Category Archives: Flowers

The Fall Potager

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Even though it is the middle of December, my little potager has never looked better.  This is one of the reasons I love living in Texas.  Because of the mild winters, I can literally garden year round.  Everyone loves to complain about our hot summers.  However, in my opinion, our winters more than make up for it.  I heard last night that Houston averages 16 days per year below freezing.  We are about 90 miles north of Houston but I am willing to bet we only have 20 to 24 days that are that cold.  Due to this, with proper crop selection, some rotational planting and the willingness to occasionally cover things up, your fall garden can last right up to the spring planting.  Below are several pics of the things that are currently growing in my potager:

I have three different varieties of broccoli growing in my garden.

I have 12 cauliflower growing.  I planted the cauliflower in blocks of three two weeks apart.  This way I don’t have to worry about eating 12 cauliflower in one week!

My wife and I love spinach.  Because of this, two of our triangular beds are lined with it.  In classic gardening form, one bed had a bout a 100% germination rate.  In the other bed, the germination was very spotty.  These little set backs are the things that keep me interested.  I will spend hours trying to figure out why one bed performed perfectly and the other, identical bed, was somewhat of a disappointment.

I always grow lettuce in the fall.  We eat a ton of it and it is so easy.  I only grow leaf lettuce.  Nothing against head lettuce, but once you harvest a head you have to replant and wait.  With leaf lettuce you can continuously clip the leaves through out the season.

I love shallots.  Their form is lovely in many applications in the potager.  I grow these things year round.  I never harvest them all.  Many people call them dividing onions and there is a good reason.  I recently left a clump in the ground for a year and there were almost 50 off shots on it.  I have about a dozen heads of cabbage scattered around the potager.  We are going to try our hand at homemade sauerkraut when the harvest comes in.

I don’t just have veggies growing in the potager.  I have tons of flowers.  These are baby larkspur.  I also have lots of Victoria Salvia, poppies, calendula, mums, two different roses and hollyhocks.  There are also a few byzantine glads and dianthus scattered around as well.

Pansey’s, vi0las (Johhny Jump Ups), carrots and shallots in the center bed.

A very dedicated little bee is gathering nectar on a 40 degree day.

Calendula are often called pot marigolds.  Their petals are edible and they will bloom until it gets about 90 degrees.

Maximilian Sunflowers (Helianthus maximiliani)

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Maximilian Sunflowers lining the entrance of Wldseed Farms in Fredericksberg

As you drive along the high ways and by ways of our great state this fall, notice all of the native plants that are in full bloom.  Fall is a great time for many native flowers and perennials.  One of the most stunning and prolific of the fall blooming Texas natives is the Maximilian Sunflower.  It is hard to drive anywhere in Texas right now and not see this stately and beautiful plant.  Maximilian Sunflowers produce stalks that can reach 8’ to 10’ in height.  The tall stalks can be completely covered with bright yellow flowers from their base to their tip.  These flowers produce tons of little seeds that ensure that they, and many species of wildlife, will survive until next year.

Close up of the heads of these beautiful flowers

Maximilian sunflowers are actually a perennial plant.  Even though they flower and disperse their seeds like an annual, their roots will survive even the harshest of Texas winters.  Due to this combination of perennial roots and very productive seed heads, Maximilian Sunflowers often develop into very large and thick colonies of plants.  The yellow flowers of these colonies result in fabulous drifts of yellow that paint the fence rows and ditches of fall rural Texas.

The stalk of my Maximilian right before it bloomed, This stalk is about 9′ tall

Even though Maximilian’s are native, they do very well in cultivation.  I have this plant in my beds and so do many of my friends.  It is a great pass along plant.  In fact, that is how I got mine.  My friend Cynthia Mueller brought me some shoots from her established colony this previous spring.  Cynthia has a very beautiful stand that she divides every year and shares with all that want them.

Maximillians in the front border of my potager

Since Maximilian Sunflowers are a native plant, they will do well in low water situations.  However, if you want them to be truly spectacular, water them just like any other bedding plant (about 1” of water per week).  They love full sun and will grow in just about any soil type.  Because of their tall foliage, you may be required to stake or prune them.  If pruning, trim them down to about 2’ or 3’ in late June or early July.  This will keep the plant from growing much over four feet.  When pruned in this manner they can make a very attractive hedge or border. Also, since Maximilians are sunflowers, they last forever as a cut flower in your fall bouquets.

