Pale pink:

White:

Red/maroon:

And do they have a name?

Looks like ixia which I haven't seen in more years than I'd care to admit. Love bulbs that return without any special care. Paper whites and saffron crocus are great here for that.

Maria

Yes, very pretty....WHAT ARE THEY? Sounds like a great choice for my zone, too.

Sparaxis. Native to So. Africa. Very showy.

Yes, sorry - sparaxis. They are only about 6-8 inches tall, which is another reason I like them.

Ixia are another So African bulb which I also grow and are just as easy. Ixia blooms grow on long stems, with multiple blooms on both sides of the stem. They usually are over 2 feet tall here. Pic of ixia:

Last pic - sparaxis again - just wanted to admit that most of the flowers are this orange color. Took this yeseterday:

or you could try the triandrus group 9 - native to the meditteranean....including the justly famous Thalia....and numerous other wonderful whites.
Also, group 7 - jonquillas will be good for So.Cal....as well as having fabulous fragrance without the sickly overtones of paperwhites.

or you could try the triandrus group 9 - native to the meditteranean....including the justly famous Thalia....and numerous other wonderful whites.
Also, group 7 - jonquillas will be good for So.Cal....as well as having fabulous fragrance without the sickly overtones of paperwhites.

Ha! Paperwhites - they like it so much outside here that they immediately spread and form clumps so thick that they stop blooming - we just dug up hundreds of bulbs in about a 1 ft by 1 ft space (I swear I never planted more than 6 there), and threw most of them away, and replanted a bunch elsewhere.

I have planted the other warm weather daffodils, and some of them are still coming up, but not spreading, and not as dependable as the South African bulbs.

Jackie

Van Engelen is a great source for bulbs if you need a lot of a particular variety (see link below). They have a "Southland Mix" of Narcissi that's supposed to do well in zones 8-10. They also have individual varieties of Jonquillas and Tazettas if you'd rather have uniformity.

I've been looking into companion perennials for my new garden here, and while I'm not in a Mediterranean climate, I have come across some interesting plants I hadn't heard of before. Perhaps some of these would work for you as well. Note that I was leaning heavily toward blue and purple-blue shades in flowers, and that the list below includes only the plants which were "new to me" -- I'm not including the Campanula, Geranium, Nigella, Sedum, etc. varieties I ordered that are likely already well-known to members here.

:-)

~Christopher

Anchusa capensis 'Dropmore'

Asperula orientalis

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides

Consolida regalis 'Blue Cloud'

Cynoglossum amabile 'Firmament'

Lithodora 'Grace Ward'

Prunella grandiflora 'Freelander Blue'

Sisyrinchium angustifolium

Here is a link that might be useful: Van Engelen Bulbs

mmmm - going down the blue route
try linum perenne or linum narbonense - easy to sow direct
legousia, phacelia, nemophilia - all other direct sown annuals
lithodora requires a more acidic soil than mine....but omphalodes verna is a possible substitute.

I can vouch for Thalia the triandrus daffodil in a warm climate. Mine not have not only bloomed every year for years but have proliferated with not a bit of care.

Small early bulbs are a very good choice under shrub roses, they start to disappear when the roses are covered in leafs and bloomin', so their fading leaves are barely noticeable.

Among my favorites, there are Ipheion in different varieties (white 'Alberto Castillo' is the very best), Hyacinthoides hispanica, Allium neapolitanum, and -for frost free areas- Freesias of course.

mmmm, yep, ipheon are always good value - there is a good deep blue - Rolf Fiedler and, in my garden, pink Charlotte Bishop flowers for weeks. Chionodoxa lucillae, hepatica nobilis and lovely anemone blanda are also great companions.
You might try another SA bulb (which I have never grown myself) - rhodohypoxis.....and I would have thought there would be a good cyclamen. Calochortus? I have only grown the pale pink C.venustus but would definitely explore this genus if I had the appropriate climate. Zephyranthes - another I would have enjoyed, if only......

mmmm, yep, ipheon are always good value - there is a good deep blue - Rolf Fiedler and, in my garden, pink Charlotte Bishop flowers for weeks. Chionodoxa lucillae, hepatica nobilis and lovely anemone blanda are also great companions.
You might try another SA bulb (which I have never grown myself) - rhodohypoxis.....and I would have thought there would be a good cyclamen. Calochortus? I have only grown the pale pink C.venustus but would definitely explore this genus if I had the appropriate climate. Zephyranthes - another I would have enjoyed, if only......

Campanula, there's also a darker Rolf Fiedler's offspring, which is called 'Jesse'. They are shy bloomers compared to the common 'Wisley Blue' od the giant of the group, 'Alberto Castillo'.
Rhodohypoxis are not easy to grow in my experience. Another very good "bulb" among the roses, old or new, are mediterranean Gladiolus, like G. italicus and G. byzantinus.

cheers, Morris - have to say, it's great to see you posting again - I always loved your fabulous Sardinian garden.

Thanks! I have now printed this thread - going to look up and see if I can find some of the other bulbs recommended for Mediterranean climates.

Ipheon - those are those little blue star shaped flowers? I planted a bunch of the Wisley Blue in 2 large pots, and around some iris out by the street 20 years ago. The iris are long gone, but the little blue star shaped flowers have come back every single year, including everywhere I planted them. They are blooming right now. I had forgotten their name - thanks again.

Jackie