The Bulb Maven

Amaryllis belladonna

Amaryllis belladonna is so common in northern California that people think it is native to this area. It is actually native to the Cape Province of South Africa, but has been widely planted as an ornamental. It used to be a "pass along" plant, something that would multiply and be shared among neighbors, and it can be found in great patches on abandoned farms in California.  It is often planted around here in long rows, probably done so with a plow or backhoe digging a trench, and there is one such planting not too far away that is magnificent, about three feet wide and at least fifty or sixty feet long.  It is so common that local people often treat it with contempt.  I gathered some once that a neighbor had thrown over her fence.  She said I could have them, she didn't want them.  "Oh, those things, you can't get rid of them", she said.  Why would you want to?  I love them, I love the way the stems burst out of the dry ground and open their dazzling flowers at a time of year when there isn't much to see.

I have to admit, though, that I was tempted last year to get rid of mine.  My accountant gave them to me (he, too, was throwing them away), and I wanted the traditional country planting along my picket fence.  They were planted some years ago, and I have never got a good display from them, and last year the petals all turned brown at the tips and edges and looked so horrible I cut them off (this might have been from salt burn from the wind).  I thought maybe I should just give up and remove them, but I didn't get around to it.  Well, about two weeks ago I noticed buds, then multiple stems snaking their way out of the ground.  I have the best display ever, and I am so glad I didn't remove them.

 

www.telosrarebulbs.com

 

An English Bulb Meadow - Part Four

And, now, for the finale, a slide show of John's wonderful garden.

 

https://youtu.be/EYcwZVrPGUw

An English Bulb Meadow - Part Three

 

John says that his bulb meadow does not require that much maintenance.  By June things look a bit ragged, so he has started using a grass specific herbicide to control the taller more rampant grasses.  Last year he burned off the top growth, and the results were encouraging, with improved growth and flowering of many species.  He says that purple vetch has been a problem but, other than that he has few weed problems.  A planting such as this is likely to need some hand weeding, and which weeds are problems will depend a lot on the area and climate you live in.  In my area, surrounded by fields, I am definitely going to have weeds from seed blowing in.

 

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An English Bulb Meadow - Part Two

Initially, John didn’t want a lawn at all, but since his wife preferred the look of a more traditional garden, a compromise was reached, and he decided to have turf laid in his rear garden.  This part of his garden is north facing and fairly moist, and he hadn’t expected to be able to grow anything in it other than shade loving plants or bulbs that emerge before the trees leaf out in spring.  He had 25 tons of topsoil delivered which he levelled out, then right after he had prepared the area there were two weeks of torrential rain, turning it into a quagmire.  Undaunted, he had the turf delivered at the same time as his bulbs.  He scattered 1000 Fritillaria meleagris, 500 each of Scilla bifolia (both pink and blue), Scilla Sibirica and Chionodoxa luciliae over the bare soil and laid the turf over them.  In addition there were about 200 Crocus, 200 Galanthus and Cyclamen coum.  He said you could hardly see the soil for the dense carpet of bulbs.  He had initially planned on a Fritillaria meadow because of the dampness, but the results were somewhat disappointing in this regard, particularly since the display was rather short lived.  

Coordinating the delivery of the turf and the bulbs made the planting of thousands of bulbs a relatively straightforward task, whereas hand planting this many bulbs would have been almost impossible.  The initial planting took place in December of 2010, and since that time he has added many other species.  In 2011 he added Sparaxis, Ixia and Gladiolus byzantinus.  They were all successful and flowered in 2012, and that provided the key to the addition of other species. He scatters the bulbs in drifts and plants them by lifting the turf with a flat crowbar, occasional disturbing bulbs that are already there, but not doing any significant damage.

The bulbs he has added to his meadow are as follows:  Hermodactylis,  Aemone blanda and A. pavonina, Dodecatheon, Pasithea caerulea, Ipheon, Cyclamen, Narcissus, Tulipa, Triteleia, Dichelostemma, Sparaxis, Homeria, Ixia, Tigridia, Sparaxis, Moraea, Muscari, Fritillaria, Erythronium, Ornithogalum, Camassia, Tecophilaea,Olsynium, Gladiolus, Romulea Lapeirousia and Iris (and I think I saw a few others in his photographs!).  There is continuous  bloom from January to July or August.

