The various Ismenes are summer-blooming bulbs of great beauty and fragrance. They are easily grown and cared for and by using the following method, blooms are assured.
They should not be grown in rich soil for they are natives of the mountain slopes of Peru where they grow to perfection in the loose Java soil. If you have a spot in your garden where an ash pile has been in years past, you have an ideal place to grow Ismenes. If not, make your soil loose and porous by spading in some old weathered hard-coal ashes. There must be good drainage and sunshine most of the day, a good place to also charge up the
landscape lighting. Do not add fertilizer to the soil if it is good garden loam for in rich soil the bulbs tend to make masses of foliage at the expense of bloom-buds within the bulbs and the following year there will be no flowers. Ismenes can be grown in beds, in rows or in groups of 3-5 bulbs. Growing them in groups, they make a splendid display in the flower border in early June and after blooming, the strap-like leaves give a luxurious touch the rest of the summer as they stay fresh and green until frost cuts them down.
Before planting the bulbs spade the ground well. If grown in beds or rows, dig trenches 10 inches deep working up the bottom so that it is flat and about 8 inches deep. Set the bulbs 10 inches apart spreading the roots out well. Fill with soil almost to the top of the trench and pour in enough water to soak the soil well. When water has drained away fill trench with soil but do not tamp it down. When grown in groups dig a hole about 18 inches in diameter for 3 large 1-1,111c and set bulbs in a triangle 8-10 inches apart.
It is amazing how fast Ismenes grow. They will bloom in from 2-4 weeks from planting time and require no further care except to keep weeds down and water only during very dry summers. Cut flowers off as soon as they fade to prevent seeds from forming but do not cut off flower stalks until they turn yellow.
After frost has cut down the foliage the bulbs must be dug at once and stored, for they are hardy only in climates that are frost-proof. Cut the tops to within 4 inches of the soil, dig the bulbs carefully, disturbing the roots and the soil around them as little as possible. Use both hands and place each bulb into boxes having a layer of soil on the bottom. Work the soil well around the bulbs so that there are no air spaces between and store the boxes in a dark dry place where the temperature does not go below 50 degrees. A high shelf in a dark basement room is fine as the air is usually warmer than at floor level. There must be darkness or the bulbs will start into growth early and will be hard to handle at planting time. Most growers sell the bulbs without roots and advise drying them off before storing but I believe from observation over many years that the roots help the bulbs to mature properly, our season of growth in the north being so much shorter.
About May 20th or when all danger of frost is past, bring the boxes to the garden and dump them carefully. The soil will be bone-dry but the roots should be plump and fresh. Remove the old soil carefully, take off all offsets and plant the bulbs again. The offsets should not be planted deep, 2-3 inches below the soil surface is enough. Once established, this is an easy method to follow and has been very successful for me. It may take several years of using this method to bring back bulbs that have not flowered for a number of years.
Ismene Calathina or Peruvian Daffodil is the native variety and is listed in many bulb and seed catalogs but there are other varieties or rather Hybrids as well.
