What is blooming now?

Thanks Marie. It's also know as Ornithogalum dubium "Orange Star". I noticed easytogrowbulbs sells a white variety under the section named "Weird & Wonderful". Its 12 bulbs for $8.95.

Jon

That is a great price. I think they will be getting more of my $$

Jon, how long have you had that tall beared iris? if you can grow it, I should be able to do so too.

loving everybody's pics. Here is my baboon flower, a new bulb for me, planted in fall. Like it, but like others better. Also planted scillal peruviana and I LOVED that one! Kinda like, "where have you been all my life, scilla p.?"

That is a pretty babianna Voss. I love scillia peruviana and I am trying ti for the 3rd or 4th time this year. I can never get it to return for me so I am trying it in a pot this year.

I've had most of my Reblooming Bearded Iris for 2 or 3 years. I've only had success with getting the reblooming varieties to bloom in South Florida. They don't sell and you don't see Bearded Iris in South Florida so they all had to be purchased online. Most of mine were ordered as potted plants from www.easytogrowbulbs.com. They only sell the reblooming varieties which is good for me. If you do decide to try one/a couple of them put them in an area with half day sun and plant the rhizome right at/slightly above ground level. You want to be able to see at least 1/2 the rhizome above the surface.

A picture, from this evening, of "Tecolote" Ranunculus.

Love those Ranunculus. Wish I could grow them but I have tried so many times and just can't. I end up buying them as potted plants and putting in afew that way early each spring.

Another picture.

Nothing wrong with buying them as plants. Those Ranunculus look great. I'm hoping my "Bloomingdale Mix" Ranunculus, grown from seed, will bloom before the hot weather sets in. I might have started them too late in the winter. There's always next winter, to try again.

Yes, it is the instant easy way but much too expensive. The little tuber bulb thingies are very inexpensice. The potted plants really add up. Still, I do sooooo love the flowers. I just can not get over how beautiful they are. Plus this early in the year I just am so greedy for spring color!

I agree. This is the first year I've tried them and I feel the very same way. What surprised me is how soft the petals are and how vivid the coloration is. I don't mind spending the extra money on certain things and if its something I've tried to grow unsuccessfully...wouldn't even hesitate to buy it.

Jon do yours come back every year? I have tried several times and have not suceeded in having the ranunculus return.

Love the Iris!

Thanks it is one of about 6 that are alive from 30 or so that I planted and managed to kill Between those and daylilies I am not sure which i have killed more of.

OH, OH. i just started with bearded iris last summer. Daylilies, now those I have hundreds of :-))

Nice Bearded Iris photo. It's been my favorite flower since childhood, and a minor miracle that I can get them to bloom in South Florida.

It's my first winter with the Ranunculus so I have no idea on whether they will return next winter. Hope they do, and only time will tell. Even some of the cheaper/smaller Ranunculus bulbs I bought at Home Depot are starting to bud and bloom. They were planted about a month after the Tecolotes so they are a little behind.

Do you know how you killed the iris and daylilies Marie?

I think too much watering is myproblem but then again it took me 3 years to figure out how to grow mornig glories and 3 years for mexican primrose. Those are 2 of the most weediest plants around. I started growing SA's for this reason. My thumb was just too black.

I can relate to that. Used to overwater a bit, but have learned to cut it back to deeper waterings less often. Now its generally every 3 days in the summer and every 4-5 days in the winter if it hasn't rained.

Here's a picture, from this morning, of a perennial tropical Morning Glory named "Blue Dawn" that you might like. I have had this one over two years now. It stands up to our summer heat and excessive rains in the summer. It generally blooms from Feb-July/August for me but stays green year round.

I am growing that one. It is one tough vine!!! It stands up to our 115+ in the summer and
pretty much blooms from April- through our first freeze.

Nice!!! Glad to hear you have it, enjoy it and it does well for you. Love the large sized flowers it produces and that shade of blue is something special, isn't it?

Yes it is something. We call it electric blue!! It is so dry and hot hear and it just blooms like crazy all summer. I like anything that can manage that in this enviroment!!
What else are you growing? I love anything that grows from corms, tubers, rhizomes or bulbs. Ia m a vine addict and tree addict too.

Hmmm, let me think of the bulb type stuff. I have gladiolas, ranunculus, sparaxis, anemone, dahlias, daylilies, reblooming bearded iris, watsonia, ornithogalum (snake plant), alstroemeria, amaryllis. I think that is everything. In vines there is Blue Dawn, Heavenly Blue, Split Personality Morning Glories, Red Passion Flower and Sweet Peas. I think I started the Sweet Peas too late this winter and have my doubts they will bloom before it really heats up. The sun is starting to get very strong now that it's April in the Tropics. Have very few trees in the yard. Mostly a couple of palms and a tangelo and banana tree.

What bulb type stuff do you grow in the desert?

I have amaryllis ,oxalis, daffs, Muscari, species tulips, a couple of daylilies that I have not killed, Iris, durch iris, spuria,Agapanthus, glads,Alstroemeria,cannas,freesia,crocosmia,chasmanthe,gloriosa, lilies,rain lilies,crinum,Sauromatum venosum,Rhodophiala bifida,crocus,Hyacinthus orientalis,Leucojum,sparaxis,Scadoxus multiflorus, callas and I am sure I am forgetting some. Those are in the ground. I have quite a few pots of South African bulbs too.

Vines, I have several perennial morning glories, clematis,Five-Leaf Akebia, passion vines,jasmines,durchman's pipe vines, violet vine, and a bunch of others. I was at 100+ the last time we counted. I have a serious problem as you can see.

