OK, time to confess! what bulbs did you order this fall?!

Thanks for all the encouragement on my tropical 'bizarre bulb border'--when you all discuss it sounds almost reasonable, so I will stop asking my therapist about the symbolism of the planting choices and thinking about how I will explain it to the neighbors, and start thinking about how to make it an 'expressionist' style nouvelle bulb garden worthy of "Horticulture's" cover!...

:-)

gem--I don't know what color the amaryllis will be--my plan is to grow them in pots till they start to bloom and then set out the ones that will produce the appropriate 'effect' a la boojum. I have a number of different kinds from green to the scarlets, but most have lost thier labels in the shuffling around so I have to wait for bloomtime to ID.

Breezy--I am so glad you picked up some bulbs to plant. It's good to know, too, that your tulips last three years. You must have a good place for them.

I am still reading Beebe Wilder's "Bulb" book. She has a lot of trouble with Frittillaria too. I think she calls them 'moody and dark' and 'petulant'. Nasty words for a simple bulb, but I feel her pain, too!

Happy gardening. Hope it's as lovely at your places as it is here! t.

Tulips only last that long???????

Unfortunately, 3 years is tops for most tulip varieties.

The "species" types, Emperors, & some Parrots will naturalize if planted under optimum conditions, but the rest of the gang are very short-lived, especially if you enjoy a nice full annual show.

The Darwin Hybrid jumbo sized bulbs are sold by some vendors as 'perennial tulips'. I bought some last year from White Flower Farm and they guarantee 5 years of reliable bloom, and say they have reports from gardeners getting 7 years of reliable bloom from them. I'm a little skeptical, but I'll post in spring on their performance. Neal.

They are called 'Perennial Tulips' since their ability to come back is easier than other types and varieties. However.............the trick is to 'help' them do that by fertilizing them at least twice, right after they come up and then again right after flowering. Planting them at least 8 inches deep is needed and to let them die off naturally is a must. I have seen a plot of White Emperor Tulips, planted 10 that after 4 years had over 40 flowers. Good drainage is another must.

Thanks, bleek! I'll pass that information on to my MIL, who was wanting some tall red tulips... she lives in Winston-Salem, so she's about in your zone.

Tell her to buy some Oxford tulips

I've come across a few "straggler" tulips in my gardening lifetime.

When I was a little girl, my mom had a large drift of Parrot tulips along a rock wall that she allowed to peter out. While doing some gardening for her I was amazed - 20 years later - to still find one stalwart bright yellow holdout after all that time. Amazing!

Here on the farm where I've lived for 8 years, I have a couple of what appear to be "Queen of the Night" tulips pop up every year that I didn't plant, so they have to be at least 8 years old. Also two lone long-stem bright reds with yellow centers & black stamens that I also didn't plant.

I did plant about 45 pastel-mix tulips the year we moved in, & 8 years later only one came up, which is why I'm redoing the bed & replanting this year.

In the pastel tulip mixture usually are Triumph and Darwin type tulips, since these have most of the pastel type colors. They are 'softer' than the Darwin Hybrids. Fertilizing is what most people forget and it is SO important, together with drainage.

All of your garden bulb planting sound wonderful. Be sure to post some spring photos. I have hundreds of daffodils scattered around my garden. They multiply quite well and the darn gophers don't eat the bulbs.

I finally found my photo of Conquero crocus, my computer does some weird things sometimes. Put several of my photos in My Documents in stead of My Pictures where they should have been. It is a really pretty fall crocus and blooms over a long period of time.

Tammy my real name is Donna but when i signed up years ago I put my Mothers name, don't remember why now, and Admin. doesn't like change names .

Critterologist snowed very low here yesterday, down to about 2000 feet so is white all around. Got pretty cold last night, there was still ice on my birdbaths a little while ago.

I have about 20 amaryllis bulbs that I carry over from year to year, and bring into the house one about every 2 weeks. most bloom, but not all.

DonnaS

Oh, I can't believe I just did this. I just ordered 40 Ixiolirion tartaricum (Mountain lily) bulbs.

I'm hopeless.

I'm just waiting for a big sale myself. So I'm hope*ful* LOL

I'm not familiar with Ixioririon tartaricum so I googled 'em. Very
pretty! And so blu.

I finally finished planting my bulbs yesterday. It was 76F and just
glorious. I got the last of my potatoes dug up as well as the
gladiolus dug up.

Does anyone know if gladiolus can survive if they are not planted
one year? I only got about 2/3 of my bulbs planted this year - should
I just pitch the remainder?

Tam

I stated in the past i am new to gardening and this is a new house we just bought... we have lots of space to fill.... but I bought
100 mountian bells
5 crown imperials
50 Snowdrops
10 lupines
5 orange candle flowers
40 or so different iris, bearded iris and dutch iris
5 large globe allium
10 small globe allium
tons of anome poppy
more croucs than i can count both spring and fall
40 daffodil
25 gladiolus
20 different lilies - some oriental and some asiatic
oh yeah and about 50 tulips
and I figured I would try a bulb cage so the critters won't dig up my good stuff.. I noticed some of my croucs are gone already.. I will let you guys know how it worked in spring

and trust me we still have tons of space to fill.... i have one flower garden filled up in the front of our house with various perennials and i am going to have a garden in the back that is about 5' x 80' but mostly shade... going to be fun trying to figure out what the critters eat and don't eat here... and try and get some color back there... i am attempting to grow hellebores from seed.... just because they seem really neat... but now i understand why they want so much money for the larger plants... the one type i bought can take 18 months to germinate... wish me luck

Allison

Hi, onewish--your list looks interesting and varied...we had a good thread on knifophia going (is that your candle flower?) and another one or two going on Globe Allium culture and the fritt. 'Crown Imperials', so you may want to search the forums for info if you want more details on their likes/dislikes. I hear they can be 'petulant'.

I feel your pain about the crocus...it is so annoying to be excited and hopeful about those pretty little harbingers of spring and then have the squirrels gobble them up like candy!

If you have some luck with all your bulb collection, and I'm sure you will, you will have a fabulous border come spring, and we will have to see some pics! t.

All my bulbs are in but I keep buying more. 8 of this and 8 of that. Mt. Hood daffs, Heart's Delight tulips, and narcissi actaea. They are all on sale at this point. I have a wonderful planting tool with a long handle. You step on it to cut the plug, plant the bulb, then step on the release thingy to replace the plug of dirt. It makes planting a breeze.
Here's the link:
http://www.rittenhouse.ca/asp/Product.asp?PG=1122

boojum, the astilbe are called 'Peach Blossom'. Here's a picture of them in June last year when they were in bloom

Well, I'm not real happy with Dutch Gardens right now. I placed an order for some mountain lilies on Nov. 6 and should have received them by now. They haven't even shipped yet. Their status is still listed as OPEN, but it says they're 'read to ship.' Then SHIP THEM!!!

Peach Blossom is lovely! Gosh, I commiserate with you, kbaumle! That's awful! I ordered from John Scheepers and my order was stalled for their amarylis order but that was 2 weeks ago. Zone 5 is getting cold soon!!

Just a thought, can you call and put a rush on your order? I did that and that's why I knew about their delay and their plans to ship the week I contacted them (by phone and e-mail).

I e-mailed them about it and got an automated response that they'd received my e-mail and that a 'real' person would be answering me shortly.

Hi, off topic, I know, but I wanted to remind everyone who posts here to enter the Photo Contest with their great bulb bloom pics..

http://davesgarden.com/contest/2005/

I know all of you have fabulous spring borders that include bulbs (so even though Dave didn't give us a contest category, I'm sure we can still find a place somewhere to post our beautiful bulb bloom pics!!!). (-; 'General Flowers', maybe.

(I am determined to convert the brug lovers over to the beauty of bulbs, but that may be a lost cause, I know!)

I am in a glum state. Spent the day cleaning the leaves out of the gutters. Putting away the patio furniture. Sprinkling Deer Scram around my new plants. I need to see some pretty daffodil and tulip pics in the contest next month!

Oh T - its this time of year that our spring gardens are in their most beautiful prime!
Nary a weed nor miscue on color when you imagine the glorious results from your
work from the fall. Just relish that image of perfection and hold on tight through
the cold short days of winter!
Tam

Well said Tammy! For me bulbs are like heroine LOL! I can't stop and have become a bulb junkie I fear! DSL came here to the backwoods and I've finally starting playing on ebay-a dangerous combination! So now I'm waiting for 32 Pink Impression tulips,30 Passionale daffodils and 3 Black Beauty lilies to ship and am fiendishly watching for Apricot, Salmon, and Red Impression tulips to show up for sale.

