Joanne McKinnon Garden Photography

Posts Tagged ‘Bulbs’

The Siberian irises are now in bloom. I bought the original bulbs from a mail order catalog over 15 years ago. It may have been Cruickshanks. I changed filing systems several times since then and lost the information. I once read these described as the Cadillac of irises, I agree. They bloom after the germanica and before the ensata. I lift to divide them every 3 or 4 years and replant them in amended soil. They bloom for a long period.

All the Junos are lifted and stored in the garage for the summer. They will be replanted in the fall along with the tulips. A few years ago, I read that the Bucharica bulbs can rot in rainy season. So after they finished blooming, I move them into pots and cover them with sand. So far, I’ve lost no bulbs to rot or pest.

Gardeners Iris Bk

Planted the camassia 3 years ago. They are very though plants. I don’t have a collection page for them yet, but they are in the Exotic bulbs and irises Gallery I also have a white version in a different bed.

In catalogs, you might find them under Indian  hyacinth or Quamash. They grow well in heavy soils.

Reticulata Iris

The first blooms of the season. These iris bulbs were planted over 10 years ago in a rock garden. Since then, the sumac and brambles crowded out everything else. Every year, I cut, pull and burn the weeds, but they come back faster and dig their roots deeper in the crevices. It would take a full season to clean it up properly. In the meantime, they feed the local wild life.

To learn more about irises visit:
SIGNA – Species Iris Groups of North America

Iris bulbs flowers floral Art Print POSTER RARE – 16

Hymenocallis zwanenburg

Late last fall, I ran out of cool dark places to store my summer bulbs.  I did manage to store a few Ismene deflexa in veggie bags with wood shavings.  This pot was set aside until I could find a place to store it, then I forgot about it.

The medium was kept dry all winter.  About a month ago, I noticed sprouting and started adding a little water.  This week I  spotted the two new sprouts. I moved the pot under a shop light and today by a sunny window.

Sometime next month, the potting soil will be changed. The bulbs in the veggie bags were lifted late last summer from one of my flower beds. They also grew very well. This will their second season in my garden.