Ok since I requested this forum on the basis that some things are just unique in Texas, here is a one question that seems to me to be a Texas thang. One of my major mistakes when I moved to Texas was planting a bunch of bulbs. Most of them bloomed the first year and that was it. Took me another year to realize it just doesn't get cold enough here in the winter to chill them. So my question is, does any body know of any varieties of bulbs that will rebloom year to year in Texas (especially in zone 8b) without having to dig them up every year and turn over your fridge to them?
What bulbs (if any) don't have to be lifted to rebloom
I have just bought a selection from Dutch Gardens that are supposed to cope with Southern Conditions. I'll let you know if they work out.
I noticed my sons bulbs didn't come again. He like me, is used to the UK where you just plant them and leave them. Tulips are likely to be a problem mores the pity. My 'southern selection' arrived yesterday and includes both varieties of Cheerfulness and three other of the smaller flowered Narcissus, 3 varieties of Dutch Iris, one crocus and two different Alliums. Fingers crossed.
One thing that does seem to do extremely well is Canna, not strictly a bulb, but mine have multiplied big time and other gardens in the area have them well established so they must overwinter OK. In the UK you have to lift those as they can't cope with the damp cold of winter and the season is really too short to get them going exept in the extreme South West. Win some lose some!!
I have been looking into this because I want lots of bulbs all of a sudden so I can answer. :)
Certain Daffodils
Allium
Naked Ladies/Spider Lilies (Lycoris Radiata & Lycoris squamigera)
Oxblood/Schoolhouse Lilies (Rhodophiala bifida)
Summer Snowflake (Leucojum)
some Rain Lilies (Zephyranthes candida & others)
Amaryllis
Elephant Ears
Autumn Crocus (Colchicum)
The plain White Calla Lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica)
Crocosmia
and I know there is more.
Just wanted to add that some Species Tulips are supposed to do well. I just planted Tulipa clusiana that I got at Calloways because it was recommended, so you might pick some up.
Also, Byzantine gladiolus (Gladiolus communis ssp. byzantinus)
Oxalis goes dormant in the summer here, but comes back up in the fall and lasts till late spring.
I've heard there are some jonquils/daffodils that will rebloom here but not sure which ones.
would love to find some tulips that do.
I just got rid of cannas....heck those you can run over with a truck here and you can't kill them LOL....unfortunately DH doesn't like lilies of any type....so as a compromise I agreed not to plant any type of lilies :-(
Staci....can you do amaryllis in ground here?
I just planted some crocosmia that I got from a plant swap.
I have some byzantine glads....they bloomed ok for a couple of years but last couple of years they haven't either....they produce the leaves but don't bloom :-(
I love bearded iris (more so than the dutch) Again, I have some that still sprout the folliage but they don't bloom.
Yep, the Amaryllis is supposed to. My friend has a garden where she buys an Amaryllis every year for forcing and then she plants it outside in Spring. She has about 6 of them that come up every year. And they are in mostly shade! I have seen them in various other places around here too. An apartment complex close to my office has them planted in front of the Bengal Tiger Cannas against a long fence. They come up and bloom just before the Cannas produce much foliage. Beautiful!
I had the same problem with the bearded iris at my old house. They were already there when I moved in. I was there 5 years and they only bloomed 2. Of course, I never divided them or gave them much fertilizer though.
As for the daffodils, always look for the early blooming varieties. It is said that they have time to bloom and replenish their bulbs before the heat sets in and prematurly kills the foliage. Some to look for are Narcissus tazetta 'Grand Primo', Jonquils (Narcissus jonquilla), Texas star jonquil, & Narcissus pseudonarcissus.
Cool...I will look for those narcissus and I love the idea of being to plant amaryllis....definitely gonna give that a shot. If I buy one now...that has already been forced and is blooming now....can I still plant that in spring (early spring I presume?)
It probably will not bloom this spring if it's already bloomed in a pot in the fall winter, but I am not sure. I would think they need a year to rejuvinate.