Maximilian’s in mixed Fall bouquet from my beds

My wife and I recently visited Wildseed Farms in Fredericksberg.  They use Maximilian Sunflowers extensively throughout their property and the results are beautiful.  While on their property, I noticed Maximilian used as a stand-alone specimen, in stunning combinations and in mass plantings.  Each use of the plant was very appealing to the eye.   This large scale, fall blooming plant will reward you with beautiful flowers for years to come and, as an added bonus, this tough and reliable fall perennial will draw in several species of birds, moths and butterflies to your garden.  If you would like some for yourself you can order on-line (or visit) Wildseed Farms or  get a start from a friends garden.  This lovely perennial will reward with years and years of reliable blooms.

Four Tips for Growing Outstanding Fall Color

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Nothing says fall like flats and flats of pansies. Photo by Morgan McBride

If you haven’t already done so, right now is a great time to plant your fall color. If you have been to a garden center lately you probably knew this. Every garden center that I visit is covered in pansies, snap dragons and kale; and with good reason. These cool season crops grow really well here, they look great in the landscape, they brighten up the gloomy days to come and they can take just about the worst that a Texas winter has to throw at them. In addition, if properly cared for, they will continue to bloom right up until your spring annuals begin to flower and take over.

The secret to success with your fall planted annuals lies in your soil. While these crops will all survive in a wide range of varying soil types, they will thrive in a well prepared bed. Every year I hear different people give tips about what you should add to your soil to properly prepare it for planting these fall annuals. Since I hear the same tips year after year, the advice must be sound. Listed below are the top 4 organic soil amendments that you can add to make sure your fall annual plantings thrive.

Kale and other brassicas are excellent for the fall color bed. Here is a curly purple variety that will compliment the yellow pansies in the prexious picture. Photo by Morgan McBride

Organic Material-Good soil is full of organic material. Organic material, or compost, makes the soil more arable, increases its ability to hold water and nutrients and feeds the microorganisms in the soil that convert the stored nutrients in compost into a form that is usable by the plant. Certain types of compost do have small amounts of NPK that are instantly available to the plant. However, it takes time for nature to convert the majority of the nutrients in the compost into a form that the plant uses. So, truly healthy soil is amended twice a year, every year.

Blood Meal- Blood meal is a by-product of the beef industry. It is basically dried and powdered cow’s blood. Blood meal is one of the highest non-synthetic sources of nitrogen. In fact, it is equivalent to an application of a 13.25% commercial nitrogen fertilizer. It also contains a trace amount of phosphorous and potassium. In addition to being a great source of readily available nitrogen for plants, it also activates many of the microbes that are feeding on the organic material.

Pansies are one of the most planted flowers in America. Photo by Morgan McBride

Bone Meal-Another by-product of the slaughter industry, bone meal is an organic source of phosphorous. Ground bone meal works as a slow release treatment. This is fine since most soils are better at holding phosphorous and potassium than nitrogen. Bone meal contains roughly 12% phosphorous and 4% nitrogen. Calcium is another essential nutrient for plants and bone meal is an excellent source of this.

Peat Moss-Peat, as Peat Moss is often called, is a dried form of moss. It is an excellent soil conditioner and provides nitrogen to the soil as it breaks down. However, the reason most people recommend adding peat to your beds is because of its amazing water holding capabilities. Peat can hold up to 20 times its own weight in water. This is very important to us in the arid southwestern part of the U.S.  By adding peat your will improve your soil and reduce your water bill.

Thornless Prickly Pear-The Perfect Plant?

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Thornless prickly pears and maximillian sunflowers at Wildseed Farms in Fredericksberg.

My botanical brother Morgan McBride swears that thornless prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) is the perfect plant. You don’t have to water it, it flowers, you can eat the pads and the buds, and it’s evergreen. Plus, if a piece of it falls off onto the ground, it will grow you another plant. I am not sure if I agree with him completely, but you have to admit, he makes a good point.

While I am not as enamored with thornless prickly pear as Morgan is, I do really like the plant. One of my favorite plant combinations of all time was at the weekend place of Dr. Bill Welch. He paired the sculptural, medium green cactus with a dark burgundy castor bean that he got from my plant mentor, Cynthia Mueller. The dark burgundy was a perfect back drop and the combination was stunning. I also felt it was, for lack of a better word, appropriate. Texas is a big place. Some think of it as a southwestern state while others consider it definitely southern. The pairing of the quintessential southwestern plant (the cactus) with the very southern castor bean made me conclude that this was the perfect plant combination to express the dichotomy of Texas.

Thornless prickly pear fruits ready for harvest

Thornless prickly pear does appear in the wild. However, the plant that most of us grow is a hybrid developed by a California breeder named Luther Burbank. Mr. Burbank was busy developing plants around the turn of the century. His two biggest successes were the Russet potato and the thornless prickly pear. Mr. Burbank was a shameless promoter and rather sloppy plant breeder. Because of his poor record keeping, we have no idea what plants he actually used to create the plant we now call thornless prickly pear. Regardless, he was very proud of his creation and he sought to market it as dry land forage for cattle. While the cactus did not catch on as a forage crop (turns out it will grow all of its thorns back if it is subjected to extreme drought), no one can argue with its success as an ornamental.

The cactus blooms in the spring (and sometimes fall). The flowers are typically yellow but can be found in white and red. The fruits of the cactus are very sweet and some say they taste like a very sweet watermelon. Native Americans loved the fruits of this plant so much that they are often called Indian Fig.

Thornless prickly pear and fall asters

Like any cactus, the thornless variety is incredibly easy to grow. Just stick a pad (or nopal) half way in the ground. Water every once and a while and in no time flat you will have a very large mass of cactus. In fact, this stuff is so hardy that it is difficult to control if it is planted in a well drained site with plenty of water.

I don’t know if thornless prickly pear is the perfect plant or not. However, you have to admit, it does have a lot going for it. It is attractive, durable and makes quite a statement in the landscape. Very few plants evoke as strong a sense of place as do cactus. So, if you are looking for something that is guaranteed to grow, thornless prickly pear may be the plant for you.

Cacti-Lanterns

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A very spooky Cacti-Lantern on my buddy's front porch

Here is a quick and simple Halloween tip for you.  This year, instead of heading to the grocery store to buy a pumpkin to carve, head out to the garden and harvest a few cactus pads.  You can quickly turn these unassuming cactus pads into a wide variety of very scary faces that are every bit as fun to make, and just as frightening  as their pumpkin based cousins.  Cacti-Lanterns are a cute, clever, easy and oh so spooky way to spice up your Halloween decorations.

Cacti-Lanterns are jack-o-lanterns made with the pads of the thornless prickly pear cactus.  They are much easier to make than the pumpkin based jack-o-lantern.  Simply pull a nopal (that is the actual Spanish name for the pads on the cactus) from your thornless prickly pear.  Carve your scary face into the nopal and then stick it toward the front of a one gallon pot or planter.  After you have watered it in, stick a candle in the dirt behind the nopal and light it.  That’s it! 

In my opinion, Cacti-Lanterns are superior to the regular pumpkin based type for several reasons.  Number one, they are basically free.  Who doesn’t have a cactus or two in their yard.  Second, there is very little mess associated with cactus carving.  No pumpkin “guts” to scrape out and dispose of. And finally, after you are through with your Cacti-Lantern, keep watering it and it will grow you another cactus.

Unlike pumpkins, your Cacti-Lantern can be used from year to year. Just keep watering it in the pot and it will grow into a healthy, yet "holy" cacti.

I got this idea from my botanical brother Morgan McBride.  Like so many other things, Cacti-Lanterns were born of necessity.  He forgot to bring home pumpkins for the kids to carve.  So, in order to avoid a lot of tears from his kids, he quickly figured out this very clever way to re-use what he had in a way that made him, the wife and the kids all happy. 

If you have access to a thornless prickly pear, why not give this a try.  The Cacti-Lantern is just as much fun to make as a traditional jack-o-lantern and it is just as scary.  Plus, there is no real clean up required and your Cacti-Lantern will eventually turn into another plant.  What do you have to lose?

 

Texas Specialty Cut Flowers

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Beautiful Zinnia bunches at Texas Specialty Cut Flower's big blue barn

For quite some time I have been impressed by, and somewhat enamored with, Texas Specialty Cut Flowers outside of Blanco, Texas. Frank and Pamela Arnosky are the owners of one of the most successful field grown flower farms in the U.S. (and probably the whole world if the stats were checked). Starting with nothing but a chain saw and a dream, they built a business that now provides the absolute finest quality, locally grown, fresh cut flowers to companies like HEB, Central Market and Whole Foods. You can also buy direct, on the honor system, at their big blue barn.

Pamela working on the center pieces for the Old Blanco County Courthouse Preservation Society Gala

My wife and I got to meet Pamela last weekend. Pamela and Frank are both masters of horticulture in every sense of the word and it was truly a thrill for me to meet her. I have so much respect for the business they have built and I was very excited to get to see a bit of it in person. 

