Calochortus -- TOW

I too am a Calochortus enthusiast although I'm not as skilled as Diana and
Jane in growing them. I have a number of species that do very well for me
and others that are less reliable. There are species that are quite happy
with my cool wet winter weather and others that are not. Perhaps Jane's
frames do the trick for the ones in the latter category.

As for growing them from seed I have not found that to be an easy thing.
True they do germinate well. I'm not one to rely on chemicals and therefore
do not routinely use fungicide on all my seeds. No doubt I'd have better
luck if I did. I've found starting seeds in late fall guarantees that they
will be coming up and most vulnerable at the worst possible time for my
weather. Some of those species that are from areas with a lot of rainfall
fare better, but I've lost all the seedlings in dozens of pots some years.
If I start them earlier perhaps it would work better, but we always seem to
have the warmest temperatures of the year in September and October and wet
and warm is not advised either. The last two years I've sowed seeds in
February and have had much better success. My summer temperatures are cool
enough that I can keep them growing on through part of the summer when they
come up in March and even if it is still raining then, it often is raining
less and the humidity is not constantly high.

Some species I have grown from seed to flowering have dwindled so I still
need to do better. Calochortus tolmiei, which is one of my favorites, I
have purchased from various sources over the years and the bulbs have
enchanted me that first year and then every year I seems to have fewer
bulbs. It isn't one that offsets much so if the bulbs die that's it.As
Diana points out this one is from many different elevations and habitats so
hopefully one of these days I'll be growing some that are happy in my
environment. I made the mistake of putting a couple that were still o.k.
from two dwindling sources in the same pot since putting one bulb in a
specially designed wooden box seemed such a waste of potting mix and space.
The two bulbs come up at entirely different times and bloom at entirely
different times. One has been in leaf for over a month now when there is no
sign of the other.

I've also experimented with growing Calochortus in the ground and have some
C. vestae which now have bloomed in the ground for 3 years. I made a
permanent raised bed for C. albus and it seems happy enough too. But that
is the sum of my success. Strangely C. uniflorus which grows a couple of
miles from my home in grassland overlooking the ocean has not been happy in
my ground 800 ft. higher. In a container it blooms for months (and months
earlier than in habitat) however so I don't know what that is about. I gave
some to a friend who planted them in the ground at a lower elevation in a
shadier spot and they did fine for a couple of years until the deer
discovered them. I'm trying to provide a little shelter from the rain for
some of the southern California species from drier areas by growing them in
my covered shelter that is open at the sides and that may be helping a little.

Many of the ones I am growing are in deep wooden boxes my husband built me
out of pieces of redwood since the Robinetts suggested this was a good way
to grow them. They advised not to grow Calochortus in black plastic as the
soil would get too hot. Running out of boxes I've also used my deep
terracotta colored pots with large slits up the sides. It is interesting if
you unpot them to find the mother bulb at a very deep level, but in many
cases the small offsets formed in the leaf sheaf at a entirely different
level. Jane mentioned this in her comments, but I've always wondered if
nature intended them to be at a higher level until they were bigger.

These are the ones I am most successful with in my wet Northern coastal
climate:
C. albus, amabilis, amoenus, argillosus, catalinae, luteus, splendens(but
it is marginal), superbus, umpquaensis, umbellatus, uniflorus and vestae. I
lose some C. venustus every year but it is one that makes offsets so I may
be about even. C. nitidus which is not a California species has been
blooming for me the last couple of years. C. palmerii and nudus have
departed and C. clavatus, plummerae, simulans, and weedii are in the
dwindle mode. Some of those haven't bloomed yet. I have a few other species
that may not last long enough to bloom. I recently read in one of my old
Mariposas that Jim Robinett had trouble growing C. clavatus in his climate
because it was too wet for it and I'm wetter than he was. Could it be
started late like the seed I wonder by controlling the watering? When I
repot in the fall some of them are already forming roots and some are not.

A number of years ago someone from Idaho reported success growing
Calochortus in a very cold climate. The secret was a lot of mulch and not
much winter rain so that his plants did not emerge until spring.

I think the quality of Ron Ratko's Calochortus seed is really exceptional
and most years the Mariposa society members donate seed that is shared and
it is good too. I accept responsibility that it is my technique that is the
problem.

The ones I am successful with range from very charming to spectacular and
extend my bulb blooming season every year.

Some of the members of this list were experimenting with higher elevation
species that probably need chilling. Diana has mastered getting the seed to
germinate using the technique she told about. What I'd like to know is if
anyone is growing these long enough to get them to bloom and if they have
to be chilled every year like tulips.

Mary Sue

Mary Sue Ittner
California's North Coast
Wet mild winters with occasional frost
Dry mild summers