What are the best bulbs for the South? Every day I am asked, about the best tulip, hyacinth, daffodil, or bulb in general for the South (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, etc). To start, you have to first realize something about the right bulbs for warm climates (this goes for California also). They generally do not need to experience a cold winter in order to make them bloom (something referred to as the amount of chilling hours). The next thing you want to make sure is that your bulb can survive in the humidity that we experience in the summer, and if your humidity is really thick, you might want to consider tropical or semi-tropical bulbs (like crinums and rain lilies) which would be the best bulbs in warm, humid climates. Most importantly though, the gardener needs to ask what is meant by “best.” Really, what is your purpose with the bulb? For the rest of this little piece, “best” will be defined as a bulbs ability to survive and bloom every year in a warm, humid climate without having to be dug or refrigerated. 
The best tulip for the South: This would be a tulip that 1) does not need a lot of cold to trigger a bloom and 2) will not rot during the summer months. Many people know of Tulipa clusiana (the candlestick tulip, Clusius’ tulip). More to come on this later.
The best hyacinth for the South: Many hyacinths come back year after year, long after loosing the form they originally held when they first bloomed. The result is a transformation from a tight thick rosette of flowers to a more dainty appearance. This dainty appearance is also what characterizes a class of hyacinths known to survive in the South for well over 100 years by the name of Roman hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis). They also come in shades of white, blue, and pink, although the pink form is very hard to find and authenticate. Blooms are smaller but they clump into nice displays of color for almost a month and the fragrance has more of a spice than the normal candy smell. Both fragrances are delicious though.
The best daffodil for the South: Daffodil is a name liberally used to describe all trumpet shaped Narcissus sp. The Narcissus genus traditionally does superb in the South with some definite stand outs. This class is home to a group called the tazettas (Narcissus tazetta) which includes bulbs such as paperwhites and close relatives of the paperwhites such as the Chinese sacred lily (Narcissus tazetta orientalis), double Roman (Narcissus tazetta ‘Double Roman’), Italicus (Narcissus tazetta italicus), and the grand primo (Narcissus tazetta ‘Grand Primo’). All bloom nice and fill in a gap when color normally does not exist in the garden (December to early February). Other “daffodil” varieties include the Lent Lily (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) which is blooming right now and is reportedly the first bulb assigned the name “daffodil”.
Other favorite Narcissus varieties that are coming into bloom are the jonquil (Narcissus jonquila), campernelle (Narcissus x odorus), and we will soon have the Texas star blooming (Narcissus x intermedius). Jonquils are valued for their ability to set seed and naturalize large areas with a sweet smelling scent and nice dark green cylindrical foliage. The campernelle is a hybrid between jonquils and the Lent lily and they have a jonquil smell and larger flower. Their foliage is also slightly curved from the Lent lily parentage and partly semi-cylindrical representing the jonquil parentage. The smell on the bloom is sweet like the jonquil. The Texas star is a hybrid between a jonquil and a tazetta, and the result is jonquil type bloom on a plant with “tazetta toughness.” It is widely adapted and propagated quick.
Best flower bulb for the South: It could the magenta triploid Byzantine gladiolus (Gladiolus byzantinus), the red and white garden superstar hardy amaryllis (Hippeastrum x johnsonii), the grand primo (Narcissus tazetta ‘Grand Primo), or the crinums and rain lilies we have on our website right now (www.southernbulbs.com). The trick is to figure out what you want your bulb for. Don’t forget to mark your calendars also, because when you look around and see all of the daffodils blooming this spring, you have to remember to buy and plant them in the fall. We are always here for bulb questions, so if you have questions about the best, most suitable, perennial, historic bulbs for the South, Southern type climates, or other warm climates, please visit our website (www.southernbulbs.com) or feel free to e-mail us using the contact information on the site.
The best tulip for the South: This would be a tulip that 1) does not need a lot of cold to trigger a bloom and 2) will not rot during the summer months. Many people know of Tulipa clusiana (the candlestick tulip, Clusius’ tulip). More to come on this later.
