OK, time to confess! Bulb orders PART II.

Wonder what these are.....

You know Neal, Chionodoxa, Scilla and Puchkinia bloom one after the other respectively in my garden, but they bloom long after the later crocus. thus, not very early. I will pay close attention to when the foliage ripens next year, that is something one usually doesn't add to his garden-journal.

I like Puschkinia for their nice texture that is created by the darker blue stripe on each petal, and that they tend to throw up flowerstalk after flowerstalk (up to four, I think) giving them a very long season of bloom. According to pictures I have, they can go on for a whole month given nice weather. And thanks, I had completely forgotten about the I. reticulata's long and persistent leaves.

I do too, Kaylee. Chionodoxa, I suppose. And that picture does contribute a very useful technique to turf-plantings: They are in clumps that a person can avoid walking through. I think I have a tendency to spread bulbs very wide and thin.

(But in all of our dreams, we have a whole lawn of it with a nice little path without bulbs!)
Kenton

On the topic: A friend just recieved a big order from B&B today, with only minor damage. Their Erythronium bulbs are monsterous!

By the strangest fluke, I finally got my B&B order and the 90 tulips from bulbmart (ebay seller) today. The Alltel phone service man mistakenly had me on his service list and went to the wrong house down the road. The people there gave him my boxes and told him where I live. I can't imagine why they were just holding on to them. Out of the B&B order, about half the daffs got frozen, but most of the hyacinths and all the eremerus look fine. The tulips from bulbmart all look great. I think the plastic crate and onion bags that Brent&Becky's use allowed for too much exposure. The tulips were in a box with newspaper around them. So after saying "I'm really done" countless times, again I have bulbs to plant.:)
Neal.

I guess it really should be "never say never" for bulbaholics eh Neal?
Can you still plant? More than 50% of the ground here is still covered
with snow and its frozen. This is the coldest Dec I remember!

And I have about 8 pots of ranunculus & freesia all potted up in my greenhouse.
I can't wait for them to bloom. You can be sure I'll post the pic's here
when they do bloom! (And potting them up really got me going on prepping
the greenhouse. I cleaned it out and am ready to go with the seed
starting next week.)

Green Goddess is blooming.

Closeup.

Wow Boojum,
Ohhhhh so pretty, another for my "want" list....it's a never ending one for sure.....:)))
Very, very nice!! White is so refreshing and pure.
Wow....she glows !!
My favorite color is red but I have to say that is one gorgeous flower !!
God bless you all and Merry Christmas, Margo

This message was edited Dec 19, 2005 10:55 PM

Thanks, Margo. I saw it in bloom and had to have one! It's a dwarf-16-20".

inspiring, Tammy.

I just (within the hour) peeled back frozen soil to plant scilla, tulipa, and crocus. They will bloom perfectly as long as their roots can grow in cool, unfrozen soil.
James

ed.
(Thanks for those pictures, one often wonders what the flowers really look like when seen in catalogues.)

This message was edited Dec 19, 2005 9:01 PM

Hi Ya'll *grin*,
Just sitting here wishing I had something blooming, lol. I love this time of year for what it is for sure. But I miss my flowers. I have planted buncxhes of bulbs and have more to plant but I want to see some color NOW :)
We just spent 4 days roaming the NC Mountains. DH gave me an early Christmas present. We spent 2 days at Biltmore Estates. I have wanted to go there for many years, but something always prevented it. Wow, I can't wait for Spring. We are going back for a few more days between April 15 and May 15. We were told that the Azaleas, Rhodies and bulbs are incredible. From Biltmore we went up to Cherokee, NC for 2 days at Harrah's for a little bit of the Casino. We didn't play a lot, we had fun watching people, lol. Then we started home, planning to stay overnite in Asheville, NC. Not a chance. They had a freak storm that took out a lot of power so the hotels and motels were full of residents without power. I felt so badly for them. I have no idea when they will be restored. We drove back to about an hour outside of Columbia SC and spent the night and returned home this afternoon. Everything here was fine, just no blooms.
Neal, it looks like I will have a nice assortment for you !! I even ordered some of the "Americans" which have not arrived yet. I don't think they will ship until Spring now, but you will get some when I get them, I promise. (you also Annapet)

God bless every one of you. Thanks for letting me whine:))
Love ya bunches, Margo

Boojum, I love it! For some reason, I love seeing green in blooms.

