Sometimes you feel like you’re being hunted.

(And not just if you’re a cemetery iris, oxblood lily, Crinum Mrs. James Hendry, or any of the other bulbs I’ve hunted myself in recent weeks.)

Living in a small, rustic, red cabin in East Texas certainly has its charm, but when the brown recluses, beetles, wasps, and other critters invade my home – as they have done throughout the week, likely seeking relief from the heat – I find myself wanting to get away every now and then.

The little red cabin... Looks idyllic, but it's sweltering and full of unwelcome, six- and eight-legged guests during the summer!

The top photo show Jason Powell, owner of Petals from the Past, greeting me at the barn, while the photo below it shows the main office of Petals from the Past looking peaceful in the morning light.

Clockwise from top left: Fresh-picked heirloom tomatoes on the porch of Jason's home; Rudbeckia hirta, aka "Gloriosa Daisy," with a darker color around the center of the plant in Jason's garden; beautiful petunias in a hanging basket on the porch; Rudbeckia "Indian Summer," with an all-yellow center; Jason's vegetable garden; Jason relaxing on the back porch.

Jason and his wife, Shelley, along with their cat, sent me away with freshly picked blackberries and blueberries for the remainder of my drive. The blackberries were gone by Mississippi, while the blueberries didn't make it past Louisiana!

Nothing beats the taste of fresh, home-grown berries in the summertime!

After a meeting in Birmingham, it was time to return home, but not before admiring some extraordinary bulbs in Louisiana just east of Monroe.

From left to right: Lilium tigrinum, commonly known as a tiger lily -- notice the little black bulbils at the base of the leaves. It is another form of propagation for them. In the center, a Crinum Mrs. James Hendry looks lovely in the morning light. And at right, a pineapple lily, Eucomis sp.

Now it’s back to the little red cabin, with its unreliable air conditioning and a beautiful vintage oven – a 1950s Tappan – in need of a repair. A repairman stopped by yesterday and diagnosed her as needing a new thermostat. Guess she just can’t keep up with the escalating temperatures here in Texas! We’re nearing our 20th day this year of triple-degree temperatures, so I’m careful to hydrate well while out on the farm. I hope the rest of you avid gardeners are doing the same.

A few crinums from the farm adore this charming, if not perfectly calibrated, Tappan oven and stovetop.

Despite the heat, our bulbs continue to do well, both in the ground and in floral arrangements. The cut crinums Southern Bulbs has been selling through Garden Style are really showy, as you can see.

Chris, just wanted you to know, my crinums are magnificent! Thanks so much.

The gophers must have been desperate to chew through these plastic crates!

Maybe it’s time for another trip? :)

Labels: bulb, bulb-hunting, cabin, crinum, cut flowers, lycoris, oxblood

A photo of good ol' OSR, a remnant of the state's El Camino Real de Los Tejas (via ilvisu's Flickr photostream).

With a power nap under my belt, I was able to make it to Davis Feed Store in Buffalo, Texas, where Mr. Davis has taken a run-of-the-mill feedlot and turned it into a full-scale gift shop with flowers and more. I dropped off some cut flowers, Crinum Powellii “Album” and “Roseum” varieties from our Southern Living Plant Collection, along with a display for the locals to enjoy. Buffalo brings to mind fond memories of my first Thanksgiving away from home in California, when as a college student I stayed with a friend’s family and cut down a Christmas tree with them.

I continued northeast to Garden Style in Tyler to pick up my bucket from the flower display. The rain lilies I left for the staff had opened up and looked perky and striking in a blue mason jar next to the register.

Unlike me, this pink rain lily is wide awake, as were those at the Garden Style shop (via girishkatke's comprehensive Flickr photostream).

Garden Style in Tyler, Texas

They may not be bulbs, but this pretty arrangement of hydrangeas in a pewter vase lifted my spirits after a long day!

Labels: bulb, bulb-hunting, crinum, cut flowers, iris, rain lily

Someone told me that of all the characters in the literary cannon, I probably would be most surprised to find I have something in common with Blanche DuBois from Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. I have to admit, I was indignant; when it comes to classics, I have always identified more with Gary Cooper in “Sergeant York” or maybe even Jimmy Stewart. I also like Galatoire’s – which is featured in the film version of the play – and I recently ate at the new location in Baton Rouge, so maybe the person was referring to my taste in food?

As it turns out, my friend was not referring to her culinary taste, but really her final line. I don’t consider myself as tragic a character as Ms. DuBois, but as tarnished Southern belle concludes, “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”

Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois, and me, the Bulb Hunter... See the resemblence? Neither do I.

I guess they got me there, but in way, don’t we all?

I’m not sure I could have made it through last Monday in one piece, were it not for the kindness of friends and strangers alike! I awoke at 3:45 a.m. and tended to some business matters on the computer. I could have sat at my desk all day returning emails and paying bills – if only there were a few more hours in the day! – but I was looking forward to a bulb hunt for white cemetery iris (Iris x albicans) just north of College Station.

