An English Bulb Meadow
Jane McGary (Sun, 09 Aug 2015 10:55:31 PDT)
On 8/9/2015 10:05 AM, Jim McKenney wrote:
"Bulbs" such as Ranunculus ficaria can become ineradicable pests, as can true bulbs such as several readily available Ornithogalum.
You have to search out the Ornithogalum species that aren't readily
available to avoid the pests (the main pest is Ornithogalum umbellatum,
Star of Bethlehem). In my bulb lawn is Ornithogalum orthophyllum (at
least, that is the name I got the seed with, from Archibalds), which has
a flat rosette of leaves and flowering stems only a few centimeters
tall. There are a number of other short-growing ones. One I like is
Ornithogalum fimbriatum, which is very early, but I suspect it is not
very winter-hardy. They're VERY easy to grow from seed, which sometimes
shows up in exchanges. Their bright white flowers peeking up through the
short grasses are charming, and I believe this is their typical native
habitat.
Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA