The End is here - Lycoris wise
Steve Marak (Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:39:06 PDT)

I second Jim's comments - this was not an average year for any of the
species I have in NW Arkansas, either. Probably the strangest year ever,
for Lycoris in my garden.

Normally (omitting L. sanguinea, which seems to hear the beat of a
different drummer every year) there are 2 plants of L. longituba which
lead off the season, followed by the earliest L. chinensis, then the big
burst of everything - more chinensis and longituba, plus squamigera,
sprengeri, and anything else that may flower in a particular year, like x
albiflora - and finally, after everything else has died down, L. radiata
(v. pumila, I suppose, since it sets lots of seed every year, though it's
of local origin).

This year it was all over the map. Hardly anything bloomed in the sequence
I expected. Groups of bulbs that were bought at the same time, from the
same source, and usually flower together straggled out over weeks, often
flowering poorly or on short stalks. Other groups which usually bloom
poorly were magnificent. About the time I think I understand how Lycoris
are going to grow in my environment, I find I'm completely wrong.

I should mention that we had unusually high rainfall, flash flood high,
well into July, something else I don't ever recall happening, followed by
about 6 weeks (mid-July to the first of September) with no rain at all. I
did provide supplemental water to the Lycoris beds during the dry spell.

Steve

On Thu, 16 Sep 2010, James Waddick wrote:

-- Steve Marak
-- samarak@gizmoworks.com