Narcissus incomparabilis
The “Incomparable” daffodil, known scientifically as Narcissus incomparabilis, is an elegant and unparalleled in beauty.
Brick Patio Garden Bed Makeover Part 3
The Steps Involved in Garden Design An Outline of the 5 Steps for a Garden Project: What are the 5 steps of garden design? Never mind maneuvers always go at them! Going straight at a project is more my style, but it is helpful to slow down and ask the question: What are the steps […]
October Salvia and Philippine Lily Seed Stalks
October salvia and Philippine lily seed stalks are taking center stage in our temporary garden bed. It’s fall, and we almost had a freeze this week! Of course we are back up to 85 degrees for a high today. I know we all experience these ups and downs and as our minds turn to winter […]
Lent lily: The Wild Daffodil
The Lent lily is the wild and historic daffodil often seen blooming in the early spring on abandoned old homes sites and in pastures.
Eleven Tips for Nonstop Summer Blooms
Six Weeks of Friday Letters, One Field Guide A few weeks ago I found myself out on the back patio until midnight, surrounded by blooming crapemyrtles while the fragrance of crinum and citrus drifted across the garden in soft, low clouds. Twelve years into parenting, I know better than to trade sleep for anything. But […]
How to Naturalize Daffodils in a Southern Lawn
A Lawn That Blooms Before It Grows The prettiest thing a Southern lawn can do happens in February, while the grass is still asleep: drifts of narcissus running loose under the bare trees like they planted themselves. That look has a name — naturalizing — and an open secret: it only works down here if […]
Oxblood Lilies 101: Planting the September Surprise
The September Surprise Right now — the hottest, most discouraging stretch of the gardening year — the smartest planting you can do is for a flower that shows no sign of existing. Oxblood lilies spend August as bare dirt. Then the first real fall rain comes, and within days, deep red trumpets erupt by the […]
Crinum ‘Mrs. James Hendry’: If You Can Only Grow One
If You Can Only Grow One People ask me some version of this question at every talk: if I could only plant one crinum, which one? I don’t even pause anymore. ‘Mrs. James Hendry.’ Then they ask why, and I get to spend the next ten minutes on my favorite subject. The Breeder and the […]
Milk & Wine Crinums: The Rent-House Lilies
The Flower That Outlives the House There is a rent house on my drive to work with two crinum clumps out front the size of small shrubs — close to a hundred bulbs each, if anybody ever dared to count by digging. Tenants come and go. The paint changes. Every May, without anyone lifting a […]
St. Joseph’s Lily: The Hardy Amaryllis of Old Southern Gardens
The Trumpet That Refused to Die Every March I start watching the old homesites, because April belongs to a flower most garden centers have never heard of: the hardy amaryllis, known across the South as the St. Joseph’s Lily. You have seen it even if you didn’t know its name — clumps of deep red […]
The Magic of Bulbs: Paperwhites
More Than Just Décor This time of year we all love the pumpkins and sunflowers that come with fall and Thanksgiving decor, but what about bulbs? My name is Doris, and I am writing to share a little bit of my story with The Bulb Hunter. The Bulb Hunter and his love for bulbs started […]
Bulb Fertilization
Should I Fertilize Bulbs? Everything you need to know about fertilizing flower bulbs! It’s a question I get as The Bulb Hunter (or just as Chris the friend at any old get together): should I fertilize my bulbs? The quick is answer is “yes, they love fertilizer” but you don’t have to. However, all plants […]
Is the Hippeastrum vittatum an heirloom bulb?
Is the Hippeastrum vittatum an heirloom bulb? It is an heirloom bulb. In fact, they’ve been around and documented since the 1800’s. They’ve also been in gardens since the early 1900’s so we’d consider them heirlooms from that standpoint. They are a species bulb, much like the species Narcissus jonquilla which grows in the south […]
The Magic of Flower Bulbs in Florida’s Zone 9b
The Magic of Flower Bulbs in Florida’s Zone 9b We had a customer ask about what to plant in Lake County, Florida, so we decided to make a blog post about it. The lush landscapes of Lake Country, Florida’s zone 9b create the perfect environment for growing an array of stunning flower bulbs. For gardeners […]