The end of January definitely has a feeling of late winter here, and late winter is a special time of new things just beginning to emerge. They aren’t flowering yet, nor even growing very visibly. But one day they aren’t there at all, and the next day they are. There is nothing else quite like it in the garden calendar.
This garden is too new to have established these appearances from year to year yet. But the first of them are occurring right now.
I was full of a big happy shriek the other day when I discovered the first Roman hyacinth foliage breaking through the soil.
Roman hyacinths have been on my garden wish-list for years. I first read about them in an old book now lost, possibly one by Louise Beebe Wilder, singing their praises for scent and their dainty beauty. They also have the capacity to naturalize in a garden, unlike the more familiar Dutch hybrids. The fact that they are also smaller and more delicate does not worry me in the least; I love these small, wildflower types of bulbs.
However, I couldn’t find a US supplier until recently. When at last I discovered them on the Old House Gardens website a couple of years ago, I had to wait as they were out of stock. In went a request to be notified when they were once more available.
I was finally able to order them last winter before we left Missouri; getting them to the right address here in Arizona was a bit of a circus, but the Old House Gardens staff successfully redirected them.
Roman hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis sub. albulus) are listed as hardy in USDA zones 5-8. This worried me a little as it would imply that they need a bit of winter chill, but California growers posting on the Dave’s Garden site have reported success with them in zones 9 and 10 as well. Certainly mine are popping up robustly. Hopefully they have set buds and will flower soon.
The other bulbs on that order were Sternbergia lutea, the delightful autumn-flowering bulb from the Mediterranean. I grew it in my last garden, where its brilliant yellow flowers flourished in September and October. It went on to multiply nicely.
Sternbergia lutea is one of those bulbs which produce leaves in winter and spring, but flowers in autumn. It is also said to resent disturbance or replanting, waiting a year or so to beginning flowering again, so I decided to get some in the ground as soon as I could.
The foliage showed up quickly and is still looking green and healthy.
Here are Sternbergia flowers from 2017. I feel it’s an underused bulb. I found myself waiting impatiently each fall for that brilliant glowing yellow to burst open.
I’m hoping to see some blooms next autumn. Meantime, the green foliage makes me feel that I’m managing to grow something.
One of the Sternbergia clumps is harboring some tiny seedlings as well. When I planted a pot of Lavandula stoechas, I deadheaded some spent blooms and, on a whim, scattered the seeds next to the already sprouted Sternbergia. My theory was that the two different plants would like similar conditions, and the seeds would be cared for as I continued watering the Sternbergia. For all that, my expectations weren’t very high… so low that I forgot about them and weeded out the first few seedlings.
But then more came up. And this time I realized what they were and let them grow.
By now I need to transplant them.
Spring is coming.
These small steps are so exciting, Amy. Will look into growing sternbergia in the Coop...
Thanks for the link, I shall check it out tomorrow. Here‘s the link to our ride: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYkOUw8om6g Enjoy your weekend x