As many of you know, I spent quite a bit of time in Houston last week. There were many beautiful bulbs in bloom, but one of my favorites was most certainly the Philippine Lily (Lilium formosanum) blooming at MD Anderson. All of the lilies were blooming at a similar height and at the same time. Apparently all of the bulbs preferred the raised bed in which they were so elegantly presented. I particularly like the contrast of the pennisetum in the back ground, along with the rest of the landscape. To me it shows how beautifully and perfectly bulbs can fit into well manicured landscapes-- even those in an urban setting!




We (the proverbial we) had some great discussion today over the use of organic material today and its use on bulbs. The general consensus was that all bulbs prefer a well draining sandy loam soil and don’t respond so great to organic matter. Of course that is a GENERAL rule and can loosely be applied to our bulbs, many of which perform well in all types of soils and environments. Some of the largest spider lilies (Lycoris radiata) I have seen were from areas with several layers of leaves covering them, and most crinums I know grow exceptionally well in the gumbo of Houston.

Leaving tomorrow at 4:30 in the morning and will be busy most of the day, so I am posting the blog tonight. Hope you enjoy! (P.S. I am trying to respond to all of the e-mails, but my computer crashing doesn't help...please forgive me.)