Our garden club visited the farm where "the bulb hunter", Chris Wiesinger, propagates heirloom bulbs from the South and distributes them to nurseries and through his web site, southernbulbs.com. This young man is passionate about his dream and is making headway in his work. He is a graduate of Texas A & M and is speaking about his work to groups all over this country and in other countries, as well.
Chris gave us a short instruction on how to divide a rather large crinum bulb. He stated that you could cut a six point star on the rooting end of the bulb. When cutting the pieces make sure at least a small part of the top of the bulb is connected to the cut piece. This is enough for the bulb piece to grow when planted.
Crinums are old southern perennials found in country gardens. They have tall stalks with loads of beautiful summer blooms.
Many Crinum bulbs and other naturalizing bulbs are offered during the annual Smith County Master Gardener Heirloom Bulb Sale each fall.
Sue Ann Ley, Smith County Master Gardner
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
Annual & Perennial Flowers Index
Gardening Tips For NorthEast Texas Index
East Texas Piney Woods Gardening Home Page