September 2013

Colchicum Patrol: Week 4

– Posted in: Colchicums, What's up/blooming

I think we are at the peak of colchicum season. The very earliest ones are finished, the mid-season ones are in their prime, and the last are just getting going!In the very first Colchicum Patrol, I came upon Colchicum autumnale. Now her pale sister is blooming. I know I planted more than just these few. [...]

Colchicum Patrol: Week 3

– Posted in: Colchicums, What's up/blooming

An interesting thing happened between last week's colchicum patrol and this one. Take a look at this: I don't know exactly when the color intensified, but it seemed to happen overnight. It delayed the posting of this patrol, because I went back and took new photographs of many flowers to reflect the new color. I [...]

Colchicum Patrol: Week 2

– Posted in: Colchicums, What's up/blooming

Here I am on week 2 of the colchicum patrol. I see I promised I would show you last week's colchicums as open flowers, but I changed my mind. I am just going to show you the newly opened ones because there just isn't time. With the exception of the white byzantinum, they have all [...]

Debra Prinzing: Seasonal + Sustainable = Slow Flowers

– Posted in: Flowers on the Brain, Interviews

When I reviewed Debra Prinzing's book Slow Flowers back in July, I wondered about Debra's use of the terms seasonal and sustainable. I wondered particularly about how seasonal and sustainable such flowers would be in climates much colder than Debra's moderate Pacific Northwest. Before I ever published that review, I gave Debra a chance to [...]

Colchicum Patrol: Week 1

– Posted in: Colchicums, What's up/blooming

My longtime readers know I have a "thing" for colchicums. Their botanical weirdness--blooming in fall without leaves, which show up in spring and die down in July--fascinates me, yes. But when you have as many different kinds as I do, it is just plain fun to go out on "colchicum patrol" to see what's come [...]