Ray Re-thinks Red Rhodophilias

I, Ray have some afterthoughts on the subtopic of these Rhodophilias described in my Thought for the Day, just this morning. So here are some more interesting observations.

They seem to always bloom from mid-August until first frost, but are very much rain dependent much like our native rain lilies of the genus Cooperia and/or maybe Zephyranthes. Last year we had lotsa rain in August and they bloomed in August, mostly. This year they didn't bloom in August (no rain), but roared up, sure enough, right after that 2.5 incher we got last Saturday.

The first thing they do after getting a good rain during the time frame noted above is send up the flowering culm. Sometime after the flower culm withers away, or gets et by a deer, they start sending out long skinny basal leaves that can last all winter, and that may not entirely disappear, 'til spring.

They have good-sized mother bulbs, much like the giant rain lily (Cooperia drummondii) only they are more oblong where the Cooperias are more round. They are vigorous bulblet producers in a good year. Probably the best time to dig up the bulbs, (if you want to separate 'em) is late winter-early spring.

This photo shows Lomo goin' along with his gas powered drill and giant bulb plantin' drill bit. Can you spell "cuttin' edge technology"?