 

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An English Bulb Meadow - Part One

A customer in the midlands of England kindly sent me pictures of his garden, which mostly consists of a lawn that is densely planted with bulbs.  It is common in England to plant bulbs in lawns, usually crocus, but the lawn has to be left a bit ragged until the foliage of the bulbs has died back before it can be mown again.  Most people just plant patches, but John Davies has taken this several levels beyond that and planted his entire lawn with a very wide variety of bulbs. The result is stunning, a veritable tapestry of color that changes throughout the season from January to July or August.  He has been successful with many species that I would have thought impossible, species that are usually left completely dry in summer, and some species that are also quite tender.

 I asked him for details as to how he had established this wonderful meadow, and also the climate in his part of England.  Temperatures range from about 0C (although he tells me they have had dips as low as  -18C ) to highs of 30C (about 85F) in summer.  Rainfall occurs fairly evenly throughout the year, a little more in winter than summer, but with significant summer rains of around 15mm per month (about ¾”).  He feels that the turf protects the bulbs from deep freezing and also keeps the soil relatively dry in summer, plus provides the bulbs with a fibrous open texture that they like. 

John shared with me how he established this beautiful bulb meadow, and I will post the the details in the next part.

 

www.telosrarebulbs.com

Arum

Although the season for Arums is past, I am currently repotting my collection and realized I had never posted on this wonderful genus.  I realize it takes a special kind of person to appreciate them, since many have scents that are akin to manure or rotting flesh (the rotting flesh category, though, belongs mostly to Amorphophallus).   They are pollinated by flies, and must, therefore, use whatever means they can to attract suitable pollinators.  Most are not that strongly scented, and since I keep my collection outside exposed to the weather, I do not notice the scent that much.  Indoors it is another matter.  The 'flower' or, more correctly, the inflorescence, is composed of a spathe which usually stands upright, but may curl back as it matures, and a spadix, a very curious structure that sticks up from the spathe and is the source of the scent.  Low down on the spadix the actual flowers are arranged, and when pollinated these give rise to the spike of red berries characteristic of Arums.

My favorite Arum is Arum creticum, with butter yellow spathes (seen above).  I have two different clones, and one (the one offered in the catalogue) has a faint sweetish scent, but the other smells of urine (I don't sell that one).   It is a lovely plant, and with its arrow shaped leaves a very attractive addition to the garden.  Another favorite is Arum dioscoridis, seen here to the right.  It is variably marked on the spathe with purple.

Arum pictum (seen to the left) has short tubby spathes, and extremely attractive shiny leaves that are heavily veined.  It is another great garden plant and blooms in the autumn, unlike other Arums.

Many years ago, I was walking my dog in a suburban neighborhood, and stopped to admire a charming little greenhouse, obviously a one-of-a-kind design.  It was filled with junk, and had several panes broken, and I was thinking how I would love a little greenhouse like that and how I would take care of it and fill it with treasures.  I glanced down at my feet, and there was a patch of Arum palaestinum that spread about ten feet in all directions, all in bloom with hundreds of beautiful deep purple velvety 'flowers'.   I knocked on the door and asked the tenant if I could dig some up, and would give him some flowering bulbs for his garden in return.  He, of course, had nothing to do with the Arums, and said I could take as many as I wanted, so I returned when they were dormant and dug a dozen or so.  Here, to the right, is one of the descendants. 

Arum dioscoridis v. philistaeum is a real beauty, with velvety purple spathes that have contrasting deeper purple patches.  It is slower to reproduce than the others, so I don't have it available every year.

I have only selected my personal favorites for the blog, but there are many more on the web site: www.telosrarebulbs.com.  Arums are wonderful additions to the garden, and most are fairly hardy.  They are from the Mediterranean, and are often found on the many islands there.  They grow at some considerable depth, so even in frosty areas they survive.  Arums produce their handsome leaves in the winter and are dormant by late spring.  Don't be put off by their reputed smell -- you really have to stick your nose right into the spathe, and their unusual beauty makes up for it.

