Bulbs for California's Central Valley
Roy M. Sachs (Sun, 25 Jan 2004 10:20:11 PST)
Please recommend some bulbs/geophytes for beginners for California's
Central Valley. These should be Meditterranean climate type bulbs which will
receive no or little water during the summer and natural rainfall in
the winter.
Summer days are usually above 100 degrees, with summer nighttime lows in
the 70-80s, and winters are cool and damp, 35-45 degrees, but rarely freezing.
My daughter is buying a new home there in a tract development in Selma,
near Fresno, California. The soil appears to be well drained and was
probably an old Thompson seedless grape vineyard. I have many
bulbs I can share
with her but my Medit. climate is coastal northern California, with
cool, wetter
winters and cool dry summers, rarely above 80 degrees day, usually in 60s at
night. I doubt if Lachenalias would be successful in Selma, but many
Agapanthus
are in the area.
Richard
Richard: I grow callas of all kinds, amaryllids, watsonias,
acidanthera, crocosmias, some lilies, some species tulips and many
alstroemeria with pretty good success if I make sure that everything
gets at least 30% shade (I use shade cloth) or I plant them in
locations more protected from the afternoon sun.
Of course, when the north wind blows with ambient temps near 100 F
everything takes a beating, shade or no.
Roy
Davis, Sacramento Valley..not quite as bad as Selma but close.