I love green in flowers too. It's a keeper!

This has been an unusually cold December here to. Thank goodness all I've had to do is peel back the frozen lid of mulch and the soil underneath has been perfectly workable. At the base of the hill behind the house that faces north, I've been unable to dig though. The sun probably won't hit that area till spring, so no bulbs there.

Tammy, is'nt it nice to have garden tasks at this time of year. This is the latest I've still had this much gardening going on, but it sure is helping to keep the winter blues away.

Boojum, Green Goddess is beautiful! I've grown to love green flowers to.

Kenton, you're hard core! Were you out with a flashlight planting bulbs? LOL Don't you wish more catalogs would show shots of the whole plants in a garden setting; the close up shots are nice, but not very helpful in designing.
Neal.

Sounds like an edventure Margo. Nice to be warm at home though, eh?

Boojum, does Green Goddess have big nectaries? Seems like it would; I have this fantsy of sticking a finger in to taste it!

Tammy: you must promise to post pictures of the aroma of the freesia, too.

Mulch is useful that way, Neal. Where there is at least 10" of leaves, The soil is not frozen here.
Sometimes I use a flashlight if there are other bulbs in the area lest they get dug up. The East Garden is decked out with floodlights to garden all night,but best of all, there has been a moon for a few nights that was enough to see. Last winter it was very dark where I planted, so I had a treble light on a n extension cord.

What about green and brown flowers? I used to ahve a fixation for those colors- and black.

And catalogue colors: Has anyone ever seen a flower 'to die for,' only to realize that there is a blue freesia in the backgound, which promts you to find a real photo (as that one is doctored,) upon which you find that the thing is downright ugly?
Kenton James

Blue is the worst for photo's isn't it?

I'm an avid seed starter - it really keeps me sane during the
winter.

And I've got Meyer's Lemon in bloom now. I wish I could post
a pic of that scent too.

The whole doctored, color enhanced, plant porn glossies thing irritates me. I'm so obsessed with the way I use color combinations, and the catalog misrepresentations of plants always screw it up. It has taught me to do some research first, especially since I'm cheap by nature and look for the best deal. I know I should start a nursery bed so I can get to know the plant before using it in the garden. Just too impatient!

Oh seedlings! We celebrate your new babies Tam! You know you're causing me to plot a way to achieve me own greenhouse. So many things are so troublesome for me to keep in winter, and my indoor lighting situation is awful for seed starting. And back to bulbs, are you letting the freesia root in the dark first, or can they go right into the window? I have a cold closet where the paperwhites are rooting and I've put the freesia in there.

Kenton, the green, brown, and black flowers have been calling me lately. There are some wonderful looking Frittilaria in those tones. And have you seen the columbine green spurs with brown petals? Wow! Some of the chocolaty colors I'm seeing in roses intrigues me. And green and charcoal black hellebores are incredible. I've found these plants difficult to work in with many parts of my gardens, because their subtle grace is lost among many colors. Of course, my natural penchant for bold color does'nt help either! But, I have been working on some areas devoted more to foliages and the charms of these types of flower colors. It's such fun to use plants like paints on a pallette.
Neal.

Neal - my freesia pots are sitting on the bottem shelf in my greenhouse. When they start
poking up I'll put 'em in a nice bright spot. I think they like it cool so that's a good spot (my
biggest "problem" with the greenhouse is overheating. The first year I recorded 140F on
a sunny winter day (outside in the teens!) I've got automatic venting now plus a shade cover.
Really helps but in the sun, its hot! So they're in a cool shadey spot.

