Bulbs: Deep South Bulbs, 1 by dmj1218

dmj1218 wrote:
Az that's interesting about the elevation--I was thinking ya'll were maybe a bit higher. I'm at 141 feet; I know this because of the federal hurricane flood insurance they look at real close now after Rita and Katrina and I get the lowest rate possible because I'm also out of the 100 yr flood plain from the closest bayou or river (which are all actually really far from me). I'm at least 60 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico too.

I'm curious to see if your's and Marie's bulbs continue this trend of blooming a week earlier than mine. I know Maria's Gladiolus tristus did and my Z drummondii have not bloomed yet but should after the rain. We are also supposed to get another heavy rainfall tonight. I know my Sprekelia's are already pushing buds up but they do respond fast to spring and fall rains. Patterns always fascinate me.....

I'm going to stick with what is actually blooming currently from here on out. All of my others were the actual day of blooming other than those white Freesia laxa's. This is a native Texas bulb--Allium canadense var fraseri which I think holds a lot of actual garden potential. This one is definitely not the very common, weedy, bulbil-spitting, invasive seed-spitting common form of this species which can be seen here:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/35774/

What's nice about it is its delicate, does not form bulbils or spit seeds and when it melts down it disappears all at once. I think it would look good nestled in around short scutellaria's or other pink or blue small flowered spring annuals. My kid used to be into what I loosely call "yard art" when she was younger--now I just use them to mark some bulbs I don't want to accidentally disturb later in the year. They are not at peak yet, but you can see a good close-up shot here:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/149155/

Another, more impressive native TX allium is sending up buds now too--but I'll show you that one when its actually blooming. Both of them should work anywhere in the deep south--wet or dry.