Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter ... (more on that tomorrow) ... but here comes the sun in six-petaled splendor, shining bright and telling me that it is indeed all right.
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| Narcissus x intermedius 'Texas Star' |
I posted last fall about my visit to the Arbor Gate in Tomball to hear Chris Wiesinger of Southern Bulb Company speak about heirloom bulbs for Southern gardeners. His enthusiasm and experience convinced me that my need for such Texas tough plants was imperative. He only failed me in one respect: he didn't remind me that when they started blooming, I would be so enchanted that I would regret not planting MORE!
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| I don't recognize this Narcissus! |
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| Narcissus tazetta orientalis 'Chinese Sacred Lily' (I think) |
Little darlings, the ice has long since melted and while we've had so many gloomy days that it still feels like years since it's been clear, the smile is returning to my face and I hope to those of my fellow gardeners.
Comments
PS--LOVE his book!!!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Rose, I hope the storm wasn't too hard on you. Your turn is coming for spring.
Leslie, when it comes to Iris, I have very little restraint and especially when it comes to blue or purple Louisiana Iris.
Gail, there are more of the surprise narcissus every day!
Holley, welcome to my corner of Katy! I'm in danger of becoming a bulb addict. Shall we form a society?
MMD, just looking at them brightens my day!
Annie, my Erlicheer suffered the same fate as your Grand Primos. Sigh. They were so gorgeous last year.
Pam, I know I took notes on Chris' talk back in September but I can't find them. Take a look at his website for his faves.
The pure white Narcissus in the picture is a common paperwhite, (Narcissus tazetta papyraceous). There are hundreds of un-named heirloom paperwhites, but this is a selection we offered for the first time named 'Ariel.'
LOVE the Texas Star (Narcissus x intermedius). Many daffodils have a hard time in Houston, but this is a hybrid between the tazetta bulbs that are in all of your shots (Narcissus tazetta) and jonquils (Narcissus jonquilla). The result is a jonquil smell and multiple blooming flower stalks, but the toughness of a tazetta to survive in Houston. You should begin to have an amazing, fragrant clump in a couple more years.
The Chinese sacred lily (Narcissus tazetta orientalis) looks great! The cup is a liter yellow than many normally have (a dark gold). Ours on the Southern Bulb farm were continually hit by freezes. They were originally collected around Houston, Austin, Galveston, etc, but just couldn't handle the cold north of Tyler. So, we tried another warm climate grower this year, and I think he had a slightly different selection than ours OR the camera didn't capture the gold. However, I planted some in Magnolia, TX and they also had a liter yellow. They will multiply and fill out even better soon!
Cindy, you have a wonderful garden! Were those herbs planted with your bulbs. That is one of my favorite combination plants with bulbs. Herbs remind me not to dig in that area during the summer, or at least dig shallow : )