The Bulb Maven

The Morning Walkabout

 
Our first major storm of the season is on its way, and is welcome, for the ground is so dry I had to use a mattock and breaker bar to dig some large holes for planting shrubs yesterday.  Today, before dawn, there were stars, but soon after the sky clouded up giving a beautiful dawn.  I didn't get a picture, but here is a picture of the hyrid Nerine I have called 'Dawn', in bloom now.

In recent days the dawn sky has been clear, the mornings very brisk, with occasional patches of frost here and there, and the smell of wood smoke in the air.  I love a wood fire.  To me, it is one of the joys and consolations of winter, compensating somewhat for the long dark evenings.  I enjoy all parts of it, stacking my wood, splitting kindling, trundling the wheelbarrow full of logs up to the house, then sitting by the fire, feeling its primal warmth and listening to the sounds of logs shifting in the grate, flames crackling and flaring when I give it more wood.  These last evenings I have been cleaning the seeds I harvested from the bulbs this summer, and a very pleasant (although somewhat messy) occupation it was, sitting by the fire, both dogs stretched out on the rug.  I read in the paper that more and more towns are banning wood stoves, citing air quality as a reason, and most recently saw that Chico was about to pass regulations severely restricting the use of wood stoves, so one day we may all be condemned to sitting in front of gas fired facsimiles of wood stoves, with no sound of burning logs, not smell of wood smoke, and none of the pleasurable chores that go with a wood fire.  I find this intensely depressing, especially since I know for sure that the poor air quality in the region around Chico where I used to live is due to automobiles and trucking, not to lawnmowers (they have also been blamed) or to wood fires.

Many Nerines are in bloom now.  I have posted on Nerines before, and that posting can be found under South African bulbs, since the genus has members that are summer growing, winter growing, or evergreen, so I don't want to repeat myself.  The winter growing species are the ones that bloom now, and some are truly magnificent.  I am slowly propagating the best ones, hoping to be  able to list them before too long.  Here is Nerine 'Rosa' to the left.  To the right is Nerine 'La Pasionara". 

There are many more in bud, like the lovely 'Razzle Dazzle' photographed last year, and seen here to the left, and I am hoping for some new surprises from bulbs that have not bloomed before.  

Shipping continues, but will start to wind down soon, although I can ship some bulbs year round, especially members of the Family Amaryllidaceae, so shipping never stops completely.  This is a very busy time of year, getting ready for seed sowing and repotting, and with my new greenhouse benches, I feel prepared for the tasks ahead and for the winter storms.

www.telosrarebulbs.com  

Boophane

There are three members of this amazing South African genus: Boophane disticha; Boophane ernestii-ruschii and Boophane haemanthoides.  All have very large bulbs, which are toxic to cattle, the pollen of the flowers also being somewhat irritating to the eyes, giving it one of it's common names 'Sore Eyes'. 

Boophane disticha, seen here, is the most commonly grown, and the one I have been able to grow from seed to blooming size successfully.  It took my bulbs nine years to bloom, but others report success in seven years.  This species grows in both the summer rainfall regions of South Africa and the winter rainfall regions, so it is important to know the origin of your seeds or bulbs, since they will grow at different times of year.  The bulbs I grow are from the summer rainfall regions, and produce their leaves in spring, blooming before the leaves appear (April for me).  They are not self- compatible, so you need two blooming plants to produce seeds. Even without flowers, the bulbs are highly ornamental since the bulbs produce a neat fan of wavy grey leaves.

I also have Boophane haemanthoides.  My only large bulb is eleven years old, and has not produced a flower yet.  This species comes from the winter rainfall region of the western Cape Province of South Africa and is just now producing its leaves.  Here is a picture of the fan of leaves.

After blooming, the umbel of both species enlarges considerably as the seed ripens.  When the seed is ripe, the whole seed head breaks off, and the wind will tumble it across the landscape, scattering its seeds as it goes.  The seeds are known as 'recalcitrant' seeds, meaning that they will germinate immediately and can't be dried or stored.  They are soft, and like small fresh peas.  Here is the seed head of B. disticha - compare the size to the flower size above.

Boophanes have very extensive fleshy roots that need a lot of room.  I grow mine in pots that are about 40cm (16") in diameter, and about 50cm (20") deep.  They are often grown in a mix that is mostly sand, but since that would make the pots so heavy I would have trouble lifting them, I use a mix that is about 30% organic material (ground bark), 30% horticultural pumice and 30% perlite.  I fertilize regularly during the growing season with a liquid balanced fertilizer, and allow them to go completely dry in the winter.  I have not found them difficult, patience is the most important ingredient for growing them to blooming size, plus giving them enough root room. 

www.telosrarebulbs.com  

The Morning Walkabout

This is the time of year when we are away at dog trials on some weekends, having just returned from Oregon, where we did respectably well.  As soon as we are back, we slip into our routine of an early morning walk around the nursery, usually at sunrise. 

This morning gauzy, low-lying mists enveloped the fields, and as the sun rose they all turned to a brilliant orange hue.  The effect only lasted a few minutes, then the sun rose above the low banks of mist when they changed to opalescent colors before disappearing completely.

Yesterday it was so windy it was hard to work outside, so we all went off to gather seeds about an hour south of here.  There is a steep cliff by the road covered in Calochortus amabilis, and now is the time the seed is ripe.  Here they are to the left, in bloom about six weeks ago. It was a beautiful drive through the redwoods and we found a trail for the dogs to run, chasing each other happily through the poison oak (bath time when we got home).  It takes all my old rock climbing skills to get a few pods of this Calochortus, but I don't have to feel guilty about collecting them, since the seeds would undoubtedly fall on the road below where they would be doomed.

Walking around the nursery a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a little white crowned sparrow dart out from one of my Bomareas.  Usually I trim all the old stems off the Bomareas in about April or May, making room for new growth, but I had left four or five, since seed was still ripening on them.  It happened again the next day, so I investigated, and found the most perfect nest snuggled in the stems.  The eggs soon hatched, but the babies disappeared a couple of days after hatching, probably victims of the raccoons.

In the greenhouse where I grow my tender subtropical bulbs, a few things are blooming.  Bulbs from equatorial regions seem to bloom whenever they feel like it, also going dormant erratically, so my pots of Eucrosias have some dormant bulbs, some with leaves and some in bloom.  Here is Eucrosia aurantiaca, one of the more spectacular bulbs from Ecuador.  Also in bloom is the rather strange Sprekelia formosissima from Mexico, seen here to the right.  There are, I believe, two Sprekelia species, both from Mexico, S. formosissima and S. howardii, a recently described species that I have finally got my hands on, although they haven't bloomed yet.

The powder-puff blossoms of the South African Haemanthus humilis ssp. hirsutus is in bloom, white with pink bracts and very attractive.

I was very thrilled to see emerging buds on my Hymenocallis hawkesii (probably more correctly named as Ismene hawkesii).  I had obtained seedling bulbs some time ago, and now they have matured to bloom size.  This is an extremely rare species from Peru, where it grows at about 6000'. Here it is to the right.  

Work in the nursery continues with seed gathering and unpotting the dormant bulbs.  The native bulbs are the last to go dormant, and can't be harvested until their seed has ripened, so this will continue well into July.  The South African bulbs have mostly been lifted by now, with Oxalis being the first batch to be unpotted, and Oxalis orders already being shipped. 

Summer is upon us, with sunny days preceded by morning fog in our area.  The fields are being mown for hay, the cows all glossy, fat and contented.  The solstice has already passed.  I always feel a touch of sadness at the summer solstice that they days are incrementally shortening, although we will still have daylight beyond 9pm for a while.  I love these long days.  I can work in my garden until dusk or take the dogs to the beach at sunset.  I wish it would last forever. 

www.telosrarebulbs.com

Ixia viridiflora

I usually post on a genus, but since I only grow a couple of Ixias, I could not really say anything very intelligent about the other species. They are from South Africa, and I did grow them at one time when I lived in the interior of California, where they were absolutely wonderful garden plants, producing their tall wands of flowers in a dazzling array of color.  I do see the hybrids in gardens here, and I would strongly recommend that you try some of them, although they need to be kept mostly dry during the summer.  This is an area where the hybridizers have produced varieties that are much showier than most of the species, with tall graceful wands of flowers in almost every shade imaginable.

