Got Alliums?

With the northeast's easy winter/early spring, all our alliums have been growing for a few weeks, and some already have produced their main bloom stem. All of the bulbs are erupting early. I cannot help but believe that lots of gardens are getting more sun because the leaves on the trees are just beginning now.

Starting to get a bit concerned. If all the perennials bloom early, there won't be much left but a few annuals, the sedum, dahlias and caladiums. Have alliums bloomed in other parts of the country?

It is going to be an interesting spring and summer here in the northeast unless we can put some bulbs in later.

Marcia

My alliums have started blooming. I too am in zone 6. We are to get 34 degrees tonight and 32 degrees tomorrow night. Peonies & roses have just started blooming as well. Bearded & Dutch Iris are blooming. Lilies will be blooming later and Calla Lilies. Then, there's alliums that bloom in the fall also.

Chives and Alliums

Cathy

Mine have been coming up for a while, but no flowers yet....

mine are blooming now.

Nanny

what kind of alliums do you have?

I have no idea....I bought them at walmart last fall. They are a small shorter type. I had large ones at my old house that I just loved.

The reason I asked is that my Ivory Queen are much further ahead of some of my others and I will be seeing those soon, however I have foliage on most of the others.

I know my Pulchella and (can't think of the name of the other one - same form), tend to flower in July.....

Some of my Alliums are blooming now. It is the Allium aflatunense '?'.
I got mine at WalMart also for 1/2 price: 8 bulbs for $1.75. So, I am assuming that is what yours is also, nanny_56.
It doesn't say whether it is Allium afltunense "Purple Sensation" or Allium afltunense 'Persian Blue' or Allium aflatunense 'Gladiator' or ?. Well, I guess it does say!, it's Allium aflatunense "?", but for 22 cents ea. I am enjoying them!
I also purchased the Alium aflatunense 'Purple Sensation' from Lowe's. But, you know, who really knows for sure if it's 'Purple Sensation'?

They are probably the same ones then. I waited until they were marked down super cheap!! lol

Mount Everest starting to open and Nectaroscordum

Jmorth, not to diss Mount Everest, but that Nectaroscordum is really an eye-catcher.

I never wait for them to go on sale. I'm a Costco shopper, and the biggest, best and most unusual bulbs are always gone first. I purchased a complement of about 12-18 bulbs last year: Alba, Schubertii, Gladiator and one other, but I've got to wait for the bloom to see which are which. The Gladiators I can pretty much figure out. A few of the smaller ones are starting to open their hats.

I love that Nectaroscordum!

Mine have foliage but no blooms yet.

I was fortunate to take the Nectaroscordum pic when I did, the next day the workers erecting a fence along that property line trampled most of them. Was able to salvage blooming heads -

Here was/is a surprise this year, schubertii blooming 2 years consecutively; in years' past schubertii planted in fall bloom the next spring and that's it; this year is the 1st time same bulbs are blooming a second year. The extraordinarily easy winter doubtlessly responsible.

Trampling plants is never a good thing for the gardener to endure. That's a spectacular schubertii, Jack. Would it lead you to give extra protection to them this winter? I am considering putting down an unopened bag of mulch on some plants.

It's a spectacular photo, too.

My A.shurbertii is just starting to bloom. I just planted it this fall. I did not realize they don't readily re-bloom.
I intend to buy more alliums. I would like to have different ones that bloom throughout the spring, summer and fall. I think they are pretty spectacular flowers. They add such interest and texture. I need to check to see when & what to feed the alliums.
This winter was so mild, many of the flowers look exceptionally well this spring. I have annuals that made it through the winter and full of blooms.

I didn't bother digging many dahlias that I wasn't crazy about. Now they're growing from last year's tubers!

I think you may be right pirl, had I mulched securely heretofore and a not too cold winter, schubertii might have weathered it through for a next season bloom before. I think B & B notes a whz 7. The newest zone map puts me in 6, I think it's worth a shot. I;ll have to make note on an early winter date to accomplish this. Schubertii is so cool.
I left some dahlias out this past winter as well; assuming their demise was a done deal, this spring I was digging where 1 was last year and to my surprise sliced into what appeared to be still viable tubers.
I'm hoping a new allium planted out there this fall survives the onslaught of the 'fencemen's.' assault. It's called Summer Drummer and is supposed to get 4 to 7 ft tall (Brent&Becky's).

I'm going to try the bags of mulch over the areas where I put dahlias this year. "Less work for mother" if you recall the old Horn & Hardart commercials!

After hurricane Irene, when we lost three trees, the cleanup crew had no choice but to stand amidst the downed limbs to do their job. I ordered many extra caladiums to fill in the area but, to my shock, the rose, heuchera, sedums, lilies galore and other plants all did better than ever.

I have had the same dahlia come back for the past 15 years. It's on a slope next to a good sized rock. They come back every year! Rock of some sort "might' be better than a bag of mulch. You'd just have to remember to take the rock off or perhaps use a bunch of smaller rocks to let them grow through.

Good idea. Thanks.

I planted some Calla Lily bulbs last fall that we got in a floral arrangement last August when my FIL passed away. I figured it was not likely that they would survive in my zone. But saw the other day they are poking thru now! I was shocked. I am very close to zone 6a, but I am sure our very mild winter is the reason they made it.

