Favorite Purple Bulbs--TOW
Mary Sue Ittner (Tue, 21 Sep 2004 17:34:40 PDT)

Hi,

Where are all our Crocus, Colchicum, and Iris lovers? Don't any of you have
favorite purple bulbs?

As usual I am having a difficult time narrowing down my choices. So these
are in alphabetical order and I'll probably end up with more than 5.

1. Brodiaea--Lots of nice species here I really appreciate, but I am
especially fond of Brodiaea elegans which is a rich shiny color and of B.
pallida which is pale purple with a white center
2. Geissorhiza--These are just stunning and if we can include ones that are
multi-colored Geissorhiza radians and G. monanthos are show stoppers. If
not, I think G. splendidissima and G. heterostyla are both very beautiful.
3. Iris--If I could easily grow more of this genus a lot would be on my
list. Favorites are my own Iris douglasiana that blooms for a long time
each spring where I live, some of the Pacific Coast purple hybrids, and
Iris unguicularis, the latter which is not only beautiful, but blooms when
there aren't a lot of other things in bloom and is always a lovely surprise
4. Leucocoryne vittae-- I really love the intricate pattern of the flowers
of this species and it is the one that I have the best luck getting to grow.
5. Moraea--I have a lot of favorites in this genus. M. polystachya now in
bloom is one of the first to bloom in fall and blooms for months with new
flowers appearing all the time. That would be enough, but it also has large
flowers with nice markings. Interesting in our digital pictures that it
looks many different colors under different light situations. M. gigandra
and loubseri do not bloom as long and the latter sometimes skips years, but
when they do bloom they are both extraordinary with their gorgeous markings.
6. Triteleia--Did I say 5? I have a number of different forms of Triteleia
laxa I'm very fond of, the North Coast ones that are shorter and darker
purple and the one called Sierra Giant that has shiny petals and large
flowers. It is long blooming, reliable, good in a pot or the ground. T.
bridgesii is also very nice with its white shiny center.

Oh no, I left out Delphinium. D. hesperium, parryi (which borders on and
sometimes looks blue), and decorum are three great purple ones.

Come on, won't some of the rest of you offer some favorites.

Mary Sue

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