There is one exception though, where the hybridizers have not been able to improve on nature, and that is one of the Ixias I grow.  It is Ixia viridiflora, one of those rare bulbs that have green flowers, although not grass green, but more of a turquoise hue.  The center is a beautiful purple, contrasting well with the main color of the petals.  It is true that it is a bit fussier than the hybrid Ixias you see in your garden center, but it is well worth cossetting, only needing to be kept dry during it's dormancy, and protected from wind and severe weather in winter.  A one gallon pot suits it well (that would be a pot of about 15cm in diameter, and 20cm deep).  They make lovely and unusual cut flowers.

www.telosrarebulbs.com  

Lachenalia

It is almost the end of the Oxalis season, and Romuleas are also finishing their bloom and ripening seed.  The greenhouses, however, are still a delight, for Lachenalias are at their best now, providing a dazzling array of soft color, and also filling the greenhouse with scent. 

Lachenalia is a large genus of more than 100 species, most of which are found in the Cape Province of South Africa.  They are members of the Hyacinth Family, and clearly demonstrate their relationship to the more commonly known hyacinths in their form and, often, their fragrance.  The species from the Cape, unlike their cousins, are not particularly hardy, but given the right conditions, they are delightful container subjects, and in mild regions can be grown in the garden providing they have a warm, dry dormancy.

The color range is very broad, and many species, like the beautiful Lachenalia aloides v. quadricolor, seen here to the left, have multiple bright colors in their makeup, while others are less flamboyant, like the scented L. zeyheri, seen here to the right. 

By far the most popular Lachenalia, and justifiably so, is the stunningly beautiful L. viridiflora.  The color is almost unique, a beautiful turquoise green that is only equalled by another native of the Cape Province, Ixia viridiflora.  

L. viridiflora is almost always in bloom by Christmas, being one of the earlier Lachenalias to bloom. I am never able to meet the demand for this lovely bulb.  Here it is to the right.

The delicate coloring of L. pallida makes it one of my favorites, the primrose flowers opening from purple buds.  This species multiplies well, and a pot full makes a wonderful impression. Here it is to the left.

Lachenalia pustulata, in spite of its ugly name, is a very beautiful species.   It comes in a range of colors, from yellow to pink to blue.  The name refers to the bumps on the leaves, although sometimes the leaves are smooth.  Here is the blue form to the right.

Lachenalia unifolia v. wrightii also has delicate coloring, with flowers that are pale blue with touches of brown and pink on tall stems.  Here it is to the left.

Red is not unknown in Lachenalias, with L. rubida having deep red flowers, and sometimes foliage that is also tinted red.  Here it is to the right.  Another red species is Lachenalia bulbifera, seen here below and to the left.  Both of these species are early blooming, and have already finished and set seed.

A collection of Lachenalias can be a delight, with their bloom season extending from late November until early May.  They are not suitable as house plants, for they become floppy in low light, but an unheated sun porch, protected from frost, can provide the conditions they need.  In bloom, they can be brought into the house for a few days without harm.

For more photographs and descriptions of other species, please see the web site at: www.telosrarebulbs.com

   

The Morning Walkabout

My Mediterranean climate greenhouse is ablaze with color from Romulea to Oxalis, Tropaeolum to Gladiolus, but the very first thing I notice when I open the door is a delectable scent.  It comes from the most unpreposessing plant, so demure in its appearance you might even overlook it.  It is Muscari muscarimi.  Muscari, often called 'Grape Hyacinths' are from the countries that ring the Mediterranean, and there are about 60 species, most of which are fragrant.  The prize for fragrance, though, is taken by this little species from southwestern Turkey and some of the Greek islands.   It is seen here to the left.  Also from Greece and Turkey is M. macrocarpum, with bright yellow flowers and a heady scent.  Here it is to the right.  Both are easy to grow in a gritty mix with a warm, dry dormancy in late summer.  They reproduce vegetatively very slowly, and my plants have never set seed, so I am unable to list them on the web site.

I obtain many of my unusual bulbs by trading with other collectors or horticulturists, and I was happy to obtain three bulbs of a new color (for me) of Veltheimia bracteata.  It is a lovely ivory color, with a slight flush of pink.  I now have four colors, the usual pink, yellow, a very pale pink and this new one.

More Romuleas are now in bloom.  Here are R. subfistulosa and R. hantamensis (sorry about the poor picture of R. hantamensis, but this one is hard to photograph for some reason).    