Anyone that knows Pamela will tell you that she is the hardest working person they have ever seen. Farming is a tough job and if you are going to be successful you just don’t have much idle time. Because of this, it was no surprise for us to find Pamela working when we pulled up. She was busy making arrangements for the Old Blanco County Courthouse Preservation Society Gala. Pamela donates her time and her products to this group. When we arrived she was in the process of turning old cowboy boots and her flowers into stunning center pieces for the gala tables.

The centerpieces are ready for delivery

Frank and Pamela are passionate about what they do. They rely on the science of horticulture to consistently turn out the best flowers possible. Through research, experimentation and strict adherence to some very basic horticultural principals, she and her husband have turned the thin, rocky soil of the Texas hill Country into a floral oasis that abundantly provides year after year.

Stunning red Cock's Comb straight from the field.

They are also evangelists of sorts for their industry. Even though they spend just about every waking hour working their business, they still find time to give back. In addition to their strong support of their local community, they are very active in the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. They have both served as regional directors for this organization.  They also wrote a monthly column for “Growing for Market” for almost 15 years.  Two books resulted from those articles; We’re Gonna Be Rich (out of print) and Local Color: Growing Specialty Cut Flowers for Market (click the link to buy it now).  Growing for Market is a great resource for those of us that want to learn more about growing flowers or other forms of produce for market.  The editor of “Growing for Market” is Lynn Byczynski.  Lynn is also a giant in this industry.  Her book, The Flower Farmer (published by Chelsea Green), is now in it’s second printing.

Two types of celosia and sunflowers that were used to make the center pieces.

Right now, the floral season is beginning to wind down.  However, the Arnoskys still have lots of flowers available.  They sell alot flowers for the annual Dia de los Muertos (or the Day of the Dead for all of you gringos) celebrations across our great land.  If you are in the area, drop by the big blue barn on the weekend before November 1.  They will be celebrating Dia de los Muertos with a large communal ofrenda (this is an altar that honors the ancestors during the Dia de los Muertos celebrations) and an open house.  The ofrenda is truly lovely and the celebration is something you won’t forget.

Fields of sunflowers at Texas Specialty Cut Flowers

The Arnoskys are a shining example of what I like to think of as the American dream. They started their business with almost nothing. Now, after 21 years of dedication, determination and sweat, they have built a thriving family business that provides them with a nice living, a ton of pride and the satisfaction that comes from doing something well.  Their efforrts bring joy to countless fans around the country. My hat is off to these two “Masters of Horticulture”.  May the horticultural gods continue to richly bless them!

Great Deal on Daylilies

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As I mentioned in an earlier post, my friend Chris Von Kohn is a daylily breeder extrodinaire.  This past weekend he sold several of his creations at the Ft. Worth Botanic Gardens Fall Sale.  Chris is selling these beautiful and reliable flowers to finance his Masters of Horticulture degree at Texas A&M.  He has several plants left and he is selling them for the ridiculously low price of $7 per double fan.  If you are planning on adding some daylilies to your beds, why not contact him (his info is below). 

After the weekend rains, this is the perfect time to plant daylilies.  Please give Chris a call.  You will get some unique and beautiful plants that no one else has and he will get to go to grad school.  Everyone wins!

If you are in Arlington you can go by and pick them up.  If you are not in that area, he will be happy to ship them to you.  Chris’s cell is 817-269-7474 and his email address is Cvk007@earthlink.net.

Here are few pictures of some of the daylilies he has breed:

Square Foot Gardening Second Graders

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The organic gardens from Mrs. White's second grade class at St. Paul's Christian Day School in Brenham, Texas

This past Wednesday, I got to participate in two of my favorite activities at the same time; gardening and talking about gardening.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, my wife is a second grade teacher at St. Paul’s Christian Day School in Brenham.  Each year she uses the garden as a way to introduce a plant based biology curiculum to her class.  This year, she asked me to come and talk to her class about plants in general and the seasonality of plants in particular.  It was our goal to help these second graders learn that certain plants grow in different seasons and then plant the proper plants to help bring home the message.

I love talking to young children.  They pay very close attention to what you are telling them and they love to participate in the discussion.  My wife’s second graders did not disappoint.  They were such a good audience.  They answered questions, asked questions, and they always put their hands up first.  They were so good!  I truly love giving presentations to young people.  They always reaffirm my strong belief that, no matter what the news media tells us, America is still producing a whole lot of awful good kids.

Showing the kids the proper way to remove the plants from their cells

So, after our very exciting disscussion of which plants do best in Texas in the fall, we went to the garden to put my lecture into practice.  As I mentioned in my earlier post (Going Green For God), my wife gardens in an 8′ X 3′ garden with a trellis on the back.  Her garden is based on the the best selling book “Square Foot Gardening” by Mel Bartholomew.  Since she doesn’t have a lot of space or time, the square foot gardening method is the perfect tool to allow her kids to grow a variety of crops in a small space with out too much effort.  My wife’s garden allows for 24 seperate squares to be planted.  This is good because her classes usually range in size from 20 to 24 kids.

Excellent weeding!

Before we planted, we cleaned out the weeds and left over plants from the spring garden.  Sometimes when I weed, I fail to take notice of the truly amazing things that happen in the soil.  Not these second graders!  While weeding, the kids found a freshly germinated Texas Montain Laurel seed, young pecans trees beginning to sprout (so evidently squirrels are aware of my wife’s garden), crepe myrtle seeds, grubs, worms and milipedes.  Each new find opened up another round of questions.  However, the thing that generated the most interest was the smallest little snake skin shed that I had ever seen.  The kids were VERY interested in that! 

Before planting, we recharged the beds by adding three bags of composted humate.  The kids really loved this part (and I did too).  We sprinkled the compost over the top of the garden and then used our hands to mix it in.  I cannot really describe the method used by these second graders to mix in the new compost, but it resulted in all of us having dirt and compost all over us.  It really was a lot of fun. 

Mixing in the compost

Once the beds were ready for planting, we laid out the strings that divided the garden into it’s 24 squares.  Each child got to plant either a broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage or mustard green plant.  We had twenty plants, so in the four squares that were left over, we planted 64 carrot seeds (16 per square). 

Planting carrots

Over the next few months, these young gardeners will water, weed and OBSERVE.  I hope that my wife’s efforts will instill a life long love of growing things in some of them.  Even though they don’t yet realize it, my wife is teaching a whole lot more than biology in her little garden.  Her garden shows that you can do a whole lot of good things in life if you work together.  It also let’s them watch the miracle of life unfold right before their eyes.  By watchinging that little seed turn into the carrot, she is showing them that the garden is a special place that can feed alot more than just their stomachs.

Great technique

P.S.  Do you remember the first time you watched a seed germinate?  There is a very good chance that your first exposure to gardening was in a second grade classroom.  Teachers work very hard to find ways to get kids excited about learning.  Take time out of your busy day to thank all of the teachers that are doing everything they can to make sure that the kids of tommorrow are as awesome as the kids of yesterday!

Hyacinth Bean (Lablab purpureus)

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The lovely foliage of the Hyacinth Bean on my trellis

This past spring I was at a garage sale at the home of a truly extraordinary horticulturist named Lorraine.  She and her daughter hold this sale every spring.  In addition to clothes and knick knacks, Lorraine sells plants.  You never know what she is going to have.  Many folks in town know that she can grow anything, so they bring her pots, seeds and cuttings.  She always turns them into beautiful plants that she then sells at ridiculously low prices.  She grows in compost that she makes herself.  She has a green house, the cutest potting shed in town, and a dang fine vegetable garden that she has been tending in the same spot for over 60 years.  She is truly incredible and I hope to someday be just like her.  I really admire her and I never miss her sale.  This year, she had three pots of hyacinth beans that I snatched up and took home.  Those three little four inch pots of hyacinth beans have turned out to be the best $3 I have spent all year!

This year, the first flowers on my hyacinth bean appeared in late July

I planted Lorraine’s starts in May at the base of the trellis that leads to my side yard.  This trellis is over 12’ at the top.  I planted two plants on one side and one on the other.  Since May, those three plants have grown and grown until they almost completely cover this huge trellis.  The foliage is striking and the pinky-purple flower spikes are extraordinary.  The bees, butterflies and wife love them. 

Planting –Plant your seeds outdoors after all danger of frost has passed.  You can also start them inside three or four weeks before the last frost.  Some folks recommend pre-sprouting the seeds in damp paper towels before planting.  However you get them to sprout, be sure and plant them in full sun. Hyacinth bean likes rich, well drained soil.  Water regularly to get them established.  Germination from seed can take about two weeks.  Once the plant starts to grow, provide regular water but do not over water.  They are relatively fast growing and should start producing flowers 45-60 days after germination.

My hyacinth bean bloomed for over a month before it set seeds.  Maybe that was because it was just so hot.  I saw my first flowers in July but I did not see my first seed pods until the first week of September.  The plant is still blooming and it is beginning to get covered in the deep purple, iridescent seeds pods that it is famous for.

The first of the deep purple seed pods appeared last week

Hyacinth beans send out long runners that are perfect for quickly covering a fence, building or trellis. If growing on a fence, they need no support.  To get mine to go up the trellis I tied the tendrils and shoots to the posts of my trellis using a jute-like twine.  Once I had the vines trained over the structure I let them go.  They soon sent out their long inflorescence of magenta flowers that make them so attractive.  The posts of my trellis are 4 ½ feet apart.  The inflorescences of these plants are now so long that you have to push your way through the flowers.

Flower petals from the plant falling onto my yarrow

Harvesting – You can eat hyacinth beans if you harvest them when they are very young.  Many cultures around the world use them extensively in their cooking.  However, if you want to eat them you need to know that are slightly toxic when mature.  So only eat them if you know when to pick them.  In fact, once fully mature, they should not be cooked or ingested at all.

Hyacinth beans are fairly good re-seeders.  Leave them alone and they will come back year after year.  If you want to harvest the seed, wait until the plant has died and then pick the dry, brown seed pods.  Once fully dry, open the seed pod and save the unique black seeds in a cool dry place until next spring.

Oxblood Lilies (Rhodophiala bifida)

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Each fall in Central Texas, bright red trumpets herald the approach of autumn.  These trumpets are the deep red flowers of the Oxblood lily. 

Oxbloods in my front bed

Oxblood lilies seem to be a bit of a regional secret.  I grew up in Waco and I was not familiar with them until I moved to Brenham.  The house that we bought was on an almost bald hill.  The previous owner was not much of a gardener.  However, he apparently liked bulbs.  The first fall that we were there, we discovered that he had left us red spider lilies (Lycoris radiate), yellow spider lilies (lycoris aurea) and oxbloods.  I instantly fell in love with these extraordinary plants.

This close up of oxbloods is from "The Southern Bulb Company"

Oxbloods are often called Schoolhouse Lilies because the bulbs send up their stalks right around the start of the school year.  Like rain lilies, their bloom is in response to the first fall rains. However, since there have been no fall rains this year, they will apparently also bloom in response to a good fall watering.  Another of their common names is Hurricane Lily.  Since most of the rain that falls in the Gulf South in August is the result of a late season hurricane, this is also a very appropriate name.

Oxbloods are native to South America.  An early German-Texan horticulturist named Peter Oberwetter is believed to be the first to import the oxbloods from Argentina.  Due to his efforts, the oxblood has been very popular in the areas of Texas originally settled by German settlers.  While they are gaining acceptance around the South and Central US, they have flourished in places like Brenham, La Grange, Independence, Round Top and Austin for the last 150 years.

Here the initial foliage of the oxblood is clearly visible.

Oxbloods naturalize and reproduce readily.  In fact, they are so hardy and so prolific that Scott Ogden says “No other bulb can match the fierce vigor, and adaptability of the oxblood lily”.    Because of their “tenacity and adaptability”, oxbloods have become one of the most common “pass along plants” in Texas.  Most of the people that have them got them as a division from someone else.  Finding a friend with a well established bed is still the best way to get them for your own garden as they are somewhat difficult to find in the nursery trade.  However, some specialty bulb growers like The Southern Bulb Company(http://www.southernbulbs.com/OxbloodLily/) now offer them for sale on line.

Black, long necked oxblood bulbs harvested with Grand Primo Narcissus this past spring

Oxbloods are very easy to grow and they are very reliable.  Their growth habit is just like that of other fall blooming bulbs.  The flowers appear on a single “bald” stalk in the fall.  The stalk is often accompanied by two long leaves.  After the flowers die, the rest of the foliage begins to appear.  The foliage grows into a clump of long, thin, deep green leaves that resemble mondo or lariope that lasts until June.  After that, the foliage dies back and the bulbs become dormant.  So, if you are going to divide them, June is the optimal time.  However, unlike many other bulbs, they can be dug and divided just about any time.

Oxblood bulbs have a dark black skin that makes them fairly easy to identify.  The bulbs prefer full sun but can tolerate light shade.  In fact, most of the ones I see are massed around the trunks of old live oaks.  Oxbloods do best in rich, well drained soil but they will grow in just about anything.  Plant your mature bulbs about three inches deep with the neck slightly exposed.   Medium and smaller bulbs can be planted at little more shallow.  Once planted, water regularly for the first year.  Once established, they will survive (and even thrive) on normal rainfall.