FW: Gagea
Jane McGary (Thu, 08 May 2008 04:45:26 PDT)

Fred asked about Gagea.

I grow several species of this very "minor" bulb, which is related to
Tulipa. The genus is very widespread from Mediterranean Europe to northeast
Asia. Most are yellow-flowered but a few (e.g., G. graeca) are white. They
are very easy to grow from seed, which can be obtained from the Archibalds
or the NARGS and other major seed exchanges. However, a couple of years ago
I donated seed of G. fibrosa to NARGS, and it looked like nobody ordered
it, because we were doing the mailing and all of it was left over. Although
little-known and small-flowered, gageas can be charming when they build up
a good mass of bulbs in a small pot, trough, or open site on the rock
garden; in nature, they are usually seen as scattered individuals.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA