Hi, Patty, I'll add your name to the list and let you know when the books arrive. They will be a real bargain. Jane At 07:20 AM 6/19/2008 -0400, you wrote: >HI JANE, >I DON'T HAVE A COPY OF THAT BOOK AND WOULD LIKE YOU TO PUT MY NAME ON YOUR >LIST OF PEOPLE WANTING TO PURCHASE ONE WHEN YOU GET THE REQUIRED INFO. >THANKS, >PATTY ALLEN > >-----Original Message----- > >From: Jane McGary <janemcgary@earthlink.net> > >Sent: Jun 19, 2008 2:54 PM > >To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> > >Subject: [pbs] June bulb news > > > >I just returned (not without weather-related hassles, of course) from the > >NARGS annual meeting in Ottawa, Canada, which was well organized by the > >regional Ottawa Valley Chapter. The only bulb seen on the field trips was > >Lilium philadelphicum, flowering mostly as scattered individuals in a > >recently burned area. The plants had unusually short stems, which one local > >expert thought had resulted from the especially hard winter preceding this > >spring. We were also taken to view lovely populations of Cypripedium > reginae. > > > >The NARGS Book Service manager reported that she had an overstock of the > >book "Bulbs of North America," and I volunteered to try to sell off some of > >these at a remainder price. I'll announce their availability when she has > >shipped them to me with the exact price to be asked. If you don't have this > >book yet, it contains extensive chapters on the major North American genera > >(e.g., Calochortus, Fritillaria) and on the smaller genera of each climatic > >region, with both habitat and cultivation information. The publisher and I > >think it failed to sell as well as hoped because all the photos are in one > >section rather than associated on the page with the text. Lots of pretty > >color photos is to selling books as lots of pretty color flowers is to > >selling plants. > > > >When I checked the bulb frame on my return, I found Calochortus kennedyi in > >flower, grown from Ron Ratko's seed collection. This brilliant orange > >mariposa (a yellow form also exists) is native to the mountains of the > >desert Southwest. Mine took 5 years from germination to flowering, which is > >a little longer than average for the genus. C. amabilis is very pretty just > >now, but a rabbit climbed into the frame and nipped all but one of the > >stems from C. invenustus, which is an unusual color near blue. > > > >Even more unusual in color is Ixia viridiflora, which has managed a tall > >stem of its glowing turquoise blooms despite a very cold winter (I suppose > >it isn't an Ixia any more -- has it fallen to the advance of the Freesia > >hordes?). > > > >In the garden, the main bulb interest is currently provided by the taller > >Ornithogalum species, the Brodiaea alliance (including Dichelostemma, > >Triteleia, and Bloomeria), and Allium (mostly American species). The > >hummingbirds, now raising their young, find plenty to eat from the > >Dichelostemma and Kniphofia species in particular; earlier they were busy > >pollinating Fritillaria recurva, darting into the frames while I worked > >there. I was surprised to see them feeding from Menziesia flowers, which > >are small and dull in color. Color isn't necessary to attract them: one of > >their favorites is Aesculus californica, a white-flowered "horse chestnut." > > > >I saw (i.e., heard and then saw) the first bulb fly of the season just > >yesterday, but this year I have the Sternbergias grouped under Reemay > >(nonwoven row cover fabric) and hope to foil these devilish insects. I wish > >they'd stick with the hundreds of garden daffodils instead of seeking > >gourmet fare for their young. > > > >Jane McGary > >Northwestern Oregon, USA > > > >_______________________________________________ > >pbs mailing list > >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > >http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > >http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > > >________________________________________ >PeoplePC Online >A better way to Internet >http://www.peoplepc.com/ >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/