Tazettas for the Chinese New Year!

The Year of the Dragon celebration continues as my Chinese sacred lilies come into bloom after purchasing a few bulbs from Uwajimaya, a well known Asian market here in Seattle's International District (aka Chinatown).

The bulbs come like this sitting either dry or already rooting in a shallow pan of water and they're grown this way in a bright windowsill until the foliage develops and flowers appear. In China, they take this already intriguing clump of radially arranged bulbs and carve them in a manner where the leaves and stems curl and contort themselves to resemble objects such as baskets, vases, and even a dragon!! It is truly a fine and intricate art form where you can't fully control what you'll get. That's what makes it most fascinating and worth trying.


So I didn't really know what I was doing, but here I go:

 

So here's what developed after a few days in bright light and a shallow bowl of water:

Here was the blooming result!

It turned out to be a lovely double form and, of course, it was powerfully scented. I decided to have it on display at the Miller Horticultural Library at the Center for Urban Horticulture. I hope they and their many patrons enjoy it! May it bring good luck to everyone!