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Published Friday, May 15, 2020
Bulbs and blooms
By Victoria Torley
There are times when we Northerners bemoan the loss of flowers we loved since childhood. For me it has always been the daffodil, bearded iris and lily of the valley. A lot of people I know miss the daffodils in the spring. We can’t grow them because they need a cold snap just like apples and blueberries. There are, however, compensations. Here is one of them.
I just picked these 6- 7 inch lilies from the garden. At first, they went unnoticed to the eye – but not the nose – because the blooms are so heavy that they had fallen out of sight. Now, I have them staked up and well-tied. No more falling over. This is not a plant I expected to bloom so soon since my gardener had divided it ruthlessly and we ended up with another eight plants. No, we expected it to take more time to recover, but it’s doing very well.
Then there is the rain lily which just started to bloom as well.
It is tiny compared to the white lily, perhaps 1.5 inches, and unscented but I love how it just pops up unexpectedly.
Why do we love lilies? Plant them once and they keep on giving. Like daffodils, iris and lily of the valley, they reward us constantly. Unlike those northern plants, however, our Costa Rican lilies and other plants bloom more than once a year and that’s a real treat!
We have a lot of flowers here that keep on giving. Butterfly white ginger is another well-scented bloom and even our shrubs scent the air. We could grow angel trumpets in Georgia but had to cut them back every fall. Here they grow all year and bloom periodically on their own schedule depending on your location. It smells like someone spilled a bottle of perfume on our deck every night.
And let’s not forget to mention jasmine and gardenia. Jasmine seems to be immune to leaf cutter ants although they attack gardenia plants– more’s the pity, I love gardenias. Still we have plenty of flowering plants that can scent the yard.
What are your favorites?
Some Announcements
It’s that time of year for some reminders.
First, we are gardeners. We dig in the soil where there are all kinds of nasty rusty things contaminated with who-knows-what. Some of those rusty things could easily harbor tetanus bacilli. There is something you do not want to contract. The death rate from tetanus – even when treated – ranges from 6% to 60%. So why take chances? A tetanus vaccination is listed as lasting up to ten years, but begins to wear off after five. So get your vaccination! Safe is better than sorry, and much better than dead!
On a happier note, this is the time of year that your local ICE runs its free plants and trees extravaganza. ICE is a proponent of reforestation and gives away seedlings every year, usually toward the end of May. The Wuhan virus has made this iffy this year, so check locally to see if there is a giveaway in your area.
Editor's note: For more information on this article or about gardening contact Ms. Victoria Torley, gardener columnist, at victoriatorley1@gmail.com.
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