The best hyacinth for the South: Many hyacinths come back year after year, long after loosing the form they originally held when they first bloomed. The result is a transformation from a tight thick rosette of flowers to a more dainty appearance. This dainty appearance is also what characterizes a class of hyacinths known to survive in the South for well over 100 years by the name of Roman hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis). They also come in shades of white, blue, and pink, although the pink form is very hard to find and authenticate. Blooms are smaller but they clump into nice displays of color for almost a month and the fragrance has more of a spice than the normal candy smell. Both fragrances are delicious though.
The best daffodil for the South: Daffodil is a name liberally used to describe all trumpet shaped Narcissus sp. The Narcissus genus traditionally does superb in the South with some definite stand outs. This class is home to a group called the tazettas (Narcissus tazetta) which includes bulbs such as paperwhites and close relatives of the paperwhites such as the Chinese sacred lily (Narcissus tazetta orientalis), double Roman (Narcissus tazetta ‘Double Roman’), Italicus (Narcissus tazetta italicus), and the grand primo (Narcissus tazetta ‘Grand Primo’). All bloom nice and fill in a gap when color normally does not exist in the garden (December to early February). Other “daffodil” varieties include the Lent Lily (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) which is blooming right now and is reportedly the first bulb assigned the name “daffodil”.
Other favorite Narcissus varieties that are coming into bloom are the jonquil (Narcissus jonquila), campernelle (Narcissus x odorus), and we will soon have the Texas star blooming (Narcissus x intermedius). Jonquils are valued for their ability to set seed and naturalize large areas with a sweet smelling scent and nice dark green cylindrical foliage. The campernelle is a hybrid between jonquils and the Lent lily and they have a jonquil smell and larger flower. Their foliage is also slightly curved from the Lent lily parentage and partly semi-cylindrical representing the jonquil parentage. The smell on the bloom is sweet like the jonquil. The Texas star is a hybrid between a jonquil and a tazetta, and the result is jonquil type bloom on a plant with “tazetta toughness.” It is widely adapted and propagated quick.
Best flower bulb for the South: It could the magenta triploid Byzantine gladiolus (Gladiolus byzantinus), the red and white garden superstar hardy amaryllis (Hippeastrum x johnsonii), the grand primo (Narcissus tazetta ‘Grand Primo), or the crinums and rain lilies we have on our website right now (www.southernbulbs.com). The trick is to figure out what you want your bulb for. Don’t forget to mark your calendars also, because when you look around and see all of the daffodils blooming this spring, you have to remember to buy and plant them in the fall. We are always here for bulb questions, so if you have questions about the best, most suitable, perennial, historic bulbs for the South, Southern type climates, or other warm climates, please visit our website (www.southernbulbs.com) or feel free to e-mail us using the contact information on the site.
Pictures shown from top to bottom: a) unkown hyacinth variety from old home in South Carolina with two jonquil blooms b) handful of Roman hyacinths from the farm c) Ben in front of a field of naturalized jonquils and other daddodils in North Central Louisiana d) picture by Dr. Bill Welch (author of Perennial Garden Color) of Byzantine gladiolus and hardy amaryllis at entrance to his cottage in Central Texas.
As soon as I am done with this, I will head outside and rogue out rows of paperwhites and place them in holding areas to be identified. We are staying busy and the sun won't be up much longer, but I would like to share a few pictures.
This pink hyacinth was collected in South Carolina at an old home were it had thrived on its own. It is not the old Roman, but it is beautiful. Notice the comparison between the white Roman hyacinth and this unknown pink hyacinth. The blooms are very much larger. I will not be the judge of beauty and what is considered more desirable, but this white hyacinth is a part of a clump that will soon be filled with more, albeit smaller, flowers and stay in bloom longer. The other little flower is a jonquil placed in for color comparison.
Many of you have seen more paperwhites than you care to admit, but it is fun to observe paperwhites yawn out of their little cocoons as the weather warms up. They have the hardest time keeping the dirt off of their pure white petals, but if we still choose to where white even though we know we’re going to get dirty, we really can’t blame them.
This last photo is just the top of a crinum that has been hit by the cold. There is nothing particularly pretty about it, except that I thought it looked neat. For something that is so tough in our climate, we can’t expect it to always look perfect!
This pink hyacinth was collected in South Carolina at an old home were it had thrived on its own. It is not the old Roman, but it is beautiful. Notice the comparison between the white Roman hyacinth and this unknown pink hyacinth. The blooms are very much larger. I will not be the judge of beauty and what is considered more desirable, but this white hyacinth is a part of a clump that will soon be filled with more, albeit smaller, flowers and stay in bloom longer. The other little flower is a jonquil placed in for color comparison.
Many of you have seen more paperwhites than you care to admit, but it is fun to observe paperwhites yawn out of their little cocoons as the weather warms up. They have the hardest time keeping the dirt off of their pure white petals, but if we still choose to where white even though we know we’re going to get dirty, we really can’t blame them.
This last photo is just the top of a crinum that has been hit by the cold. There is nothing particularly pretty about it, except that I thought it looked neat. For something that is so tough in our climate, we can’t expect it to always look perfect!
Please enjoy a portion of the interview with Tom Spencer in Fall 2006.
In Austin tonight with the Garden Club of Austin. This a strong group of gardeners and one that I am very thankful to for the scholarships they offered me during my years at Texas A&M. This tulip's for you Austin.
I walked into the coldframe yesterday morning and completely expected to find a bird. What I didn't know, is that the chirping I heard as I approached the coldframe was that of a blue bird. Upon opening the large wooden doors with plastic flapping everywhere from our last storm, the blue bird immediately detected his escape route and flew right past my head. 
We seemed to have a lot of blue birds around during that last cold spell. Now there is a lot of cardinals and the only thing that can perhaps compare to their brilliant red is the flowers in our field. Many of the paperwhites have bounced back, and new buds have already opened. The white hyacinths remain strong, along with the double Romans and Chinese sacred lilies. All seems to be going well in the fields.
Fischer and I did see a gopher digging a new hole right next to our row of tulips. Normally they don't tunnel when it is this wet and cold, but I imagine with all of the moisture we've been having he was just trying to breath. We walked to the triangle corner of the northern part of the land, and some of the dens were so extensive that for a radius of about 10 feet I sunk down almost a foot into the soil. For a second I remembered an old cartoon where children of archaeologists at an excavation site sink into the ground and are taken back in time. In reality though, I thought a large gopher was going to mistake me for a tulip and eat me.
Off to San Antonio for the six hour drive, then to Austin for a speech to the Garden Club of Austin (Formerly Men’s Garden Club of Austin that supplied two of my scholarships while at Texas A&M). That speech is at 7PM in Austin, and once it is over, I drive straight to Dallas to be at the DFW airport at 5:30AM to catch my flight to Washington DC. On Saturday in Washington, I have the honor and pleasure of presenting to the Potomac Valley Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society at the National Arboretum. This next Tuesday is a presentation in the woods of East Texas to the Holly Lake Ranch gardeners. To the moon, and back again.
We seemed to have a lot of blue birds around during that last cold spell. Now there is a lot of cardinals and the only thing that can perhaps compare to their brilliant red is the flowers in our field. Many of the paperwhites have bounced back, and new buds have already opened. The white hyacinths remain strong, along with the double Romans and Chinese sacred lilies. All seems to be going well in the fields.
Fischer and I did see a gopher digging a new hole right next to our row of tulips. Normally they don't tunnel when it is this wet and cold, but I imagine with all of the moisture we've been having he was just trying to breath. We walked to the triangle corner of the northern part of the land, and some of the dens were so extensive that for a radius of about 10 feet I sunk down almost a foot into the soil. For a second I remembered an old cartoon where children of archaeologists at an excavation site sink into the ground and are taken back in time. In reality though, I thought a large gopher was going to mistake me for a tulip and eat me.
Off to San Antonio for the six hour drive, then to Austin for a speech to the Garden Club of Austin (Formerly Men’s Garden Club of Austin that supplied two of my scholarships while at Texas A&M). That speech is at 7PM in Austin, and once it is over, I drive straight to Dallas to be at the DFW airport at 5:30AM to catch my flight to Washington DC. On Saturday in Washington, I have the honor and pleasure of presenting to the Potomac Valley Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society at the National Arboretum. This next Tuesday is a presentation in the woods of East Texas to the Holly Lake Ranch gardeners. To the moon, and back again.
On the left are some jonquils Ben placed in the coldframe and they are blooming early. On the right is a layout of the individual flowers picked during the freeze.
It's finally thawing out, but one thing the ice didn't stop was the WONDERFUL fragrance of the Roman hyacinths. Even in their frozen state a hint of their almost spicy fragrance hit your nose. Same was true with the sweet citrus-like smell of the Double Romans and Chinese sacred lilies. And...this paperwhite (Narcissus tazetta papyraceous) still had it's fragrance...
Even though our white frozen friend might loose this bloom, the nice thing is that he is still very much alive. He will continue to grow and come back full force for next year. We might even get another bloom to shoot up this year and we still have all the late blooming tazetta variety such as the Narcissus tazetta 'Grand Primo' to come! Shown above here is the beginnings of a campernelle (Narcissus x odorus 'Campernelli') trying to bloom.
mrsw. you're in our hearts and prayers.
A Frozen Farewell: A Tribute to the Brave Flowers of January
Published Wednesday, January 17, 2007 by Chris.
Shown here are Narcissus tazetta orientalis (Chinese Sacred Lily), Narcissus tazetta orientalis 'Double Roman' (A possible synonym for Constantinople), Hyacinthus orientalis (Roman Hyacinth- white, blue, and a light blue), and an unnamed Narcissus tazetta papyraceus, one of which has an imperfect flower. Note the three different shades of blue on the Roman hyacinths; all are from different locations with slightly different growth habits.
Goodbye Paperwhites and our other Narcissus tazetta varieties
Published Monday, January 15, 2007 by Chris.
I clicked the print button as I stood up for a good stretch, and as my eyes necessarily squinted with my body, I saw that the printed papers were to fall to the ground—it was a life moment when the value of personal satisfaction outweighed the impending organizational disaster. During the internal dialogue of responsibility over relaxation and pleasure, I picked my papers up, organized them, stapled them, and placed them next to cup of cold, burnt coffee that I was about to drink to keep me going. I’m 26, and while this was o.k. for term papers in college, my body now pleads for a reprise.
No such luck in my future, for the two dogs at my feet will absolutely need to use the restroom in a few minutes. The blast of 28 degree air will keep me going as I try not to slip on the ice in my flip flops. Flip flops! Yes, and with my socks on to. In fact they’re black socks and thick green cords with a long sleeved shirt on that I got at some semi-formal in college. Fashion doesn’t matter right now, and as long as the dogs are next to me, they don’t care how I look.
We have a gentleman coming out to interview me and the company tomorrow morning. I think all I will be able to show him are the frozen Roman hyacinth blooms. Good thing I took even more photos of our paperwhites before this storm because they’re gone now…I mean really gone.
The gold cupped tazetta to the left is the Chinese Sacred Lily (Narcissus tazetta orientalis) blooming in the cold frame. The solid white tazetta is a paperwhite we picked up on our journeys and one valued for its form. Hanging it's head, is the Roman hyacinth from Salado after last nights winter freeze. He has to look worse right now because it's 27 degrees F. At the top is a jonquil and the smell makes me think that spring is around the corner, but it isn't.
No such luck in my future, for the two dogs at my feet will absolutely need to use the restroom in a few minutes. The blast of 28 degree air will keep me going as I try not to slip on the ice in my flip flops. Flip flops! Yes, and with my socks on to. In fact they’re black socks and thick green cords with a long sleeved shirt on that I got at some semi-formal in college. Fashion doesn’t matter right now, and as long as the dogs are next to me, they don’t care how I look.
We have a gentleman coming out to interview me and the company tomorrow morning. I think all I will be able to show him are the frozen Roman hyacinth blooms. Good thing I took even more photos of our paperwhites before this storm because they’re gone now…I mean really gone.
