Moraea polyanthos

"It is better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are a fool, 

than to open it and remove all doubt" 

Mark Twain

If that quote ain't as much truth today as it were back in Twain's Day. What an insane world we are living in. With the pandemic rolling along, and the "leader" of the freeworld a babbling buffoon 

spouting drink the poison kool-aid, his followers.......oh, here we go again. Occasionally the political hijack of the rare flower bulb blog comes along and things just have to be said. 

Easter seems like an eternity ago. In the mean time i've been working on the vegetable garden. Kiddo and I built an aquaponics system in the greenhouse and she is running a comparative analysis of a few different expanded clay grow mediums for the production of Romaine Lettuce, Collard greens and Cucumbers. 

Moraea polyanthos, is an easy to grow South African irid family charmer. From an area of the South Cape with year around rainfall, and a prevalance toward clay soils. It seems to be pretty well adapted to Oregon's Willamette Valley. 

I've found the winter wet species from the warmer regions the most difficult. I seem to learn a new lesson about the
South Africans every season I grow them. 

It is nice to have flower filler between the Fritillaria's and the onslaught of the California later bloomers like Calochortus, brodaiae and the like. 

A lot of the South Africans are starting into bloom now. A few Alliums and the Camas species are all coming on nicely as well. 

The weather has been in the low 70's for highs and pretty warm nights as well.  

Cheers,

Mark

Whats blooming after Easter

I had thought I would get a happy Easter post on here but time just flew on by and soon the day was done. I've been working in my garden like mad since this Virus has us all cooped up. A big thank you to a very generous friend who brought me some great annuals from her wholesale outfit and also did some personal shopping, I'm super excited about my updated rock garden and I've been playing around with displaying some of the different potted bulbs buried in the garden to make a very unique changeable display.

So here is a quick peak at what is blooming as we move past Easter. 

Fritillaria agrestis
In pots in the greenhouse this can be in bloom as early as Feb. but the ones in the raised beds are just opening now. 

Fritillaria purdyi x biflora

Fritillaria strybrni

Fritillaria liliacea

The rock garden with some expanded beds for planting annuals out, Thanks to my
Good friend Joleen for helping put together what should be a wonderful summer display!

Hopefully everyone is staying healthy and safe, i'm looking forward to this thing getting behind us and some return to a sense of normalcy. While I have been following the rules and getting a ton of work done in isolation in my garden, it's nice to have someone to share the effort with!

The sun is back in full force, while it threatened to frost this morning with lows down to 34 F. It looks like we are in for warm and sunny through this whole week. Note to self, I'm usually never frost free until after tax day and there was that one year where I got into the 20's in Late April and it knocked back a bunch of stuff.

cheers,

Mark

A new Erythronium introduction!

Illahe Rare Bulbs is super excited to announce the introduction of one of Diana Reecks New Erythronium Selections!

This wonderful, new Erythronium is sure to be a spring hit in the garden, Beautiful lemon yellow, centered flowers are held on sturdy stems. Lightly mottled, compact foliage gives the plant an orderly garden appearance. Look for this in our Summer bulb catalog and order early because this is a sure sell out item. Be the first to have the newest Erythronium on the block!

Erythronium "Inner Glow"

Diana contemplating her selection work on the up and coming "Butterfly" series of Trout lilies in White and Pink.

I feel very lucky to have met Diana years ago, when she was the proprietor of the iconic Collectors Nursery in Washington State. I always looked forward to her unique, often new to the trade introductions at local sales. I feel equally lucky that she decided to retire to Salem and is actively selecting new and exciting forms of her fast clumping and prolific flowering Erythroniums. Illahe is super excited to be working with her to get these new Erythroniums out and into your gardens!

Cheers,

Mark

Fritillaria recurva

"One advantage in keeping a diary is that you become aware with reassuring clarity of the changes which you constantly suffer."

 Franz Kafka

This is probably the most lighthearted of the Kafka quotes I could have chosen. I used to read a lot of Kafka when I was an angst ridden teenager. Not so much anymore, I seem to drown myself in historical fiction or scientific writings these days. The time of existential suffering has perhaps left my life. Regardless, the truth in the quote is perfect for todays botanical subject. 

I haven't had Fritillaria recurva blooming in the nursery for probably 5 years or so. I thought I lost it in a series of hard late frosts, but It was also a time when I was experimenting with growing large specimen pots of bulbs and I suspect it could have also rotted, during one of the cold wet springs. So I got seed of it going again, but a few years back I was repotting some dormant bulbs and ran across a quart pot labeled F. recurva, it had a tiny bulblet just a squinch bigger than a rice grain and I potted that up and low and behold it flowered this year. 

Fritillaria recurva, the molten lava of Chocolate lilies

This one really stands out in a genus of mostly of brown, green and yellows.

Fritillaria recurva hails from South Western Oregon into Northern California, growing in Dry open woodlands, and Chaparrel habitat. I've always been curious about this being a purported parent of Fritillaria gentneri, and I've always wondered why someone didn't make the cross in cultivation to see if it can be made. So I have this one growing next to my Nicasio Reservoir  form of Fritillaria affinis and I've been playing bee pollinator with a paintbrush. I think the Nicassio reservoir may be a triploid though so not totally sure about the effectiveness of the project. Either way it shakes out I'm glad to see the little scarlet fritillary blooming again.

It hasn't felt much like spring with non stop cold soaking rain, but in between the showers I have been working in the rock garden, I made some gravel paths which are much better than the wood chips I had been using. I was treated to a pair of western meadowlarks singing and apparently nesting in the bamboo patch by the driveway. Next week looks to be better weather ahead.

Cheers,

Mark