Our local county fair has ended, marking for me the winding down of summer. Some Amaryllids are blooming, although most will come later as the days shorten and the nights cool. This morning there was a sharpness in the air with mist hugging the ground which cleared as the sun arose.
Shipping continues at a brisk pace and caring for the bulbs has to be squeezed in whenever I can. the bulbs should come first, of course, but customers needs are important also, and I sometimes get plaintive e-mails asking when the bulbs will arrive. I will be leaving for my annual trip to Oregon in a week for a few days of hiking in the mountains and a two day agility trial with my dogs. I will be taking Arlo for his first camping trip, but will leave him with friends while I take longer hikes with my two terriers. This, of course, puts more pressure on me to clear as many orders as possible before I leave, including several large international orders. Here is Arlo, worn out from helping in the greenhouses.
Cyrtanthus sanguineus is now in bloom in the greenhouse. I grew these from seed, and was rather unexcited about them until they bloomed, since the flowers are orange, a rather common color in the bulb world, and I had not seen them in the flesh. Well, they are outstanding, an almost glowing creamy orange, with very large flared trumpets. Really beautiful. Also blooming is Veltheimia deasii, sometimes thought to be a subspecies of V. capensis.
It is very similar, but more compact and with leaves that are much more crisped along the margins. Very nice.
I often work until evening these days, my pets usually wanting to be near at hand. I have to keep an eye on the puppy, who has energetically dug up entire flats of seedling bulbs, but the cats tend to curl up and nap in the warm temperatures. The evenings are beautiful, all golden with the setting sun, the sea fog lifting this time of year. Here is a picture from my office.
www.telosrarebulbs.com