What fall planted bulbs will you order this year?

I fell in love with Woodstock hyacinths the first time I went ot the Philly flower show... ordered more this year because mine have been gradually petering out. You'll like the depth of color in the Fondant blooms; I'll try to find a photo for you from last spring.

*sigh* I did read about the weak stems on Golden Ducat and could have sworn I'd taken it out of my cart and put in 'Apotheose' instead... not sure what happened there, LOL. I think I'll try to put Golden Ducat in with some just-planted peony roots. I'm thinking that the peonies would like some support also, so putting in a peony hoop might work for both daffs and peonies. They'll be fun even if I have to pluck off the blooms and float them in a bowl, as I think the flowers are supposed to be enormous.

I picked up a handful of Loth Lorien a couple years ago... you'll like it; very special, the center is just luminous. And you're right, there's no such thing as too many Ice Follies.

I just succumbed to temptation and placed an additional order with VE because I decided I "needed" Tahiti bulbs to plant in my new "double daffs" section. I also got some little white doubles (N. albus plenos odoratus), an heirloom variety that I hope will multiply well, and some mini yellow trumpet daffs ('Little Gem') sort of jumped into my cart. (Well, really, you have to be sure your minimum shipping charge doesn't come to more than 10%)

Crit, I loved Golden Ducat this past spring, and didn't have any problems with weak stems. I had more problems with Extravaganza being so top heavy due to the double blooms, and the stems would bend in half, which in turn would have the blooms on the ground, and the lanscapers when edging would cut the blooms. Grrrrr!!!! Here's a pic of Golden Ducat. I ordered 25 bulbs from VE, but apparently, another bulb was mixed in. I too love Hyacinth Woodstock.

Oh, *drool!*

The "mixed in" one is a lovely combo, actually. It's definitely a split-cup daff, which should make it easy to ID... the only thing on VE's site this year that comes close is 'Love Call'. I ordered 'Love Call' on purpose, so I'm happy to see it blooming at the same time as your 'Golden Ducat'.

I'll probably pass along a few bulbs from each bag to a couple of friends and neighbors whose idea of "planting a few daffodils" means 3 of a kind. :-)

Crit, you're so kind to your friends. I have to plant a minimum of 25. My friends don't have the same passion for gardening as I do. I also like Love Call which I planted in fall of 2009. It has a beautiful bloom. I have a tendency to like the spit cup and double daffodils.

LOL, it's been years since I planted fewer than 25 of anything, also... started ordering from VE and B&B and never looked back! The one exception was a daffodil co-op a few years back and put in a mixed border with clumps of 5 to 25 of a variety... I wanted a "random" look with respect to color & bloom time, so I planted them alphabetically by name. That makes it a lot easier to get plant tags back in the right place, but it also makes people roll their eyes!

a few photos from this past spring...

the 'Pink Sunrise' Muscari

Hyacinth 'Fondant'

Oh, and for fans of 'Woodstock' hyacinths... you have to get your hands on some little Tulip humilis 'Little Beauty'. You'll love the color echo (the bloom times generally overlap for me).

Love your pictures. The color on Little Beauty is so vibrant. I've gotten Tulip humilis Persian Pearl to plant this fall.

I've had the same problem with the very large double daffodils. With those - I use them as cut flowers and take them to work. I just use some florist’s wire to keep them standing up.

T. humilis 'Persian Pearl' is another favorite of mine! Plant some little yellow daffs near it if you get a chance... another color echo. I just love those little "species" type tulips... greggii tulips are another favorite, because I love their patterned leaves.

A DG friend really wanted that cream T. humilis with the steel blue center... It was the only T. humilis left at sale time.... still pricey, but I ordered 20 and she said she wanted 15. So I'll put a clump in a corner next to my Little Beauty border.

Have to laugh at sharing with friends who think that 3 of one kind is a lot. Last year I parceled out around 300 tullips and daffs to various friends who are gardeners, but not maniac gardeners, and several commented that 10 or 12 was a LOT of bulbs to plant. In my own gardens, like Cem, 25 would be a minimum number for most larger bulbs, but I much prefer to plant in 50s or 100--I love the look of a huge swath of a single variety. The exception is the newer daffs, such as Loth Lorien, which are rather expensive, but really irresistible. With those I buy 10, and then a few years down the road, I will buy larger amounts of the ones I especially like as they become more affordable. Last year (among other things) I got Sagitta and Apricot Whirl at 40% off, and love both, but especially the Sagitta--the photos don't do this one justice, it's just breath taking when it blooms. So as soon as it gets remotely affordable, I'll add 50 or 100. I do occasionally buy from John Scheepers as well, when something is too expensive to buy in the larger quantities, but mostly I wait for the price to go down, because it almost always does. And to paraphrase an old joke, the 3 most important qualities of a good gardener are patience, patience, and patience.

