Good gardening

Jane McGary janemcgary@earthlink.net
Thu, 29 Jun 2017 15:02:59 PDT
Tim's helpful discussion included this:


> Having said all that, I don’t really know if xerophytic bulbs really 
> grow in well-drained media or if that’s just a poor man’s substitute 
> for a desert.  Maybe a hardpan clay on a slope makes more sense.
>
>
Bob Nold also mentioned Juno irises growing well in clay. When I have 
seen a couple of species in nature, they were growing in silty soil (or 
perhaps loess) mixed with pretty large rocks, sometimes on a slope. The 
soil was saturated when the plants were in flower.
I recall Fritz Kummert saying that both onco and Juno irises do well 
with "unlimited" moisture when in growth and flower, but need to be dry 
in their dormant period. This is probably true of many temperate-climate 
bulbs we grow, especially those that get their main moisture for the 
year from snowmelt. A lot of those appear to grow in very fine-textured 
soils, but often on slopes.
The main place I've seen various bulbs growing in pure sand is coastal 
Chile, and in fact the Leucocoryne species that do well here are in pure 
coarse sand. So do many Alstroemeria species, but there is a volunteer 
Alstroemeria revoluta in flower in a shaded clay area here, mixed in 
with Smilacina (Maianthemum) and other liliaceous (sensu lato) plants. I 
don't know what the pretty Asphodelus acaulis grows in naturally -- it 
is from coastal Morocco -- but it flourishes in sand too.
I've been at my present home for 5 years now and am still figuring out 
the microhabitats. It's my first experience gardening on clay, but 
fortunately our major nursery industry means I can order almost any 
amendment in large quantities, even in custom mixes. Also, I chose a lot 
(0.6 acre -- 2.5 acres = 1 hectare) with considerable slope, though only 
one part of it is steep enough to threaten my knees. And I picked a 
non-upscale neighborhood, so I don't get complaints about my highly 
eccentric landscape.

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA


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    <p>Tim's helpful discussion included this:<br>
    </p>
    <br>
    <span
style="11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-…"><o:p> </o:p></span>
    <blockquote
      cite="003401d2f11f$26320c20$72962460$@embarqmail.com/"
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        <p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-…">Having
            said all that, I don’t really know if xerophytic bulbs
            really grow in well-drained media or if that’s just a poor
            man’s substitute for a desert.  Maybe a hardpan clay on a
            slope makes more sense.  <o:p></o:p></span></p>
        <br>
      </div>
    </blockquote>
    Bob Nold also mentioned Juno irises growing well in clay. When I
    have seen a couple of species in nature, they were growing in silty
    soil (or perhaps loess) mixed with pretty large rocks, sometimes on
    a slope. The soil was saturated when the plants were in flower. <br>
    I recall Fritz Kummert saying that both onco and Juno irises do well
    with "unlimited" moisture when in growth and flower, but need to be
    dry in their dormant period. This is probably true of many
    temperate-climate bulbs we grow, especially those that get their
    main moisture for the year from snowmelt. A lot of those appear to
    grow in very fine-textured soils, but often on slopes.<br>
    The main place I've seen various bulbs growing in pure sand is
    coastal Chile, and in fact the Leucocoryne species that do well here
    are in pure coarse sand. So do many Alstroemeria species, but there
    is a volunteer Alstroemeria revoluta in flower in a shaded clay area
    here, mixed in with Smilacina (Maianthemum) and other liliaceous
    (sensu lato) plants. I don't know what the pretty Asphodelus acaulis
    grows in naturally -- it is from coastal Morocco -- but it
    flourishes in sand too. <br>
    I've been at my present home for 5 years now and am still figuring
    out the microhabitats. It's my first experience gardening on clay,
    but fortunately our major nursery industry means I can order almost
    any amendment in large quantities, even in custom mixes. Also, I
    chose a lot (0.6 acre -- 2.5 acres = 1 hectare) with considerable
    slope, though only one part of it is steep enough to threaten my
    knees. And I picked a non-upscale neighborhood, so I don't get
    complaints about my highly eccentric landscape.<br>
    <br>
    Jane McGary<br>
    Portland, Oregon, USA<br>
    <br>
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