Peruvian Daffodils

Ismene ‘Sulfer Queen’, and named hybrid of the more specific genus now called Hymenocallis, a collectible genus for those who like to collected things that are similar, but still organized withing a genus – see here at the Pacific Bulb Society Web Wiki. Looking for something different to collect? Try growing some of the more unusual species, for the rest of us? Try the easy-to-grow and bloom hybrids that one can find at any garden center in the spring. 

Ismene get better each and every year, so save your bulbs, and since they are in the family Amarylidaceae ( the Amaryllis family) allow the bulbs to go dormant, but the roots will prefer to remain fleshy and thick, deep in the soil. Every year, upgrade the pot size significantly while dormant, without disturbing the roots, and in a couple of years, you will have a tub full of these Peruvian Daffodils.

I upgraded the pot size on this Ismene in February, when I noticed that the pot was full of roots. Now, I can see that I needed to upgrade to a much larger container, which I will do next week, carefully. These are tender sub-tropical bulbs, and they cannot handle freezing, so containers must be brought in after a light frost and allowed to dry out.