Last March, when I was ordering my wholesale bulbs from Holland, I included
a lot that I planned to plant in my brother's garden in California.
Unfortunately, I did not know at the time that I would be in South America
for most of October and would not have an opportunity to plant them. (I
don't think he would find the time.) I've already been down there,
installed the beds, and visited Bill Welch's (the Bulb Baron) farm nearby,
where I got some of his tazetta and jonquilla narcissi and amaryllis, and
was astounded by his colony of flowering Brunsvigia josephinae (one was
even semidouble).
The Dutch bulbs arrived today by air shipment, so they are in very good
condition. Most of them can go into my so-called garden, if I can get the
neighbor boy to clear a bed for them and figure out somewhere else to plant
its sole present denizens of merit, the peonies. But some won't grow
outdoors here. I hope some of you can give them suitable foster homes:
100 Calochortus venustus (the showy Dutch selected color strain)
5 Pancratium maritimum (a Mediterranean amaryllid that needs coastal
conditions to flower, though it is pretty frost-hardy)
7 Urginea maritima ("sea squill") bulbs of absolutely gigantic size; I
think these need very sandy soil and almost frost-free conditions, but I'm
keeping 3 to try in a big mesh basket sunk in the bulb frame.
Please contact me privately if interested.
We haven't had a frost here yet, so now I have to go make tomato sauce all
night.
Jane McGary
janemcgary@earthlink.net
503-630-3339