Good Karma

With snow on the ground outside, I'm still enjoying some of this summer's produce—the strips, squares, and diced bits of the 'Karma' peppers that I put in the freezer as the growing season wound down.

In 2009, I grew 'Fat N Sassy' (referring here to the pepper variety, although I did probably put on a pound or two myself), and my 12 plants produced a measly 28 peppers—barely more than two peppers per plant! This year's 'Karma' peppers really put them to shame, with 16 plants producing 118 peppers—more than seven huge peppers per plant! 'Karma' peppers turn a gorgeous red, although I did harvest several while they were still green. (It always drives me crazy that the grocery stores charge so much more for red peppers than green peppers, when the only difference between them is a couple more weeks of ripening!)

So now when I need some peppers for chili, or enchiladas, or stir-fries, I just reach into my freezer and pull out a bag of summer.

Summer Bulbs, Some Are Busts

Having previously reflected on which annuals worked well for us this year and which didn't, I realized that except for waxing eloquent on Tigridia pavonia 'Canariensis', which we actually dug up and stored in the basement for next season, I have not shared much about our other experiment this year, which was a variety of summer bulbs.

We had wanted to order Zephyranthes rosea (rain lilies), which we've grown before, but our supplier was out, and they sent Habranthus robustus instead, which were supposed to be very similar. And perhaps it's my faulty memory, but I'm inclined to say that I liked the Zephyranthes better. They seemed to bloom more profusely and more regularly. Maybe it was just too dry this summer. Or maybe the post-rain blooming pattern was less of a surprise since we had grown them before, and the novelty had worn off. We put some Habranthus in a pot out on the patio, and some among the petunias around the mail box. We didn't bother to lift the ones in the yard, but the ones from the patio are now in the garage, and if they survive the winter, they survive, but I don't think I would order them again.

One variety of Zephyranthes that were were able to obtain was citrina, a very small, lemon yellow flower that bloomed once or twice the whole season. Of course, it didn't help that the rabbits seemed to like the leaves entirely too much, so that constant assault might have discouraged them from blooming more. But still, I'm not going to pick a fight that I can't win, and if I can't keep the rabbits off the Zerphyanthes citrina, then there's just no point in trying to grow it again.

Along those lines, the Bessara elegans, which would have had small clusters of orange flowers, had none. This one, too, got eaten to the ground by critters, and unlike the Zephyranthes citrina, it made no effort at a come-back. That's another summer bulb that we can cross off our list for next year.

Likewise, the Triteleia laxa 'Queen Fabiola' sent up a few leaves but never bloomed, but that was a better performance than the Tritonia crocata mixture or the Zephyranthes candida, which never even bothered to produce leaves.

So except for the Tigridia, which is now near and dear to our hearts, I don't think we'll be seduced by summer bulbs again.

Now spring bulbs...that's a different story! This fall we did plant some 'Uncle Tom' and 'Oratorio' tulips, along with Crocus tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant', Eranthis hyemalis (winter aconite), Galanthus nivalis 'Viridi-apice' (snowdrops), and Ipeion uniflorum 'Wisley Blue'. So we'll see what pleasant sights are in store for us this May, when hope (if not bulbs) springs eternal.