Not much blooming as we approach Christmas
Mary Sue Ittner (Sun, 22 Dec 2002 15:11:15 PST)

Today the sun is shining for the first time in about 9-10 days. We have
seen it briefly, but mostly it has been raining, or pausing between rain,
or hailing, or blustery. The sun is delicious and since more rain is
expected I was tempted to move myself to different parts of my garden as
the sun moves to them and just soak up as much as I can. But I also wanted
to survey the damage. Quite a few leaves look damaged by the weather, but I
am almost more surprised by those that are not.

So what is blooming here in Northern California as Christmas approaches.
Quite a few Oxalis would be blooming if it were just a bit warmer as they
have closed flowers: Oxalis obtusa (pink, apricot, peach, copper, yellow),
Oxalis purpurea (white), Oxalis goniorhiza and versicolor (both pretty when
closed with candy striped petals), and Oxalis luteola. I have four clones
of the latter. Two of them have never bloomed even though I have had them
for quite a few years. One of them usually doesn't even break dormancy
until February or so. One of the others is a wonderful long blooming plant
that brings me much pleasure every year and the other a new one from the
IBS auction in Pasadena that looks like a winner too and is a sunny yellow
unlike the other which is much paler. It just goes to show you that you
can't dismiss a plant as not being something you can grow by just trying
one clone.

A few Cyclamen coums are already blooming and I am still getting blooms on
this one Cyclamen purpurescens which first started blooming in July. And
thanks to Mark I bent down to smell it and it really is nicely fragrant.
Muscari neglectum has been blooming since November and I saw some new ones
opening today. And leaves are coming up of the Iris unguicularis I cut back
and a new flower bloomed today. Romulea tortulosa has been trying but the
weather hasn't cooperated, but it too bloomed today. Right before that
first storm ten days ago I had a bloom of Calochortus uniflorus which no
doubt had been lulled into thinking it was already spring by the warm dry
weather we had been having. I have had non stop blooms on a Moraea that
came via seed from Dirk Wallace labeled as Moraea venenata. I struggled
last year to determine how it was different from M. polystachya and wasn't
sure. But it does much better for me that the M. polystachyas I have grown
in the past so I am thrilled to have it. Last year it looked diseased with
two straight months of rain in November and December so this year it is in
my covered structure and looking much better.

I too have Lachenalia viridiflora in bloom with its wonderful turquoise
flowers and I have nice scapes forming on a whole lot of other ones as
well. Crocus laevigatus has been blooming off and on weather permitting.

Finally every year I survey my ever expanding collection of pots and
question my sanity. But this week when the weather was raging outdoors I
brought in two Narcissus plants to protect them from the elements and to
enjoy their bright encouraging flowers. In the northern hemisphere spring
of 1999 Bill Dijk shared a number of Narcissus plants with the IBS BX. I
got six different ones. Two bloomed that first year at the wrong time and
those two have been the only ones to bloom, blooming last year as well and
again now. They are Narcissus bulbocodium monophyllus and Narcissus
romieuxii var. zaianicus. The latter this year has just been covered with
blooms and even in the low light (without power) was beautiful. Hopefully
some of the other four will bloom this year too.

How do all the digital photographers do on yellows? I've had a terrible
time with my regular camera getting pictures I am satisfied with of those
two lovely flowers.

There are quite a few spikes on various Gladious caeruleus plants and
Babiana curviscapa is trying to bloom. I have this one planted out and it
all depends on when it rains whether I actually get to see those beautiful
flowers. I am sure it would be much happier in Southern California or
sheltered from the rain.

Finally even though that is all to be blooming right now there are still
things coming up every day and seeds germinating too that give promise of
what is to come. I am always especially excited to see 2nd year seeds
coming back.

Mary Sue