What's blooming week of 16 January
Jane McGary (Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:24:47 PST)

This probably ought to be "What's not blooming this week." Early
January is usually snowdrop (Galanthus) time in the Pacific
Northwest, but at our NARGS chapter meeting last night several bulb
enthusoiasts reported that the snowdrops are barely breaking ground.
This I found a relief, since the same is true in my new garden, where
I'm still waiting to see if the plants that used to grow well in the
old garden will continue here.

We thought that the unusually dry fall weather (part of the same
pattern Mary Sue Ittner reported on the northern California coast)
might have something to do with it, since few of us irrigate the
garden after September.

I haven't been out to the old garden in more than a month (the house
and acres are still on the market, held down by a caretaking couple),
so I don't know what's happening there, but since today it's probably
under a foot of snow, I think I'll wait a week. Here in the banana
belt we had a couple of inches of snow last night but it's melting
fast this morning.

In my bulb house Narcissus cantabricus and N. romieuxii forms are in
full bloom, along with a few little Colchicum species and the first
winter crocus, C. michelsonii (a beautiful flower). By this time,
though, I'd expect to see some more early bloomers, particularly Iris
stenophylla and perhaps some of the reticulata iris species, but
these have emerged just a centimeter or so above the gravel mulch.
The raised beds that have replaced the hundreds of clay pots are full
of incipient foliage and buds, though, and it will be interesting to
see how the bulbs have responded to their second growing season in freedom.

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA