Ok, Jim, Why does the gerbil belong with the Massonia? Robin Hansen ----- Original Message ----- From: Jim McKenney To: 'Pacific Bulb Society' Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2009 6:05 PM Subject: Re: [pbs] Blooming now/Weather changes The weather here in Maryland is hardly the sort to bring out flowers: we still have extensive ice patches and snow in areas where it has not been blown or burned off. January temperatures here were below normal; our coldest morning was +3 degrees F. In my protected cold frame two forms of Narcissus cantabricus are blooming. I think the contents of the unprotected cold frames are frozen solid. For the last three days I've been tied up with a winter study weekend hosted by the local rock garden group and the North American Rock Garden Society. Global warming was one of the themes treated in the presentations. My head is still spinning from the data overload. But the weekend provided several wonderful bulb highlights. I saw a Massonia for the first time: Mike Slater grew this and it was in full bloom. He forgot to bring a gerbil to go with it. And I finally met Tony Avent. If you ever get the chance to hear Tony speak, grab it. I forget the formal title of his presentation, but I remember it as "priapic plants". It concluded with a hilarious safe sex demonstration which involved a spadix and an , uh, "hat". He had a room full of sixty and seventy-year olds laughing so hard they probably woke up this morning with pains in their rib cages. I think a great time was had by all. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7 My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/ _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com/ Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.10.16/1929 - Release Date: 2/1/2009 6:02 PM