Spring Bulbs - Pictures and Discussion: Part VII

Neal, your pictures are absolutely beautiful. Do you have a well out near your garden? I see a hand lever like I have. We put in a seperate well for my flowers three years ago, and it was the best thing I ever did. On our sandy soil we need to use a lot of water.

Thanks Polly! That's just the water spicket, convenient, but not in the most attractive spot, lol. I sure wish I had a well; last year's dry spell doubled my water bill. I have sandy soil to, but fortunately there's plenty of organic matter and it holds moisture well, especially if well mulched.

The late single tulips are starting to color up, so the tulip show is winding down. I do have a suprise in store though. I bought what was supposed to be 40 Red Apeldoorn tulips last fall and have been wondering why they're taking so long to bloom. Now that the buds can be clearly seen, I see they're parrot tulips! It bothers me when I don't get what I paid for, but at least parrots are usually a bit more expensive than Darwin hybrids, so I got a good deal. They're planted in a polychromatic bed of bright colors, so they should look nice there, whatever color they are. Looks like they'll be the last tulips of the season and will make a pleasant farwell to spring bulb season.

Here is one from my neighbors yard.
He has a better display this year than last. He didn't add any last Fall either.
Andy P

I took some a couple of days ago, I bought a pot from a supermarket with several of the small double scented flowers a couple of years ago. I split them into 2 pots, and one has just flowered that is different, flowers no more than 1.75" and 2 to the head, looks rather like Geranium with the cup detail, but not so bright as pics I've seen.

Here is another from the neighbor.
He has Grapes too!
Andy P

I am having trouble taking a pic of Fortissimo, the camera wants to ignore it and focus on the more subtle greenery around it, must be jealous! There looks only to be one flower this year, I bought a pack of 5 bulbs of which 2 are a much different variety. This is the 3rd year and flower is much smaller, they are normally huge, time for a repot.

Andy that is a really solid colour tulip! Love the simple black thingies in the middle.

These are the other 2 wrong ones wtith Fortissimo, I have never seen any like it. You can see the head hangs straight down so it's difficult to get a pic, this is a side view. The colour of the 'collar' as I think it is called in this type is a solid creamy orange, looks a bit like plasticine.

An underneath shot is quite attractive but not a true colour

gem--your garden is so beautiful--just the way I want mine to look!

Love your pics and thanks for sharing the scenes...gives me some good ideas (if you don't mind a copy cat amongst us!) t.

I visited my neighbor Stan again this morning. The light was good so I snapped a bunch of pics.
I'm in a rush and only have two ready to post.
A mix.
Andy P

Wallaby, here is a very red double.
My camera has a hard time with bright red.
Andy P

OK, chores are done.
Here is a pretty color.
Andy P

This one is the only one of this color.
A silvery pink.

Double yellow.

These are what he missed when he put in the pond.
They are under a plastic mesh weed blocker and 3 inches of pea stone.
They pushed up the mesh the first season and he cut openings for them.
That was 3 years ago, they are the healthiest, largest ones he has.
Andy P

I have a couple of unknown tulips ~

It has an interesting triangular form from the top ~

This one was given to me by a friend. She couldn't remember the name but said is was "black something-or-other". :)

from the top

My old stand-bys that I've had for years

Leucojum 'Gravetye Giant'

Andy & Moby - both gorgeous pic's!

That double yellow is amazing. And how about those tulips surviving weed fabric & gravel! I guess they
liked the drainage?

Neat collection of tulips Moby! And are your leucojum still blooming?

Tam

Yes, that pic was take today.

Holy Macaroons! What ho!
Look at all of these ever-imrproving pictures!
(And increasing company of photographer-gardeners!)
(Insert more exclamations marks)
It’s taken some doing to catch up! (and not hyperventilate! What!? Leen van der Mark!? [Heavy gasping])

Tammy: Awesome N. jonquilla and Erythroniums.. Fragrant?

Walalby (Narc unk! Red cup! Ho!) What is the (musoid?) left of the Dracunculus? What a trillium, too. I finally have a (sessile?) up after some years.

Andy: You make such a simple bulb look so artistic and rare- well done! Artistic license indeed…

Jmorth: What Narc is behind the Pinish Tulips and Leucojum? The groundcover under the Darwins?

Kylee; I Nearly fell out of my chair with your exceptional shot of Tulipa ‘Leen van der Mark,’ I’ve eyeballed it for years, now I must have it! (Then some “!!!”). ! .