The gold cupped tazetta to the left is the Chinese Sacred Lily (Narcissus tazetta orientalis) blooming in the cold frame. The solid white tazetta is a paperwhite we picked up on our journeys and one valued for its form. Hanging it's head, is the Roman hyacinth from Salado after last nights winter freeze. He has to look worse right now because it's 27 degrees F. At the top is a jonquil and the smell makes me think that spring is around the corner, but it isn't.
I don't know why blogger wont let me post more pictures sometimes, but here are some more photos. The very top one is one I isolated a long time ago and called an early blue--it's clump was blooming earlier than all of the rest. Right below it is a representative of a whole population of early blues I found near Austin, Texas. These have always had a lighter blue than others. Below that are whites from another town in Central Texas and at the very bottom is a very nice blue from northern Louisiana.
Apollo had a thing for Hyacinthus, a beautiful young boy who must of lived some time long, long ago. They would frolic and play, the Greek god way, walking through their literary wonderland. One of their favorite games was throwing the discus, but unfortunately Hyacinthus was not as skilled at the sport as Apollo. This was made evident when Apollo threw the discus, it became out of control, and struck Hyacinthus in the head. Hope was lost for our young handsome Hyainthus, and his blood began to spill on the ground. Where the blood landed, the hyacinth came up...and so the story goes.
This must have happened long ago, because since then that single hyacinth has adapted into numerous different colors to include blue, white, pink, violet, yellow, and all of the shades in between. Perhaps these colors were first noticed by the Roman who reportedly grew them when they were in control of the world. The Dutch have done the best with the colors and varieties since they first received them in the late 16th century. According to DeHertog in The Physiology of Flowerbulbs there are three species of hyacinth, but the only one we are concerned with is Hyacinthus orientalis.
That's good news for us, because the only proven Hyacinth we can grow here in the South is Hyacinthus orientalis, which we refer to as the old Roman hyacinth (French-Roman hyacinth in some circles). We say proven because we have seen it in the oldest of gardens thriving all by itself. They might not be the biggest blooms, but they know how to send up two to three flower stalks per small bulb and quickly clump.
******************************************************
I could go on with some good stories, but after the Dallas Home show today, I raced out to the land in the truck with two weimaraner (and they can be handfuls). Once we got here, we had to tarp 4 beds in the pouring. freezing rain. The dogs were troopers, but I wasn't it. It wore me out and I need to go to bed.
Here are some photos from the farm. I have separated them over the years according to different characteristics and locations.
On the evening of January 11, 2006, Chris Wiesinger safely arrived back to his cherished little bulb farm after traversing the globe, journeying through countless scary places including MARTA in Atlanta and surviving the deserts of Bakersfield, California. Back in East Texas, the winds from the South were strong, no doubt eagerly rushing to fill the low pressure created by the massive winter storm that was approaching. All this added to some excitement in the air, as he in Fischer, the grey ghost, surveyed the area using the moonlight to guide them. A bark in the distance, but Fischer did not run. With ears flopping he rushed his little body towards the forest, that home of so many unknown creatures that come out at night and feed on little puppies, but Fischer was not scared. He had a bulb farm to protect.
...the update for the evening from my midnight desk writing session sounded more fun as a mystery short story. Actually, I couldn't keep him out of the center of the rows, a training that must be redone.
...the update for the evening from my midnight desk writing session sounded more fun as a mystery short story. Actually, I couldn't keep him out of the center of the rows, a training that must be redone.
Today I visited a customer in San Antonio, and three of the bulbs they purchased are blooming. I find it a little odd to see a jonquil (Narcissus jonquilla-the solid gold blooms) and a grand primo (Narcissus tazetta 'Grand Primo'-the white petal, yellow cup bloom that is not as star shaped as the italicus) blooming this time of year, but I am guessing that once they are lifted and replanted it will take them a year or two to get back in cycle. I recently visited Holland were many of their hyacinths are coming into full bloom and are spectacular--our blooms aren't that big. Their real value is in their ability to come back every year and form a clump that will soon give as much, if not more color than that of individual flowers.