That picture of Fondant is definitely drool-worthy, thanks for posting it.

Another major winner last spring was crocus Spring Beauty, now sold out, unfortunately. It's very early, and I bought it because I found the flaming purple on the outside of the petals quite attractive. Imagine my surprise when it bloomed and immediately the flower opened flat, like a single lotus in form and petal shape. But it was a nice surprise, because not only is the inner coloration a beautiful rich lavender, but open bloom is around 2 1/2 inches across--just huge for an early crocus, and in fact larger than most of the later crocus. I ordered another 100 early this year, and will add more next year.

dhaven and crit, ya'll are really generous to give away your bulbs. I couldn't bear to part with any of mine and again I agree, I have to plant a minimum of 25 bulbs to give a full effect , and I also prefer to plant at least 100 bulbs at the same kind for the effect.

dhaven I checked out the bulbs you mentioned, Gorgeous!!!!

Finally, I was cleaning out my front beds, pulling out the begonias, and putting down mini pine bark nuggets, and look at what I found. It's the tulip mix from Colorblends called Bloomsday that I had planted last fall, it didn't rot, as I'm told tulips do if left in the ground in GA. It has little babies attached, and a good looking healthy root system. I orderd the mix again from Colorblends, to put in this fall, and I replanted the bulbs that I disturbed so I should have a bed of beautiful blooms in the spring.

Cem: In my case, it's at least in part a great way to get Christmas presents out of the way early. Bulbs are definitely the gift that keeps on giving. In any case, over the years (okay, over lo these many decades) I have been on the receiving end of some very generous plant gifts, so I like to do the "pass it on" thing. My main emphasis is hostas, but not everyone appreciates or has room for hostas. Everyone who gardens can find a place to tuck in a few bulbs. I also often give (and plant) bulbs as a memorial for a lost loved one, rather than cut flowers. I plant special bulbs in my own garden as memorials to loved ones who are gone as well, and find it very comforting to think of them every spring when the bulbs bloom.

Yes, exactly! And even people who really don't garden can manage to dig a hole for a few bulbs next to their foundation shrubs... and they will pretty much be guaranteed one year of bloom, at least. Non-gardeners get especially excited about seeing something grow and bloom like that. :-)

I don't give away my bulbs, but last year I ordered bulbs specifically to put in pots for my good friends for Christmas, and I instructed them to plant them in the yard after blooming, except the paperwhites. The pots had amaryllis, tulips, paperwhites, hyacinths, crocuses, and muscari. I got the bulbs during the end of season sales, got the pots inexpensively from Ross and TJ Maxx, and potted everything and started them growing before giving them as gifts. Everyone loved them. The year before, I gave them Meyer Lemon plants.

I agree about having a memorial garden, we have a grandmother's garden here, including the stepping stone that labels it as such in honor of my MIL. It's planted with irises, her favorite, and her name was Monica Iris. We also have Asiatic lilies in honor of my SIL, she actually gave me these plants, and every year that they bloom
around Memorial Day, I tell my DH she's visiting again;-). We miss them both dearly.

6:23 AM Van Engelen Wholesale Flower Bulbs

40%-off Van Engelen Happy Thanksgiving Flower Bulb Sale

I just did Van Engelen 40% off sale that just started. Most of what I wanted was still on their list so I am very happy to have waited. I added Woodstock Hyacinth after reading critters post. I have always been tempted to add but just never took the plunge. Now I just hope all that I wanted get shipped.

4829 HYACINTH WOODSTOCK 25 14.25
7051 LILY ORANGE ELECTRIC /ASIATIC 5 6.56
7063 LILY RED ELECTRIC /ASIATIC 5 6.56
7905 LILY CONCA DOR /ORIENPET 5 7.31
1161 ALLIUM FORELOCK 5 12.75
1283 ALLIUM STIP. MOUNT EVEREST 10 19.50
1171 ALLIUM GLOBEMASTER 6 27.19
2138 ANEMONE BLANDA WHITE SPLENDOUR 100 19.50
3112 CROCUS VERNUS FLOWER RECORD 100 17.81
3217 EREMURUS RUITER HYB CLEOPATRA 3 6.56
3218 EREMURUS RUITER HYB PINOCCHIO 3 9.00
3413 FRITILLARIA IMPERIALIS LUTEA 5 18.94
3490 FRITILLARIA RADDEANA 3 16.88
3471 FRITILLARIA PALLIDIFLORA 5 9.00
3424 FRITILLARIA IMPERIALIS RUBRA 5 19.69
3731 MUSCARI AUCHERI OCEAN MAGIC 100 14.06
5416 TUL HUM ALBA COERULEA OCULATA 10 13.31
5061 TULIP BATALINII APRICOT JEWEL 50 14.81
4491 HYACINTH CITY OF HAARLEM 25 13.13.

