Heirloombulbgirl

Tag: Crinum

  • Finding the Balance

    There is a fine line between “going natural” with native plants, and the complete and utter gardening chaos that consumes everything in its path (including cool garden art and small children). My gardens usually tip-toe close to the line of chaos, but this particular year, the balance had to be reestablished. The local natives were abundantly fruitful with all the beautiful rain. The studio grounds have been lost in a sea of Tie Vine and Widow’s Tears. Although the bees were pleased in the overwhelming native landscape, I had to find some sense of balance in the garden. Too much of a good thing becomes borderline toxic….so I set out with my dull scissors and bucket to thin out the natives.

    Balance is a word used a lot in our society. “Find the Balance” can be heard in every realm of life. Balance between work and play, healthy eating habits and a delicious three-layered coconut cake, good parenting and self-focused alone time, screen time and naturally unplugged time….you get my drift. The need for balance is in every aspect of life. Our modern society is not just walking the fine line between balance and chaos, it is grossly out of balance. It’s easy to feel like a little Crinum bulb that has been engulfed and suffocated by the overrun vines. How do we find a healthy balance when everything around us is trying to choke out the beauty we are trying to create?

    The first thing to remember is that too much of a good thing is not a good thing. If you have a plant, person, place or thing that has consumed every area of your life or garden, it needs some space. The problem with a lot of natives is that they are designed by nature to thrive, whether by seed production, tap roots or natural vigor, natives thrive against all odds. Native plants are great, until you can’t see your garden any longer. My secret weapon in the garden is a pair of gardening scissors. I am basically a female version of Edward-Scissorhands, cutting natives and invasive vines off at ground level. The Texas Tie Vine, for instance, is a charming vine with pink flowers and heart-shaped leaves that cannot be simply pulled up….the taproot is somewhere three block as away. Pulling the vine up sends plant hormones to reproduce TWICE the vine….No joke! Where’s the balance in that?? If left unchecked, the cute little vine will consume your entire block, children, husband and pets included! Balance is being able to enjoy the lovely pink flower in random spots without allowing the vine to ruin your entire life. I continually look for places being overrun and I continue to cut throughout the season. I also *try* to keep the space around specimen plants or bulbs sacred. Native ground covers and plants like Widow’s Tear can steal nutrients from your prized plants and drop a lot of seeds. A good healthy haircut, I mean plant-cut, is good for everything in the garden.

    Another way to create a healthy balance in the garden is to recognize native plants as healthy or toxic. There are beautIful things in life that can actually be harmful to our personal health or our garden. Take, for instance, the dreaded Poison Ivy Vine. The berries are so cute! The growth habits of the vine are delightful, until it’s not. Getting rid of Poison Ivy is also interesting, but that is an entirely different blog. Red wasps are another toxic garden pest. Organic gardeners try to find the positives in all species. I tried to coincide peacefully with the wasp until they ran off the bees from my old bee tree. Not cool. I eradicated the wasp population (I have no apologies either) and my bees happily returned! Protecting the good species from overwhelming troublesome species is much like sheltering a child from the darkness of the world. Yes, it exists, but our energy needs to be put towards raising up goodness, both in ourselves and in our gardens. Even well-meaning pollinators like the Cow Pen Daisy need to be kept in check, before the 3,978,645 seeds each plant drops overruns your delightful Rain Lily bed.

    Finding balance isn’t a “One and Done” activity. Balance is something to seek out daily. Politicians, Social Media and Bermuda Grass will never be completely eradicated from life, so it is best to create healthy space and balance. Don’t get overwhelmed with a job that is never fully completed. Every day is a new and glorious day. Choose the space that you are in, the people you are around, and the plants you have in your garden that bring you the most joy. Don’t get overwhelmed by invasive vines. Simply cut them off at the pass before they get out of control. Keep toxic plants (and people) at bay, and nurture the good things that are all around you in this fabulous garden called life. Balance yourself, and the beautiful things that the Lord has in store for you can grow and begin to be noticed. And next time you gaze upon the garden patch that you just weeded, enjoy that fleeting moment of perfect gardening balance fully….but always keep a pair of scissors in your back pocket just in case. 🙂

    “Take My yoke upon you. My burden is light.” -Matthew 11:30

    Happy Gardening, my friends!
    Love, Keenan @heirloombulbgirl

  • Heirloom Crinum Seeds

    You know what they all say…the older the Crinum, the bigger the Crinum seed pod. Actually, no one says that. But after today’s find, I think we should all say it together. I mean, honestly, just look at how large those seeds are! When an old Crinum clump comes a calling (but you’re in a dress for your daughter’s graduation from A&M) all you can do is collect the seeds. In this case, a whole bag full of baby Crinum seeds.


    Crinum seeds are incredibly cool and a great summer project for kids. The Crinum flower grows into a seed pod when conditions are right, and will eventually fall to the ground and break open. The seed will form a sprout above ground, only to reverse the growth to form a bulb under the ground. The original seed will eventually transfer all of it’s nutrients to the new baby bulb. Nature is so fascinating! This process takes a season of very slow growth, but in a few years (and decades) the Crinum seeds will eventually grow to be one of the largest of all flower bulbs. Once established, Crinum will provide years of flowers and new baby Crinum seeds to start the process all over again.

    Crinum bulbs are also worth digging, if you don’t mind breaking a shovel or two. My son, my nephew and I got up this morning and dug at the former old hunting cabin. There are still a few remnants left after the cabin had been bulldozed down. It doesn’t matter how times I dig after a teardown, I am always saddened to think that once upon a time, a cherished garden had been deeply loved by its gardener. I salvage flower bulbs for future generations of gardeners who enjoy a special link to the past.
    I’m happy to report that my son was able to get under some brush and dig out 4 large bulbs, all while avoiding Poison Ivy….something to definitely celebrate. Heirloom Bulbs will sometimes “sulk” when moved. Don’t ever be disheartened if the bulbs don’t bloom the first year. I suppose I’d sulk too if I had lived somewhere for 75 years and have my house torn down. After the shock of moving, bulbs will settle into their new garden, put forth flowers of thanksgiving and thrive happily. It is important to keep the roots from completely drying out. For this reason, I send my bulbs off in style….moist newspaper and a nice tonic of vermiculture (worm castings). The pictures below are all Milk and Wine Hunting Cabin Crinum that had been moved years ago. The lone pink ranger was a gift from my Mother-in-Law’s friend. These beauties bloom faithfully every year.

    If you would like some seeds to start an old Crinum, email me at heirloombulbgirl@gmail.com. Id be happy to share the bounty with you. There’s something very special about having a flower that dates back to the turn of the century….we all need strong roots in this day and age.

    Happy Gardening, my friends!
    Love, Keenan @heirloombulbgirl

  • The Many Seasons of the Texas Gardener

    Feast or Famine.
    That’s what life is like in a Texas garden. One day, it can be 115 degrees with every plant in the garden sadly drooping, on the verge of death. The very next day, a delightful rain replenishes the parched earth and fills the garden with hope. Gardeners in Texas need to be tough, and so do their gardens. I can’t tell you how many times I threaten to throw in the shovel, and then….just like that, the weather changes (so does my attitude).

    Seasons in Texas are minimal….we have Summer.
    Light Summer, Heavy Summer and every other variety of Summer you can possibly imagine. Occasionally, we have a quick change of seasons, but if you blink, you might miss the change. Instead of moaning and groaning over the lack of seasonal change, I began associating seasons with the blooms of Heirloom Bulbs. My Texas Seasons have become Oxblood Lily Season, Crinum Season, Rain Lily Season, Paperwhite Season….well, you get the drift. 

    Flower Bulbs are truly a gift to the Texas Gardener. Bulbs rest quietly under the earth, sleeping peacefully through extreme weather conditions. I’m always surprised by the Fall showing of Oxbloods and Spider Lilies after a brutal summer. I honestly don’t even know how the bulbs survive, but somehow they do. I tend to be a garden “naturalist”, so I like to invest in Native Plants and Heirloom Bulbs that are proven winners. Over the years, I’ve wasted way too much money on forcing flowers to grow in wrong zones, just because of garden nostalgia. As much as I love Dutch Tulips, they simply won’t come back in Texas. Lucky for you, Lady Tulips will naturalize in our area so if you are desperate to plant Tulips, there ya go!

    Seasons change….not so much in Southern Gardens like Texas. Invest your time and energy into plants and flower bulbs that will bring a smile to your face and joy to your gardening heart. Seasons don’t have to be minimal and boring. Just ask any bulb enthusiast. 🙂

    Happy Gardening, my friends!
    Love, Keenan at Heirloombulbgirl


  • If You Give a Gardener a Flower

    If you give a Gardener a flower, she’s going to need a shovel to go with it.

    While looking for her favorite shovel, the Gardener walked right over the garden hose, and she remembered that she left the sprinkler on.

    After moving the sprinkler, the Gardener saw the beautiful Heirloom Lilac that she re-rooted last year. Seeing the Heirloom Lilac, the Gardener thought about moving the Lilacs to make room for her new flower.


    While digging up the Lilacs, the Gardener remembered the large rose bush that died in the drought. What a perfect time to move the dead rose bush and relocate the Lilacs!


    While digging up the rose bush, the Gardener got a thorn in her finger.
    While the Gardener tried to get the thorn out, she remembered the thorn she got after moving her lovely Martha Gonzales Antique Rose Bush.
    The Gardener decided to dig up the Martha Gonzales rose to plant something, although she wasn’t quite sure what.


    While digging up the Martha Gonzales Rose, the Gardener decided to move the entire bed of Ellen Bosenquat Crinum and Oxblood Lilies, which would naturally be the perfect spot for the beautiful Antique Rose Bush.


    While digging up the Heirloom Bulbs, the Gardener accidentally dug into the heavy oil cloth that had been used for the pond that didn’t work out.
    The Gardener stopped everything she was doing and started digging out the heavy oil cloth, in order to use the cloth to cover the compost to save moisture during the summer.


    While digging out the oil cloth, the Gardener got tired and put her shovel down…right next to the pretty little flower that she was given to plant.
    The Gardener reached down, picked up the flower and gave it a drink.


    If you give a Gardener a flower, she’s going to need a shovel to go with it. 
    So the Gardener picked up her shovel and walked through the garden, looking for the perfect spot to plant the flower. (True story….can you relate?!)

    Happy Gardening, my friends!
    Love, Keenan at Heirloombulbgirl

  • Milk and Wine Crinum For Thanksgiving

    I spent my Thanksgiving weekend digging up Crinum. That wasn’t my original plan, but digging is typically a common pastime when I am at my in-laws’ farm. There are a lot of run down, falling down and flattened homes in the area. Many of the homes, I have been given free rein to dig….a few I have not. I have had to jump over “no trespassing” signs, rip jeans on barb-wire fences and get into poison ivy, just to rescue a few heirloom bulbs. There are many gardeners in the area that know the secret locations of these abandoned sites, and have all taken matters into their own hands. We have no shame or apologies for our bad behavior. When a bulb lover sees a bulldozer, it’s time to hop the fence and dig.

    On this particular digging day, my family and I were simply out on a walk, minding our own business. We came to the property where a dilapidated, old hunting cabin had been hidden within the brush. I had dug at this location before, and I was shocked to find the cabin completely gone and the house grounds bulldozed and flattened. Gardeners in the area had been salvaging bulbs for years. The sheer amount of Milk and Wine and Alba Crinum is hard to put into words. The old bulbs were the size of small watermelons. I’ve broken many shovels trying to retrieve those old gals. It was sad to see the cabin and all the Crinum completely gone. I noticed a few remnants remained, so my daughter and I decided to stay behind to dig. It actually was my weed-complaining Father-in-Law who offered to bring shovels and bags. I can’t believe my dear ol Dad-in-Law offered to be an accomplice to such a gardening crime, but miracles do happen.

    My daughter, Hollie, and I dug for hours. My husband stood guard as he sat in the mule and just scrolled through golf videos. We dug every square inch of what used to be the Crinum patch. Some bulbs were chewed up and spit out by the bulldozer. Some bulbs were so deep beneath the ground, I couldn’t retrieve them. As I crawled around on my hands and knees, locating bulb remnants, my daughter laughed at me and yelled
    “Hunt ‘em up!”
    Hollie was mocking me with her Dad’s hunting voice. “Hunt ‘em up” is a command to bird dogs to sniff out birds. In the brush. We spent a lot of time that day laughing as we dug. Hollie even made me pull out bulbs shoved into a brush pile under trees. She was surprised that I am not afraid of man-handling bulbs out a bunch of brush, yet I refuse to walk on wet grass with bare feet. I didn’t even have to mind-wrestle a rattlesnake, which actually happened the last time I dug at the old cabin.

    This Crinum dig will go down in the history of the world’s greatest Crinum bulb dig., for no other reason than my entire sweet family participated in saving the bulldozed remnants of century old Heirloom Bulbs. My heart is full.

    Happy Gardening, my friends! Love, Keenan at Heirloombulbgirl