what's flowering this week
Jane McGary (Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:31:45 PST)

Kathleen wrote,

Lavender crocuses in flower here (climate about the same as
Kathleen's) are C. sieberi ssp. atticus, C. rujanensis, C.
michelsonii, and the last flowers on C. laevigatus. Other crocuses
appearing include C. chrysanthus, C. gargaricus, C. minimus, C.
fleischeri, and C. flavus (wild forms).

Many Narcissus of the Bulbocodium (hoop petticoat) group are in
flower, such as N. cantabricus, N. romieuxii, and the earlier forms
of N. bulbocodium itself such as ssp. praecox and ssp. pallidus. I
also have a number of apparent hybrids of these in flower, rescued
from where they were growing in the sand between the pots in the old
bulb frame. I particularly like the short-stemmed ones, though these
would probably not please our Narcissus specialists.

The winter Colchicum species are in flower, such as C. hungaricum
(pink and white forms), C. munzurense, C. doerfleri, and a couple
grown from wild-collected seed that I can't pin down; also the former
Merendera species, now Colchicum trigynum and C. atticum. All of
these are very small-growing plants.

Sternbergia fischeriana is about to open its yellow flowers, and I
hope to see bloom on S. candida in a month or two.

In addition to Iris stenophylla, discussed in another post on Juno
irises, all the Reticulata irises are emerging, with I. histrioides
(wild form and a cultivar) already in full bloom. Their blue flowers
are a lovely combination with the white of Narcissus cantabricus, a
rapid increaser whose bulbs I planted in drifts throughout the beds
for early display. (If I need to, I can tie the stems of these
narcissi together to mark them for removal if they threaten their
neighbors. However, their leaves are so narrow that I don't feel they
interfere. I've allowed several plants to "invade," including Crocus
gargaricus and Oxalis obtusa. The latter is barely winter-hardy here
and stays very small, but its large flowers are a good addition to
the late winter scene.)

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA