Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Naked Ladies: Harbinger of Autumn

Naked Ladies, below.  Bulbs planted in spring, come up in August, after a rain.  Harbingers of change, late summer into the earliest autumn.  

Amaryllis belladonna given to me by my aunt.
Pic, above, P. Allen Smith, Amaryllis belladonna.  More planting details, here.

Their stalks arise, almost entire, overnite, crowned with buds, and quickly the flowers.  Delicate in looks, tough in reality.
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 Image result for naked ladies brent and becky's bulbs
Pic, above, Brent & Becky's Bulbs, have ordered from them for years.
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Both pink and red Naked Ladies are in our ca. 1900 American farmhouse garden.  Telling stories, mystery tales.  Lots of them, they are in the oddest places, erratically, and some geometric.  I know I want more.
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First order of bulbs for my new garden, daffodils, naked ladies, blue grape hyacinths.  Several types of each.
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Here's what I know about bulb orders, when you are ordering tough, long lived bulbs.  Scare yourself, a bit, order more than you should.  Go over budget.  You won't regret it, unless it's regretting not having spent more.
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Garden & Be Well,   XO T  Clear
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10 comments:

  1. My Nana was an avid gardener. Mimosa and a particular kind of rose scent inevitably remind me of her yard, as well as hollyhocks, Chinese Lanterns, and jackmanii clematis. One of my very favorite pictures of me and my sister as children is of us standing next to her surprise lilies. And I grow many today myself :)

    I had the opportunity to travel to where she grew up early this summer, and visited her parents' and grandparents' little cemetery, which thankfully has been preserved from the urban encroachment all around. When I got there, though it was quite overgrown, by each side of the gravestones, I could see those big strappy surprise lily leaves. I know she planted them there.

    I could barely drive away, my eyes were so full of tears.

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  2. Oh - I would love to have some of the pink ones!

    I have the others. Youngest son did yard work for our local entomologist and brought home several bulbs. I just love passalong plants and I think of both my son and Dr. Osborn every time they bloom - - - all these many years later!

    I love keeping up with your farmhouse transformation!

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  3. When you are planting bulbs, 500 feels like too many before you're done.

    When they bloom, you wish you'd put in 5,000.

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  4. Yikes! so funny.......(no, it is another coincidence......I am used to them with you!)

    'Naked Ladies" I have always loved....they just spring up all over the place around here....by the side of the road.....random places in gardens....

    About 8 years ago (or something....I have no sense of time; it is scary most creative people are like this)

    Anyway...my friend had a great property near mine in Montecito ....and he said......"I think you told me you liked "Naked Ladies" (he knew I knew what he meant)! His gardener dug up around a hundred of them....delivered them...and we planted. Every year they have bloomed. This year.....(I will look again tomorrow) not one.
    SOB! It rained a little bit....but they are way back......in the non-irrigated.......I hope they are not dead.
    I am so sad! I find them very "estatey"!! They are in so many of the lovely old estates here in Montecito!
    Fingers crossed for next year!
    The great
    Eric Nagelmann is the landscape archtect who is a big hero around here! Google him! When you come; you two will meet!

    Penelope

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  5. Tiffany!

    I cried when I read your letter! Of course she did! And I love what she called those funny pink flowers that pop out of nowhere!
    "Surprise lilies"!!

    They are such a surprise! No leaves.....just pop! beautiful pink lilies out of the ground on their long stems!

    I hope mine come back some day!!!

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  6. Dear Vera! I love "passalong plants" too! Thank you for the wonderful expression!

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  7. Penelope, did your surprise lilies come up this year???? I hope so! :)

    Cheers,
    Tiffany

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  8. Not yet, you sweetheart! I hope they will!! I have to watch the places where they show up every year here.....and then I will search! I sure hope so! As you know, I adore them!!!

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  9. Tiffany! I think it is August when they bloom! This year we had so much rain I am hopeful!!!

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