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Chlidanthus fragrans - Peruvian Daffodil

The common name of this delightful Peruvian bulb can be forgiven.  It is only distantly related to daffodils, being in the same Family Amaryllidaceae, but the flower is somewhat daffodil like having a central cup or corona and a ring of outer petals, plus it is bright yellow.  This lovely little bulb produces its leaves in the summer, unlike the daffodil, with the blooms appearing in mid to late summer (for me).  It has the reputation of being hard to bring to bloom, and some seasons it does take a break, but it has not proved difficult for me.  The blooms are quite large for the plant, and the scent is heavenly.  Deep planting is needed otherwise the bulbs tend to split up into many smaller non-blooming ones.  This is a delightful addition to the garden in milder climates, and should be planted more often.

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Habranthus

Many of my Habranthus are blooming now, so it seems appropriate to post something on this beautiful genus from Central and South America.  There is even one member from the southern United States, H. tubispathus (called H. texensis by some).  The genus is closely related to Hippeasrum, and even closer to Zephyranthes, the main difference with Zephyranthes being the stamens and the angle of the flowers. 

Most Zephyranthes flowers point upwards, while Habranthus are at a slight angle to the stem.  The stamens of Habranthus are unequal in lenght, while Zephyranthes are equal.  Here is H. tubispathus above, with the pink version, H. tubispathus v. roseus to the right.

I have a number in my collection, and I like them all.  The most dramatic must be H. brachyandrus with very large flowers that are pink with a deep purple throat. 

Another favorite, although smaller, is H. martinezii, with pale pink flowers and a purple to burgundy throat.  Here it is to the right.  A pot full of these sweet little bulbs is very charming.

Habranthus coeruleus

, seen here to the left, is from Argentina, and is quite rare.  It isn't really blue, but a lavender blue color.

Probably the most commonly grown Habranthus is H. robustus. 

There are a number of different forms and also some hybrids.  H. Russell Manning is a hybrid, with very large funnel shaped flowers that are slightly ruffled.  It is vigorous and very attractive.  Here it is to the right.  Two different color forms of the species are seen below, one with pale narrow petals, another with deep pink petals.

 

Another charmer is Habranthus magnoi, with lovely white petals tipped with pink.  Here it is to the left. 

These lovely bulbs grow well in the southern United States, but can also be grown elsewhere if winters are not too severe.  They make excellent container plants if they can't be planted in the ground, and the pots can be stored over winter in a frost free place.  They are often called Rain Lilies, since they tend to bloom in flushes after rain.

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The Morning Walkabout

We (the dogs and I) have been away a great deal for the past three weeks at two dog trials, with more coming up.  Here we are on the beautiful Smith River on our way home from Oregon.

Coming home, my first task is to catch up on e-mail and orders, then take care of the bulbs.  I am having a difficult time tearing myself away from my garden these days, since I am trying to renovate parts of my front yard and it is all starting to look the way I would like it.  I had, mistakenly, planted an escallonia hedge along the front of my yard, wanting privacy from the road and wind protection.  My house faces west, and you can almost see the ocean from the upstairs of my house.  You can actually see it during storms when waves can reach 18ft high, and the surf line is visible across the flat fields.  My property is about a mile and a half from the Pacific Ocean with nothing to break the force of the wind, so the hedge seemed a good idea.  It wasn't.  I bought what was supposed to be a dwarf form of escallonia, but in eighteen months they had grown from six inches to seven feet, with no sign of stopping.  With one very large and very long hedge to trim already, and with the escallonias suckering into my small flower borders, I decided they had to go, so I have been slowly digging them out.  It is no easy task, but I have half of them removed, and I am replacing them with a loose mixture of better behaved shrubs.

With most of the catch up work behind me, I can now take my customary strolls around the nursery.  The beautiful Arum creticum is in full bloom.   It has a faint sweetish scent, unlike most Arums, although I do have a clone that I grew from seed that is most definitely not sweetly scented.  Nearby are pots of the hybrid Erythronium 'Pagoda', seen here to the left, and I am thinking that if I can solve the gopher problem I must definitely plant these two in my garden.  They look beautiful together, need similar conditions, and bloom at the same time.  Arums don't seem bothered by slugs, snails or deer, so possibly they wouldn't taste good to gophers, but I am sure they would love the Erythroniums.  Another lovely little Erythronium in bloom now is E. howellii, seen here below. 

Zephyra elegans, seen here to the right, is from Chile, where it grows in very dry conditions.   The usual color is blue, but I have a white flowered one grown from seed.  It has taken five years or more to bloom, and has been difficult to keep happy, so I doubt I will ever be able to offer it on the web site. 