We found plenty of the cemetery iris just north of College Station.

Before departing for “The Promised Land,” as Texas A&M grads call College Station, I stopped by the farm to cut some fresh flowers for Garden Style in Tyler. (I still owe a debt of gratitude to Sally, the friend who kindly referred me to the local flower shop.) They were not open yet, so I left them a note, anchored by a blue glass mason jar filled with closed rain lily blooms that I knew would open up later in the day for them.

Come back soon to learn how friends and strangers take care of a weary bulb farmer’s need for food, sleep, and lodging!

Labels: bulb-hunting, cut flowers, iris, rain lily, spider lily

A sawfish at the Dallas Aquarium (via oddharmonic's Flickr photostream).

I recently ran across an article about a man who cracked an egg hoping to prepare dinner, and instead of finding egg whites and yoke, he found a fully formed gecko. Unfortunately, I could relate to that man’s situation, since I cracked an egg at the cabin last week only to discover an unfamiliar, semi-solid goop inside… gross.

A fully formed gecko inside the membrane of a chicken egg (via The Daily Telegraph).

Last year I planted a row of what I thought were Crinum Ellen Bosanquet bulbs in the field, but I suspected some culprits of another variety might have sneaked into the row. Sure enough, when they bloomed last week I realized I had planted a mix of Ellen Bosanquets and the Crinum Walter Flory variety! The bulbs and foliage look nearly identical, but as you can see, the blooms are quite different, and the Walter Flory bloom much earlier than the Ellen Bosanquet. Walter Flory trumpets are more open and a softer pink, with gentle gradation toward the edges, while Ellen Bosanquets are a bright, bold magenta or burgundy, and the trumpets stay a little more closed.

Crinum Walter Flory blooms in the field. Though the bulbs and foliage resemble Crinum Ellen Bosanquets, the trumpets are quite distinct!

Crinum Ellen Bosanquet's spunky trumpets provide a beautiful pop of color on our farm, as well as in the home garden.

The trumpets of the Crinum Ellen Bosanquet remain narrowly open; a shyness that betrays her bold hue.

A random assortment of crinums in a bucket on the farm hint at the potential of these showstoppers in a flower arrangement.

Joining Mr. Flory and Ms. Bosanquet on the farm is Mrs. James Hendry, who has made an appearance next to my old truck.

A Crinum Mrs. James Hendry keeps my old truck company.

As I alluded toward the end of my last post, we hope to have Crinum Mrs. James Hendry available for sale very soon!

I’ll post more news from the farm before departing later this week for a bulb-hunting trip in Houston. Until then, I hope you’ll allow me to share some “housekeeping” updates. We have re-enabled the blog’s RSS feature, so those of you who would like to follow us in Google Reader or other feed readers may do so. Also, the comment function (next to the post title) has been restored, so please share your thoughts! I’ll look forward to reading them.

Labels: bulb, bulb-hunting, crinum, fish, planting

A haphazard congregation of oxblood lilies

The Pickens began telling me about a giant crinum blooming nearby. It turns out it was a Crinum Powellii "Roseum," which Southern Bulbs sells, along with the white Crinum Powellii “Album” variety. As I listened to Mary Anne share her hope of one day digging up the nearby crinum and making a home for it, I couldn’t help but think of the pile of broken shovels I have amassed trying to liberate several crinums whose roots have grown and strengthened to the point that extraction becomes impossible.

Another garden friend in Southeast Texas shared this photo of blooming Crinum Powellii "Album."

Reenergized by such a pleasant visit, I stopped and said "hello" to another gardening friend in the area, whose stunning Crinum Mrs. James Hendry supply was in full bloom. I was tempted to steal a few, but again, visions of the shovel graveyard danced in my head. We are working on having more of the Mrs. James Hendry variety available soon, once I invest in a double-reinforced titanium steel shovel.

A "glamour shot" of a Crinum Mrs. James Hendry

A Crinum Mrs. James Hendry in Southeast Texas. We're working to build up our inventory of this stunning bloom.

Expect more news from the farm soon, as I have just returned from a business trip to Mississippi where I stayed at a 1920s home a few miles outside of Monroe. The fireflies illuminated the dusk on Thursday night as this small town’s entire population filled the stands of a modest baseball field to cheer on the high school team.

A crow perched atop the old Mississippi home where I stayed

It was difficult to leave such a Rockwellian scene, but duty called. I returned to the farm to rebuild the cold frame that succumbed to an accidental fire last year and last seasons devastating winds.

Lucky for me, crinums are much easier to plant than they are to extract; I am spending the remainder of the week planting crinums in our field.

Labels: bulb, bulb-hunting, crinum, oxblood, planting