Some other signs of spring --- Trillium kuryabayashii in full bloom, Erythronium 'Pagoda' in bud, blooming always well before E. tuolumnense, all the Ipheions of course - actually they're later than usual. These are in an unheated, shaded poly house. Scoliopus (hallii or bigelovii) is finished and the other is beginning to bloom. Can anyone give me a simple way to tell them apart? The one just finished has well-spotted leaves, the other doesn't seem to as much, but whenever I've been around them, clouds of flies depart. Now if they would just set seed! Cyclamen pseudibericum is beginning to bloom and repandum,et al. I think I'll just call them "repandum complex" for now. Do I hear cries of "Oh, horrors -can't she figure it out!"? Well, no, my undisciplined mind seems to veer off into other things... It has been alternately freezing and raining at night, but the English violets in my mother's lawn are blooming. Her daffodils are in bud. Mine aren't there yet. Even one or two pots of little Scilla bifolia are beginning to flower, and the Synthyris from up on the Umpqua River in south central Oregon is in full bloom. I can't repot fast enough now to be ready for spring plant sales and there's still lots of seed to sow. We have turned the corner into the approach to spring - and oh, how welcome it is! Robin Hansen Hansen Nursery Southwestern Oregon, USA ----- Original Message ----- From: James Waddick To: Pacific Bulb Society Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2011 8:56 AM Subject: [pbs] Changing seasons Dear Bulb Friends, The seasons seems to roller coaster on as we go from a six inches of snow just a few days ago to 70 F in days. Not complaining about today's 70 with 30 mph winds and overcast skies to follow in 48 hours with 17 F and possible freezing rain to snow. Bulbs are confused, but we are enjoying: Crocus sieberi 'Firefly'. The first bulbs popped in the middle of a wide path where they were never planted. A few days later they appeared in an adjoining bed where they were intended. Who can blame the squirrels for decorating the path? And a day later Crocus ancyrensis ith their bright golden yellow flower planted in a row -why did I do that ?. They are now clumps, but the squirrels don't move these around. Narcissus 'Cedric Morris' is always the first miniature narc. to bloom and always welcome. It must be covered by a bell jar/cover or the rabbits will focus on these are devour flowers and foliage. No other Narc get this treatment from our local pests. I think this is a cv. of N. minor. Galanthus -our first bloom this year was a surprise. Some galanthal detective consulting with guru John Grimshaw confirmed my guess it was a cv of G. elwesii monostictus. The bulbs were received years ago as a Narc. gift giving some truth to "all bulbs look alike when dormant". These were given to me by a well known commercial grower I won't embarrass with identity. The foliage is short wide and very glaucous; the flower wide open and chubby with a single inner mark (thus the name monostictus) as opposed to the usual 2 marks of G. elwesii. Our second Snowdrop was our favorite and wonderfully vigorous "Mighty Atom- Not". We've grown and appreciated this for years. It is by far the nicest Snowdrop we grow with abundant flower, ease of grow and early bloom. I've mentioned this before. It is apparently close to the cv"Mighty Atom', but NOT that. It often blooms with the old favorite 'S. Arnott', but it is not that either. Other Galanthus are showing sudden growth spurts with foliage and white flower buds appearing across the shaded part of the garden. In other spots and not quite open are Winter Aconites (Eranthis hyemalis), a welcome cheery spot of yellow. Adonis amurensis popping up vigorously, but not yet showing color. Perhaps today's warm temps will push it open.Sun would help, too. Showing a few spots of color, but not terribly close to bloom are a few of the hundreds of Hellebore species and hybrids are stirring. And Iris reticulata are showing spikes of foliage. Other spikes just appearing including some Gladiolus and Crocosmia under a light coat of dry leaves. Up earlier and showing healthy green include a variety of Lycoris and Leucojum. I'm sure we'd find even more points of green if we cleared the leaf mulch aside, but it really is too early. Today I noticed some Dutch Hyacinths pushing their big pointed domes of leaves above the soil. I won't list buds swelling and woody shrubs or non-bulbous plants that are getting active. Suffice it to say that the signs of spring are very heartening. I can accept the next few days of a return to winter and hope none of these first arrivers are damaged by coming wet weather. The season are changing. Finally some signs of a departure from the grey lifeless landscape we's suffered through for months. Welcome first arrivers. 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 + _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com/ Version: 10.0.1204 / Virus Database: 1435/3455 - Release Date: 02/20/11