Also from Chile are the Leucocorynes, all in bloom now.  I have posted previously on this genus, but here is the beautiful L. macropetalum.  

I have a small collection of native Alliums, and I am becoming more fond of them as time goes on.  I only grow a few in sufficient quantities to list on the web site, but I do have others that are just for my own enjoyment.  Here is Allium yosemitense, in bloom for me for the first time.   

Yesterday, in my Mediterranean greenhouse, I was amazed to find a small swarm of butterflies.  I am not sure if they hatched in there or all flew in through the opened door.  When I moved to this property I was rather dismayed to find that bees and butterflies were scarce here, but since I have planted my garden this has changed considerably.  Before, there was little here for shelter or nourishment.  I felt pretty certain that my greenhouse wasn't a good environment for a butterfly to prosper, so I spent a large part of the morning capturing them and releasing them outside.

Spring is well established.  The swallows are back, and are swirling around the barn.  The first ones back were the tree swallows, with small flocks arriving a good month ago.  Soon after the barn swallows followed, and they are already investigating nesting places on the house and barn.  I am astonished when people tell me that I should knock their nests down because the 'make a mess'.  Not as bad a mess as we humans, I say.  The geese have mostly departed, with a few stragglers still here, although as I write this I am conscious that I can't hear them, so maybe they have gone too.

www.telosrarebulbs.com 

Crocus

Most of California has such mild winters that Crocus are not that successful here, since many species come from the mountainous regions of the Mediterranean countries where they experience freezing temperatures in winter.  Bulbs that come from cold winter regions generally need that winter chill, and don't do well where there is little frost, as in coastal California.  You can buy the beautiful large-flowered hybrids from your garden center, and they may survive for a winter or two, but often die out after blooming once. 

The exceptions to this very broad generalization are the autumn blooming species, but these are not often seen in garden centers.  They are very well suited to California gardens.  I have only a few in my collection, not because I am not interested, but I have neither the space nor the time to grow all the bulbs I would like.  One of my favorites, seen here to the left, is C. pulchellus, from Turkey and Bulgaria, where it grows in damp forests.  Crocus goulimyi, seen below and to the right, from Greece, is a lovely Crocus that is often available from specialists.  Another beautiful autumn blooming species is C. kotschyanus, below and to the left.    It is also from Turkey, Syria and Lebanon.   Although all these species are from dry summer regions, they can tolerate some summer water if drainage is good.  There are many other species, and writing this post reminds me that I should try to squeeze a few more in.  I haven't tried them in the garden, since I am plagued with gophers, but just recently I am experimenting with planters scattered in the perennial beds where I can grow bulbs safe from predation.  Fortunately, with few trees in this windswept valley, we don't have squirrels, the bane of crocus lovers.

We are, of course, past the time of bloom for the autumn species.  I have been experimenting with other spring-blooming species to see which ones will do well in this mild climate.  The species from the Mediterranean islands, predictably, have done well, since they do not experience a very cold winter in their homeland.  C. minimus is a delightful one from Sardinia and Corsica.  It is seen here to the right.  Another species from Corsica is C. corsicus, and is stunningly beautiful with large deep lavender flowers that are strongly scented.  One wonders if the first Napoleon appreciated these lovely flowers.  Here it is to the left.  Crocus sieberi 'Bowles White' is from Crete, and is also doing very well, with very large pristine white flowers and egg-yolk centers.  Here it is.  

I am also growing some other spring-flowering species that are doing well, in spite of the fact that they come from regions that have snowy winters, although others that I have tried have rapidly disappeared.  One vigorous species from Turkey is C. ancyrensis (also known as C. susianus) with brilliant yellow flowers produced in abundance.  It is seen here below.   

Crocus tommasinianus is very well known, and comes in a range of color forms, all more or less purple, but still distinctly different from each other.  It comes from Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia, where it experiences cold winters, but it does well here.  It is the classic crocus to grow in lawns where it will seed itself and scatter beautiful purple and lavender stars throughout the grass.   Here, below, is the pinkish form called C. t. roseus , and to the left is C. t. pictus.

These are only a very few species, for to talk in depth about Crocus would require a PhD-like thesis, but for those who wish to delve more into this wonderful genus I would recommend the web site: http://www.thealpinehouse.fsnet.co.uk/crocus%20pages/.  You can happily browse through all the species and look at their wonderful photographs.

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