Erythronium oregonum (br) |
Origin: Pacific Northwest
Zone Range: 7-9
Preferred Situation: Shady sites; well draining humus rich soil.
Description:
Lovely lily with thick mid to dark green leaves with purple-brown mottled markings appear late March to early April. A single white flower is borne on each stem. Simply gorgeous, but the beauty is fleeting as by mid July, the only thing remaining is the tan coloured seed pod to mark the spot. Can make dense colonies all on its own when happy and in the right spot. Also spreads by tuber runners.
Cultivation:
One nice blooming sized bulb. Co-evolved with our wet winters and dry summers so give same conditions for thriving plants. Seat bulbs according to directions given at time of harvest. It might sound strange, but these bulbs actually migrate in the soil column. They migrate 15 cm down for summer/autumn dormancy and back up to the surface just before starting to push out foliage in March. Curious thing is that the bulb shape changes from a tear drop shape to perhaps the 'dog tooth' form during transition. This might be the reason why this species has another common name of 'dog tooth violet'. Mulch well.
|
