Favorite Bulb Combinations 2

Kenneth Hixson khixson@nu-world.com
Sun, 29 Jun 2003 17:04:23 PDT
Hi, members.  Favorite combinations seems a little pretentious, let's be 
honest, this just happened.  There is a narrow bed west of the house, about 
three feet wide, between the house and driveway.  The soil was never amended, 
so it is native clay plus whatever was left from digging the house foundation 
all those many years ago.  It is awkward to water, so it never has been.  
Fertilizer?  You've got to be kidding-never.
	Cyclamen (headerifolium) were never  planted there, they just came, 
liked it, multiplied, and now are a groundcover through the winter.  
The neighbor across the street had planted Amaryllis belladonna, in a
similiar 
bed, and it needed dividing, so he gave me some, and for lack of a better 
place to put them, they went in this bed.  For a while there was a Ceanothus, 
but it got big, then bigger, and finally assaulted the truck which brought 
in a truckload of barkmulch-well, the truck mirror got knocked off somehow-
the Ceanothus finally went, leaving the bed open again.  A couple stray 
hyacinths ended up there, then a bunch of Muscari 'Heavenly Blue'.  
Tritelia laxa follow the Muscari, in about the same spot, and you'd probably 
get both if you dug either. A couple stray yellow trumpet narcissus survive 
but do not multiply.  A few years ago Tritelia peduncularis were added to 
give more height and near white color.  I don't know how the Dierama got 
there, but they add height and color variation, from almost purple to rose 
to pale pink to almost white.  A couple Bloomeria crocea have been added, but 
have not yet done much yet.  Allium karataviense are an edging in one small 
area, but are attractive for only a short time.  Camas have come in somehow,
and I'd like to get rid of them, but I'm too lazy to dig them out.  They
might be more acceptable if they weren't right in the front edge of the bed
where I brush against them when I walk by, or if they weren't so tall and
blue.
	The south end of the bed has more cyclamen, Crocus speciosus
in both white and blue huddled under the rocks edging the bed, where it is 
hard for squirrels to dig.  A small native allium in soft pink lingers but 
spreads very little.  Narcissus 'Baby Moon' adds yellow near one edge,
flowers 
fairly early, and is dormant now.  Dichlostemma congestum adds tall and blue, 
and gets moral support from more Dierama, which mostly aren't flowering yet.
A smallish form of Tritelia hyacinthina, which originally came as Brodia
minor, 
but obviously isn't, adds white.  A wallflower survives and flowers a
little, as
does a Dianthus of unknown origin.  Oenothera speciosa was put here in hopes
of controlling its' mad spreading, and probably should be moved--it grows and 
flowers a little but obviously doesn't like being that dry.  Lychnis
coronaria 
in a white flower form gives grey leaves and height in the back
corner-unplanned, 
unplanted, but it works.  California poppies survive, flower, but do not
spread 
or seed much.  Zauschneria were planted, do survive, but are not really happy.
I'm still looking for something of interest for July-August, when most of the
bed is dormant.
	This bed has probably gotten less effort and money than any other area on
the property, but it can compete in beauty with any more intensely planted
area.

 Ken, western oregon Z7


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