I am wanting to know what bulbs do well here in TX. I don't think I will plant tulips or daffs, unless someone can tell me they do well here.
Bulbs to bloom early, mid and late spring that like our climate and don't take up too much room or even go dormant in summer. Any ideas? My beds just don't have enough early spring color to suite me and I do miss the delicate wild flowers and bulbs that appeared in spring and then disapeared in my old zone 5 garden.
Cheryl
Bulbs 101
Tulips are annuals here in DFW. Sometimes you are lucky and they will come back next year, mut most of them will not.
There is ONLY one tulip that naturalizes in the South: Tulipa praecox 'Texas Tulip'
You can buy it here: http://www.southernbulbs.com/TexasTulip/
I don't do tulips. Instead I have planted hundreeds of DAFFODILS and they are perennials here in DFW.
In my garden the Daffodils of all kinds and colors are popping out in the spring time.
After the Daffodils the Irises will start to bloom. Irises also will come back and multiply the next year.
In the picture below you can see DUTCH IRISES. They are the first irises to bloom in DFW
After the Dutch Irises, the BEARDED IRISES will bloom and the LOUISIANA IRISES.
In this picture: Bearded Irises on the right (this is in April)
Louisiana Irises
RANUNCULUS are next. My favorite bulb. Plant it now for the spring.
This bulb also will come back year after year, if you will not remove by mistake (since it is such a small little bulb/root)
more
Asiatic Lily bulbs are next. Those are my favorite for DFW because they will come out when temperature is still not so hot.
I didn't have luck with the Oriental Lily bulbs because they pop out in the middle of the summer when it is too hot.
Below Asiatic Lily in bloom.
Black Beauty is the only Oriental Lily that is doing good for me.
Also some Trumphet Lily
Daylily bulbs/roots are the star of the TX garden. Start to bloom in May and all summer long
Gladiolos bulbs do also very well. You just need to plant them deep enough and stake them.
I have planted mine by my back patio wall, which is 3' tall. In this way the wall supports the Gladiolos.
Favorite bulb of the summer: CROCOSMIA LUCIFER
Both bulbs will come back every year
Finally when you think the summer blooming is finish in September the most stumming flowers of all starts to pop ouT: LYCORIS RADIATA ... WOW !!!
More Lycoris or also called Spider Lily
Earl of Essex is an iris that re-bloom in the fall
Annual bulb: CALADIUM
Wonderful bulb, but annual. Two varieties are my favorite because they can actually take the summer TX sun and heat: white - AARON and for red - RED FLASH.
You will plant them no earlier than MAY 15th. Save 1/3 of your bulbs and plant them JULY 15th (in this way you will have Caladiums untill the fall)
Thanks for the info. and the pics! I want spider lilies and love ranuculus but didn't know how it would do here in TX. My beds don't get a lot of pampering or watering so the bulb needs to be a little drought resistant and tough. I will put out some daffodils for the spring, when do you normally plant them?
Cheryl
I'm not sure exactly what look you're going for, but there are some native bulbs. They're mostly not as flashy as the imports, so probably work better in a mass, or else naturalized throughout the yard.
meadow garlic, Allium canadense
prairie celestial, Nemastylis geminiflora
prairie nymph, Herbertia lahue
wood sorrel, Oxalis drummondi (blooms in the fall)
rain lily, Cooperia drummondii or pedunculata (blooms after a rain)
I keep meaning to buy some rain lilies but so far haven't. The others I will have to look up and see what they are like, thank you for the list.
Cheryl
You can plant Daffodils now untill December here in DFW.
I normally wait for the end of the year when the suppliers put their bulbs on sale and buy them at a great price.
If you are worry about water on your bulbs .... in my garden I really water to the minimun .. even in the summer time just twice a week. So no problem with the bulbs I suggest you.
Calaldiums need more water ... but it is up to you if you want to plant this annual bulb.
Bulbs that didn't come back the next year:
Alliums (apart Society Garlic)
Heremus
Hyacinths
Also DAHLIAS do very well in my garden. They like morning sun and afternoon shade.
more Dahlias in October
more Dahlias
Dahlia Colarette variety
do the dahlias come back?
Yes, Dahlias come back each year in my TX garden.