After Houston it was back to the farm where our beautiful Crinum ‘Bradley’ bulbs were in full bloom. These are the SAME BULBS WE SHARED THIS YEAR through the newsletter “The Bulb Hunter”! We only had 18 nice big bulbs out of these clumps though, and they sold out the same day we sent the newsletter. Just a reminder, the newsletter is the best way to stay up on all of the product introductions.
Also, in regards to plant introductions, in case you missed “The Bulb Hunter” newsletter over your busy weekend, we did for the first time ever start carrying the aquatic calla lily, known botanically as Zantedeschia aethiopica. It can be purchased here: http://www.southernbulbs.com/white-calla-lilies/
By this point of this long adventure of our summer in review, we are in the middle of June. Believe it or not, the temperatures were still quite nice at this point. It was these nice temperatures we had the next day when we were off to Dallas for a baby shower hosted by one of our good friends and member of ….well…a member of a lot of garden clubs.
This is the good friend who supported me as a lonely bulb hunter needing lodging and food just out of college almost 10 years ago! Thank you friend for a great evening and chance to catch up with friends in the Dallas Fort Worth area! Our host knows how to make the most beautiful arrangements and flower displays.
After our time in Dallas, we finally made it back to Tyler. We gathered the next evening with friends in the Azalea District for a good old fashioned garden party.
Then it was back to work, and the next few days I was able to explore some wide open expanses of land, but really didn’t find much in the way of plant life. Small plant life, that is. The majestic oak trees of East Texas are quite the site in the summer time.
For smaller flowers and flowering bulbs, my next big adventures was the trip Rebecca and I took down to Central Texas to see Dr. Welch and his wife Lucille. They served up what I call “dancing chickens.” They were delicious.
By this point we were in late June. Dr. Welch had his blackberry lilies in full bloom. I though the scientific name for them was still Belamcanda chinensis but the Missouri Botanical Garden, a noteworthy authority no doubt, now refers to them as Iris domestica. We enjoyed the chicken and the flowers! It was also nice to squeeze the trip in. With our little bump getting bigger and bigger, summer travel was harder and harder! And for those of you who are looking for an update on that bump, well, there is no update. The little one is happy as a lark not wanting to come out and see the world. We’ll keep you posted.