There are nurseries that sell the bulbs out of bins, like daffodils and tulips, in the fall so you might call around down there. They are expensive though. I was at Northhaven Gardens here in Dallas and the prices ranged from $5 to almost $20, but the bulbs were giant on some of them. One more thing, I just read that you are actually supposed to plant them outside in the spring though. http://www.klru.org/ctg/tips/march.asp
I wouldn't expect them to bloom in the spring anyway...but if I plant one that is blooming now in March, I'm hoping it would bloom in ground about this time next year? or not until the following spring?
Daffs, Daylillies, cannas, criniums, amaryllis, tuberose, dahlias............you don't have to lift any of those.........unless, in the case of dahlias, you have any gophers within a 10 mile radius. Caladiums have to be lifted no matter what.
"eyes"
Ohhh, well in the ground they actually bloom naturally in the spring. I think March, April. They just bloom in the fall and winter when inside, because people force them too.
ah...ok...gotcha....didn't know that....have only ever had them as houseplants....but still cool....I can be patient for a year NOT....LOL....but gonna do it anyway.
I tried dahlias too....they petered out after a couple of years.....don't think we have any gophers tho.
And I like ranunculus but those are cheap enough I don't mind just planting new ones.
when i was in texas the tulips did great in my yard.
Guess I am going to find out, I just planted 1,200 Muscari (Grape Hyacinths),
500 Daffodils, 300 Anemone and have 700 Dutch Iris coming, I don't understand why they wouldn't do well. Were we moved from in Northern Calif we were zone 7, and the only difference I would say is we did not have the humidity, but we would reach 100 degrees for a week or two at a time. Very hot summers. We did get more snow than you get here, but I just think it was we had all our rain in the winter months and none in the summer. The snow rarely lasted more than a few days. I had 15,000 bulbs and they did beautiful year after year. I did plant Oriental Lilies when I first arrived here in the spring and they did not do that well, though dug them up and found out they were rotting, so have moved them to a better draining soil. I brought with me from Calif some blue dutch Iris and beared iris that did great. Also the glads did well. At least for this year. There were a few daffodils already here and a neighbor has them so never doubted that they might not come back for many years. Does anyone know about alstromeria (Peruvian Lily) if it grows here? What about Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile)? They did beautiful in Calif but have not seen any here. I know even Southern Calif had Agapanthus, places that never get below freezing. You guys have me scared now. Maybe I had better wait before I buy anymore bulbs. My Mom keeps telling me that I need to find out before I jump in so deep. I must admit I was surprised to read in the local paper that tulips would only last 1 year unless I dug them up. Had just placed an order for 300, canceled that order. I just really don't understand. The tempratures are about the same from where we came from. Though I must admit they are already starting to get quite cold there, very close to freezing some nights. Maybe thats it--your cold temp are not as for long and so the bulbs don't have enough time to do their winter thing. I can just see it now. Going to have to start throwing ice cubes on my bulb beds every night. Thank goodness for the ice maker-lol. Here is a picture of Hyacinth from Calif. I was so glad when we moved here because we don't have a problem with gophers. In Calif almost all my bulbs except beared iris and daffodils had to go in wire cages or beds.
Here are some beared iris
More beared Iris
Well if bulbs don't do well in Texas, guess I will just have to do wildflowers. Texas has some of the most beautiful wildflowers I have ever seen. What is amazing that you have them most of the year. Different ones coming up all summer long. Must admit I have already started that project. We have one 50 ft bed and four 20 ft beds of wildflowers. We shall see.
Oh my Dee....that is exactly what I did when I first moved to Texas....but not in such great numbers. And they will do fine for the first year or two. Maybe even a little longer for you than me since I am in 8b. But you have summed up the problem. It isn't so much the hot summers (except maybe for late spring blooming blulbs since we also have very short springs), it is the lack of both cold and length and consistancy of coldness in the winters. After a couple of years a lot of the more traditional bulbs, especially tulips, just don't have time to store the ooooph to bloom the next season. We also have radical temperature shifts here in the winter. It can drop to 20 one day and be near 80 the next. And that fluctuation in the winter is what is most damaging to over wintering plants here because it causes the soil to heave. So unless you plan to keep your ground artifically frozen all winter, I think the ice cubes would do more harm than good since it would cause the soil to contantly expand and contract.
