12 
Carl Purdy, Uriah, California 
CULTURE OF CALOCHORTUS IN CALIFORNIA 
Drainage must be perfect. If not naturally so, raise the bed 3 inches and give 
a slight slope. 
Soil. May be any friable loam, whether clay or sandy. Several species are 
native to adobe soils and none of them resent adobe if well drained. Use no 
manure. 
Situation. All should have full sun in the cooler sections, but in the warmer 
interior valleys give the Globe and Star tulips light shade. 
Distance and Depth to Plant. 2 in. apart gives room for development and a 
cover of 2V£ in. is sufficient. 
Time to Plant. As soon after Oct. 1 as possible, and not later than January 1. 
Water. During our winter and early spring the rains are sufficient, but if 
the late spring is dry, keep the ground barely moist after April 1, and water lib¬ 
erally when the buds show for bloom. 
Care after Flowering. If bulbs can be allowed to remain absolutely dry after 
flowering, leave in ground. Otherwise it is best to dig and store dry until fall. 
If only a dozen or two are to be planted use boxes 10 in. deep and these can be 
set inside after ripe without disturbing. 
Gophers. Gophers are fond of Calochortus and get away with too many in the 
garden. Either plant in screen bottom beds or trap vigi’antly. 
Pot Culture. As below. 
EAST OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 
Calochortus will endure the coldest weather in the Eastern United States but 
suffer from premature thawing following freezing. 
In the Open Ground. The directions above apply for the East, except: Better 
always raise bed to insure drainage and add one-third grit to any friable loam 
to better insure drainage. 
Plant by Nov. 15 or at least before freezing and just as freezing starts give a 
cover of marsh hay or leaf of 3 to 4 in. Cover should be removed promptly in 
spring as tender shoots cannot push through. 
Digging and Storing. Calochortus bulbs are injured by summer rains after 
they have ripened. As soon as ripe, dig, air in shade, and store in a dry place in 
paper bags without packing material. 
(2) In Cold Frames. With any ordinary care, all Calochortus can be grown 
splendidly in cold frames. They should be treated exactly as for open beds, 
except the soil will be better with some leaf mold. Do not coddle, but simply 
protect from freezing and thawing. After ripening, keep the sashes on all 
summer so that they will stay dry. I have glowing reports from customers 
who have grown them this way. 
(3) In Pots. While they cannot be forced much, they can be grown in pots 
fairly well as follows: Use a sandy or loamy soil with good drainage. Plant 
iy 2 to 2 inches apart, which will gve 6 to 12 to a 6-inch pot. Moisten the soil 
and put the pot in a dark place, a cellar preferred, for about six weeks, to let 
them root. Then bring into a warm, sunny place and water moderately. After 
flowering, let them ripen well and then dry off and leave perfectly dry until 
fall. 
Note: The First group, Globe Tulip, and the Second group, Star Tulips, are 
all perfectly hardy in the East and are well adapted to pockets in the rock 
garden where they would be assured of good drainage that most of them 
require. 
The Mariposa Tulips often give fine results in the open, while at other 
times they fail, very often this being due to poor drainage and wet conditions. 
The best species to use in the East are Venustus citrinus, Venustus oculatus, 
Vesta, Venustus robusta, Nitidus, Nuttallii, Gunnisonii, Eurocarpus, as these 
stand much more moisture and are practically immune to lily leaf rot which 
might affect the others. 