I injured my back at work last week (how convenient!) and found that I still could plant bulbs on all fours, back straight, with the hand trowel. So I still got good use out of a sick day LOL. To minimize the effort a bit planting tulips (single late and species) I dug my holes wide and deep and dropped 2-4 bulbs in each. The more I think about it, I think I'll really like the effect. Tulips can be kind of rigid, so I'm thinking this may give them a less formal and more wildflowery look. Any thoughts or ideas?
Neal.

Oh yes, clump planting is great effect with any bulb, I think! My clumps get bigger as my bulb order expands from year to year.... I used to plant in clumps of 3 or 5, and now it's 7 or 11.... Aaron (eBay bulb guy) says he plants in clumps of 15 to 25! Actually, I put the little yellow daffs you sent me in patches of a dozen or so, with a few 'Minnow' daffs mixed in.

The only suggestion I would add is to plant in odd numbered clumps when possible... somehow, it seems to end up with a better look. My grandma was a watercolor artist, and one of the things I remember saying about painting was always to think in odd numbers to get a better "balance" to the picture.

LOL about planting on your sick day... I cancelled an appointment this afternoon because I was dealing with a migraine, but I still managed to put a few bulbs into the ground just before dark! :-)

Neal I agree with critterologist, best effect is with odd numbered amounts of bulbs. of course after the first year doesn't really make any difference as you will for one reason or another have odd numbers. I like to buy 15 bulb of large daffs or tulips then plant 5 to the hole. Didn't buy any new bulbs this years other than 15 nice large purple blue tulip bulbs. Divided some hyacinths. Have quite a few bulbs around the yard now from past years. DonnaS

Yes, I guess I use the 'clump' method, too, but I have always referred to it as the 'bouquet' method. Sounds more artistic somehow, doesn't it? Although what it amounts to at this time of year is digging a big wide hole and throwing in whatever bulbs are in the trunk of my car from my latest sale 'binge'. LOL

Of course, if you really get going you could interplant the muscari with the daffs in bouquets, etc., and underplant tulips with other LBB, but I tried that last year and had too many 'mis-cues' (or 'duds', if you are using the 'clump' lexicon!)

Yes, Tammy, dreams of my garden are very visual these days, yet when I sit here and look out the window at my yard I can't escape the barren, gloomy, landscape and the steel grey sky...

Although, it is about 60 degrees out and sunny at this moment, and if I hurry I can get over to the HD and get some more daffs on sale into the garden today! LOL I think I see a bare spot out there!

Made a lovely fall arrangement with my still blooming purple iris, red leaves and berries, last of the yellow buddleia and a big porcelain turkey tureen this morning. Very cozy and festive for these November days. I've never been much of a flower arranger, but my little 'casual country bouquets' seem to be appreciated by the fam, so that makes me happy (and assuages some of the guilt I have about all the time, energy, and $$$ that goes into my gardening 'regime'). A nice simple way to say, "I love you" to them....

Now, BTW, has anyone posted some bulb bloom pics for the contest? I hope so!

This message was edited Nov 15, 2005 11:32 AM

Our warmer-than-normal weather has put me into 'spring fever' mode, so I just added to the bulbs already planted. Today, I planted Iris reticulata 'Harmony'. I also just ordered quantities of Asiatic Lily Italia and a mix called Summer Breeze (both from Van Engelen's).

Previously, I planted more muscari, a few more daffodils and narcissi that I didn't have, and more crocus (received some free bulbs in a trade). I also dug and transplanted my small bed of glads.

I am having this terrible urge to hit up my local nursery to check out their bulb section.....If the weather doesn't change soon, I'll probably start spring-cleaning the house....YIKES!

I in my declining years ;
have learned the kick , drop , stomp , pray method
Kick a hole with foot ,drop bulb in ,kick dirt back over it ,and then stomp on it, pray it grows
girl gotta improvise when body won't bend anymore

I guess I do instinctively use odd numbers. I said 2-4, but I was thinking of some of the smaller species tulip bulbs I added to the hole with a larger bulb (the Little Princess from you critter :)). As a floral designer, 3s and 5s are sort of burned into my brain LOL.