This is exactly the kind of reason I requested to have a Texas forum. For many things, even comparisons to the same zones in other states just don't work the same way as they do in Texas. Good luck with your bulbs and wildflowers.
:-( :-(Okay how about I get a snow making machine and just set it up on a timer everynight -LOL. DH would say I am going just a little too far with my hobby. Well looks like I had better focus on the wildflowers and other plants, preferrably perennials, that are known to well here in Texas. I prefer bulbs and perennials because I always plant so many, just can't do gardening in a small way and it's so great when it comes back year after year. Maybe we should start a thread on perennials of Texas.
Thanks for the info PvillePlanter. You are near Austin right? My Mom and Brother live in Austin and I think I have been by there during some of my visits.
Yes Dee, I am right up against the north side of Austin.
Well my Aunt who lived in Borger and my Grandmother who lived in Hale county had the most beautiful "flags", Irises. and an abundance of them they had to be divided every two years, but not dug. Dafidills and stargazer lilies are also good for your particular zone, in Texas or any place else. Im a transplant, Sidney
Keep singing to me sugarweed---I like the sounds of that--they might make it after all. :>)
Dee,
Your pictures are gorgeous! We don't have gophers here but the squirrels are driving me batty!! This is the first year for me to plant a lot of bulbs and I've ordered so many that I think I must have lost my mind!! I have been through Howe several times going to Sherman and Dennison where my husband is from. He also used to belong to the Hurricane Creek Country Club in Anna so we've been up that way quite a bit. Fortunately, you have a little colder weather than we do down here so your bulbs will probably do well, although tulips will not come back year after year.
Looking forward to meeting you tomorrow!!
Terrie
I hope that some of you that are going to the swap tomorrow are taking pictures to share with those of us that can't attend (hint hint)
Hi Pville,
I've fished out the camera so I'll do my best to oblige!!
Oh, thanks for reminding me! I need to charge the camera tonight. I finally just finished labelling and packing all the plants and seeds. Now I just need to make some quick cookies and get to bed.
Ok, I'm still very new to gardening, and I'm starting to get scared. We planted hostas in the spring for no other reason except we love them and we have lots of shade. They did well for a while, but I don't feel that overall they were a success. I was told in the Hosta forum that they come back in the spring with all new leaves. Now I wonder if that's not going to be the case for me because I'm in Tx. I wish I'd have found this site before I planted anything.
I see azaleas all over the place here, and they always seem to be on sale somewhere, but I didn't want them. I love them, but I wanted something different form what everyone else had. I now think I know why everyone has them. It's because with our acid soil and lots of oak trees, they just do so well here. I think I may get some for next year after all. I bought a book at Half Price Books. It is a sunbelt book, written in simple terms for dummys like me, that covers the differences and similarities between Azaleas and Rhodadendrons. I haven't read it yet, so I don't know what all it says, but maybe I can get some opinions from all of you.
Azaelas bloom for only 2-3 weeks. Rhodadendrons like it really cool. Some Hosta will do well, and some won't. I like 100+ days of crepe myrtles. Camellias also like that siol and bloom repeatedly.
Never be scared of gardening. But you do need to accept that it is many times a trial and error thing regardless. That is why a couple of us have recommended you go slow. Don't try to plant a lot all at once. Try a couple of things and see how they do for at least one full year.
The problem I have with hostas (and I have pretty much given up on them) is that all of my shade is under trees. Hostas are water hogs and so are trees. The tree is bigger and it wins and gets the lions share of water and other nutrients. Some hostas do comepletely die back above ground (even in Texas) and some do not.
Yes, azaleas like very acidic soil. Again, if you want them for next year, now is the time to plant them. If you do it in the spring they may not survive the summer.