Jill: Calochortus leaves are quite like those of Tulipa ‘Little Princess,’ as I recall. And glaucous.

Neal: Your T. ‘Toronto’ looks nothing like mine. Are they at the end of their bloom period? What a glorious forest you have…

Moby; I’ll bet that Tulip is ‘Queen of the Night.’ It is pretty darned unique.

My own pictures (photographed as I was running out the front door with a cup of tea and half-dressed in the morning for the past week, further delaying me…) are in the works…

Kenton

Wwll, folks, I ahve Gufillions of photogrpahs, but I'll just srop ina few now. The bed is calling loudly.

T. Flaming Parrot.

Bulb it's not, but pretty it is nevertheless. As Viola x wittrockiana 'Delta Pure Red' plants get old and senile, they do this (instead of pure red):

Narc. Bellsong opens yellow and goes to:

Neal; My Tulip 'Toronto.' An undesrcibably bright-coral carmine something-er-other. The phot comes pretty close.

Tulipa 'Black Hero' is a sport of the sultry-ubiquitous 'Queen of the night.'

That's just a small part of them...
So I'll end with what does not look like the vended 'Texas Flame' to me:
Kenton

Well, looking at all the posts above takes my breath away!! How pretty they all are!

And what a range of bulb bloom. Every homeowner should have to have at least a few of these beauties in their yard each spring for the public good.

...'there oughta be a law!'...in order to prove you've paid your property taxes you have to plant a few tulips or daffs! Just an idea!

Happy gardening. t.

Thanks t ! Copy away! And something I did this year I think you'd appreciate was planting tulips in pots and burrying them in the garden. When some bloomed and did'nt work in the spot as well as I envisioned, I pulled 'em right out and stuck them where they looked perfect! The 50% off bulbs from B&B were in pots to, and I was able to plant them in early spring where I could tell there were naked spots.

Kenton, now that you mention it, I'm wondering if that tulip I was thinking was 'Toronto' may be 'Quebec'. They were from the Lowes discount load, so they may have been mislabled, but I could very easily have confused the 2 (would'nt they be great together with peach cupped daffs and purple underplanting!). They open a much lighter color and deepen to rich coral.

Moby, do you know what your old standby is? Love that color!

Nope, wish I did, they multiply nicely. Many of my tulips were 'rescued' ~ discarded pots that were forced for Easter / Mother's Day gifts.

gem-- Great tip on planting in pots. Hadn't thought of strategically sinking pots o' bulbs in just the right setting for a burst of bloom!

Here are my 'Princes Irene' (I think) by my back door.

Kenton, Love that 'Flaming Parrot', that's a honey.
Your coral 'Toronto' looks a lot like one I have. Is it early and short? I see it has darker markings on the leaves.
Here is mine, are the same?
I'm trying to identify some of my old bulbs.
Andy P

Just for the fun of it, here is another shot of the Grape Hyacinths.
Andy P

JamesCo,
in regards to your query: daffodils behind are Kaydee and Ice Wings, behind them are yellow daffs that came with the property. The groundcover with the Darwins is lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'.

Everybody, what fabulous pics. I will post my puny ones momentarily.
Kenton, that viola Delta Pure Red must be the prettiest one I have EVER seen. source? must have!
Tabasco, Princess Irene is absolutely gorgeous. Also, would you agree Kenton should plant viola Delta Pure Red next to his Flaming Parrot tulip, for the perfect color echo scheme?

kbaumle - I just know you have to be at least 1-2 weeks ahead of me, or in a full sun position - my dicentra are just now showing tiny green buds and you had flowers a week ago. My D. alba is only about 6" tall but its in full shade and a first yr plant. I planted D. Stuart Boothman last year - what a disappointment that is - the flowers are faded looking from the get go. Well thats the difference in micro-climates in 5b.

I have hundreds of wild erythronium that grow right in the full sun - why I have no idea but that is where they seeded themselves and keep coming back. There is another large colony in a completely shaded position that popped in when I disturbed the ground to plant some daffs in the woods.

Everyone's tulips are just wonderful - I just enjoy them forced in pots in the house here in deer-land.
I planted a few greigii tulips Red Riding Hood last year for the first time to brave the deer and Yay! They didn't get eaten. I hid them in the shrubbery where no split hoof would think to look. And that red viola JamesCO - what would one have to do to convince you to save some seed off that lovely thing?