New Member Introduction
Jane McGary (Fri, 22 Oct 2004 14:13:46 PDT)
I'd also like to welcome Nancy Gilbert to the forum. She wrote,
We have had good luck with many of the coastal native bulbs and continue to
be surprised by the hardiness of some species that are reported to be frost
tender: C. splendens, C. simulans, C. catalinae, C. argillosus, C. albus
rubellus, C. pulchellus, C. amabilis, C. vestae have coped well with our
frosts and even a foot of snow; we were pleasantly surprised.
I grow all of those species in my bulb frames here in northwestern Oregon,
where they have experienced winter temperatures (inside the frames, where I
keep a remote sensor) down to 21 degrees F. Obviously they're not tender in
the sense that tropical plants are. I'm just starting to plant more bulbs
out in the open garden, having built up enough stock to experiment. Last
winter such reputedly tender species as Leucojum nicaeense, Narcissus
cantabricus, and Biarum davisii grew well through 18 degrees F and a foot
of snow and ice (the snow is, of course, beneficial protection from extreme
cold). All three of those have now re-emerged.
Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA