Heirloombulbgirl

Tag: Heirloom Bulb

  • The Glorious Unnamed Crinum

    A Crinum by any other name still looks like, well… any other unnamed Crinum. I have done many deep dives into the world of naming Crinum. After I come up for air, I still have nothing in my intellectual bag of Crinum name knowledge. There are those out there who could tell me *exactly* which Crinum varieties I grow, but again… that would take more deep dives in which I’m not truly interested in. I just prefer to grow pretty flowers and write. 🙂

    So how is it that I have flowers that I don’t know their names? Rest assured, I do call them by name. Just not Botanically specific names. Here is the short list of Crinum that enjoy residing at the Agape Haus Music Studio.

    *Hunting Cabin Crinum.

    *Ellen Bosenquat (gift)

    *James C Hardy (gift)

    *Eugenia’s Crinum

    *Old iron fence Crinum

    *Petite Crinum

    *12 Apostles Crinum (Fletcher Farm)

    *Bradley Crinum

    *Fletcher Farm Homestead Crinum

    *Christmas Crinum

    *Pink Spider Crinum

    *Pale Pink Crinum

    *Alba Pure White Crinum

    *Swiss Alps Fiddle Contest Crinum

    *Miss Margaret’s Crinum

    *Milk and Wine Crinum (most common in old homesteads)

    *Hollie’s A & M Crinum (baby bulbs)

    Most of the Crinum I grow have been salvaged from old Homestead tear-downs. Before the 2018 flood, I had all the beautiful Crinum well marked and organized. Now it is an Crinum Easter Egg hunt. After the gardens were relocated to my studio, the bulbs got mixed up. I’ve been sorting out the various Crinum for the past few years, but it’s taken a while for the bulbs to even bloom again in their new home. If the Crinum bulb is relocated, take great care not to let the bulbs dry out. Keep roots most at all cost or you will lose the following year’s flower display. This is the reason why I always dig flower bulbs the day before shipping, soak them 24 hours and then wrap in moist newspaper. It takes more time and energy than pre-packaged bulbs, but I’m in it for the flower not the finances. (Just ask my fairly frugal, reality-check husband)

    So, back to the many unknown names of Crinum…

    Crinum foliage looks almost exactly the same for most plants. When digging an old site that is or will be torn down, the flowers are typically not in bloom. I can recognize foliage of various bulbs, so I dig. Then I wait. And wait. And wait. And finally, a bloom! In order to name the Crinum, random thoughts swirl through my head at no neurologically-sound order…

    How many flowers are supported on one stem?

    What time of year is the bloom?

    How deep pink are the cute candy cane stripes?

    Have I seen this Crinum before?

    Is this variety shown in any of my favorite flower bulb books?

    How late will it be before I get to deep dive on Google image for a good idea of the name?


    I love the quest for a Crinum name. I love the vivacious flower display. I love the beauty and uniqueness of each bloom. I just really love these old gals.
    Enjoy a very small glimpse of Crinum in the photos below. Each of these Crinum bloomed on a single day in April. What’s not to absolutely cherish?
    Email me if you’d like to know more about Heirloom bulbs or Crinum.
    Happy Gardening, my friends!

    Each photo is an unknown Crinum that has been salvaged from homesteads that have been torn down. The foliage looks the same, the blooms are different. Perhaps the only difference between flowers is the number of blooms, or maybe the shade of the candy cane stripe. Or perhaps the Crinum is a petite flowering beauty or maybe just plain white. There are botanical experts that can distinguish between the smallest of differences, which I find fascinating.

    Crinum are a staple in the Heirloom garden.

    Nowadays, one has to pay upwards of $50-$75 per bulb, and it’s a hard pass to even find one at a local stop. I’d ship more Crinum out if they weren’t so massive and heavy.

  • Let the Crinum Season Begin!

    Ah….Just look at that gorgeous flower! The Queen of the Southern garden! She rests most of the year, and shines in full glory when it’s her season to bloom. Her bulbs are big and her blooms are stunning. There is not a single flower in my garden that can out-perform a Crinum.

    To be honest, I wasn’t expecting any of my Crinum to bloom in early March. The weather in Texas is still quite undecided. Within a single week, gardeners can experience a nice spring afternoon, a hot summer sweat-fest or a crisp 33 degree winter day. Somehow, flower bulbs know when it’s their turn to bloom. I find this impressive because I typically can’t even find appropriate clothes to wear for each new Texas day. Texas weather is a mystery, just like my husband’s golf game. Crinum are a lot more secure in their glory and worry-not about the weather or their short game.

    There are countless varieties of Crinum. I have found that only Crinum experts can really decipher the slight differences between each variety. I am not an expert at anything except annoying my husband (world champion) and losing my studio key (I climb through the window at least once a week). I am the first to admit that I have no clue what the proper names of the Crinum in my garden. Most of my Crinum came from old homestead tear-downs, or they have been given as gifts. Over the years, I have researched and read up on Crinum, but I still feel a sense of insecurity with the subtle differences. Instead, I have my Crinum marked with descriptors such as “Early Bloom Milk & Wine” or “Pale Petite Milk & Wine”. Most of the Crinum I grow are varieties of Milk & Wine, I also enjoy Ellen Bosenquat, Alba and many other unique unknowns.

    If you desire to create a Crinum garden from scratch, it is advisable to find some Crinum seed pods and start the germination process. Since mature Crinum bulbs can be upwards to $75.00, finding fellow gardeners to share seed pods is quite helpful to the ‘ol pocketbook. One of those “fellow gardeners” is the creative writer of this little blog. I have more little Crinum bulbs than I know what to do with. I’m happy to send you a few Crinum bulbs to start your garden out. I have about 300 young Crinum that were started from an old Milk & Wine variety 3 years ago. They will grow into blooming size in a few years, with love and care. Crinum are like children…long-term investments, but each new season is wonderful.

    Happy Gardening, my friends! Feel free to reach out if you’d like some Crinum. 🙂

  • My New Favorite Thing

    I’m completely obsessed. I finally found some plant markers that are cute, economical AND gopher-proof. (I’d like to see those little rats try to eat these markers). After marking 200 native plants and heirloom bulbs, I realized I greatly low-balled the Amazon order. I really need 20,000 plant markers. In less than a week, I’ve become a plant marking fool. My newest garden obsession is to mark EVERY SINGLE PLANT in the garden.

    Garden obsessions are not new to me. Oh no, quite the contrary. I’m like a Forest Gump when he is first shown a “ping pong” ball. I get completely locked in. I go after my newest and latest gardening obsession like a starved dog that attacks a bone. I’m all in. If I have spotted an old teardown with a bulldozer near by, I will dig the bulbs in the pouring rain until every last bulb has been saved. If I decide to move rock to line pathways, then I move literally every single rock on my entire property. Later, if I decide I don’t like rocks on the pathway, I obsessively move all the rocks back to who knows where (just off the pathway) in record time, I might add. Unfortunately, garden obsessions are not synonymous with common sense. I’m hoping the new plant markers will bring a level of garden mainstay.

    Garden obsessions can be very helpful, especially since gardens are seasonal. If we behave like garden-slugs, and don’t complete our gardening “to-do” list, sweet seasonal rewards are missed. If wait too long to get our potatoes in the ground, then we reap no potatoes. If we wait too long to sow wildflower seeds, then we reap no Spring color. If we wait to plant a Live Oak Tree, then our grand-children will have no shade to play under. Garden obsessions get the garden chores completed in the season you are currently in. There is no “Tomorrowland” in gardening. Seasons wait for no one. The train has left the station, and you are either taking a beautiful ride or you are left behind in the dust.

    And that, my friends, is why it is nice to have a little healthy garden obsession. I prefer to ride the ride. I want to eat fresh potatoes and have wildflowers bloom in my butterfly habitat. I want beautiful pathways with plants and bulbs outlined in pretty rock circles. I want all my plant babies labeled and cared for. And I want the gophers to go somewhere deep down in the center of the earth, with fire and brimstone. Too much?

    Happy Gardening, my friends. It is time to get locked in.. Spring is coming! What is YOUR newest garden obsession? Send me a message and I will send you a little package of my favorite bulb..the Oxblood Lily 🙂

  • Gopher Baskets 101 (and how to not break your pitchfork in the process)

    Yesterday was the day I decided to try out my gopher baskets. I was excited to plant some Antique Roses, and had not planned on moving any existing plants. Gardening-Fate, otherwise known as ADHD, had other plans. While relocating the large rock on the pathways to other locations, which I do at least once a season for no reason, I soon discovered that my Pink Spider Lilies were looking a bit droopy. Definitely not normal for this time of year. I gave them a drink and sure enough….a d&@!m gopher hole.

    Gophers feast on the roots of cherished plants and bulbs. Gophers are telepathic and know exactly which plants are your favorite. Apparently, your favorite plants taste the best. Unfortunately, you won’t know that gophers are feasting until it’s too late. One day, the plant or rose bush looks great. The next day it’s wilted, falling over and you can lift the bush right out the ground with your pinky finger.

    I grabbed the 5 gallon baskets first. After all, I bought four boxes worth. Let me just put this out there… The 5 gallon basket was really a .5 gallon basket. And I have small hands.

    So I went back inside, lost my gloves for the third time, and grabbed the 10 or 15 gallon baskets. Those would do. I started to dig. It was a sludge pit from all the water I tried to drown the sweet gophers with. In less than 5 minutes, my pitchfork snapped. My bulb-digging pride was a bit hurt. I only break shovels on large Crinum.
    I told a few people of my first gopher basket experience, and their response was all the same…

    “Would you like to borrow one of my shovels?”

    “You’re missing the point. I broke my shovel on SPIDER lilies”

    They didn’t get it, and just stared at me blankly.

    With shovel #2 and gopher basket #2, I finally got the lily bulbs out of the sludge. I filled the basket partially full with soil and aged leaf mold compost. I put the bulbs on top, careful not to disturb the roots. I dug a new large hole under a deciduous tree and planted the entire basket. I still need to mulch around the basket to hide the wire mesh, but for now everything is good to go. I think the lilies will be happy in their new location and I am satisfied knowing these lovelies won’t be chewed on any longer.

    My “take aways”….

    *First, I’m not a professional gardener. If I was a professional, I would’ve planted these bulbs (and all the other plants) in gopher baskets long ago.

    *Second, don’t water the plants you are moving until they are cozy, nestled in their new basket of protection. Mud is too heavy to stuff into a basket. And shovels are too expensive to constantly replace.

    *Third, don’t order 5 gallon baskets. The small baskets are for child’s play. Get the larger baskets.

    *last, Gardening is a humbling experience. It’s ok to admit defeat and try something new. Remember, the only one who knows everything is the gopher, so keep on keeping on.

    Happy Gardening, my friends!

  • The Backwards Garden

    “Mr. Privilege, It’s a Laramie… No, that’s not right.”

    ”You’re upside down, Sir.”

    The iconic scene in the 1970’s movie ‘What’s Up Doc’ is a perfect way to describe the gardens at the Agape Haus Music Studio. I am the first to admit that I did everything backwards. It is now the 8th Winter after the flood, and I am *still* finding, moving and discovering plants and bulbs that were hurriedly dumped at the music studio. Call it a continuous Easter Egg hunt for adult gardeners. I also like to move plants around like other people move their furniture, so no plant is safe from my shovel.

    I garden backwards…

    I’m upside down.

    I am the upside down gardener who creates nothing out of something, and I like it. I like the challenge of being completely unorganized and nonsensical. I like having a garden full of only foliage, questioning my own sanity at any given moment. Basically, I just really like my sweet little backwards garden. 🙂

    If you are up for the challenge, here are a few illogical steps to create your very own backwards garden. Trust me, it’s fun.

    1. Get some flower bulbs (the more the better) and plant them anywhere in your yard.
    2. Don’t mark your flower bulbs because that would be too logical. If you do happen to mark the random clumps of bulbs, make sure to use labels will either come off or get rubbed off. If your markers *do* last an entire season, invite the gophers to chew up your wooden markers (the ones that you hand painted). Spouses with weed-eaters work well too.
    3. Once you fill up your yard with randomly planted bulbs, the bulb foliage will go dormant. This is when the fun really begins! Make sure to forget where the bulb clumps have been planted. Now, you are able to dig in your yard and completely disturb your flower bulbs every single time you put your shovel into the earth.
    4. As you dig, debating about the specimen plants that should’ve been planted FIRST in your garden, you will accidentally hit some random bulbs that you forgot about. That’s normal when you’re upside down. Now you will have to wait an entire year until the bulbs come up. Thus, another year goes by without specimen plants. (You remind yourself that you should’ve marked those darn bulbs with appropriate markers, but you will do it next year with more useless markers).
    5. Always hand paint artistic gardening signs on surfaces that will peel. This is huge. Signs are best when you can’t read them.
    6. Most of your flower bulbs will be happy in their new home, but always second guess nature. Spend your time moving your bulbs here and there (randomly ofcourse), giving sun-loving bulbs plenty of shade and visa-versa.
    7. Enjoy every single moment spent in your much loved, backwards garden. 🙂

    Happy Gardening, my friends! I’m off to go dig!

  • The Texas Pomegranate

    Some of you know, but most of you don’t, the disgusting soil I have to work with at the studio. Even the word “soil” to describe the studio grounds is being grossly negligent as a writer. Perhaps I should describe my land in politically correct terms…the land is “soil-deprived”, or an “enriched-deficient” plot of horror. Most gardeners would run and hide from the catastrophic elements that are continually at war against gardening. Whether it be moles and gophers, rock and rubble, thermal hot spots in drought conditions or just a plain thorny sticker crop. I simply can’t catch a break. Except in the rare moments when I get to look upon a job well done. Inspiration overrides all seasons of exhaustion and frustration, and I simply get to hold the fruit of my labor. And oh, how sweet it is!

    The Texas Pomegranate is truly something to behold. I call it the Texas Pomegranate because I honestly don’t know what variety this beautiful tree is. I received the tree as a gift when I first bought the music studio. Apple John, a dear friend and mandolin extraordinaire, has an Apple Orchard deep in the Texas Hill Country. John also cultivates Pomegranate Trees. This tree was one of the first plants that found a home at the studio. The Pomegranate became a landmark in the garden, planting all shrubs, flowers and Heirloom Bulbs around it. When cherished plants died in times of drought, the pomegranate grew only stronger.

    ”Is that all you got?!”

    The Texas Pomegranate is also unscathed by destructive critters that lurk underground. For a few years, I had a beautiful antique rose that nestled herself up to the pomegranate tree. Then one day her roots were completely chewed up. Once again, the Pomegranate grew only stronger. It honestly doesn’t make sense how the palate of a gopher can be so refined as to distinguish between the roots of a salvia or rose!

    I’m not a gardening expert on much, but I do take notice the drought-hardy plants that thrive in lousy soil. The Texas Pomegranate is one of those jewels. For great native plants, I shop at Greensleeves Nursery in Pflugerville, Friendly Natives in Fredericksburg, Backbone Nursery in Marble Falls, or The Natural Gardener and Barton Springs Nursery, both in Austin. I love each of these shops for different reasons. The mainstay is to shop a local plant nursery that focuses on native plants for your area. DO NOT SHOP BIG BOX STORES FOR YOUR TEXAS POMEGRANATE TREE OR ANYTHING FOR THAT MATTER. (Notice all caps? I’m a bit passionate about supporting small garden shops!)

    Happy Gardening, my friends!

  • Saving the Gardens for Miss Margaret (part 3)

    There are a lot of meaningful endeavors in life, but saving Miss Margaret’s gardens is definitely one of my favorites. I’m honestly not sure why I’m so passionate about old flower bulbs, but the only way to explain it is that it’s in my blood. My Dad loved old architecture and old photos. As a child, my Dad instilled a profound understanding of preservation. A deep desire to save something that will be lost. When I see bulb foliage, there’s a sudden urgency to hop barbed wired fences with a shovel. My son even bought me a mini shovel to carry around in my car. I must admit, my little digging passion is just weird. I can’t explain it. I’m just compelled to hop that fence. I feel like an addict, desperately seeking my next fix of old rotting houses and “No Trespassing” signs. If I had a dollar for every time my family told me “We aren’t bailing you out of jail” I’d be rich. There are countless reasons why I shouldn’t do what I do, and only one reason why I should….the beautiful 100 year old Oxblood Lily bulb that I’m holding in my hand.

    She survived the Great Depression.

    She survived World War 1 and World War 2.

    She survived floods.

    She survived drought.

    She survived decades of love and care.

    She survived decades of neglect.

    She is a worthy preservation project indeed! It is hard to imagine the changing landscape that little bulb experienced over her last 100 plus years. Even if, for no other reason than antiquity, that flower bulb deserved to be saved.

    Just look at Miss Margaret’s lovely Oxbloods! Happy, healthy and preserved for generations to come.

    What became of Miss Margaret’s gardens? Well, that is a sad story for another day. Most of the bulbs were salvaged, the historic house was demolished, and the land became a cemented parking lot. I can still see the stained glass and the curled wooden staircase in my mind.
    If you are able to come to the Agape Haus Studio open house on Dec 20th, rumor has it that Santa left Oxblood Lilies for gifts for everyone! 🙂

    Happy Gardening, my friends!

  • The Annual Oxblood Lily Seed Collecting Has Begun!

    Honestly, is there anything cuter than baby lilies? Well, maybe baby puppies or baby nieces. Complete cuteness overload!

    I, for some odd reason, feel a deep maternal love towards baby lilies. The art of seed collecting is a long, mundane process; but then again, so are diaper changes. We don’t throw the baby out with the bath water, so lily seed collecting can be a worthy endeavor. I have been collecting, germinating and growing baby lilies for years. I’ve had more failures than wins along the way, but I find that growing lilies from seed is a nice exercise in patience. If you so choose to take the challenge, here are a few simple steps to get started.

    First, you need some Oxblood Lilies that reseed. Not all my lilies reseed, and quite honestly, I’m not sure what the perfect conditions are. A lot has to do with the amount of water the bulbs receive during bloom time, and the weather conditions after the bloom. If temperatures get too hot too soon, the seed pods will dry up. Last year, the seed pods went into over-drive and I ended up with way too many baby bulbs. I mailed many packs of germinated seeds out to gardeners from all over who wanted to try this lovely seed-germinating process out. This season, the pods appeared overnight, and then we left for Colorado for our son’s wedding.

    For a brief moment, I thought about hiring a baby-sitter for the baby lilies. I realized that this sentiment was a bit too much…..So I decided to stay home from the wedding.

    Just kidding.

    Step two….Allow the seed pods to get nice and fat like the ones pictured above. The seeds on the inside will be thin and black, very similar to other rain lily seeds. Most rain lily seeds are ready to sprout almost immediately with water…hence the name “Rain Lily”.

    Step three….Place the seeds in either a wet paper towel or little teacups. I go back and forth between which method I prefer. Since I am in Colorado, and my seed babies are in tea cups in Texas, I prefer the paper towel method. At the moment, I’m concerned everything will dry out and all lily babes will be dead. I can’t be worried about baby lilies though….It’s my son’s wedding after all.
    Priorities.

    Step four..Keep the babies fed. Whether you use the paper towel method or little tea cups, don’t let the seeds dry out. The seeds in a paper towel will get transferred to tea cups or pots within a few weeks. The tap roots for these little baby bulbs is longer than expected. They drink a lot of water. Keep the babies in dappled shade or inside in bright light. Again, don’t let them completely dry out. I’ve made this mistake and lost many, many baby bulbs this way. Always a sad time to lost something you’ve worked hard at.

    Step five….The fine art of patience.


    Wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And waaaaaaaaaaaaaait…

    Voila! Oxblood Lilies are worth every moment of patience.

    if you would like some Oxblood Lilies, please let me know. I’m always happy to share. If you are a garden center, I’m happy to help you out with lilies as well. Come on by to the Agape Haus Studio & Garden! I love to grow things, but I’m not interested in selling. Not even a little bit. A little donation to keep the gardens composted is enough for me. I just want to share these heirloom bulbs with fellow gardeners.
    Email heirloombulbgirl@gmail.com for more info.

    Happy Gardening, my friends!

  • The Fall Heirloom Bulb Sale

    Just look at these lovelies….

    The first Saturday in October is the Llano Master Gardeners Native Plant Sale. I will be hanging out alongside the Llano Master Gardeners with four varieties of Heirloom Bulbs. If you’ve never been to the Native Plant Sale, this is the year to do it! The sale is 8-12 am, although all plants sell out quick.

    Heirloom Bulbs available are Oxblood Lilies, Ellen Bosenquat Crinum, Milk and Wine Crinum and the large Prarie White Rain Lily. All bulbs have been collected by yours truly from old homesteads that were being torn down. All bulbs are drought hardy, tough southern bulbs that are an asset to any garden. Hope to see you at the Llano Plant Sale!

    Happy Gardening, my friends!

  • The Multigenerational Family of Bulbs

    Just look at that! What a sweet family photo!
    Scott Ogden, in his book Garden Bulbs for the South, describes the growth of Oxblood Lilies perfectly…
    “No other Southern bulb can match the fierce vigor, tenacity, and adaptability of the Oxblood Lily.”
    After 30 years of rescuing, growing and preserving Heirloom Oxblood Lilies from old German homesteads, I have to agree. There is an incredible family unit that is found in each clump of bulbs that has been lifted.

    Scott Ogden came for a visit after our house was destroyed in the flood in 2018. I was in the process of moving all the gardens and bulbs to Agape Haus Studio & Garden. Scott had heard that I had lost my cherished copy of his book, so he and a gardening friend came and brought me a signed copy! We walked through the gardens, and I showed them my restoration goals for the scrappy, rock-infested land. I also showed them the beautiful old Live Oak trees with sandy loam conditions that were PERFECT for bulbs. They both looked at me like I was crazy.

    “That’s a lot of work”

    After all, I was a full-time working musician with a family to tend to.

    “Well, I *did* tear down an old ratty house next door, in between violin lessons, just to save that tree. Crazy is as crazy does.” 🙂

    I grabbed a shovel and dug up an enormous clump of old Oxbloods. This multigenerational family of Oxbloods had been featured in an article “Saving the Gardens for Miss Margaret”. Scott and Greg couldn’t believe how huge the clump was, and how many hundreds of bulbs were in that bulb family clump! They also couldn’t believe that I was “just giving” them these beloved bulbs. Yes, Oxbloods have a pretty high street value for fellow gardeners. In my mind, no one really “owns” their flowers…they are meant to be shared and enjoyed. We are all just care takers for the Lord’s creative beauty through nature and gardens.

    As Oxblood Lilies grow, the old bulbs get older and larger, babies bulbs grow and swirl around the parent bulb until they finally grow big enough to be on their own. These offshoots then split off and start their own little families. The baby bulbs grow into parent bulbs…hence, the multigenerational aspect of the Oxblood Lily.
    Yesterday I dug up a nice clump for donation. As I divided the bulbs, I counted 22 very large old Grandparent bulbs, not including the all the parent and littles.
    Old bulbs grow and multiply faster than smaller bulbs, but don’t worry, we all become our Grandparents’ someday! We just need to keep nurturing and watering during growing season.

    if you’d like to have some beautiful Oxblood Lilies added to your garden, simply email me, check out Etsy (it’s usually sold out tho) or come see me at the studio 1st and 3rd Fridays, by appointment.

    Happy Gardening, my friends!