Today I was at Family Dollar, and found some really cool looking bulbs! I found these Sparaxis bulbs, and I had never seen them before, so you know, I HAD TO GET them!!! They have really pretty flowers. I found a pic online to show you one color flower and it's unusual center.
Has anyone ever grown them? They are hardy in zones 3-10. An annual in the colder climates, and a perennial in zones 8-10. I am psyched over this because there are so few bulbs that are doable in the subtropical and tropical zones. I sure hope they will perform for me! I promise to give them loving care!
They will go in one open tire (I just had a purple salvia die, sadly). They are summer flowers, so I have no idea when I would start to see action...but I will count the days, for sure!!!
Here is some info I found at PLANT BIOLOGY.COM:
Common Names: Harlequin Flower, Wandflower, Sparaxis.
Life Cycle: Half hardy bulb commonly grown as a half hardy annual by gardeners.
Height: 10 to 24 inches (25 to 60 cm).
Native: Southern Africa.
Growing Region: Zones 3 to 10. As a perennial in zones 8 to 10.
Flowers: Spring or summer.
Flower Details: Red, yellow, cream, purple, pink; often multicoloured. Bell-shaped. Sometimes fragrant.
Foliage: Upright-blade. Narrow. Linear-lanceolate.
Sow Outside: Spacing 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm).
Seed: Cover seed. Start of spring or autumn.
Bulb: 3 inches (75 mm). Bottom layer of sand. As an annual: plant in spring, will flower in summer. As a perennial in warm areas: plant in autumn, will flower in spring.
Wish me luck!!!
xoxo- Julie
It is always fun to get a new plant. I hope your bulbs grow and bloom profusely. They are really pretty. I have never seen them before.
ReplyDeleteGood to see such pretty flowers...it sure uplifts my spirit. Would love to see them grown in ur wonderful garden...:))
ReplyDeleteHi Julie,
ReplyDeleteThey look pretty and love the colors. Very warm tones. I can't wait to see a photo of them in your yard. Good luck and have a wonderful week.
Blessings!
Hi Julie *hugs*
ReplyDeleteI've missed you Julie. I hope you'll be posting more again..but I know how that goes. I do get that way also.
I love you flower package and I hope you have success with them. Its probably a plant that would do fine enough around here...but you'll be able to give it it a nice warm longer growing season thats for sure.
Hope you've had a good weekend.
*hugs*
Judi
Ohhh, what pretty flowers. Love the different colors stacked together. New babies for Julie.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder! I have forgotten that they're available at the Family Dollar by me too!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there are any left for sale. Good luck with your bulbs.
Those are beautiful bulbs. I've seen them for sale in Oregon where they must be annuals. My part of Oregon is zone 7, I guess, they might make it in a mild winter. It has been too wet here to get out of doors to do much...let's hope April gets better.
ReplyDeleteThey are really different! I love the center and they are all different colors! I can't wait to see your tire all full and blooming!
ReplyDeleteOh, don't they look just wonderful and who cares if they are an annual if they bloom like they show on the packet. I may just have to check family dollar out myself. Good luck and I'll be checking back to see how they perform.
ReplyDeleteHI Julie,
ReplyDeleteI’m so happy that you like my rose photos.
I think maybe one mini, really. They need space to grow and they do grow pretty wide and tall, depending on the variety. There are so many too. The tag on the container will tell you the spacing you will need if you are planning to plant them in one bed. I cut my mini’s down also just like the larger roses in late December or early January. It keeps them from getting to straggly. My minis that I have in container are by themselves. I had a mini that was not doing well in one area in the yard. I decided to relocate it to the rose area and it is doing really well. In two years it has grown in height and width. I really thought it was going to stay a small size. Of course they love sun and I due feed every 6 weeks, once they start to bloom. Colors? their are so many and I found it hard to look at them on line/catalogs. Once I saw them in person then knew the ones that I liked. I say, buy what you like and you can never go wrong with that. That is how I started my rose garden. My very first rose was the orange mini 13 years ago when hubby and I bought our home(and it is still blooming) I wanted garden and I did not know what I really wanted or what I was doing either. My garden has been trial and error. I gradually transfer my mini roses to a bit larger container every two years until I get them into a larger container or in the ground. About 2 to 3 years I repot and trim the roots back to keep them in containers. I love my minis and like I mentioned on my post that they are the first to bloom.
I can’t wait to see what you find in your garden center. I hope this helps Julie. Happy Rose buying.