finding bulbs in the strangest place
James Waddick (Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:31:16 PDT)

Friends,
Two strange bulb migrants that appear in pots and odd places
in the ground.

The first is Pinellia pedatisecta. Most eastern gardeners
complain about the weediness of P. tripartita and P ternata even more
than this species. None are especially weedy in my climate. I like
pedatisecta the best for its larger size and handsome foliage.

All of them have tubers that when dormant are camouflaged as
a clod of dirt. I think some end up in the compost pile or just get
tossed here and there, but small plants appear all over the garden
and in pots. They get moved to better spots.

Likewise the odd Helicodicerous which is barely hardy here,
has started to turn up in pots. I seem to be able to grow this in
pots well enough that I can give away tubers now and then. Even the
smallest tubers - less than pea size - seem to be able to develop and
grow.

I suppose both of these aroids can remain viable when dormant
and dry for long periods until they find a proper situation.

Best Jim W.
--
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph. 816-746-1949
Zone 5 Record low -23F
Summer 100F +