Thanks Jane!!! ( Leigh Blake North American Rock Garden Society ,
Sisikiyou Chapter!!! )
On Sat, Dec 13, 2025 at 5:52 PM Jane McGary via pbs <
pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:
> If a bulbous plant suddenly appears in isolation from the original
> planting, it may have been relocated by moles, which can tunnel long
> distances without emerging and move soil and debris without eating
> bulbs. I don't know if squirrels dig up bulbs and replant them, but they
> frequently dig up acorns and other nuts buried by another squirrel and
> move them. Janet mentions Triteleia laxa as a vigorous spreader; most of
> the western American Themidaceae ("themids"), including Triteleia,
> Brodiaea, and Dichelostemma, spread readily by both offsets and seeds.
> The heavy offsetting may be an adaptation to predation by digging
> animals, which eat the big corms and leave the offsets. The "rice grain"
> bulblets of western American Fritillaria species are similarly
> effective. Not many people would object to Tulipa clusiana spreading,
> but I recall it doing so in my mother's garden, not far from where Janet
> lives. And I'll add to this list Lilium lancifolium (tiger lily), which
> produces black bulbils in the leaf axil; they drop off and form new
> plants quickly, which may offend you if you don't like seeing a lot of
> orange lilies at the end of August.
>
> Jane McGary, Portland, Oregon, USA
>
> On 12/13/2025 5:40 PM, Janet Hoffmann via pbs wrote:
> > I have spent the past couple seasons in my San Jose area, California
> garden ripping out some Ferraria crispa that started going crazy after
> about 3 years in the ground. I belatedly read that they are invasive in
> Australia.
> >
> > I have also become careful to cut off the seed heads on Homeria,
> Crocosmia, Allium unifolium, Amaryllis belladonna, Hyacintha hispanica.
> Freesia laxa and Tulipa clusiana. This seems to keep them from spreading
> beyond the clumps where they are planted.
> >
> > I had Oxalis purpurea in the ground for over 20 years before the clump
> started spreading rather vigorously. They are now coming up in an area
> across 20’ of concrete from the location where they were planted and I am
> not sure if animals are spreading the bulbs being as I don’t see seeds on
> them.
> >
> > The CA native Triteleia laxa can also spread rather vigorously from
> bulbs offsetting, not from seed or animal dispersal.
> >
> > Having this discussion of potentially problematic plants and how people
> keep them under control is helpful.
> >
> > Janet Hoffmann
> > Campbell, CA
> >
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