Also from the Mediterranean is Scilla hughii, seen below.  This lovely Scilla is huge, with the flower heads a good 8 inches across.   It closely resembles S. peruviana, but has much wider leaves and longer bracts.  This very rare species grows only on a small island off the coast of Italy.  My seeds came from a most reliable source, and my plants are definitely the real thing.  I rarely get seed from my plants, but have found that tiny bulbils form on the roots, so propagating the plant is possible.

Canarina canariensis comes from the Canary Islands.  It is not a true bulb, but grows from a tuber, and produces large waxy orange flowers that drip with nectar.   It is in bloom now, and is dormant in the summer here, but can be unpredictable in its growth pattern, and will sprout in late summer or early fall if watered then.  Since it is not hardy, it is safer to treat it as a spring or early summer grower, withholding water until late winter.

  Narcissus bulbocodium is a delightful species.  I only grow a few of the small narcissus, and this, and N. obesus, are my favorites.  They are very easy to grow, and a pot full makes a delightful gift.  Mine were grown from seed distributed by the North American Rock Garden Society (www.nargs.org).  They bloomed in two years from seed.  If you don't belong to NARGS and you love plants, you should!  Don't be put off by the focus being rock gardening.  Their beautiful quarterly bulletin is a wonderful read, and rock garden plants and bulbs cover a very wide spectrum.

After the spectacular displays of the last two days, the geese have moved to different pastures.  They will be back, although soon they will head north for the summer, to be replaced by the swallows from the south.  Spring is here in northern California.  Ornamental plums and apricots are all in bloom in the gardens, and the wildflowers will follow.  My Hellebores in the garden seem to put on an inch of growth a day, and some have opened their buds.  The world is awakening after its winter rest.

www.telosrarebulbs.com 

Romulea

There are about ninety species of Romulea, some members being found in Europe, while the larger group is found in southern Africa, mostly in the Cape province.  Romuleas are very closely related to Crocus, but are much more colorful, particularly the Cape species.  My collection of Romulea is small, and all are South African species.  They bloom at the same time as Oxalis, and when I enter the greenhouse that holds both collections, my head swings back and forth, trying to take in all the color on both sides of the aisle, the left side Romulea, the right side Oxalis.  Like Oxalis, they are small compact plants, fitting well into a five inch pot, so a collection of Romuleas takes up little space.  The flowers of some are very large, like R. amoena, seen above, reaching about two to two and a half inches, while others are tiny gems, nestled in the grassy foliage.

To the left is R. atranda v. atranda, to the right is R. namaquensis.

Coming from the Cape Province of South Africa, the species I grow are not particularly hardy, with the exception of R. hallii and R. hantamensis, high altitude species that are much more difficult in cultivation.  I grow both, but my photographs leave much to be desired, so I haven't included them in this blog.    Here, below are R. diversiformis and R. kamisensis.

Most of these pictures are from two years ago when my pots were filled with bulbs. Then, disaster struck, rodents demolishing entire pots overnight.  My collection still hasn't recovered, and I will have few to offer this year, but some species are already setting seed, so there is hope for the future.   Below are R. biflora, R. tabularis and R. luteoflora. 

 

Some years ago I read an account from someone who claimed that Romulea bulbs were toxic.  Mice had got into his collection, and he found one dead near a pot, concluding that something in the bulbs had killed the mouse.  Would that it were true!  From my experience I would guess that the mouse had died from overeating.  Below are R. sabulosa, R. tortuosa and R. cruciata.       

Caring for a collection of South African Romuleas couldn't be easier.  Like Oxalis, they should be protected from frost, but can take a few degrees without significant damage.  A small pot suits them well, a fast draining mix, low in organic material, and occasional fertilization throughout the growing period.  Like all Mediterranean climate species, they need to be kept dry when dormant in summer.  They need sun to open their flowers.  And ..... don't forget to protect them from mice!!

