Two years ago, I asked Mary Sue what to do with these bulbs. She very patiently advised me as how to plant them. They came up last year but did not bloom. This year, I have about ten or twelve buds on them. I think that they are as beautiful as any bulb can be!

Doug Westfall (Mar 19, 2001)

Mary Sue Ittner

Calochortus albus, or white fairy lantern, from section Calochortus, subsection Pulchelli, is native to California growing from sea level to 2500 ft. It is found growing in part to deep shade in the digger pine zones of the Sierra Nevada and in shady to open woodlands and shrublands from the San Francisco Bay Area south to San Diego. In the wild it is hardy to at least 0 degrees F. and possibly to -10 degrees F. It is a winter and spring grower that is dormant from summer to fall, found in soils that retain water long after rains have ceased.

Mary Sue Ittner