The bulbs which perennialize
Lee Poulsen (Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:05:26 PDT)

I think Jim W. is suggesting that what Andrew is describing for
Kathy's climate zone be done in all climate zones.

And I think his suggestion about the roadsides and esp. old homesteads
is the perfect starting point since bulbs that have perennialized in
those locations have withstood the test of a very long time in many
cases.

A prime example that I wished I'd known when I was young and planting
things all over my parents' yard in Austin, Texas was tulips. All the
local sources back then, as well as the County Agricult. Extension
Agent, consistently preached that there were no, as in zero, tulips
that would perennialize there. A few years after leaving home I
discovered that there were a few species tulips that would and did
perennialized in that type of climate. I ordered some of each and sent
some to my mom and sister to plant there and they have done well.
However, none of them are large nor as colorful as the Dutch tulips
that are treated as annuals in Austin. Then someone from near Austin,
I think on this list, a number of years ago traded bulbs with me.
Among them was a tulip I hadn't heard of before. They are apparently
pretty rare and I only got one to start with. The first time it
bloomed for me, it blew me away because it was much larger than T.
clusiana etc. and was a bright deep red with a black splotch at the
center. It was gorgeous. But he didn't tell me the species. Now I find
it on Chris Wiesenger's Southern Bulb Co. website <http://southernbulbs.com/catalog/product_info.php/…

"Tulips: Species and Hybrids for the Gardener" and while it describes
this species, there was no indication nor any hints to me that might
point towards it being such a good bulb for sunbelt climates. I've
been growing it in a pot in inland southern California where we get
even less winter chill than Austin and it not only blooms every year,
but is multiplying as well!

I keep wondering what would happen if someone started hybridizing
amongst the few but several tulip species that do perennialize in the
sunbelt, what kinds of wonderful hybrids might start appearing. But
that would do great in the South. After all, isn't that what
originally happened with the various original tulip species the
Europeans started out with several centuries ago?

Something like what Jim W. suggested has been done with daffodils in
Florida ending up in another excellent book: "DAFFODILS IN FLORIDA: A
Field Guide to the Coastal South". I suspect there are many other
bulbs that almost no one, except for people on lists like these, or in
old homesteads, are growing.

--Lee Poulsen
Pasadena, California, USA - USDA Zone 10a

On Sep 30, 2010, at 12:18 PM, AW wrote: