Rocky Mountain Gardening: Fall DBG Plant Sale, 1 by pajaritomt

pajaritomt wrote:
TrishG, don't work so hard!
I am sorry to be missing this, but I just wanted to tell you about something they usually have there that I have enjoyed -- colchicum "Waterlily". See it in Plant Files and be sure to read the comments:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/82335/
Kenton ( JamesCo) and Greenjay talked me into this at an earlier DBG sale, later revealing neither of them grew it themselves. But their advice was excellent. I have several of these bulbs growing happily in my garden. They are beautiful in the fall with gorgeous flowers that start out white then turn bright pink. They will bloom right in the bag if you don't put them out soon enough. Then they die down and grow reasonably large glossy green leaves in the spring, which they use to feed the bulb for the next year.
They are very beautiful and surprisingly tolerant of erratic gardeners.
When I realized I would not make it to the sale this year, I ordered more from Brent and Becky's and they have now arrived. I also decided to try a new cultivar of same, "Violet Queen". I will let you know how it does.
I do hardily recommend Colchicum as a garden flower for fall, but don't plant them if you have toddlers. They are highly toxic. On the other hand, animals don't seem to find them the least bit interesting -- dogs, birds, etc. I just worry about small humans who don't come with as much instinct as animals do.
Here is a pathetic one of my pictures of them in my front yard. I could do better now. They are beautiful and surprisingly vigorous!