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

The Morning Walkabout

I have posted previously on the California Fritillarias, and a few are already blooming.  The lovely little Fritillaria purdyi (seen here) is in bloom, with waxy flowers like Tiffany lamp shades.  This is a small plant, only about three inches tall, but the flowers are a good one inch in diameter.  They are the kind of flower that needs close inspection to appreciate their intricacy.  F. striata has been in bloom for about a month.  This is one of the truly outstanding western Fritillarias.  Not only are the flowers beautiful, but they are very strongly scented.   I have a bulb with pink flowers (very unusual), but the other one in bloom at this time is the more usual white, striped with purple inside.  Here it is to the right.  F. striata is from the Greenhorn mountains of southern California.

More of the South African Gladioli are in bloom now.  Seen here to the left is G. maculatus.  I keep meaning to go out at night to check to see if it is night-scented like others that are brown or brownish.  It has a faint rather peculiar scent in daytime.  G. carinatus is in bloom, with green and purple flowers that have a sweet scent.  Here it is to the right. 

The yellow Veltheimia breacteata  always bloom before the more common pink ones.  They are in full bloom now, and the large brush-like flowers of Scadoxus puniceus 'magnificus' are also starting to show.

Now is the time for my favorite Oxalis species -- Oxalis obtusa.  The color range of this species is incredible, with the added beauty of delicate veining, often in a contrasting color, and an intense eye ring.  I have so many different color forms of O. obtusa that I do get occasional seedlings.  Now, I really don't want Oxalis seeding itself around my greenhouse, but with O. obtusa I have found three beautiful seedlings quite different from the colors I already have, so I don't mind finding a few plants here and there.  Below are three, from left to right; O. obtusa 'Blush';   O. obtusa 'Peaches & Cream' and O. obtusa 'Elizabeth'.  

  

I should explain a little about the South African oxalis and seed.  It is unusual to get seed from these species, since the same species of Oxalis exhibit a condition known as heterostyly, where the stamens and stigma have varying lengths, producing incompatibilty between plants that have differing structure.  So you can have several genetically different Oxalis obtusa, but they won't cross pollinate to produce seed unless the stigma/stamen ratio is compatible.  This prevents self-pollination and encourages outcrossing. I have a lot of O. obtusa clones, so I clearly have some that are compatible.  And that's all right with me, since I don't get massive amounts of seeding, and I get some lovely surprises like the ones above.

This is just the beginning of the O. obtusa season.  They will peak in February, and be over by the end of March.  Let's hope for some new surprises.

www.telosrarebulbs.com

Oxalis - The Scented Ones

I sometimes forget to check to see if the flowers of bulbs are fragrant, although some are so obvious one couldn't overlook them.  There are many members of the genus Oxalis that are quite fragrant, but being small and at foot level, you usually need to pick up the pot to realize this.

I have one Oxalis in my collection labeled O. fragrans, seen here to the left.  This may not be the correct name, but this plant has been in circulation for quite a long time with that moniker.  It is indeed fragrant, and a pot can fill a room with its scent.  The flowers open in the afternoon, and stay open into the evening, closing around midnight, quite oblivious to whether the sun is shining or not.  This probably indicates a night-flying pollinator.    O. cathara, a rare species from a restricted area of Namaqualand in South Africa, behaves the same way, and has a strong sweet scent.  Here it is to the right. 

One of the earliest blooming Oxalis is O. commutata.  It can bloom as early as August, and has a sweet scent like baby powder.  It too is from the Cape Province of South Africa, and is seen here below and to the left. 

Oxalis obtusa is my favorite species, with its wonderful range of color and delicate veining of the petals.  When color is used to attract pollinators, scent seems superfluous, but I do have one O. obtusa in my collection that is scented like violets.  Here it is to the right.  In the catalogue it is called O. obtusa Polished Copper. 

Another South African is O. callosa, a beautiful species with purple flowers banded deep crimson in the throat.  It, too, has a sweet fragrance.  Here it is to the left.

Oxalis pocockiae, seen here below and to the right, has white flowers with a fragrance like fresh coconut.  It is also South African.  

South America has hundreds of Oxalis species, although most are not as showy as the South African ones, and many are not bulbous.  One that has been in cultivation for a very long time is O. lobata, with masses of brilliant yellow flowers that are strongly scented like honey.  Here it is above and to the left. 

There are many others that are scented, and I have picked only the most obvious ones.  The late Michael Vassar thought that about half of the South African species have some scent, but I think he had a better nose than I do.  I will try this season to evaluate all of them for scent, and keep you posted.

www.telosrarebulbs.com