What's Blooming Now--TOW
Jane McGary (Mon, 26 Apr 2004 19:06:25 PDT)

This is the hiatus between the great peak of bulb flowering in early spring
and the peak of "California" bulb flowering in late May through June.
Nonetheless there are some genera making an impression in the bulb frames
and even more in the open garden.

The fritillarias are through here except for the very late ones -- F.
pyrenaica, pontica, graeca (or perhaps now. F. mutabilis) and acmopetala;
they are mostly pollinated by wasps, which emerge later than bees and are
busy at the green flowers.

There are some late Muscari species, such as M. pallens which Mary Sue
mentioned -- a small, non-invasive species, with pretty purple stems and
white flowers faintly washed with blue; and M. argaei album, which I read
is known only in cultivation, a true albino, a little greenish in bud, and
coming true from seed. The "comosum" group of Muscari, formerly the genus
Leopoldia, are also at their peak now; M. dionysicum, a very large one, is
particularly attractive. There are still Bellevalias, mostly the less
colorful species now such as B. romana, B. dubia, and B. sarmatica.

Scillas go on well into late spring, and most of the late ones are easy
garden plants such as S. pratensis (I'm not sure if it it;s synonymous with
S. lilio-hyacinthus, but they look similar) and the very small S. verna.

The pest "endymion" Rodger mentioned must be the hybrids of Hyacinthoides
campanulata and H. non-scripta, sold commercially as " English bluebells."
They are naturalized widely in the Pacific Northwest. The white ones are
attractive and smaller, anyway. They are best restricted to rough grassy
areas, but probably Rodger has no rough areas in his garden! I certainly do.

Also best planted in the grass is Ornithogalum umbellatum, the Star of
Bethlehem. Many "thogs" (I hear the English fanciers call them that) are in
flower now, though the smallest ones started in January. Some are
admissible to well-kept plantings, but most increase as fast as cheap
Muscari and are best put under big shrubs and so on. I like the common
European O. nutans with its nodding, gray-green-striped flowers; it will
grow anywhere.

A surprise in the garden today was a flowering plant of the miniature
Gladiolus alatus (I think), which I have in the frame. I spread the spent
potting soil on various beds in the garden, and there was a little
orange-and-yellow gladiolus that had made it through a reasonably cold
winter or two.

The "Sierra giant" form of Triteleia laxa, huge light lavender flowers on
tall stems, is blooming in garden and frames. It's so different from the
deep violet, shorter form I was used to, that when I first saw it in the
wild I had no idea what it was. I collected the seed in Mariposa County,
California and have full-size plants in their 4th year. Another Triteleia
in flower is tiny T. lemmoniae from Arizona, with dark yellow flowers on
3-inch stems.

Many bearded iris species are in flower, and the Pacific Coast irises are
starting. Of the latter I have mostly hybrids but also some species,
including native I. tenax. Now that I have the slugs on the run I should
reintroduce I. tenuis, a crested iris endemic to my home area.

A number of arums have flowered this year. A. korolkowii is doing well in
the open garden despite its winter foliage, and I'm accumulating some
different leaf forms of A. italicum; subsp. albospathum is particularly
lush. The few arisaemas I have are just now emerging in the shady garden.

Also benefiting from the anti-slug campaign are the lilies. L. mackliniae
is soon to flower, and I see buds on L. candidum.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA

At 05:00 PM 4/26/2004 -0800, you wrote: