Bulbs: Strange and subtle

I love the most common garden plants, but I also love plants at the opposite end of the scale; plants with history, provenance, an intriguing name, odd shape or unusual color. I'm growing two spring bulbs that fall into the latter categories.

ODD SHAPE: Acuminata tulip (above and below) will amaze all your friends. Old House Gardens (where I bought my bulbs) says it's unknown in the wild and probably the remaining survivor from the early 1700s when "tulips like it were all the rage in the Ottoman Empire." OHG named it their Heirloom Bulb of the Year in 2004. 

Acuminata announces its presence even in bud. In bloom, its petals twist and turn and are as sharp as needles. A delightful oddity.

ODD COLOR: I've had Fritillaria pontica (below) in the garden for three years but this is the first time it has bloomed. Marauding rabbits kept eating it until this year when I caged the new shoots the moment they appeared. To be honest, it had been so long since I planted these bulbs I really didn't remember what they were.

I kept watching them emerge and get taller (to about 12"), waiting for a clue to their indentity. A few days ago I realized the flowers were almost open, but were so subtle I hadn't noticed. The bell-shaped flowers are mostly green with purplish-brown edges and one to three per stem. These Fritillaries are growing in semi-shade at the edge of path under the trees where they look totally charming.

If I had only remembered these bulbs were in my garden, then I would have partnered them with the Fritiallaria imperialis 'William Rex" I planted as an experiment last fall. It's a shorter (18-24") version of the classic Crown Imperial but  a "rich, dark, bronzy red," according to Brent and Becky Heath, where I bought the bulb. Looking at the photo on their Web site, I'm betting it would look great with the ponticas. I'll know for sure once King William blooms; then I can re-arrange the plantings and get it right for next year! 

Comments

[keewee]

I am very fond of plants which are a little out of the ordinary.