Garden Photo of the Day

Bulbgirl’s Unusual Plants

Bulbs beyond the normal

close up of bulb with white and pink flowers

Today’s posts are from a gardener who goes by the name “bulbgirl” on Instagram. As you can imagine, bulbgirl grows a lot of very cool bulbs! She lives in southwest Washington State, where there are approximately 50 inches of rain per year and dry summers.

Because of those wet winters and a healthy population of bulb-eating voles, bulbgirl grows many of her special plants in cold frames, with bulbs plunged in sand beds.

close up of small snowdrops flowersOne of the fall-blooming snowdrops (Galanthus peshmenii, Zones 7–8)

close up of purple and white iris flowerIris dichotoma (Zones 5–9), the vesper iris, blooming with beautifully patterned flowers that open each afternoon

path in the garden cutting through large shrubs and treesBulbgirl isn’t just about bulbs. Here’s the shady side of her beautiful garden, full of lush and beautiful plants.

orange lilies in the gardenLilium pardalinum v. shastense (Zones 5 – 10) seeds around in the rock garden. This is a species of lily native to Northern California, with lovely hanging flowers with recurved petals.

close up of shrub with large pink flowersCalycanthus ‘Harlage Wine’ (Zones 5–9) is a beautiful shrub that’s a hybrid between two different species of sweetshrub, one native to North America, the other to Asia. It boasts these large, showy flowers.

close up of bulb with white and pink flowersAfter being grown from seed, this Calochortus venustus (Zones 6–10) is finally blooming after a wait of seven years. But what a payoff! These beautiful bulbs are native to California.

bulb with drooping orange-red flowersFritillaria gentneri is a marvelous bulb native only to a small portion of southwestern Oregon and Northern California.

close up of small bulb with bright yellow flowersMuscari macrocarpum ‘Wayne’s Clone’. When we think Muscari, most people think of the common, purple species. But there are a lot of very cool unusual ones, like this, that are beautiful—if a lot fussier to make happy!

vine with bright orange flowers growing on a trellisCanarina canarienses is a beautiful small vine from the Canary Islands. It can’t survive freezing temperatures, so this one is growing in the greenhouse.

close up of a unique pink and yellow flowerCalochortus plummerae has hard-to-believe-beautiful flowers! This bulb is native only to a small part of Southern California but is doing well here in a cold frame protected from the winter wet.

To see more of bulbgirl’s beautiful collection, check out her Instagram: @fritillaria_3

 

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  1. User avater
    simplesue 12/14/2022

    I love that Canarina canarienses vine! Interesting to learn of Calycanthus ‘Harlage Wine’ which is hardy in my zone, I never saw one of those before you posted here! The "Shady Side" of your garden is so pretty. I tried to look at more photos on your Instagram link but it's private.

  2. btucker9675 12/14/2022

    Oh my goodness! So beautiful!!!

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