Lycoris passeth, Cochicum cometh, the seasons march along
J.E. Shields (Sat, 28 Aug 2004 18:25:11 PDT)

Hi Jane and all,

The colchicums exist with the grass because I don't mow that area until the
Colchicum foliage has yellowed off in mid-July. The islands of tall grass,
where I have planted Colchicum, Narcissus, and Crocus in the lawn, really
drive my poor wife crazy until they are at last mowed. They are out in our
front lawn, about half way between the house and the street. But it is
worth it, just to see the Narcissus blooming there in spring and now the
colchicums as autumn nears. Most of the neighbors probably already suspect
that I am a little eccentric, so a couple patches of tall, unkempt grass in
the front lawn doubtless fit in with that concept fairly well.

Now that the Colchicum are starting to flower, once again the grass will
not be mowed for several weeks -- but in Fall, the grass is not so tall nor
growing so fast as in May and June.

Corydalis solida and Fritillaria meleagris that were planted out there too
have not done so well. I think the last of them died a year or two ago.

Regards,
Jim Shields

At 06:03 PM 8/28/2004 -0700, you wrote:

Jim SHields wrote,

The Lycoris are now all nearly over with here. I hate to see them go, as
this means summer is about to end. However, there is consolation at
hand: the first Colchicum are starting to bloom in my lawn, C.
byzantinum. It is usually the first one up in autumn, and this year is
typical. Usually, the next one to appear will be Colchicum cilicium
"Purpureum".

Jim, will you please explain how colchicums coexist with a lawn? That is,
one thinks of a lawn as being mown at the time that the colchicum leaves
are in growth. The flowers would, however, be pretty in grass.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA

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Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd.
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