Dirty Fingers Muddy Knees

Am I behind?

by Susan | Sep 2, 2016 | gardening, plants

Sometimes you keep waiting for a moment to cut back, weed, move, etc. Then all the sudden it is too late. What to do? Should I just leave it or should I cut it back and just deal with the consequences? It is always a dilemma in gardening.

This year it has been the Lavender. It has needed to be cut back. Don’t get me wrong, it was pretty with bees everywhere, looking pretty good but just like a good haircut one day you wake up and it needs cut. This week was the time however, lavender can die if cut back too severely at this time of year. A Mediterranean plant like lavender needs to have a good root system, dry soil and the chance to go dormant before a wet winter hits. If they are pruned back too hard they will start to push out new growth extending their growth period while delaying their dormancy. Usually lavender should be cut back after the first full flowering, about end of June/July. If you keep the plant trimmed back tightly each year they will reward you with good shape, good flowers and a hardy long lived plant. If you don’t keep it cut back it can get woody, separate, and break off. Bad pruning will eventually cause your lavender to be ugly and short lived.

You can see this lavender has been tidy in the past. This time of year I only prune off the flowers and the top layer foliage. This is not the time to cut into the wood of the plant. I love saving the flowers to dry and use through out my home while the rest of the foliage and stems are tossed into the compost. The benches in the greenhouse are perfect for drying out the lavender flowers for use all over the house.

It is better to cut lavender back gently at this time of year rather than letting it get too out of control. The bad weather and snow can cause the plants to split out and have a hard time recovering during the spring.

Fragrance in the Air

by Susan | Jul 15, 2016 | plants

Summer is here. No not the blazing sun and hot nights of last year but the soft warmth with cool breezes and clouds blowing by that we in the Pacific Northwest are used too. With the summer winds comes fragrance from the garden.

Sometimes the fragrance comes from known sources and sometimes it surprises you from the unknown. I have a flowering tracleospermum jasminoides blooming near my bedroom door to the patio. A hardy Jasmine it has a sheltered spot near a wall with mostly shade. Its evergreen leaves are soft, glossy and dark green all year long. The blooms start in early spring and get better and more fragrant with the warmth of summer. Nothing is better than falling asleep with the soft fragrance wrapped around you.

Moving along the path by the front door, the fragrant, subtle, White Gardenia blooms. Breeding in the past several years has given us northerners a chance to experience the lovely gardenia scent in the garden. A gift from Monrovia at the garden show this past February it has bloomed prolifically through spotty summer showers and cool temperatures. As the summer has warmed so has the scent. Lovely evergreen leaves and creamy white flowers would earn a place in the garden even if it didn’t have an amazing scent.

Of course, summer isn’t summer without the beguiling scent of nicotiana. Once I planted it for a client who was trying hard to quit a long established nicotine habit. We laughingly joked that this was the only tobacco allowed on the property from now on. The scent increases at night with its white flowers glowing in the evening garden. Often included in ‘moon’ gardens they are amazing for their night scent. They are an easy to grow annual and come in different shapes and sizes. Not all are fragrant so be sure to get the scented version.

Lilies have a wonderful fragrance. Some are so overwhelming that you want to throw them out of the house. Lililum taliense from Dan Hinkley’s garden is tiny, soft yellow with purple dots and knock-your-socks-off fragrant. One tiny bloom in a bud vase fills up the bathroom with powerful lilyness (I think that is a word!). Placed next to a pathway they add so much with their structure, unusual in form and fragrance they can’t easily be passed by without a look, a smell and a stop.

I love tropicals and one plant I overwinter from year to year is the burgmansia. The trumpet shaped flowers bloom with such little provocation they seemed to be born to flower. The peach blooms hang down from often misshaped branches letting their mysterious scent waft on the wind. Most parts are poisonous and breaking off a leaf or stem may cause an adverse reaction to the sap on your skin. They grow into a large shrub when given adequate water so they can be placed far away from lots of people and still enjoyed for all aspect of flower and fragrance.

I’m away to wander about the garden again. I’m sure I’ve missed some flowering scents still. They show up in weird places on weird plants. Until next time…

Happy Gardening. Happy Summer.

Shady Characters

by Susan | Jul 9, 2016 | plants

Most of you know I spend a lot of time creating shade, or at least trying to. Real shade is necessary for some plants. They like to hide out in the leafy glades under big trees. Traditional shade plants can have very different structure, giving an otherworldly look to the garden. Arisemas are such plants. They like moist soil with good shade. Leaf mould and humus rich soil help them preserve their delicate blooms and leaves. Protect from slugs when they are just coming up.

Arisaema inflorescences (flower heads) consist of many parts, but the two most prominent are the spathe (pulpit) and spadix (jack). The spathe is the pitcher and/or hood, while the spadix is the “stalk” inside the inflorescence that holds the sex organs. These plants are considered to be bisexual and are able to produce both male and female flowers on the spadix. In some species the spathe develops a long threadlike tail, while in other species, it is the spadix that copies this habit.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Arisaema Sikokianum was one of the first I grew. It is now a reportedly extinct Japanese native and truly one of the most popular plant imports from Japan for a reason. The 18″ tall pseudostem is clothed by two pedate leaves, which can be either solid green or highlighted with central silver blotches. Atop the pseudostem is a stunning black-purple pitcher contrasting dramatically with the club-like white spadix. Arisaema sikokianum is one of the few arisaema species which never offsets. Despite Arisaema sikokianum being virtually extinct in its native haunt on Shikoku Island, Japan, the abundance of imports and seed producing plants have brought the price into a more affordable range. (Hardiness Zone 4-8)

Last year at a plant sale I picked up a sweet little Arisaema flavum. It is a unique species with an equally unique native range, found from Sichuan, China to Africa. As mentioned earlier, Arisaema flavum is a bisexual species and consequently regularly sets seed. Although the pseudostems of Arisaema flavum can reach 2′ tall, it is completely out of proportion for the small inflorescence which at best can reach thumb-size. The bright yellow spadix is wonderfully attractive…only small. For me Arisaema flavum is one of the later emerging species, usually flowering in mid to late June, and one of the few species that prefer more sun than shade. (Hardiness Zone 4-8)

Arisaema consanguineum plantswoman design

Arisaema consanguineum is the most common Asian jack-in-the-pulpit, being found throughout much of China as well as into India, Thailand, and Taiwan. I was surprised to see them offered this year at a wholesale nursery I purchase from regularly. I purchased a flat in March and saw nothing appearing through all of April or may. I assumed they were bad and tucked them in the corner of the greenhouse. I planted a couple in the garden and when I tipped them out of the pot found nothing but a small potato like pseudobulb. No roots, nothing. Without a lot of confidence, I planted them anyway. The picture above is this beautiful plant last week. It does take a while for them to be warm enough to appear but well worth the wait. Arisaema consanguineum is quite variable, ranging from wide ruffled leaves to straight and narrow leaflets atop pseudostems that can reach between 2” and 5” in height. An interesting trait is the length of the leaf drip tips. In order to shed excess moisture, some of the leaves end with a narrow thread which can reach several inches long. This is also a variable trait between clones. (Hardiness Zone 5-8)

This species is becoming more available all the time. Prices are coming down and varieties are getting to the common people instead of just hardened plant collectors. Check them out and put some in the ground.

Available at Plant Delights, Far Reaches farms, and Windcliff plants.

Ho Hum? I Think Not!

by Susan | May 6, 2016 | plants

This is the Pacific Northwest. As we drive through neighborhoods, parking lots, and walk through forest trails and parks we see Rhododendrons. Actually, we kind of get tired of seeing Rhododendrons for sale everywhere, and planted everywhere. Even in the design community we tend to avoid using them whenever possible. Like anything that is overdone we try to look for something new and different.

Secretly though, I have several favorites in my Garden. One of my favorite people is Robert Zimmerman from Chimicum Gardens. He is an amazing Rhododendron grower. Most of his plants are species, personally collected in the wild by him. He has educated me and tempted me to add to my collection and plant really amazing rhododendrons in my client’s gardens.

This one comes from Robert Zimmerman. Although a zone 8 plant and only hardy to 15 degrees it is happy here in my new garden beds. The structure is great, and the fragrance captivates from over 10 feet away. The lovely clear blossoms almost transparent with a lovely pinkish blush while in bud.

Rhododendron ‘Fragrantissimum’

Regarded as one of the most fragrant Rhododendrons. It is a medium-sized evergreen shrub. Blooming heavily in mid spring, its large, trumpet-shaped frilly white flowers, up to 2.5 inches wide have a bright yellow throat and are delicately blushed with pink on the outside.

Held in small loose trusses the blooms are really stunning with hairy dark green leaves with impressed veins. The main attraction is really it honeysuckle fragrance. Although it is more tender than many other Rhododendrons it is hardy to 15F and has been great in my garden. It is under high shade and near the upper pond so it may have a little more shelter there.

Grows 3 – 5 ft tall and wide.

Grows in part shade in moist, acidic, hummus-y well-drained soils.

Rhododendron ‘Ebony Pearl’ is a hybrid grown by Briggs Nursery. It has copper new leaves and dark foliage. It has put on good growth since being here and this year the blooms are amazing. It moved from underneath a cedar tree where it struggled to survive to a moist shaded bed with good soil and good drainage.

Grows to 6’ hardy to -5F.

Grows in part shade in moist, acidic, hummus-y soils.

Lovely warm yellow orange is beautiful in the spring. The Exbury Azalea ‘Golden Flare’ has a reddish-orange blotch and has a soft fragrance. It is deciduous so the fall color is a added bonus.

Grows to 6’ and is hardy to zone 5

Grows in sun to part sun with adequate water.

These are my secret Rhododendron passions. I have several more that aren’t blooming just now but have a special place in my garden.

The Seductive Magnolia

by Susan | Apr 15, 2016 | plants

I’m not from the south but I could be. I love the beautiful flowers of magnolias. When My oldest moved to South Carolina with her husband I had my first over the top magnolia experience. Walking downtown Beaufort the overwhelming scent of sweet lemony magnolia was amazing. Since that time it has been a bit of a passion to have magnolias in my garden.

In South Carolina one of the most planted magnolias is the ‘Magnolia Grandiflora’. It is a lovely evergreen with large flowers and glossy green leaves. The blooms are bigger than your hand and creamy white. The trees can grow very large and somehow manage to escape the winds of hurricanes. I love the cultivar ‘Little Gem’ and ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’, both are more compact and able to handle the load of our occasional snow without broken branches.

A favorite from just a few years ago is the Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’. This is a cultivar that I’ve been planting about 5 years. Monrovia Nursery is now growing and selling it. I love the dark red/pink color. Now if you know me I’m not a big fan of pink. I like colors to be what they are. Either red or white, pink seems between colors not either.

This lovely tree was planted last year and it seems like it responded well to partial sun instead of full sun. The one I had planted in my old garden was not as saturated in color as this one. I think there is a definite benefit from the partial shade it gets in the morning.

One of the first to bloom in my garden is the Magnolia maudaie. This has a little brown on the edge of the blossoms now because it was blooming in the beginning of March. We have had a couple of cold days since it bloomed and the frost damaged the blooms just slightly. The blossoms are well worth the trouble if they don’t get a late frost.

A relative of the Magnolia is the Michelia which looks like a mini Magnolia. The outside of each blossom is covered in a fuzzy dark brown sheath. The blossoms, while small, are still beautiful, creamy, and fragrant. The evergreen leaves are glossy miniature versions of the Magnolia grandiflora. The delicate stamens and petals are amazingly like the bigger magnolias.

Now on my list is a new cultivar called Magnolia Sunsation. I saw it at the Northwest flower and garden show this year. After the show I tried to find the cultivar but ended up calling the company that had them in the display garden. I’m ready to go next week and pick up a 12-foot specimen. I’m excited to have a cultivar this new in my garden.

Here are the particulars (source): During the 2011 Magnolia Society meeting in Rhode Island, a majority of ladies in the crowd raved about this abundant bloomer with its rosy-accented flowers. It’s a wonderful selection due to the warm color tones, blooming later than any of the other yellows and before the emergent leaves. August Kehr, the hybridizer, would have never accepted much credit for this plant he created, but he deserves all our thanks for his exceptional work, including this plant. Interesting story: On the way to see Augie from Raleigh, NC Pat McCracken and Mark Krautmann decided to accept August’s invitation to name all of his (at that time, only numbered) superior yellows. Before we got to Hendersonville, where he and his wife lived, we came up with Stellar Acclaim, Sunsation, Solar Eclipse, Hot Flash, and Sunspire. Augie was too modest to name his own “children”. Flower Color: Yellow Zones: 5-9 Growth Habit: Tree Height: 20-30 Spread: 8-10 Light Needs: Sun-Shade Flowering Season: Spring Leaf Color: Green

These wonderful plants are good contributors to the garden. The structure of trees is important in the layering of the garden. They also provide shade where needed. Color at different times of the year, whether in leaf or in flower is a good addition to the garden.

Snow Drop Fever: Beguiling Galanthus

by Susan | Feb 14, 2016 | plants, Plants I Dig

I remember seeing my first snowdrop as a child in my Grandmothers garden. She didn’t have much else going on in the garden but the old established clump of snowdrops came up every year.

I’ve always planted snowdrops in whichever garden I’ve established. This year however I became more interested than ever before. When I lived in the UK I knew they were passionate about Galanthus but never really knew the obsession. Maybe I’m starting to. The mystery of Galanthus cultivars and their variations are what drive the galanthophile to search, pay high prices and even steal rare bulbs. To understand more clearly I looked for what some call the ‘Snowdrop Bible’. This is book, called ‘Snowdrops: a Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus’ by three experts in England is the undisputed authority on Galanthus. It is also undisputedly the most expensive book I’ve ever coveted. No I did not buy it (Amazon can get someone else to spend $2,221.00 on it). I mentioned it to a friend and he said he had one. I begged to borrow it and promised not to spill coffee on it. He had no idea of its Amazon value and thought that John Grimshaw one of the authors had probably given it to him.

Reading and studying everything Galanthus became an afterhours treat. The more I read the more intrigued I became. I ordered bulbs from Turkey and from Carolyn’s Shade Gardens (great U.S. source), purchased some from the nursery near me, in Seattle, the wholesale nursery, ‘Far Reaches Farms’ and even moved some from my old garden. Hmm… maybe the obsession is catching.

As I studied them the realization of what I didn’t know became clear. Some galanthus simply labeled ‘Snowdrops’ with no botanical name had variations within in the pots. They are probably a collection of Galanthus elwesii based on the way the leaves are held, color of leaf and size of leaf. Many of these variations are created within a group of galanthus while they are in the ground. If a new variety is found in England it is studied and grown on for several years to see if it is worthy of a name and becomes valuable because of its form. This often takes several years. I don’t think there is any such protocol here in the U.S.

I’ll share with you the variations I have found within the pots I purchased and the variation that has been growing in my garden for several years.

Galanthus unknown 3 – This was purchased at Well’s Medina Nursery. It was in a pot with other bulbs that looked to be normal cultivars of Galanthus elwesii. This one, however, had a mostly solid green X on the inner petals. The species have a small green W on the tips of the inner petals.

Galanthus unknown 4 – This was in a flat labels ‘Snowdrops’ from Valley Nursery. The entire flat was normal species type except this one bulb. It has a pronounced X up the inner petals and the outer petals fly upward.

Galanthus unknown 5- This was in the same flat labeled ‘Snowdrops’. The thing that is different about this one is the top is mostly yellow. Sometimes a snowdrop will have a yellow ovary and yellow in the blossom. I will wait and see what develops with this one.

Galanthus unknown 2 – This is from my old garden. It is growing under less than ideal conditions very close to a large cedar tree. However, they are doing well and the clump is increasing each year. It is a consistent color variation. The green on the inside is the opposite of a regular snowdrop. The white is the small part on the bottom and the green is in the main body of the inner petals. The outer petals have a green blush on them, most unusual for Galanthus. We will see how it produces in this garden.

The ones that are named from nursery sources are also wonderful.

This one is Galanthus ‘Blewbury Tart’ from Kelly at Far Reaches Farms. It is a very nice double that faces outward instead of upside down.

Galanthus Hippolyta is a sweet double with clear green mark from Wells Medina Nursery in Seattle. I have more on the way from Carolyn’s Shade Garden.

This Galanthus poculiformis groupl ‘Lady Mary Grey’ is not mine yet. It is in a friends garden and is most unusual because the inside perianth is very short and white, very different than a regular Galanthus. I will be able to get a start as it goes into dormancy.

This is another Galanthus that wants to come home with me. It is Galanthus elwesii x plicatus ‘George Elwes’. It is growing on the edge of the driveway and has good large blossoms that hang nicely in the wind.

Is that enough to make you start thinking about a collection of your own? How can you not love them?

Growing Galantus

Exposure: Like light dapple shade with high canopy.

Soil: Moist soil that doesn’t get to dry in summer. Light humus rich, some experts say lime is best but they seem to grow fine here in our mostly acid soil.

Zone: 4 -9

Planting: When planting ‘In the green’ be careful not to disturb the root systems as much as possible. Don’t allow bulbs to dry out. When buying as bulbs, be careful of dry, soft bulbs with no green showing. They will probably not produce a plant.

Designing with Galantus

These are lovely in big sweeps. They usually will propagate themselves easily with bulblets. It is hard to reproduce from seed. Dividing clumps is a good way to increase the quantity. Use them along edges of pathways where they can be observed easily. On top of rock or ledgestone walls is also ideal. Good companions are early blooming small narcissus, Wood anemone, and Ranunulus cultivars (I love Ranunulus ‘Brazen Hussy’). They can also be naturalized in grass. Wait until finished blooming and dormant before mowing. English Daisy and crocus look good with the grass bedding.

The In-between

by Susan | Feb 7, 2016 | plants, Plants I Dig

In between winter proper and spring proper is when the rarities and oddities that make up a well-structured garden shine. Now is the time to seek out the in-betweens to fill in the seasonal lull. Helleborus species is one of the most intriguing plants blooming in my zone 7 garden right now. Yes, even though it feels bitter outside with a howling wind and sideways rain (only in Washington do we have at least 100 different names for rain), it has been fairly mild this year. Nurseries are open but there are plenty of parking spaces right up front. Bare Root trees and shrubs are in bins and hellebores line the shelves. Helleborus are sometimes called ‘Christmas Rose’ or ‘Lenten Rose’, but here they should be called an In-between Rose. They were still dormant at Christmas, not wanting to stretch their heads above the soil as if there were no hot toddy’s waiting. Lent and Easter, changing as they do, are hard targets for a plant to hit on schedule. But right now, enjoying fitful, scarce sun, bowing to the blustery wind and creating color for raindrops to reflect are these wonderful hellebores.

Recent introductions have created so many beautiful colors and shapes that even the hellebourophile (think Galanthophile) can find one never seen before. The Mardi Gras collection from Charles Prices breeding program are stunning. From the Slate Shades colors with plums and dusty purple/black to the Apricot Shades with sunny yellow touched with warm pink edges. They are so welcome this gloomy time of year.

Another favorite breeder of mine is Marietta and Ernie O’Byrne from Northwest Garden Nurseries in Eugene, Oregon. They hand pollinate the seedlings they select and have made some beautiful, amazing helleborus. This lovely ‘Painted Double’ is one of theirs.

Occasionally there is a hellebore that catches my eye and has no name. This one is unmarked at the grower but I love the clear yellow/green with darker green micro petals. The small freckles of dark burgundy are just a touch of color. Maybe I should grow it on and name it, Freckled Rose maybe? After my sister Rose who has freckles.

Designing with Helleborous

As for design tips they are one of the most versatile plants I know. You can use them as evergreen ground cover with the flowers as an extra. The Mardi Gras Series have really nice palmate leaves that look good through the winter. Under planted with snowdrops, aconites, and anemones they will create an unforgettable display. I had one that I displayed in a large urn by the front door. I simply pulled it out of the garden about now and popped it in the urn. It was really easy to see as the elevation of the urn helps being able to view the downward facing flowers. After they started to fade I pulled the whole clump out of the pot and put it back in the garden. I used the same plant in this manner for about 5 years then changed to another more ‘current’ variety. They are really easy and forgiving (obviously).

Growing Helleborus

BLOOM – January – March.

PLANT – Moist, (not wet) loamy soil, lighten with leaf mold.

HABIT – Hardy to Zone 5, spreading slowly 15 – 18” high and up to 2 feet in spread.

WHERE – Plant them in half shade to full shade. I find they flower better with a good splash of morning sun. They like shelter of big trees and open shade.

TYPES – Helleborus argutifolius, hybrids, nigers and foetidus with lots of promiscuity thrown between them

WHAT TO EXPECT – Plants, that when happy spread, produce seeds and seedlings to share, can be used as cut flowers. Some helleborophiles cut the leaves off in the spring so the flowers show to advantage. They will cross-pollinate in your garden so you may someday have a seedling that no other gardener has.

Lighten Up!

by Susan | Jan 22, 2016 | plants, Plants I Dig

Gone are the days of festive Christmas Decorations. Tree is down and baubles and bits are packed away for another year. There is something about the excess and over stimulation of Christmas that calls for peace in January. Likewise when all the surfaces are clear of clutter it’s time to add something calming, soothing, and bright. White is the solution.

I raided the greenhouse for plants and set them into white containers is a perfect fresh look. White candles in gleaming votive holders, keep the dark outside at bay. I like to use a fresh scent like ‘linen’ in the main living area and a lovely floral like ‘gardenia ‘ in the bedroom. Both fragrances replace the smell of baking, pine, and cinnamon of the holiday season.

A trip to Ravenna Gardens (http://www.ravennagardens.com/) yields a lovely airplant and container while a stop to Windmill Gardens (https://www.windmillgarden.com/home) adds a staghorn fern to the mix. The staghorn fern has a wonderful grayish white on the leaves. I can still find paperwhites (narcissus species) to force in the nursery near me so in a container they go with some curly willow to hold up the leaves. Windmill Gardens also had some 4 inch pots of snowdrops (Galanthus sp) and Muscari ‘Golden Fragrance’. These are planted in re-purposed white containers and brought inside to watch as they grow and bloom. Muscari ‘ Golden Fragrance’ is new to me this year. It looks to have an unbelievable yellow flower with a purple topknot.

Even these pottery vases look calm and beautiful on the galvanized gray table. In the middle are cuttings of White Forsythia being forced.

Outside at the front door the white theme continues. The white sleigh and white birch from Christmas remain but I put up the snowflake lights and early blooming plants crowded around the base. Hellebore ‘Winter Jewel Cherry Blossom’ throws its first flower up with more to follow. The Camellia ‘Buttermint’ is budded heavily. A couple of Daphnes are just starting to push flowers and the edgeworthia buds are tight and fuzzy but beginning to show their lovely yellow/cream color. Not to be missed are the evergreen fingers of Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’ contrasting with the upright branches of the February Daphne.

Dig These Plants:

MUSCARI ‘ GOLDEN FRAGRANCE’

Yellow Grape Hyacinth –Early spring blooming bulb, grows 6 “ to 1 ft and spreads. Blooms in early April Zone 5 -8 in full sun to part shade. (photo by easytogrowbulbs.com)

DAPHNE O. ‘ZUIKO NISHIKI’

Winter Daphne Evergreen compact shrub in zones 7 -9. (photo by www.plantlust.com)

WHITE FORSYTHIA

Abeliophyllum Distichum Deciduous shrubs reaching 3 – 5 ft in height. Produces fragrant white forsythia type flowers. Low maintence growing in full sun to part shade. Zone 5 – 9

DAPHNE MEZEREUM ‘FEBRUARY DAPHNE’

Deciduous in Zones 5 -8 Upright growing with purple flowers on bare branch in late winter. Fragrant and reaching to 3 feet. (photo by Kurt Stüber)

EDGEWORTHIA C ’NANJING GOLD’

Paper Bush. Up to 6 feet tall in Zone 8, loving Sun to part shade. (photo by www.plantlust.com)

MAHONIA E.’SOFT CARESS’

SOFT CARESS OREGON GRAPE -Long slender evergreen foliage with a fragrant yellow flower blooming in early spring. Part Shade to full shade in Zones7-9.

Fall Garden Super Star: Nerine

by Susan | Oct 24, 2015 | plants

Naked Ladies…

Sometimes common names are a little risqué, right? Naked Ladies is the common name of the Nerine, so called because they bloom without leaf. It is always good to be sure that you have the right plant and get the botanical name.

I love Nerine bulbs. I first read about them in 1997 in a Garden Design Magazine from the UK and wrote about them last year in my fall bulb post. I’ve seen them planted by people long gone and growing in unexpected places. They are so surprising at this time of year. Everything is red, gold, and orange, but then an unexpected blast of pink dancing through the autumn blaze.

Many of them are not very hardy in our area because they originally come from South Africa.

Beautiful Nerine Bowdenii from Ravenna Gardens

New growth on from my online bulb purchase

The nerine bowdenii is the hardiest and easiest one to find. I found some fabulous fat bulbs blooming at Ravenna Gardens last week. I also have some in the garden that I got online last winter. They are still small and are just starting to put out one bloom. Looking at the size of the bulbs I can see the ones in my garden need to put on a lot more girth before they are as fabulous as the ones I found at Ravenna Gardens.

Here’s a little history for you… Nerine bowdenii is one of the stars of the fall garden. Natives of southern Africa there are 24 species. Growers have been busy hybridizing these lovely bulbs and have produced umpteen cultivars. Two names come readily to mind. The first to be introduced was Nerine sarniensis – the Guernsey Lily – and was described in 1635 by a French physician, Jacob Cornut. The story of its introduction to Guernsey is not clearly known. It was thought that the bulbs had come from Japan, but Nerine sarniensis is native to the cliffs of Table Mountain and was loaded on to a Dutch East India Company vessel which called for fresh supplies at Capetown. This vessel is rumored to have grounded on Guernsey and the bulb was given to the Jurat, John de Sausmarez in gratitude for hospitality before 1655. Linnaeus named it Amaryllis sarniensis in his Species Plantarum in 1753, but it was subsequently named Nerine, (after the sea nymph), by William Herbert (1778-1847), in 1820. Nerine sarniensis comes from the summer-dry region of South Africa and flowers as the leaves are developing.

Nerine bowdenii on the other hand comes from the summer rainfall area of Eastern Cape Province and the Drakensburg mountains, where in grows in moist soil at the foot of cliffs. It is named for the British surveyor, Athelstan Hall Cornish- Bowden (1871-1942) who sent bulbs to Britain in 1899. It was described by William Watson (1858-1925) in 1904 and featured in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine tab. 8117 in 1907. It flowers, after the leaves have withered, in October and November and is quite hardy, gradually building up into large clusters of bulbs. Nerine bowdenii is a bulbous, herbaceous plant with flower spikes to about 18” (50cm). The flower color is bright pink with recurved tepals. The flowers are long lasting and floriferous.

There is a Nerine and Amaryllid Society with members around the world. In our area one of the coolest places to get them is close to us – the Pacific Bulb Society. The trick is that they don’t sell the bulbs you have to become a member to join the bulb exchange. It’s great to join a society like this to promote exchange and preservation of bulbs and plants. I have also purchased my Nerine bulbs from Amazon. They came all the way from Africa and it was exciting to have a package from far away show up at your door with plants.

Cultivation: Nerine bowdenii is perfectly hardy in zone 7 with good drainage. The bulbs should be left undisturbed to bulk-up. Flowering is enhanced by the bulbs over-crowding. The bulbs of Nerine bowdenii need summer moisture where as those of Nerine sarniensis should be allowed to dry-off during the summer. The bulbs should be half-buried with the long “neck” above ground. Planting against a wall in a good loam is ideal.

Propagation: Division of the bulbs is by far the easiest method of increase. Seeds, which are readily produced, should be sown immediately on ripening and just pressed into a seed pan. Flowering will take 5 years and the outcome might produce new flower colors.