Abiding by Judy's focus on bulbs I will pass by Stewartia pseudocamellia from 1966 (its self-sown seedlings now forming a grove on my daughter's property) and use this opportunity to vent once again about Chionodoxa lucilliae, a 1973 acquisition that bided its time for 37 years before making its bid for garden domination. It's worth mentioning again because I have in fact succeeded in eradicating it to all extents and purposes. More positively, Tulipa (probably 'Shirley'} came with the house 49 years ago and has maintained a tantalizing presence since. Several nondescript kinds of Narcissus have provided a supportive cast throughout this time. This year's hassle was Ruellia humilis, a matter of limited interested to bulbophiles. Jim Jones Lexington, MA -----Original Message----- From: Judy Glattstein <jgglatt@gmail.com> To: pbs <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Mon, Oct 1, 2012 4:55 pm Subject: [pbs] What Is Your Oldest Plant? The question (and Peter's answer) intrigues me. Since we're PBS I suppose we should narrow the field. What's everyone oldest bulb / corm /tuber and what's their earliest bulb-related memory? My question so I guess I get to go first. I remember my mother grow some paper white narcissus in oyster shell chips. They were started off in the dark cupboard under the sink. That was a number of decades ago, more than I'm going to admit to in public. For longevity - has to be the Cyclamen persicum that my parents brought back from Israel as a fell out along the roadside tuber from Jerusalem in 1973. No restrictions back then, though I have a faint recollection that my father was sent to the bathroom and wash it a bit more. This delightful plant has lived under grow lights behind a false wall in a Connecticut basement, in a cool guest room, and now has the luxurious accommodations of a cool greenhouse. It started into growth about a week ago and I look forward to its extravagance of bloom this winter. Judy