What's blooming this week

Mary Sue Ittner msittner@mcn.org
Mon, 10 Oct 2011 17:28:31 PDT
Hi,

We too have had early rainfall and a lot of it. The weather has been 
more typical of November, December. We are hoping we won't miss the 
usual wonderful sunny days we normally have in October. Today it has 
rained steadily all day, but we had a few beautiful days from 
Thursday afternoon until today and I made a note yesterday of things 
in bloom in my garden.
Bessera elegans
Crocus pulchellus, C. hadriaticus, C. niveus
Colchicum bossissieri (which I haven't seen for a number of years)
Cyclamen hederifolium, C. coum, C. cilicum, C. intaminatum, C. africanum
Gladiolus carmineus
Haemanthus hybrid from BX seed
Hesperoxiphion peruvianum - This one had six of those gorgeous big 
short lived flowers open yesterday.
Moraea polystachya - like Mike I hope the extra rain doesn't 
discourage the long blooming period
Narcissus cantabricus (the weather must have fooled it)
Nerine hybrids (from the Zinkowski rescue and sarniensis forms I've 
grown from seed), N. humilis, N. platypetala, N. masoniorum, N. 
angustifolia, N. flexuosa x N. undulata
Orthrosanthus chimboracensis
Oxalis bowiei, O. commutata, O. hirta (several forms and 
'Gothenburg'), O. commutata, O. massoniana, O. polyphylla v. 
heptaphylla, O. livida, O. caprina, O. pardalis, O. perdicaria, O. 
melanosticta 'Ken Aslet', O. engleriana, O. zeekoevleyensis - I was 
reminded of Diana speaking of her Oxalis as being dazzling. They 
certainly are a bright colorful lot.
Pelargonium echinatum
Romulea macowanii - still holding on in spite of the weather
Spiranthes odorata - a recent exchange from our Pacific Bulb Society 
meeting in Berkeley
Tulbaghia cominsii x violacea

My tuberous Begonia (I only have the one) is getting to look a little 
shabby, but still had a few blooms yesterday. The one I'm really 
excited about that opened today inside and has only once bloomed 
before and it's been awhile, is Griffinia aracensis.

When Ken shows all his amazing photos of all those Amaryllids he 
grows in the ground in southern California I feel quite envious, but 
the process of writing down all these things in bloom makes me feel 
quite grateful for the things I am able to grow successfully. I guess 
it is just finding what works with your climate. I'm not sure how all 
this rain is going to impact the Oxalis since usually the ones I 
noted above bloom when we are having a nice dry sunny period in 
September and October. It's a bit early for almost 100% humidity in 
the greenhouse as well. Usually we put plastic up to keep it a little 
dryer in winter since it has leaked now for a number of years, but 
that hasn't happened yet.

Mary Sue


Mary Sue Ittner
California's North Coast
Wet mild winters with occasional frost
Dry mild summers 




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