The greenhouse has saved my sanity. I used to really feel blue in the winter. Now I go to
my greenhouse and listen to the radio while I putter around... mostly cleaning stuff. I spent
more than is sane to spend to get it but I feel it was worth every penny. And I save so much
money starting & propagating my own plants too. hahaha (or at least that's what I tell myself.)

Neal, frits have great combos. I truly love F. michaeolovskii (or somthing) Dark red w/ golden edge. Wow.
The Black tulips make others truly go "bam." I've not seen that Aquilegia, could you post a link or name?
I will wait until my first Hellebos are looking very established before I go after the blacks...
Now I forget about the old browns, blacks and greens I have...
I'm always seeking out the best oranges. Testing, trashing, keeping... Everywhere.

Aha: here's a good question, folks: Where do you get the truest blue (not botanical blue of roses, but sky-cerulean-toilet cleaner out of the bottle- BLUE.)

Gentiana Acaulis is certainly high on the list:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=1456811

Here's the link to Aquilegia viridiflora: http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/72906/

I'm finding some great blues that enjoy woodland conditions. Phlox stolonifera 'Blue Ridge' is lovely. I have it creeping through an area of yellow and white crocus, species tulips, and daffs; I'm so anxious to see it all together! Ipheion offers some nice blues, and I love the vivid violet blue of my Siberian iris. I had 2 blue hydrangeas this summer that were so bright, it almost bothered me. It was such an intense blue, it almost looked un-natural and painted to me.

Have any of you tried Muscari 'Valerie Finnis' ? That shade of blue in every pic I've seen looks wonderful. I've just been too cheap to pay 50cents a bulb for muscari!
Neal.

Neal - I've got this wild phlox (divaricata I believe) that's just gorgeous
in the spring! I forgot about it.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/4344/

That phlox is wonderful! If you ever have extra seed or divisions I'd love to try it. I love the way woodland phlox softens spring bulbs, especially tulips as they can sometimes look stiff and stuffy.

I'm particulary excited to see my grouping of Queen of the Night tulips with white single late tulips behind them and underplanted with Persian Carpet Lysimachia. I'm hoping the bronzy leaves of the lysimachia echo the tulips; we'll see.

Fancy. I will have to try gentians. I see different sorts in the mountains, but I think they may toast here in the valley. Apparently, Vail's Botanical gardens has quite a collection of them.

As far a bulbs go, I was going to plant a couple hundred Chionodoxa for blue until I saw that it was in fact an off-blue when compared to Scilla siberica. My Ipheion ‘Wisley Blue’ really failed the blue test, it was pale and a muddy purpleish. I. ‘Rolph Fielder’ looked good at a friends house, so I’m trying that…

I like that Aguilegia. Has anyone tried it? -a 'Shortlived Perennial.' I think that is one of the most perfect browns I have ever seen.

A friend of mine just got Tulipa ‘Hollywood star” It is time for some smoozing! Now what I have that she will want…

Neal, you're going ot have to give us a full latin and perhaps PF help on that Lysmachia. If it is as you expect, I may not live without it. I have not tried Muscari 'V F.' Most muscari are both a decent medium blue and a complete nuisance in the spring garden. (armeniacums, that is.) I adore M. latifolia, with its blue-on-near black flowers. With our heat that sometimes sets in while the tulips are going, I've grown to like the fact that the doubles last longer, and I suggest to you the sport of 'Queen of the night:' 'Black Hero.’ I could give you a few bulbs next summer. I swear that they are darker than 'QOTN.'

I bough Frit. Verticillata last fall, we’ll see. Dang, my mind is still blank on good greens and browns. There was a green and a brown tulip advertised somewhere…

Oh - Aquilegia Bertolonii is a wonderful small plant
with gorgous blue flowers! Its a rock garden plant and would
do well for you in Co. I bet Kenton. I know I posted the pic's
in the Rock Gardening Forum this spring. I'll look it up at
home. (I'm having a hard time being productive at work today.
Should NOT be checking DG but ... I am. )

Thanks, Tammy.
(I should be cleaning. Ha!)

http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/05802.html

shows that Lysimachia. I'll put it in PF. Please post pictures next spring, Neal.
Kenton

There was a fabulous thread over the summer for blue flowers.
Folks posted them real-time so you can tell when the plants bloom.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/518297/

Definitely great "reading" during the cold winter days. There's a part
two but I'll let you follow it from the first one if you get that far!
Tam

That was one massive thread of rich pictures. Thanks Tam.

Hi Kenton - I just checked out your link. Lysimachia scares me! One of those
imperialists trying to take over the continent. Though that one is apparently a
little less thuggish. Just be careful.

So far, so good with Lysimachia 'Persian Carpet' for me. I only use groundcover lysimachias in rocky, poor soil areas and that keeps them in check, and Persian Carpet grew well, but has'nt acted thuggish yet. Hoping for good photo ops in spring! And I found mine at Lowes for $1.79 each, so I'd hold out before paying Plant Delights price-for that matter, I should have plantlets in spring I can give you.

I've been eyeing Black Hero and will have to try it. I've found some of the late doubles perennialize well for me if planted in rocky soil. Rolph Fiedler is the blue iphieon I like to; I planted a mix of them last year called constellation of blue stars (I just really liked the name LOL) and it was an effective underplanting for bleeding hearts and white tulips.

Have any of you tried Musari azureum? I planted a few this fall,and they always look like a lovely shade of blue in the pics I've seen.
Neal

Where can I get amaryllis bulbs right now for a good price?

I don't know if they would fall in the "cheap" category but if you want to collect some special ones, I would recommend Country Rd DL and Amar. I bought from them this time last year and the plants bloomed beautifully in Spring.
http://www.countryroaddaylilies-amaryllis.com/amaryllis/gallery.htm

Maybe B&B was the best deal around, but as you know it's over.

Other than that, and if your goal is to fill an area with beautiful color rather than collect one of each, I would wait for walmart specials next week or early Jan. "Minerva" might be easy to get but it is so striking in mass! The gift shops at your specialty nurseries might also have good deals soon.

Since I'm very happy with Easy to Grow Bulbs, I've been checking their site regularly for deals.

I have a feeling you have a good nose for bargains, so......

I too like Easy to Grow Bulbs, I have always gotten excellent products from them and very timely, too. God bless, Margo

Ooooh, thanks! They've got quite a few nice ones at good prices!

I didn't know that Walmart would mark down their boxed bulbs. Ours has a lot in stock right now.

This message was edited Dec 22, 2005 11:21 AM

Neal, I just started growing different Scilliods and Muscarioids. I think I have Bellevalia...
I've not tried azureum. Next fall I should ahve more garden to mess with.

Here is that link of Vossner’s if it didn’t work for you.:

http://countryroaddaylilies-amaryllis.com/amaryllis/gallery.htm

I think that Papilio looks better than Papilio Imp. It certainly goes under the green/brown category.

Kenton

I'm looking at American Meadows' bulbs at 50% off. They have several I want. If I order now, and they send them, how do I store them until spring? I have a small refrigerator in the basement. Should I put them in there?

Everybody has Amaryllis right now and they will mark them down after Christmas. I've seen them at Walmart, Kmart, Lowe's and Home Depot. Target usually carries them too. :)

Our Walmart has them marked down right now to $2.75. I bought one. I had to go through lots of individual boxes of them to find a nice healthy bulb, though. They were pretty much all well on their way and one even had a flower bud ready to open. IN THAT LITTLE BOX! I bought an 'Apple Blossom.'

I bought one last month that had started sprouting in its box -- the bud was already 3 inches tall -- and it turned out pretty stunted. The stalk only got 8 or 10 inches tall before the buds opened, and the flower didn't open all the way and lasted only a few days before it started to fade. I figure if I can grow it on over the summer, maybe it will be spectacular next year!

Yeah, I figure that might happen to me, too, but for $2.75, I was willing to risk it. Now I'm trying to find 'La Paz' cybister amaryllis for a good price.