I just put in an order as well. The prices bbrookrd listed are still at the 25% off, but I've spoken with Van Engelen and they will be adjusting the amount to the 40% off. It's a computer problem!

I knew they would fix it, as they have always been sooooooooooo good to me, but glad you called them as I was going to later. Thanks,Patti

I must excercise self-control! I really really want more bulbs, but I am running out of space for planting them!

I must exercise self control...I dont want to be out in the cold planting :) I will always find room...even if it means asking my neighbor Tom to plant in his yard :) Im working on him. He only has trees. Not even a shrub. rocks line the house. I so want to go plant for him. Oh well.

ROFL imagining Tom's surprise when his rocks sprout daffs next to them next spring

I failed the self-control thing and placed another order with VE. I rationalized that I'd managed to plant out 2 bags of daffs this afternoon, so surely I would be able to plant everything waiting in my front hall plus "just a few" more. Actually, I think I'm just so happy to be out there gardening again this year (last year I wasn't able to at all, as I was dealing with breast cancer, which I think we've kicked to the curb) that I think I'm overdoing things in celebration.

I ordered another 500 Anemone blanda Blue Shades because I couldn't resist them at this price (less than 8 cents each, including shipping). I think I've read that these bulbs "keep" well and can be planted any time from now until spring. Good! They still have them in stock. http://www.vanengelen.com/catview.cgi?_fn=Item&_category=Best:Anemone&_recordnum=2105 I love the foliage on these, gives a little green in the bed in late spring / early summer, and just about every other spring-flowering bulb I can think of looks better with these low little blue daisy blooms nearby... If you've only ever tried muscari for little blue flowers, you have to give these a try.

My order today:

Units Bulbs Price Per
2105 ANEMONE BLANDA BLUE SHADES 5 500 36.15 500 36.15

3114 CROCUS VERNUS JEANNE D'ARC 1 100 14.25 100 14.25 (going to put these with T. gregii 'Toronto')

5650 TULIP PINOCCHIO 1 50 11.55 50 11.55 (for my mother-in-law, with the M. armeniacum)

8403 NARCISSUS PINK WONDER 1 10 7.35 10 7.35

8570 NARCISSUS TRIPARTITE 1 100 20.25 (I have an area in mind for these, with N. albus pleno odorato)

8021 NARCISSUS APRICOT WHIRL 1 10 7.95

3717 MUSCARI ARMENIACUM 1 100 8.70 100 8.70 (for my MIL)

3731 MUSCARI AUCHERI OCEAN MAGIC 1 100 11.25

7914 LILY FRISO /ORIENPET 1 5 (hey, I even dug a hole for these today! LOL)

8166 NARCISSUS GOLDEN DAWN 1 100 20.55 (I think these will go in the same area as the N. 'Tripartite')

3731 MUSCARI AUCHERI OCEAN MAGIC

Crit, congrats on a good recovery from the breast ca. Gardening is the BEST medicine, and a great way to de-stress. I love Tripartite, Ocean Magic, and m. armeniacum Blue Spike. I've been good and haven't ordered from the sales yet. I need to get to planting the bulbs I already have. My DH has asked me to demonstrate some self control ;-).

I have some M. armeniacum 'Blue Spike' along my front walk... love the way they open to a fluffy sort of bloom, not as pronounced as M. plumosum (which I also picked up), but special. VE was out of Blue Spike when I checked, but they did still have regular M. armeniacum, so that's what my MIL is getting. I think it'll make a nice combo with the little red/white tulips. Oh, and those little 'Pinocchio' tulips are T. greggii, too... I've had really good luck with greggii tulips coming back year after year.

I want to know what self control is????? Here is some of what I have planted recently

Hermodactylus tuberosa - 5
Daffodil - Small Cup - Mixed-25
Scilla siberica - Siberian Squill - 'Alba'-5
Ornitholgalum nutans - Star-of-Bethlehem-5
Narcissus Bell Song-10
Narcissus Avalanche-10
Narcissus Canaliculatus-10
Narcissus Rip Van Winkle-10
Narcissus Pipit-10
Narcissus Hawera-10
Babiana Pearly White-10
Freesia Single Blue-25
Freesia Double White-25
Lily, Trumpet African Queen-3
Amaryllis TRENTINO -1
Amaryllis Supreme Garden 1
Amaryllis 1
Amaryllis Fantasy 1
Amaryllis CHERRY NYMPH-1
NERINE MASONIORUM - 1
Narcissus Jonquilla (Texas Heirloom) 10
Narcissus Italicus (Heirloom Paperwhite) 2

