I know it is not a bulb, but it is one of the prettiest flowers in the field right now. Of course, technically it's not in the field, but along our fence posts. After doing some research and sending the picture to some fellow horticulturist, I'm pretty sure it is Rosa setigera, also known as the 'Prairie Rose'. Roses are by no means my specialty, but if they all were as easy as this (no care) my interest would peek. Mike Shoup (Antique Rose Emporium) and Mark Chamblee (Chamblee's Roses) have both done great things with the antique roses, many of which require little care and are more resistant to diseases. Antique roses have a similar story as ours, starting with the original "rose rustlers" such as the late Pam Puryear and Greg Grant, and there has been much written material and pioneering in the field by authors such Dr. Bill Welch.



On another note, we had a host of volunteers today. Now I know a worker is due his wages, but sometimes hard work and a chance to get away from the big city is payment enough. We harvested more jonquils (Narcissus jonquilla) and "Butter and Eggs" today (Narcissus x incomparabilis). It is warming up, so it is nice to get a lot of work done in the morning, but work continues through the afternoon. As you can see from the pictures, there is a lot of sweat pouring out.

We are working around Golden, Texas today. The president of the local garden club was so kind to share some of her bulbs with us and we are excited to grow them out. Local residents have been gracious to us with their pass along plants and have shared some real jewels! On another note, I am about to visit our neighbor who just called and said she had a cake for all of us. It is days like this that really make this business fun.

It is definitely warming up around here though. We are going to have to move our bulbs to a new location for Ben fears that their current spot might have become too warm. After some discussion, we all agreed and now have somewhat of a large task on our hands. We need to keep the air circulation good and temperature and light under control.

I officially ruptured both of my ear drums. I am on anti-biotics, pain killers, and ear drops. The ear drops really hurt, but not nearly as bad as the alcohol did that I first dropped into my ear. DON'T PUT ALCOHOL IN YOUR EARS TO DRY OUT THE WATER. It might "slightly" work, but every doctor told me I was a fool for doing it. Just have good insurance (United took care of me..thanks United) and go see a doctor.

This morning we harvested a large patch of jonquils from the field. They are now part of our inventory that needs to cure, be sorted, and then counted. We still have two other jonquil areas that need harvesting.

We now have a phone number on our website (903)768-2530. There have been too many problems processing our credit cards or ordering from the site, so we have bit the bullet and will now be by the phone to take your orders. We LOVE talking with all of you, but much of the time we are out in the field and can't get to the phone right away. If you leave a message we will call you right back! Thanks for your patience.

Last night I had the honor of staying with most welcoming host, Ann Philips. After a Chinese dinner with some friends from the lecture series, I headed to the plantation home. It was a most delightful evening at the elegant Rosewild House:The Simpson Plantation Home. I showed a picture of an historic home in my slides, but was soon told the particular house I showed was a modern 1890's home, and this Simpson Plantation Home dated back to the 1850's; pre-civil war.

The home smelled of sweet gardenias picked from behind the house, and the evening was one of those rare cool, dry evenings that will allow you to sit outside. I did not even arrive at the house until about 10:30 at night, and truly settle in until 11. It was pretty late, but I sat outside for about 20 minutes, enjoying the gardenias, reading, and nursing a little swift that Mrs. Phillips and I had rescued from inside the house. I fell asleep on the back porch with the swift in my hands. When I awoke I knew I needed to head inside. "Swift" did not want to leave my warm hands, but I couldn't bring him with me. I grabbed a cardboard box from my car, put a layer of pine straw on the bottom, and placed swift in the box. No matter how much I encouraged him, he wouldn't fly and wouldn't leave my hands. After some gentle coaxing I got him into the box.

This morning Swift had gone. I placed him back into the box from which he had climbed, and left feeling somewhat sad.

Have to head to Dallas now...need more coffee.

I've heard it's cultivar name referred to as 'Romanus' and I've heard the bulb is synonymus with 'Constantinople'. I am using the identification Scott Ogden uses in his book "Garden Bulbs for the South" (more on the academics of the matter to come later). The fact is our bulbs are HUGE and propagating like mad. Yes, we are north of the famous Interstate 20 line, and they bloom regularly for us with good propagation. A very cold freeze will occasionally cause the blooms to fall over. Below are a few pictures of the size and propagation from one bulb.






Ben's continues with harvest while we've been working comfortably indoors...thanks Ben.

I talked with a lady for a long time about Sternbergia lutea today. Some people simply refer to them as Sternbergia while others call them the fall crocus. This nice lady referred to them as buttercups and said they bloom twice a year for her. My experience with Sternbergia is a fall bloom, but I will always have an open mind when it comes to stories from gardeners. I have surprised in too many ways, but there is usually an explanation for untimely displays of blooms, color, and foliage.

Brad and Ben finished our tiger lily project. Ben also conquered Mt. Snowflake, the pile of Leucojums from harvest. Brad organized some paypal issues. Sure is nice to have work accomplished on all fronts.

Tomorrow is a time to catch up on lots of e-mails.

Heirloom bulbs everywhere!

It is 2:23 AM...we are done for the evening. Lots to do tomorrow so we have to be back at 6AM. Our good friend and co-worker Zac Coventry came by around 11:30 tonight and took a picture. We are kind of dirty from harvesting snowflakes (Leucojum aestivum). I love my khakis and wear them all the time, but I am ruining too many pairs.



The parrot glads (Gladiolus natalensis) continue to open up. Attached are two pictures, one with the moon in the back ground. I'm no artist, but I thought it looked nice. I have to go shower and go to bed now.

It has been a long day at the Southern Bulb Company. We harvested many snowflakes (Leucojum aestivum) today. I know this bulb is widely available in the trade, but if we are going to grow everything right here in the South, than we need to grow snowflakes also. Besides, I like them, and I enjoy having their bloom around. There flowers are a little smaller than the large blooms of our hardy amaryllis or Hymenocalis, but they quickly clump and make impressive displays.



Somebody at Texas A&M once quoted me a study when it came to the amount space filled with color by flowers per a given area. It turns out, that the smaller the flowers, the more the color could actually be squeezed into a given area. Perhaps that is why Leucojums make such an impressive display in mass. The same goes for jonquils (Narcissus jonquila) and Texas Stars (Narcissus x intermedius).

We are starting sales all across Texas. I know we are going to mess up somewhere along the way, so I wanted to take a moment to address the issue (no problems have been reported thus far). Let me just say, you would almost want us to make a mistake, because we are so set on making a good impression, our generosity will very much make up for any problems you might have. In other words, let us know and we'll try to help. Or if you just feel like giving pointers that would help also!