12 Christmas-flowering bulbs
Mary Sue Ittner (Tue, 25 Dec 2007 19:10:12 PST)

Hi,

Frost on the roof this morning and today was clear and cool. I surveyed the
garden to see which bulbs were in bloom. Here's my report. There are a lot
of Cyclamen coum pots with different leaves and flowers in bloom and at
least one in the ground. Narcissus cantabricus has been in bloom for months
and some were still blooming today. Narcissus romieuxii has been in bloom
for about a week and one Narcissus fernandesii which is obviously confused.
I still have Oxalis in bloom or mostly in bloom since it was a little cool
for them to open fully: Oxalis purpurea, O. versicolor, several forms of O.
luteola, O. glabra, O. convexula, the first O. obtusa, and O. namaquana, a
lovely mass of bright yellow. Lachenalia viridiflora, bulbifera, and
aloides v. quadricolor are blooming in the ground, in pots in my open on
the sides shelter, and in raised beds. At least one group of Moraea
polystachya is still in bloom and Hesperantha latifolia. I have two
Romuleas blooming, a bulbocodium and R. discifera which is blooming for the
first year for me. I cheated a little on it as I brought it into the house
where it was warmer so it would open and was rewarded when we returned from
a long walk to see the bright yellow flowers glowing. Massonia jasminiflora
is blooming and Massonia depressa is blooming again this year. The leaves
are even bigger this year so it looks like it next year I need to plant
one to a pot. I've had various Polyxenas blooming (I'm still calling them
this instead of Lachenalia) and there was a Polyxena ensifolia still in
bloom today. There is a Delphinium that seeded itself in a Cyclamen pot
that looks like a hybrid between D. nudicaule and D. luteum in bloom as
well. In the greenhouse Cyrthathus mackenii is blooming (white, pink, light
coral): Haemanthus deformis and H. paucifolius are still giving me
pleasure, and a very large Canarina canariensis with its orange bells.
Brunsvigia grandiflora is in the last stages outside, but everyone who has
visited my house this holiday season has admired it. Like Jim McKenney I
love Iris unguicularis, a gift from my friend Jana Ulmer. Mine is a lovely
blue and for weeks it has been sending up flowers. Some days there have
been quite a few.

Happy Holidays everyone.

Mary Sue