[pbs] Bulbs That Disappear
Judy Glattstein
jglatt at hughes.net
Mon Feb 2 13:46:35 EST 2009
When I lived in Wilton Connecticut I had lots of Sanguinaria canadensis
'Multiplex'. I would faithfully divide clumps every three years or so,
having been advised that this was a good thing to do since the sterile /
non-seed producing tubers were vegetatively quite vigorous (something I
found to be quite true.) There were so many that after a while I lined
woodland paths in the garden paths with them.
This garden had ideal conditions - five 100-year old white oaks for
canopy shade, a gardener's holy grail of high organic soil that was
moisture-retentive but free-draining. Much of my success could be
attributed to the site, rather than my skill.
And one Spring about 95% of the bloodroot wasn't there, never came up.
Ever ready to assume guilt (I did / didn't do something) - except Dick
Redfield in Scotland, Connecticut had exactly the same thing happen that
very same year. And Dick was a superlative gardener.
O.K. Bamboo around the world flowers and dies. But bloodroot and
snowdrops? Is a mystery. Deer didn't eat them (besides, I had an
electric fence.) They weren't planted in a soggy, boggy place. They'd
been thriving for years and then - poof! they vanished.
And that's what I love about gardening. It is the never-ending story
with always more to learn.
Judy in New Jersey where we're having a heat wave - it is 44.8 degrees
Fahrenheit. The sunny side of our road has places clear of snow, but not
mine.
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