HI JANE, I DON'T HAVE A COPY OF THAT BOOK AND WOULD LIKE YOU TO PUT MY NAME ON YOUR LIST OF PEOPLE WANTING TO PURCHASE ONE WHEN YOU GET THE REQUIRED INFO. THANKS, PATTY ALLEN -----Original Message----- >From: Jane McGary <janemcgary@earthlink.net> >Sent: Jun 19, 2008 2:54 PM >To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> >Subject: [pbs] June bulb news > >I just returned (not without weather-related hassles, of course) from the >NARGS annual meeting in Ottawa, Canada, which was well organized by the >regional Ottawa Valley Chapter. The only bulb seen on the field trips was >Lilium philadelphicum, flowering mostly as scattered individuals in a >recently burned area. The plants had unusually short stems, which one local >expert thought had resulted from the especially hard winter preceding this >spring. We were also taken to view lovely populations of Cypripedium reginae. > >The NARGS Book Service manager reported that she had an overstock of the >book "Bulbs of North America," and I volunteered to try to sell off some of >these at a remainder price. I'll announce their availability when she has >shipped them to me with the exact price to be asked. If you don't have this >book yet, it contains extensive chapters on the major North American genera >(e.g., Calochortus, Fritillaria) and on the smaller genera of each climatic >region, with both habitat and cultivation information. The publisher and I >think it failed to sell as well as hoped because all the photos are in one >section rather than associated on the page with the text. Lots of pretty >color photos is to selling books as lots of pretty color flowers is to >selling plants. > >When I checked the bulb frame on my return, I found Calochortus kennedyi in >flower, grown from Ron Ratko's seed collection. This brilliant orange >mariposa (a yellow form also exists) is native to the mountains of the >desert Southwest. Mine took 5 years from germination to flowering, which is >a little longer than average for the genus. C. amabilis is very pretty just >now, but a rabbit climbed into the frame and nipped all but one of the >stems from C. invenustus, which is an unusual color near blue. > >Even more unusual in color is Ixia viridiflora, which has managed a tall >stem of its glowing turquoise blooms despite a very cold winter (I suppose >it isn't an Ixia any more -- has it fallen to the advance of the Freesia >hordes?). > >In the garden, the main bulb interest is currently provided by the taller >Ornithogalum species, the Brodiaea alliance (including Dichelostemma, >Triteleia, and Bloomeria), and Allium (mostly American species). The >hummingbirds, now raising their young, find plenty to eat from the >Dichelostemma and Kniphofia species in particular; earlier they were busy >pollinating Fritillaria recurva, darting into the frames while I worked >there. I was surprised to see them feeding from Menziesia flowers, which >are small and dull in color. Color isn't necessary to attract them: one of >their favorites is Aesculus californica, a white-flowered "horse chestnut." > >I saw (i.e., heard and then saw) the first bulb fly of the season just >yesterday, but this year I have the Sternbergias grouped under Reemay >(nonwoven row cover fabric) and hope to foil these devilish insects. I wish >they'd stick with the hundreds of garden daffodils instead of seeking >gourmet fare for their young. > >Jane McGary >Northwestern Oregon, USA > >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ ________________________________________ PeoplePC Online A better way to Internet http://www.peoplepc.com/