they are too far along in growth.  I leave my bulbs in their pots for two to three years, then the potting mix needs to be replaced, becoming deficient in nutrients and with salt buildup from fertilizer.  Disease organisms can also build up in old soil, and the soil becomes compacted from watering and breakdown.  The old potting mix I keep, if it doesn't look like it has any major problems, and I apply it to my flowerbeds.

Michelle and I have finished potting my Oxalis collection, a total of 541 pots, shown above.  I am delighted, and looking forward to the incredible display that will unfold over the winter.  This morning we cleaned seed that had been collected over the summer, putting the seed in small coin envelopes labeled with their botanical names.  We also sowed many California natives, by putting the seed in plastic bags in damp vermiculite.  The bags are placed in the refrigerator, and sown in pots as they germinate.  This is absolutely necessary for any species that come from high altitude, since they need a lengthy winter chilling before they will germinate.  I also handle a lot of the low elevation species this way, though, since it saves time.  I can bag up dozens of species in a very short time, place them in the refrigerator, and take out the bags when I see any sign of germination, and this spreads the seed sowing out over the winter.  You have to know what you are up to though, since some species, such as most of the South African ones, need a diurnal swing in temperature to germinate, so putting them in the refrigerator would not work.  It is a surprise to some people to find out that many seeds need cold temperatures to sprout, gardeners being more familiar with sowing the seeds of annuals and tomatoes, but all the winter-growing species, including Narcissus, Crocus, all the California natives and any from similar climates, must be sown in the autumn and exposed to cool temperatures.  I sow the great majority of seed at this time, since Telos grows so many bulbs from Mediterranean climates such as South Africa, California, Chile and the Mediterranean region, climates characterized by cool rainy winters and dry summers.

As one season ends, another begins, and this is the most exciting season of all at Telos Rare Bulbs.  Over the winter there will be a succession of bloom, and while winter rages outside, the greenhouses will be ablaze with color.  Right now there are just a few 'teasers', hinting at what lies ahead.  The Nerines are almost finished, but there are still plenty in bloom.  To the left is a beautiful hybrid I called 'Fiesta'.

The species Gladioli from the Cape Province of South Africa are starting into growth, with shoots visible in most of the pots.  One or two bloom in the fall.  Pretty little Gladiolus carmineus has already made an appearance, with its cheerful pink flowers appearing before the leaves emerge.  Here it is to the right. 

  Gladiolus stefaniae, seen here to the left, is a beauty, and just opened this morning.  In its native South Africa, it grows on steep cliffs in the spray of waterfalls, where it remains constantly moist in winter.  I should mention that the species Gladioli from the Cape Province of South Africa are nothing like the stiff gaudy hybrid Gladioli of commerce.  They are generally small and dainty in appearance, and are often sweetly scented.  There are other Gladioli that grow in summer, coming from other regions of Africa, and these formed the genetic basis of most the commercial Gladioli.  They are much larger, and more suitable for the garden.  I will post on Gladiolus later in the season.

A few Lachenalias are also starting to bloom, as well as Oxalis, mentioned in the previous post.  By Christmas there will be so much to see, Oxalis, Gladiolus, Lachenalias, more Crocus, some Narcissus, Tropaeolum, Romulea, and many more.  The display will peak in late winter when the California natives will be in full swing.  Who says winter is dull?

www.telosrarebulbs.com

Rain

It has been a long time since I posted, having been away for almost a week to a dog trial and a dog training seminar, then trying to catch up since I returned.  I actually did write a post the day before I left.  Just as I was about to hit 'save' the electricity went off, and I lost the entire post.  I had also been meaning to replace my battery backup.  Oh, well.  We had no electricity for the entire day, which also meant I lost a day of shipping bulbs, then I left the next morning.

My dogs did brilliantly at the dog trial, and we brought back 28 ribbons (you get two ribbons for each successful run).  We had a great time, and the rest of the trip was filled with adventures, not all of them wonderful, but definitely memorable, like the motel I stayed in, where from about 11pm to 3am it was party time, with boom-boxes, car alarms, screaming and yelling, fights, doors slamming, etc. etc.  When you travel with dogs, your options are limited.

Our first rain of the season arrived.  The day before the front moved in the dawn was magnificent, the mountains to the east rimmed with fire from the rising sun, the sky with just enough cloud to add to the drama.  Slowly the sky turned to mother-of-pearl as the sun made its appearance, with the long slanting rays illuminating the trees and horses, as though a spotlight had picked them out.  The next morning was dark, and I awoke to the soft pattering of raindrops.

The swallows are gone.  One day they were wheeling around the barn in great flocks, the next day there were none and the air seemed empty without them.  My office is in the hayloft of my barn, and they are a constant presence in summer, skimming and dipping over the fields around me, then returning to their nests on the barn and house where I can watch tiny heads appear over the rim of the nest when the adults swoop in with food.

On my morning walkabout last week I was greeted with a welcome surprise -- my first Brunsvigia in bloom.  I have been growing all my Brunsvigias from seed, and it certainly requires patience.  Brunsvigia minor  has bloomed after eleven years from seed.  It is a small one (as you can tell from the name), so blooms sooner than the others, which can take up to 20 years to bloom.

The beginning of the rainy season marks the time in the nursery for repotting, and I started repotting my large Oxalis collection.  This involves about 300-400 five inch pots.  They are starting to sprout now, so I can no longer ship them to other countries, since they will not pass inspection if they have sprouts.  Most of the pots need new labels, and this is a task I do not enjoy, but it is most necessary.  One of the banes of a bulb nursery is lost labels or labels that have faded to nothingness.   I use very large labels, about four inches by three inches, so that I can read the label from a distance without having to bend over, or (horrors!) pull it out of the pot.  I put all the important information on the back, such as date of sowing, source of seed, any data on repotting, etc. If the pots are outside, the labels can snap off in high winds, so I push them well down in those pots.  It is also beneficial to bury a label in the pot with essential data, so that if you do lose the label, or if it has faded beyond recognition, you can still identify the bulbs.  Dormant bulbs look like dormant bulbs, and it is easy to get them mixed up, especially when you have literally thousands of different species all growing together, like I do.  The labels last about two years, even in the greenhouses, then they must be replaced, and I use a special pen for labels (not Sharpies, which fade after about a year).

I have my work cut out for me, what with repotting, organizing the greenhouses for the seed-sowing season and continuing to ship bulbs.  I came back from the seminar filled with ideas for training and retraining my dogs, and am anxious to get started.  My dogs are doing well, but as we move up through the different categories from novice to expert, the courses get much more difficult, and flaws in training start showing.  Hannah won seven of her ten runs.  I made a mistake in one with my timing, so we placed third.  In two runs she was beaten by a few tenths of a second by a poodle.  Beaten by a poodle!!!  We'll have to work on that!

www.telosrarebulbs.com

The Bomarea House

Even though I live in a very cool climate, my greenhouses get too hot on sunny days for my collection of Bomareas.  I move the pots outside in late spring, but it is also very windy here, and they don't like the wind, nor do they want a lot of direct sun.  They are, after all, cloud forest plants, where they grow in the forest understory in light shade, high humidity, with little wind exposure.

So I had a special structure built to accommodate them.  I don't want heat build up, so the sides are open, except for the west and north sides, where our prevailing winds come from.  We can get wind from any direction during winter storms, but they will be dormant then.  The structure is roofed in polycarbonate, and the north end is also enclosed with the same material, with the horse stalls and barn protecting the west side.  They already look happy, and I am very, very happy.  I can space them so that they won't get all wound together, and I expect a good seed harvest this year.  These wonderful plants are well worth the extra trouble and expense.

www.telosrarebulbs.com

Greenhouse Tips

It is finally warming up in Humboldt County, after an extremely cold spring with snow flurries in April -- very unusual for us.  My greenhouses are not heated in winter, and other than fans, there is no cooling system.  One of the problems with our foggy climate is that temperatures in the greenhouses can swing more than 50 degrees F. in 24 hours, heating up on the sunny days, and cooling at night.  This is a bit extreme, even for bulbs.  Most of the bulbs I grow come from climates where the temperatures reach 100F at least, but growing them in black plastic pots is another thing entirely, since the soil temperature in a pot can get much higher than the soil temperature would be in their natural environment.  In the wild, bulbs often grow at great depth, escaping the scorching temperatures on the surface.  In a greenhouse, we have to take some steps to moderate the temperature.

I recently installed a product called Aluminet, a knitted aluminum coated shade fabric.  Shading in a greenhouse is more effective if you can put the shade fabric on the outside of the structure, but in this windy climate this is impossible.  Aluminet is more expensive than traditional shade fabric, but it has other attributes that make it worth the expense.  It is feather light, and can be suspended by clips from the frame of the greenhouse.  Because is is metallic and shiny, it reflects the light.  I bought 40% shade fabric, and was worried about it reducing the light intensity, especially on our frequent foggy days.  It doesn't seem to do that at all, in spite of the 40% rating.  Another bonus is that the fabric itself doesn't heat up, unlike black plastic shade cloth, and you can place it directly on top of the pots, as I have done, on some seedling pots that are going dormant.  The bulbs, at this stage, are tiny and are in the top one or two inches of potting mix, so they can desiccate if they get too hot.  In their natural environment they would probably be shielded by drying grasses or adjacent vegetation.

The temperature reduction so far is about 15F on sunny days.  I have not shielded the side walls, and intend to do that to reduce the temperature more.