What's in bloom 3 floors up, South Side of Chicago

Emilie Pulver epulver@jkmlibrary.org
Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:03:50 PST
In my 'dry' terrarium, where I grow South African bulbs, at least 5 species of the roughly 15 sp. of Oxalis are in bloom, thanks to all of you at PBS who donated your Oxalis bulbs. I am afraid I cannot specify species as the plants in my carefully labeled pots all grew up entwined together, and I cannot risk damage. They brighten my bedroom, which is perpetually dark with only one window out onto an airshaft.

On my giant 'plant rack' in my south facing living room, other South African bulbs, many from Huntington Garden's ISI program, are leafing out, but not yet in bloom.

I have had great success keeping the bulbs in their containers almost dry in my dark pantry over the summer-once a month I sit the pots in a ½ of RO water for half an hour and then drain overnight, then they go back into the pantry. They come out when I see the first green shoots up out of the gravel in the fall and are slowly adapted to their winter sunshine and/or lamplight.

Emilie Pulver
3 blocks from the Midwestern White House


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