introduction

aaron floden aaron_floden@yahoo.com
Wed, 25 Jan 2006 22:30:56 PST
Hello,
 
 Sorry for the last post but I was not trying to be
argumentative or political. I am not a Republican or a
Democrat and we'll leave it at that.

 I am Aaron Floden, I currently live in Manhattan,
Kansas. An waful place that I want to move away from.
I am attending Kansas State University for....still
undecided, but focusing currently on Biochemistry and
a minor in Horticulture. Other intersts besides plants
include, food(all kinds- I worked for a short while in
Italy, literally at the foot of the Alps),
chocolate(Pralus, Michel Cluizel, Valrhona!) music(all
kinds), cars, books, and my original college plan was
the Kansas City Art Institute, but I decided against
it. I still draw, paint, photograph, sculpt, and more
in spare time(where is it curently though?) 

 Polygonatum photos will come eventually.

 My garden is in eastern Kansas (Z5/6) just south of
Kansas City, one half hour(depending on how fast you
drive) south of Jim Waddick, in a completely different
climate, soil, and all the rest. 

 I grow everything I can. But since this is bulbs I
will mention mostly those. I grow most things in the
ground when possible and have wintered an amazing
array of 'non-hardy' plants. I grow many
Amaryllidaceae, Araceae, Iridaceae, Colchicaceae,
Convallariaceae, Hyacinthaceae, Ranunculaceae, etc.
Specifically though,Allium, Agapanthus, Tulbaghia,
Amaryllis, Clivia, Cyrtanthus, Galanthus, Haemanthus,
Hippeastrum, Scadoxus, Nerine, Narcissus, Lycoris,
Hymenocallis, Arisaema, Arum, Amorphphallus, Iris
species, Crocus, Gladiolus, Crocosmia,  Colchicum,
Convallaria, Polygonatum, Smilacina(Maianthemum),
Disporum(& Prosartes), Reineckia, Rohdea, Hosta
species, Hemerocallis species, Hyacinthus, Bellevalia,
Brimurea, Hyacinthella, Scilla, Ledebouria, Clematis
species(specifically section viorna), Hepatica(only
acutiloba which I have selected color forms from the
wild for the past 5 years, the others are either too
weak or just will not grow) Paeonia, Trillium,
Zingiber, Hedychium, Cyclamen, etc. This is only a
skimming of the the sypmtoms of my disease! There are
currently about five thousand differnt
taxa(acquisitions of some of the same species) growing
in the garden and in the many pots that must be hauled
in and out each year, a real pain. Most of the shade
plants are grown under limbed up black walnut and
Maclura pomifera, under these are many shrubs and
small trees. Collections of note are the wild
Hamamelis vernalis and virginiana, Styrax, Acer,
Magnolia species(all young), Aesculus, Cercis, and
Viburnum.(Sounds grand when you read back through it
but it really is not all that impressive. I much
prefer viewing other peoples gardens than my own.)  

 Current interests( this month) are Hippeastrum and
Ledebouria, and as spring comes closer the focus will
be Hepatica and Trillium, followed by Polygonatum, and
whatever else looks good. I have an interest in
variegated plants as long as they are not ugly, nice
marginal variegation is good or regular splashing, not
contorted, twisted, virusy-looking, but to each there
own. 

 I have many papers on Ledebouria but I cannot ID
those I have with the papers. I have about a dozen sp.
sitting in pots and cannot ID them without a good
paper or photos. I know I have coriacea, socialis
(different forms?), undulata, cooperi,
maculata(Drimiopsis), and the others with spotted
leaves. I love the Muscari, Hyacinthus, Bellevalia,
and Hyacinthella. I have about two dozen different
ones that may bloom this spring, but definitely next.

 On 'non-hardy' plants I have wintered Zingiber mioga
since 2000. It has taken temps down to around -15 at
times and never lost any of the plants. Commercial
forms have died but this clone has survived, and
sported a variegate. Another plant that surprised me
was Narcissus watieri. It bloomed last year for the
first time. Adorable little Narcissus. I planted the
bulbs directly into the garden in part shade in a
mostly unamended heavy clay and left them. I am sure
there are many more, but I have class in a few hours
and need some sleep.

 All the best, 

 Aaron Floden
 Mahattan, KS
 US Z5     

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