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• Brodiaeas, also known as "Harvest Lilies," bloom in springtime. Low-growing, with grassy leaves, they resemble daylilies but exhibit a more delicate form. Brodiaea blossoms are typically pink or lavender. Most species enjoy a sunny site and can take clay soils. The owners of Far West Bulb Farm, a specialty grower of native bulbs in Colfax, California, note that plants from the Brodaiea and Triteleia groups "actually grow more robustly if they receive occasional watering during the dry season."

  

  Brodiaea californica, image courtesy of Bob Rutemoeller, of the Pacific Bulb Society.

• Triteleias have small, star-like flowers. They typically grow in grassy, open meadows, but can also be found in open woodlands and on rocky cliffs. In the Sierra foothills, Foothill Pretty Face (Tritelaia ixiodes) adds a charming butter-yellow accent to the area's beautiful spring wildflower show.

  

  An unusual form of Triteleia ixiodes, photo courtesy of Mary Sue Ittner, of the Pacific Bulb Society

• Dichlostemmas are commonly known as "Wild Hyacinths." They produce clusters of delicate flowers in spring, in umbels or racemes. Dichlostemma capitatum (Blue Dicks) were an important food source for Native Californians. They can take some sun and heat, and perform well in a range of soils and climates.

Buy your bulbs from a reputable nursery or garden center. It is illegal to gather bulbs from the wild. You may gather seedheads from wild plants, so if you are exceptionally patient or enjoy experiments, you could try starting your own bulbs from seed. If you gather from your local area, you will be propagating -- and planting -- the subspecies or variety native to your local ecosystem.

Nurseries sometimes carry hybrids of Triteleia and Brodiaea. Brent and Becky's Bulbs is a reliable, mail-order source for these unusual bulbs. Mail order catalogues, like Brent and Becky's, carry cultivars like Triteleia ixiodes 'Starlight,' a selected form that exhibits brighter flowers, and a taller form than its wild cousins, as well as wild varieties of Triteleia.

References:

Marjorie Schmidt's classic text, Growing California Native Plants, contains an extensive section on native bulbs. Supplement with The Jepson Manual. The California Native Plant Societyand its many local chapters offer invaluable information on local microclimates, gardening with native plants, and your local chapter can guide you to local nurseries and mail order catalogues that carry a good selection of native plants.