LOL. Yes, you do have a few. I recognize many of the names. Quite a few of them won't work here due to our lack of winter dormancy. Used to have quite a few Canna Lilies but they were too much upkeep. Had to spray them every two weeks to prevent canna leaf roller caterpillar issues of chewed foliage.

Can't believe I forgot about the Calla Lilies. Have many of the shorter varieties and here's a picture, this evening, of my tall one.

Jon

That's beautiful. Most of the desert here does not drop much below the mid 30's but I happen to be in a cold pocket . Probably the lowest point of the valley and so I get into the high 20's so I think it allows me to grow a couple of them that donot grow well in the rest of the valley.

I wish Northern bulbs like Crocus, Grape Hyacinths, Hyacinths, Tulips would work here. Hyacinths would be the most likely ones to possibly work. I do have the one variety of Narcissus that worked, so maybe will try another warm climate variety next year. Any suggestions?

I just bought that giant Calla Lily at the end of January at Lowes, believe it or not. I think it was $7.99. It's always had at least one open bloom since January, but never more than two at a time. A see another stalk coming up from the base.

I bought one on clearance a couple of weeks ago. Not sure if it will survive my winters.
I have muscari that do pretty well here and we get hot!! I have no clue what kind they are but d-mail your address and I will send you some.
Check out this site for some of the bulbs that should do well for you. http://www.southernbulbs.com/blog/2007/01/best-blooming-bulb-in-south.html

Mind you these guys are expensive but you an search other places for the same bulbs.
Edens blooms is a good source of bulbs that can take the heat.

Thanks for offering me some muscari bulbs Marie. That is very very kind of you. Can they be planted now or would they have to wait until fall since they're a spring flower.

I'll have to check out Southernbulbs and do some cross referencing. I was looking up information, just a couple weeks ago, about daffodils that might work down here. I went with "Grand Soleil D'or" Narcissus this winter and they all bloomed in March. They came from easytogrowbulbs.....of course.

Not sure if a giant calla lily would survive there either. Perhaps in a very very large pot would be good. I'm keeping mine in a pot because I recall reading they don't like tons of direct hot sun. That way I can move it around when the sun gets super strong in June/July/August. The only problem is the pot is very very large and its already filling in quickly.

I planted mine in the ground already. I have way too many pots. I went from 2 to 30 in just a couple of months time. For some strange reason I think I can keep plants alive in them. Why I have no clue since the last time I tried I managed to kill everything!!

I think the muscai will be fine planted now. I just need to wait a few more weeks for the tops to start dying back before I send them.

I must have about 60 plants in pots. The majority of them are hybrid multi-colored tropical hibiscus plants and the majority of them are inside the pool screening. The screening filters some of the suns rays and quite a few things will do well there in the summer in comparison to being out in full unfiltered sun. Discovering hybrid hibiscus is what really got me started with gardening back in 2007. Never did anything with plants prior to that time.

LOL I would be in trouble with the tropical hibs if they lied my climate. I really love the South African bulbs. I did not start gardening until about 5 years ago. I think it was always in my blood I was just an extremly late bloomer.

I think you would be in trouble with those hibiscus also. I guess my favorite thing about them is that they bloom 12 months of the year down here. You can't say that about very many flowers. I guess you'll have to get some of those Ornithogalum (Snake Plant) bulbs. You know they're native to South Africa!!!

Well, what started/triggered your gardening hobby?

I have always tried to grow things but never really succeeded, I would buy plants kill them and then give up for a while. Then came a new house with new neighbors and one of my neighbors had a back yard that reminded me of a park back east and I wanted one like that too.
She told me a little of where to buy plants and what she had done and then I was kind of doing my own thing ( I seriously thought something was wrong with me because I became obsessed about plants) then I stumbled upon Dave's and some other garden forum that the Southwest crew was on before Dave's. I found them because there was the cute white flower growing from what looked like grass to me in a planter in front of one of the malls here and I had to find out what it was. I searched and search and came upon the two web sites. I got brave ( it took me a long time to figure out how to even post) . The flower turned out to be a rain lily. That little flower opened up a whole new world to me!! I have probably 20 different species of rain lilies now ( another obession) I have a ton of gardening obsesed friends now.

That is my story and i am sticking to it!!!

Funny how its a specific plant that started it all for both of us. I wouldn't say I'm obsessed. Its more like a "controlled chaos". LOL I stick to only using the flower beds/areas I created two years ago and do not start any new ones. It has to be manageable to me, or it becomes less fun. What keeps it interesting to me is that I always make it a point to try at least 3 or 4 new different things each winter. I now tend to buy the common plants/flowers which gives me more space/time for starting new things from seed each fall. There are still a couple of new things, from this winter, I'm anxiously awaiting to see what the blooms look like. That keeps it interesting to me.

The anemonies have been lovely. This one reveals the true meaning of the name: It is a Mid-Eastern word, meaning a cry of lament for the spilled blood of the warrior Nea'maan.
I've read that these are the "Lilies of the field" mentioned in the bible as well.

That is one beautiful flower! Interesting information too.

Yes, those are very nice Anemone blooms. I'm glad I tried them this winter/spring, for the first time. Very nice flowers.

Hyacinth anyone?

Love Hyacinths. I had 4 come back from last year but I am told they will decline with each year.

From what I've read the blooms become fewer and more spaced out in time in warm climates. Never tried them down here but have seen some pics of Hyacinths in Florida looking that way.