Bulbs That Disappear

Judy Glattstein jglatt@hughes.net
Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:46:35 PST
When I lived in Wilton Connecticut I had lots of Sanguinaria canadensis 
'Multiplex'. I would faithfully divide clumps every three years or so, 
having been advised that this was a good thing to do since the sterile / 
non-seed producing tubers were vegetatively quite vigorous (something I 
found to be quite true.) There were so many that after a while I lined 
woodland paths in the garden paths with them.

This garden had ideal conditions - five 100-year old white oaks for 
canopy shade, a gardener's holy grail of high organic soil that was 
moisture-retentive but free-draining. Much of my success could be 
attributed to the site, rather than my skill.

And one Spring about 95% of the bloodroot wasn't there, never came up. 
Ever ready to assume guilt (I did / didn't do something) - except Dick 
Redfield in Scotland, Connecticut had exactly the same thing happen that 
very same year. And Dick was a superlative gardener.

O.K. Bamboo around the world flowers and dies. But bloodroot and 
snowdrops? Is a mystery. Deer didn't eat them (besides, I had an 
electric fence.) They weren't planted in a soggy, boggy place. They'd 
been thriving for years and then - poof! they vanished.

And that's what I love about gardening. It is the never-ending story 
with always more to learn.

Judy in New Jersey where we're having a heat wave - it is 44.8 degrees 
Fahrenheit. The sunny side of our road has places clear of snow, but not 
mine.


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