Donna, I'd love to see spring pics of your lovely gardens. You design so beautifully, I'm sure we'd all love it.

t, is'nt it funny how the end of season clearances make us cast design and reason to the wind LOL (Well, not totally, but it sure feels like it sometimes!). I like the sound of "the bouquet method" to; sound much more intentional as well as artistic. And where's a pic of that lovely centerpiece? It sounds wonderful! You design much better than you give yourself credit for, but I know how it is to be you're own worst critic.

Lynn, now you've reminded me that I did'nt get any iris reticulata! Ok, I'm holding you responsible for the next purchase LOL.

tazzy, I find myself getting there with the end of fall planting season! Of course with this back crud going on, I may not have much choice. But it's still worth it :)
Neal

Neal & Tazzy - you just crack me up! I'm usually tempted to take a sick AFTER I spend
hours planting bulbs and put out my back, instead of the other way around. And I
love that drop, kick & pray method... gotta remember it for later.

I sat through a long conf. call at work today clicking on various sale bulbs on line today.
I didn't have my credit card handy so I didn't actually order. I keep reminding myself that
it'll be fun to plant 'em next year too.

Love to see pictures! Maybe it'll help chase away our winter blu's.

Tam

Tammy, share the scoop! Cheap minds want to know! Who's got the best deals you've found? I'm finding the best prices on ebay now. The sales I've looked at have been just so so.

Drop, kick, and pray. That makes a great motto!
Neal.

Hey Neal - I didn't do any serious price comparisons. I got an email from Van Engelen... their "End of Season"
sale just started yesterday. They've got some really nice alliums in stock at 20% off their already good prices.
And the frittilaria ....

You bad man! Getting me thinking about buying more bulbs again. ummm...eBay huh?

Tam

Sale Alert!


Did you get the e-mail last night that Van Engelen's sale is down to 40% off?

Pretty good prices--lots of lilies still available and a limited range other bulbs--I ordered more daffs, some muscari and a few tulips to plant in pots!

http://www.vanengelen.com/pejtest/SALEHTML.HTM

No time to waste on this, I noticed several items sold out as I was looking at the site this morning!

Have fun. t.

Okay y'all.....It's your fault for making me click that link and go spend more money on more bulbs.....LOL..Last week's order on the 15th arrived on the 18th, and the bulbs were wonderfully fat. They were all planted right before the rain yesterday. I just ordered more. This time around I got some Iris graeberiana and 3 diff. Asiatics (Saumr, a longiflorum, Lollipop, and Aphrodite).

This spring-fever stuff has got to stop!!

I planted my Samur and Aphrodite bulbs after they arrived from Scheeper's yesterday. Lynn, you may be as pleasantly surprised as I was when I opened them. Lots of little bulblets!

You're right, plus I had about a dozen scales, too. Those were potted up and I'll grow those out for trades.

Oh, I don't know about scales. I mean, I know what they must look like, but what's the story on those?

Lily bulbs are made up of scales, separate sections joining together to make the bulb. You can propagate with these scales, provided they're not damaged and are viral free, etc.

Take the scales (I've only used outermost ones), and put them into a baggie with fungicidal powder to coat the scales thoroughly (or you can soak them in a fungicidal solution and drain). Then start to grow them out in a clear plastic bag filled with equal parts of perlite and a moist peat substitute (or just peat). Once the scales are in the medium in the bag, inflate the bag and seal it. Keep it in a dark place around 68-degrees. (I have a greenhouse, so I planted mine in small cells, not the baggie.) When bulblets form, take the scales out of the bag and pot them on. If you have a small growing-out garden outdoors, plant them in a cool, shady area. They'll need to have the same treatment that regular, large bulbs require (in other words, the chill). You could use a cold-frame for this, as well. Remember, they're small and it'll take about a fewl years for them to 'grow' to large bulbs. But they're FREEBIES! :-)

Well, how cool is that? :-)

WOW - they must have gone fast. Not a single daffodil type left. I did get the
alliums I was looking at and picked up a few extra anemones. Can't have too
many of those.

Thanks for the tip. Just wish I had checked here sooner.
Tam