As far as books go, I think I suggested before that you start with books about gardening, rather than books about plants. Books about gardening in Texas would be even better. You might check out some of Neil Sperry's.
I bought that book several weeks ago. I have to go to Dallas to visit Half Price Books, so when I get chance to go, tend to stock up. lol
I have bought several garden books there, and I like the sunbelt books. I bought one about insects and pests, one about houseplants, and one about container gardening. I just find that particular series to be easy to understand.
I hope my hostas come back. (sniff)
That's great jdee....but IMO none of the books you mentioned are about gardening. They are about plants and bugs. Gardening starts with soil, climate, sun, water, etc.....in other words the conditions plants (and bugs) live or die in and how to amend those conditions so they live instead of die. I don't mean to sound pedantic here, but just trying to save you from the expensive and heartbreaking mistakes I made both when I first started gardening and again when I pretty much had to learn gardening all over again after I moved to Texas.
I looked through my books that I bought, and most of them are about plants. I guess I can use them later. The ones I have about gardening are "1001 Hints and Tips for Your Garden" which is a Readers Digest book, and I have Superhints, and one called "The Lazy Gardener. I guess the Reader's Digest one is the only one I can use right now until I can get to the library or back to the bookstore. Thanks for the help. I might wait until next fall before I plant anything new. I'll just have to see what we can do.
DeeCline, you shouldn't have much trouble with your bulbs. I've never had any trouble with bulbs and I'm in 7a. (other than rabbits) You might have one or two varieties not make it, but I think for the most part, they will be fine.
The Encore Azaleas bloom three times per year - spring, summer, fall. They are great!
That sounds great. We'll keep that in mind.
Ok...so I got this Red Lion Amarryllis bulb in a box today. It came with a 6" plastic pot with no drainage holes and no saucer and nothing in the instuctions about drainage. Had one of those compressed growing medium disk. Instructions said put the disk in the pot and add warm water. Ok..that was cool....it absorbed the water and crumbled into potting soil. Next instructions said to plant the bulb in the pot with the expanding growing medium....well Duh!.....the bulb was so big I had to dump all the growing medium into the sink just to fit the bulb in. So then I put the growing medium back in the pot around the bulb. Then it said to water thoroughly. I'm thinking this growing medium is already very moist from expanding it, the pot has no drainage and now I'm spose to water it thoroughly? So I poked holes in the bottom of the pot (trying not to dump out all the growing medium again, and then watered thoroughly, all the while with the pot in the kitchen sink. Anyway, the instructions go on to say after it flowers (8-12 weeks) to water and fertilize it regularly and then after the foliage dies , let dormant amaryllis remain dry through summer. I'm thinking whoever wrote these instructions is NOT from Texas!
At any rate my intent is to plant it outside after it has finished blooming which I am guessing will be around February. Now my question is when should I fertilize it or should I fertilize it at all? Since I am forcing it indoors this year, should I plant it in February or wait until next fall and let it go dormant in the pot until then?
I also bought some paperwhites for DH....he likes to force those for winter, and some ranunculus.
Pville you and me both! Amaryllis and paperwhites - I didn't poke holes though, it looked pretty soggy for a while but the medium absorbed the rest of the water too in around an hour. Did mine yesterday.
I used to do this every year with hyacinths in the UK, we never used drainage holes with bulb fibre as the medium. They went out into the soil as soon as I could in the spring and got fertilised with the other bulbs. About 90% flowered the next spring, but a few left it till the year after. I had a dozen patches when we left after 12 years in the same house.
I plan on doing the same here with both sets of bulbs.
Ok...I think that is what I will do too then.....put them out early spring and just see what happens. I would love to be able to grow these in ground and have them come back each year without having to lift them to chill them so we'll see. Just gonna stick with this one for now as a test case. Thanks for the good info.
I got one of these. First you more or less plant one of these with about 1/2 - 2/3 above the soil. Then I just put my hand over the top and drained the extra water out. I put mine on a table that gets filtered light. They are packed in Holland I think. A lady in Memphis had a whole plot in front of her house filled with them. They were beautiful. Sidney