'Rip van Winkle' is just one of the cutest little daffs ever. I've had them out front for several years now, and they've multiplied well. Joyanna helped me dig them all up earlier this summer... we replanted most of the biggest ones, and the rest are going in the back... they were my excuse for getting a couple other mini varieties this year, so I could put clusters of little daffs all along the new stepping stone path. :-)

Love Rip too, what an odd one, unlike any other that I have ever seen. I keep planting more of them and am afraid that I may have gone overboard. I think a better name would have been Phylis Diller. Nice shot. Patti

Oh, yes! Phyllis Diller would suit that little daff perfectly!

I'm pretty sure I've gone overboard this year. But I'm having a lot of fun planting, and if the ground freezes up before I'm done I'll put the rest into gallon nursery pots and line them up in the veggie bed for the winter.

I planted a mess of narcissus bulbs that I bought super cheap from Bleek (Touch of Nature) last Jan that we planted in Feb when we had a few days of thaw. I stuck them in a cool dark closet until we could plant. His prices were too good to pass on. They all bloomed beautifully albeit a few weeks later than normal and I expect that they will all return nicely from now on. If he has another sale late in the year, I will order more from him to use to continue to naturalize the edges of the property. He is a wonderful bulb vendor. Patti

Great picture crit, love the combo of the RvW, hyacinths, and scilla. What's the other plant in the pic?

Desertdenial5, nice selection of bulbs. I just planted African Queen with Narcissus Hawera surrounding it. Can't wait till spring. Also, you're well into planting. I've been so busy with work, that I've not even made a good dent into what needs to be planted. At least I got the 87 lilies done, and most of the 250 Narcissus Hawera done, as well as most of the irises.

bbrookrd, I agree with you, Bert sends excellent bulbs, and he recently had a fall bulb sale posted in the classifieds. I got Allium Moly and Dutch iris Apollo from him through a co-op this fall. He sent beautiful healthy bulbs. The lilies from him this past spring were excellent as well.

The "other plant" with the RvW daffs is Anemone blanda 'Blue Shades', with flowers just opening... great underplanting for daffs!

Everything is planted with a few more coming. My problem is I always order too much and then do not have time to plan so they are put here and there all willy nilly and you never know where something is going to pop up[. One of these days I am going to dig up all the bed and replant them proper. One of these days....................

I'm not quite caught up, and I have another box coming also. But the "bigger" bulbs are pretty much in... even the remaining daffs are (I think) smaller bulbs). Neighbor kid helped (with pay) for a couple hours over the weekend, and we got 3 bags of daffs and a couple hundred "little bulbs" planted.

I do still need to get some indoor bulbs potted also... lots of amaryllis bulbs waiting for me downstairs!

Van Engelen just brought over the last of the bulbs from Scheepers, for those of you who have as little self control as I apparently do. I picked up another 100 Spring Beauty Crocus (had to restrain myself from ordering 500), Jamestown and Camelot Daffs, and Heavenly White lilies. Let's hope the weather holds for another week!

My box from Van Engelen just arrived a few minutes ago.
3 each of
PEONY BUNKER HILL
PEONY EDEN'S PERFUME
PEONY RASPBERRY SUNDAE

and Shirley Tulips to go with my 100 Queen of Night I got from Beek.

I also have Grape Hyacinths, Anemones Dwarf Iris and Pink Hyacinths to plant.

Ooh, Shirley is the pink one with the pretty white edge, I think... that will be stunning against the dark Queen of the Night! This was a year for adding peonies for me, too... got some nice big roots from Hollingsworth earlier, or I'd have been tempted by the VE sale ones!

Brent and Becky's 50% off ! ! !

https://store.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/

I have been checking it out for the last hour, but think I may have to pass on ordering more. Too much on my plate this week. I will no doubt regret my restraint. Patti

If I ordered, there would be 2 ft of snow on the ground by the time I got them...unless I had them overnighted.
Nope, not gonna do it....

Shipping is based on the regular price, 10% for my location with a $7 minimum, so I figured I "had" to order $35 worth of bulbs, because no way am I paying extra shipping for a smaller order LOL. I like the fact that I can order just 5 bulbs with some of the remaining daffs... at half price, the price per bulb is OK for just a few, and I can dig just one more hole and add another variety. SO, I ordered 6 more kinds of daffodils, but only 5 bulbs each! I also got some Tulip 'Unicum' because I've been wanting it since I saw it at the Keukenhoff...