My Walmart Allium blooming. :)

I was so pleased at this year's array of alliums. Until I saw my gardening buddy's. I brought him the same package of bulbs, and his schubertii is gorgeous, while mine never showed up for attendance. I should be satisfied, but I'm still a bit bummed. I have the feeling it may have become dinner for one of the critters. I think the drumsticks are just forming their little heads now, which means a continuous 3 months of alliums.

Where did you get the package? The photos are lovely. Most of my old ones have been duds this year and so were the newer ones. Just one area with a few good ones in bloom.

The package came from Costco. It was the combo pack (large brown bags) which I seldom purchase. I usually get the white bags that sell for about $12 and change. I saw that one grew but seemed not to produce a stem, so I figures it was dinner, which seldom happens with allium. There were supposed to be 3 white ones, but I only got one. On the others, it's a bit hard to say, because there were older bulbs in that garden. The deep purple are new this year. In all the years I've been purchasing bulbs from Costco, my only failures were eremurus (sp?) foxtail lily. and possibly dutch iris which may have been planted at the wrong time. I notice that Peter Rabbit has come back to the yard, and I'm hoping he's not living there.

Thanks for the information. I have Eremus Bungei but those roots are strong and wandering so maybe you don't want it. Hard to plant anything near it.

For quite some time we didn't even see any rabbits but now there are a few around here. I use Blood Meal to keep them away from the lilies. That's the only thing they've ever bothered.

Here is an allium christophiii around May 13. The peony is also several weeks early. But then everything is early, like this salvia, that normally blooms in June. And now it's in combination with lilies that are not supposed to bloom for weeks. The same with allium caeruleum.

It's really interesting because things I planned for bloom at a certain time are telling me nah nah nah nah nah! Letting me know who's boss. So I am starting my perennials from seed early. I usually wait until July.

I'll have to make some notes. Sometimes I stand in front of the bags and try to remember: did they say bone meal or blood meal; was epsom salt for clematis of peony? I think I can start my own garden center some days. I'm always chasing that doggone lily beetle. Arlene, does blood meal work for rodents as well?

I planted the foxtail lily bulbs about 3-4 years ago in the garden with lilies and peonies. That garden also is the early spring garden with tulips and early purple plants with little bulbs. Sometimes we have to wait for a plant to show its stuff before we can figures out if it's a weed or what belongs there.

Donna, I never feel the plants are making as much fun of us as the weather that drives them. There is an expression is every language that goes something like this: Man plans and God laughs. There are times when I'm sure someone is playing a big joke on me. Undaunted, we go on!

Blood meal will attract dogs who hunt, like beagles and hounds. Long ago our Joey came in from the garage with his entire face covered in blood meal. It works for rabbits but I've never had problems with squirrels so I can't speak for them.

Squirrels. I solved it. Since they are looking for where other squirrels hid edible delights, they dig at any freshly turned earth - like the kind that is there when you plant. The trick - every time you put in a bulb or add soil to a spot, disturbing it in any way, take whole black pepper in a grinder and give it a few turns over the bed. Invsible to you, repellent to them. And cheap! I just put in 71 lily bulbs and did this - they are undisturbed. I had to do it when I moved my peonies from pots to the ground (oh, what's in there? Let's see!)

Cayenne pepper does not work, and it's ugly. This is cheap, and trust me, it really works. I went to a thrift store and got a pepper grinder that is dedicated to the yard for about $2.00.

This message was edited May 26, 2012 2:21 PM

I'm preparing the pepper grinder! I thought it was chipmunks. I have so many containers with fresh soil, and they keep disturbing my freshly planted everything- celosia, coleus, calla bulbs--you name it. Thank, Donna!

It's really amusing watching the squirrel run all around my yard - and leaving my plants alone.

I so enjoy all the bulbs. They seem to be the easiest to grow and are some of the most beautiful!
Ooops, except Ornithogalum umbellatum, Star of Bethlehem, and Convallaria majalis, Lily of the Valley!!!

Yuk! Lily of the valley and ornithogalem umbellatum. I moved into a house with a ton of both. I love ornithogalem nutans, but I have eliminates umbellatum from the yard, and cut the revolting lily of the valley from almost 500 to 100.

Nutans with the early stems of Anastasia.

Nice pic Donna. Ah, yes, Anastatia. I ordered some this year. I had to put them in pots for now as the garden they are to go in is getting more peat moss worked into the soil. This was subsoil as the builders built a walkout basement. I have trouble getting the water to drain on down the hillside. The lawn DOES go downhill.
We are putting in more compost and as mentioned, peat moss. We have also edged the garden with the pre-cast cement pavers that interlock.
I took out the Nepeta 'Walker's Low' and healed it into a raised bed. It will be put back into the garden when the soil is up graded.

Good for you. I must say that Anastasia is indestructible. I started with three and must have 25 over the years. I planted them in three places and gave them as gifts. I moved to a new house in December, so I dug about ten them up and put them in my minifridge. Then back into the ground. It's so great to see their distinctive stems popping from the ground.

I've never seen such a beautiful thing that is also tough as nails. Every one comes up, unfailingly, every year, and brings friends.