Jane, I was warned about Themids! And I won't let Oxalis near the bed either.
James, I considered gopher baskets, as those allow some root run and keep the bulbs contained (aside from those that form bulbils on the roots that would run out the basket). But they are expensive in the context of my collection with 400 or so taxa.
Michael, I plan to top the bed with a very small decorative gravel. But it will be vacant in summer, unless there is something creative I can come up with then. As Jane says, boring.
John WickhamLos Angeles, CA
On Sunday, August 28, 2022 at 03:50:51 PM PDT, James Shao via pbs <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:
What about cutting the bottom off of 5-15 gallon nursery cans and sinking
them into the bed to the rim and planting within those? That's a barrier a
good 12-15" underground with an open bottom for drainage.
James
On Sun, Aug 28, 2022, 3:34 PM Jane McGary via pbs <
pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:
> When I moved to a new home about 11 years ago, I put my formerly potted
> bulb collection into raised beds in a "Mediterranean house" (overhead
> protection, wire mesh sides). I thought it would be, as John says,
> freeing to just enjoy them as if they were in a garden or wild setting.
> Having been through this, I can tell you that it is not easy to keep
> them identified, because the labels go astray during weeding and cleanup
> and added topdressing. Moreover, some of the species die, leaving their
> gravestones, and I can't tell which of the labels refers to the one
> genus member in that vicinity, although I numbered the bricks supporting
> the raised beds and noted the locations of things. Worst of all, certain
> plants became quite invasive by both seed and vegetative increase,making
> maintenance difficult and choking out smaller items. The most invasive
> were California themids (Brodiaea, etc.) and Spanish "hoop petticoat"
> Narcissus species. It was also more difficult to manage moisture,
> because groundwater came up in some parts of the beds and caused some
> rot. About 4 years ago I lifted everything in one of the beds (which are
> 40 feet long by 8 feet wide) and moved them to plunged pots. Last summer
> I repotted them all, horrible job in intense heat. This summer I've just
> finished lifting half of the other bed, a space 20x8 feet, sifting the
> soil to remove the invasive species, replanting in a sensible way, and
> topping up the soil. Robert Parks in California kindly offered to take
> the themids for a public planting. A narcissi mix will appear in the BX.
> I hope to have the time and energy to move the other species to the bulb
> lawn or shrubbery; have already put Tulipa montana (stoloniferous; some
> in BX) into an open raised bed. In the revised bulb-house bed, there are
> 2 or 3 rows of plunged pots in the front for small, rare plants, a row
> of taller miscellany behind that, a few rows of Calochortus species
> behind that, and at the rear some vigorous summer-dormant irises.
>
> It is not interesting, much less pretty, in August. Exactly one species
> (Alstroemeria diluta) is flowering today. In my experience, many kinds
> of bulbs do best with direct planting, particularly Calochortus (which
> descend more deeply every year, leaving a "neck" as a route to the
> surface). Plants with vigorous annual feeder roots, such as many dryland
> irises, do best here too, or I sometimes put them in mesh pots which are
> plunged. Many tulips make "droppers" to get deeper. Erythroniums also
> have structures that pull the bulbs deeper. There are big Fritillaria
> species that are not suitable for pots, though they don't seem to "drop."
>
> So today half the bulb house looks civilized, and the other half (almost
> all potted) just needs the straw removed. When the weather cools and
> fall rains arrive, I'll water everything, and about 6 weeks later give
> it all some soluble fertilizer. The "soil" for direct planting is the
> coarsest builder's sand I can find, so artificial feeding is necessary;
> the potting soil has some organic content.
>
> And that is how I spend my retirement years.
>
> Jane McGary, Portland, Oregon, USA
>
> On 8/28/2022 3:00 PM, Michael Loos via pbs wrote:
> > I think your last statement is telling..."it might be freeing to just not
> > worry about such matters any more and enjoy them as they succeed or fail
> in
> > their new environment." However, I would place them far apart enough to
> > separate and identify, when needed. Can you create a pleasant picture
> when
> > everything is dormant? A rocky terrain with a dry riverbed or
> interesting
> > view? Does that even matter?
> >
> > Your other issue may be creating hybrids where you want
> > identifiable species. As you said, and I agree with, keeping some in
> pots
> > and then, most definitely, placing some in the ground - all sound
> > judgement. Regardless of beauty, too many plants like to romp a little
> too
> > vigorously. It does sound like a fun project!
> >
> > Michael
> > Interlaken, NY Z6 or so
> >
> > On Sun, Aug 28, 2022 at 5:26 PM John Wickham via pbs <
> > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote:
> >
> >> This idea freaks me out, but I need to consider it...I built a raised
> bed
> >> for my bulb collection and am ready to plant. A friend recommend that I
> >> should plant my bulb collection Free Range instead of in pots. They
> would
> >> be grouped by type and requirements, but they would be free to wander as
> >> they need and especially go as deep as they need. Highly productive
> bulbs
> >> would still be in pots (I'm looking at you, Moraea polystachya). The
> >> collection consists of California and South African bulbs. No
> Amaryllids,
> >> all on the small side.
> >>
> >> So as a collector, this is freaking me out a little. I'd lose control
> over
> >> identification in a dormant state. On the other hand, it might be
> freeing
> >> to just not worry about such matters any more and enjoy them as they
> >> succeed or fail in their new environment.
> >>
> >> Thoughts?
> >> John WickhamLos Angeles, cA
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