The Narcissus italicus (star shaped with yellow cup) are also blooming in this yard.
I forget how many old varieties of paperwhites used to exist, but there is only a handful now. In later years, some of our most commonly seen paperwhites such as 'Ziva' have come out of Israel. They are valued for their ability to force well. To define "well" I use some of my old floriculture education. 
When I used to work in the greenhouses at Texas A&M, I had the grand opportunity of working for Dr. Terri Starman with vegetative annuals and then with bulbs. Scheduling of the bulbs was everything, and one could say it is even more important for floriculture businesses. Knowing when forced bulbs will bloom allows the economic use of space and gives business owners a good idea of when they can hope to expect money from a finished crop. Therefore, a bulb that forces "well" not only looks good in shape and form (with many flowers in the case with paperwhites), but is consistent from one bulb to the next in terms of number of days from plant to bloom.
We still have old paperwhites blooming in yards all across the South and many of the names are long lost. Some are nothing to speak of, but others are and all are beautiful in their own way. There is a wonderful history on the paperwhite shown here with Narcissus italicus, and I want to gather more information before I write any more about it, but here is the picture. Also shown is a white Roman hyacinth.
When I used to work in the greenhouses at Texas A&M, I had the grand opportunity of working for Dr. Terri Starman with vegetative annuals and then with bulbs. Scheduling of the bulbs was everything, and one could say it is even more important for floriculture businesses. Knowing when forced bulbs will bloom allows the economic use of space and gives business owners a good idea of when they can hope to expect money from a finished crop. Therefore, a bulb that forces "well" not only looks good in shape and form (with many flowers in the case with paperwhites), but is consistent from one bulb to the next in terms of number of days from plant to bloom.
We still have old paperwhites blooming in yards all across the South and many of the names are long lost. Some are nothing to speak of, but others are and all are beautiful in their own way. There is a wonderful history on the paperwhite shown here with Narcissus italicus, and I want to gather more information before I write any more about it, but here is the picture. Also shown is a white Roman hyacinth.
White Hyacinths, Italicus, and One Very Refined Paperwhite
Published Sunday, January 07, 2007 by Chris.
Those are all that I see blooming in front of me right now. All are white, or shades of, and the Narcissus italicus has a little yellow cup. What's amazing is that this is a time of year when people give up on their gardens, and these beauties can really make a nice display. Unfortunately still in College Station waiting for my luggage (2 days late) to arrive from San Francisco and then it's down to San Antonio to pick up Fischer (if he even remembers me). Had to borrow a tie for a wedding at a beautiful Presbyterian church in Navasota, Texas yesterday. On the side of the church is a memorial garden for Pam Puryear, perhaps the most notable "rose rustler" of this era.
After three weeks of being overseas and in my old hometown of Bakersfield, California I will be flying back to Texas today. There were bulbs blooming in Bakersfield though. One of my favorites was of course the Chinese Sacred Lily (Narcissus orientalis). The plant seemed more compact and not nearly as tall as ours though and I wonder if it was a different variety. Our yard still displays the salvias that I planted almost seven years ago as a horticulture student at Bakersfield College.
We lived on a bluff in Bakersfield, and there was always plenty of wildlife to keep my childhood interesting. One day I looked out and saw a bobcat walking on my neighbors roof. Other times kit foxes would show up walking along the back fence line, but I think the birds have always been my favorite part of the yard. Red tailed hawks, finches, sparrows, and even a chucker. The chucker became our friend and we named him Chuck--very creative. In the mornings we would wake up to see our big dog, Lady, our Maltese, Tugger, and Chuck all sitting together at the back door waiting for food. Where's the horticulture in all of this? It's in the mockingbird. The pyracantha bushes are in full fruit and the mockingbirds are jealously guarding their supply of this nice tasting intoxicant!
Mom passed away one year ago today, so I imagine we won't have the house much longer. It will be sad to loose the house and view of the Sierra Nevada mountains with the oil wells dotting the valley below. I will miss the birds and wildlife, but I know that for everything in life there is an ending.
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