Bulbs: I am new to ALLIUMS, 1 by DonnaMack

DonnaMack wrote:
I ordered some crocuses to see if they do better here. I'm going to have to do some serious black pepper sprinkling, since there are lots of squirrels.

You are right - I can't think of a perennial that doesn't require some kind of maintenance. I did find that you can layer successfully and ease the work. I put chionodoxa on top of tulips. The chionodoxa bloom while I am waiting for the tulips, because my tulips are May blooming. Then I have allowed nicotiana alata and verbena bonariensis to seed throughout the tulip beds. They hide a lot of things, including peony foliage. This picture shows the bed in which I have about 75 daffodils. Verbena b does not have a deep taproot. You have to watch out for nicotiana alata, because it can grow a superficially deep, and easily removed but rather large rootball - when you pull it up it can dislodge other plants. I also find that it stays open if I put it on the north side of my house. At the end of the season, or the beginning of the next one, I pull them up, and then the chionodoxa and daffs beneath them come up the next year. This is an area lots of passersby see, and I want it to look nice, but I don't want to spend a lot of time. The arbor and the 2 Kentucky Coffee trees belong to my neighbor. I really like taking neighboring properties into consideration when I landscape.

This is in September. The effect lasts until very late in the season. This was a very foggy day. I love fog.

And here is a scilla - they face down.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.pacificbulbso...

This message was edited Aug 18, 2012 11:11 AM