Dear All, We've had a short heat wave in California and when we returned from our trip, I wasn't sure how many of the winter growing bulbs would still be blooming. (The fog has returned in full measure today.) There are still some natives blooming in my garden and yesterday Bob took some pictures of more Brodiaeas. These are more fully open. When we had the topic of the week there were just a few flowers open. This picture is of the cultivar Brodiaea purdyi 'Blue Ribbons'. Parker Sanderson and Jane McGary say in Bulbs of North America, of Brodiaea purdyi "It is not, however, a very attractive plant owing to its narrow tepals." And I ask you why would narrow tepals make it unattractive? I feel the need to defend it in case people would read that book and decide not to try it. The book is great. I just challenge the sentence. http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/… This Brodiaea elegans is a lovely shiny dark purple. I think it is gorgeous. http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/… I planted a native raised bed 12 years ago using very poor soil and haven't redone it although I probably will in the next year or two now that Alberto has taught me an improved method. It doesn't get any water at all from when the rain stops until it starts again (usually May until September or October). It mostly is neglected meaning I don't water or fertilize it although I have added bark for mulch a couple of times. This year with late rains there have been a lot of bulbs blooming including all these Triteleia laxas. This one is a lighter color than the Queen Fabiola so commonly grown. http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/… Also blooming in this bed right now is Bloomeria crocea and Brodiaea elegans (glimpsed in the picture.) Most of the other native bulbs in that bed (Fritillaria biflora ssp. biflora, Dichelostemma capitatum, Triteleia ixioides, Zigadenus fremontii, Brodiaea stellaris, Calochortus uniflorus) are finished. I am including the names as these are the ones that have survived neglect. Other natives I planted there I haven't seen in a long time. That Calochortus isn't really happy there as it is much too dry for it and some years I don't see it and Alliums haven't survived either after a year or so. The Zigadenus is the one that surprises me because most I have in my garden are growing in more shade in spots where the soil stays wetter and where there is a lot of room for the big bulbs. But it blooms reliably every year. The bulbs must be lodged in the hardware cloth I lined the bed with. Mary Sue Mary Sue Ittner California's North Coast Wet mild winters with occasional frost Dry mild summers
