Spring in Central Indiana
J.E. Shields (Tue, 12 Apr 2005 08:32:26 PDT)

Hi all,

There are loads of Narcissi in bloom all over the place. Many Narcissus
bulbs received new from Dave Karnstadt last year are in bloom here for the
first time. I like them all!

Narcissus calcicola is in bloom in the rock garden. One lone surviving N.
assoanus is also in flower there.

Bellevalia pycnantha is sending up nice blue buds, and Scilla rosenii is in
bloom. Iris magnifica -- my one surviving plant from three planted several
years ago -- is in bloom. It looks like it is starting to increase a bit,
too. Chinodoxa saundersii is in bloom.

Lots of Trillium coming up and a few buds showing, but the T. nivale are
finished blooming and the rest have not opened yet. The new growth includes
TT. recurvatum, sessile, and cunneatum in bud, with T. grandiflorum
starting to come up and the barest tips of T. flexipes showing above ground.

Claytonia virginica and Dicentra cucullaria are in full flower now. Some
yellow Erythronium americanum are starting to open. Corydalis solida is
blooming and Primula vulgaris is in flower. Anemone blanda 'White Supreme'
is blooming.

One Fritillaria thunbergii (?) is in bloom. The lone survivor from a batch
of a couple dozen bulbs of various Chinese Frits obtained several years
ago. Commercial bulbs of Fritillaria pallidiflora are in bud, as is one
seedling plant of F. pallidiflora. Frit. crassifolia kurdica from Jane
McGary are up in the rock garden and again in bud. Last year they set lots
of seeds, which I scattered around the main clump.

Regards,
Jim Shields
in central Indiana

*************************************************
Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd.
P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/
Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA
Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA