PBS Forum

Long ago I was warned not to plant imported commercial tulip bulbs because they were likely to host viruses that could be transferred to my species tulips and lilies, which are likely to be more vulnerable to virus damage. How true is this? It's very tempting to order some Dutch tulip bulbs to grow for temporary color and especially for cut flowers. I don't have a solid-sided greenhouse, so insects (i.e., aphids) could get in among my species collection from the open garden.

I have a small surplus of Tulipa regelii seed this summer and would like to exchange it for seed or bulbs, particularly of the following: western American Erythronium species, Colchicum kesselringii, Iris stenophylla, Fritillaria sect. Rhinopetalum. Fair warning: my plants took 7 years to flower from sowing -- but they produced their amazing foliage earlier than that.

During the pandemic some plant groups experimented with presenting illustrated talks on Zoom. Our NARGS chapter did this with mostly good results. The programs combined live narration with screen-shared photos. I showed one old talk, one new one, and later did a program on Fritillaria for an Anchorage, Alaska group. Probably more than a few PBS members have similar programs they've prepared for groups. Should PBS offer an occasional online offering of this kind? We would need a coordinator to set  up the Zoom meeting and act as "host." I'm not sure how we could get the invitations to all our members, since few of them seem to be using this forum, and not all are on the email list. It is also an opportunity to see, at least briefly, the faces with whom we've been corresponding, sometimes, for years.

As I read old issues of Brian Mathew's Bulb Newsletter, I come across mentions of things I once grew and lost, mainly when I moved and had the bulbs out of the ground too long. Where can I now get seed of Colchicum kesselringii, Crocus baytopiorum, Fritillaria liliacea, Fritillaria brandegeei, or Fritillaria tubiformis? The full list is a long one. What are you missing now?

Maianthemum (Smilacina) racemosum subsp. amplexicaule is the western subspecies of a widespread North American plant. The inflorescence is denser and larger than in the eastern subspecies, and the flowers have a beautiful fragrance that will scent a room gently when cut, lasting almost a week in water. This group in my garden is a clone I found in a tree farm near my former home and is particularly robust.

This is the beginning of the Calochortus flowering season here in Portland, Oregon. I grow all mine in the bulb house, which has a solid roof and open wire mesh sides. I was happy to see the resurrection of C. amoenus after several years, as well as a few other species I'm hoping are appearing again. Probably extra efforts to control cutworm helped. A determined search for C. coxii finally turned up its plants almost smothered by a neighbor. One problem has come up with identification: there appears to have been some kind of mix-up in labeling (or numbering) of donations to one or more SX offerings in the mid teens, around 2015-2017. A couple of groups raised from seed with other names have proven to be C. luteus. One labeled C. pulchellus has admitted to being C. amabilis, and another group whose label I did not unearth is actually C. pulchellus. One labeled C. umbellatus does not have the multiflowered stems said to be characteristic, but as this is its first flowering, it may get stronger, and the flowers appear correct. If you raised plants from that era of the SX, it would be good to verify the names before donating seed of them.

Iris stolonifera 'Zwanenburg Bronze' in a pot by Janet Friedenberg, bought yesterday at Oregon Potters Association sale.

Attached is a photo of Notholirion thomsonianum flowering in my garden on April 22. This colony grows under a deciduous magnolia in fairly rich soil that is watered once a week in summer. However, this species has appeared (from the tiny bulblets it produces) in various parts of my garden, including a gravel area that is completely dry in summer, a rock garden, and a shrubbery. The bulblets get mixed in when I move soil with other plants. The stem in the foreground of the photo is fasciated, which happens occasionally in this species, resulting in a flattened scape and more flowers. This desirable plant is an unusual color, cold-hardy to at least 15 degrees F, and fragrant. The winter-growing foliage, however, would not appeal to the fastidious gardener, since it is lax and long.