My first time with bulbs....

Hello everyone

I've planted bulbs for the first time, and I'm a bit anxious about it...
I planted some crocus and freesia in my containers... hoping for some cheerfulness during the winter season!

Now, two questions: some of the containers are in partial shade - that is, the area where the bulbs are is in shade from the taller plants nearby. Would that be a problem? Should I move them? The thing is during the winter the sun slants a lot more, and I'm afraid the freesias wont be too happy..

Another thing: how long will it reasonably take for them to pop something up? The weather is already cooling a bit (thank Heavens for that!), and the sun isn't nearly as high anymore. We're still having mild temps around 80º during the day, and 50/60 at night. The first showers have come too..! (I love this season, by the way!)

Give me a hand here if you find the time, please!

Thanks ever so much

MyHiraeth, I'm not in the same gardeining zone as you are,to say nothing of time zone :-)
but I think you'll need to chill any bulbs in Zone 10. Isn't the weather in Lisbon 90% sunny, warm, & gorgeous? ( My Portuguese friends the Goveias tell me it is!) Try this link to a post in the Texas gardening forum---
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/651008/

I'm with you, however, in loving the seasonal change between hot summer and the first breezes of fall. Makes me feel more alive!

Actually a more accurate comparison would be between Lisbon and San Diego, CA or Los Angeles. Avg highs and lows across the year are very comparable to Lisbon and I think San Diego is in zone 10 also. Most of Texas including Austin has much hotter summers on average than Portugal and colder winters.

This message was edited Sep 18, 2006 9:37 PM

Hi Goshsmom!

Well, the Goveias are right, the weather is really nice here, except for the summer, which is waaaay too hot by my standards... 104º F is too much for me, specially because it doesn't cool off much at night... meaning you hardly have minimuns under 80º during the hottest months...

This morning around 10 AM, for instance, we had 69º F. It feels great!

Do you really think I have to chill the bulbs? In the nursery they said I could just put them in the ground...! ooops!

Steve, I would also guess that the winter in Texas is harsher, but do you actually get summers hotter than that??? Man!.... And you are right, I think California has weather similar to that of Portugal...

Well, I'll check both of your suggestions. In the meantime, what would you advise about sun exposure?

Thanks

Fernanda

Fernanda,

I looked up Lisbon's averages on weather.com and your average highs in summer are low 80's at worst. I am sure you have some very hot days, but overall your climate in terms of average highs and average lows is similar to Los Angeles or San Diego. They always say that California has a Mediterranean - type climate (I know Lisbon is not on the Med. Sea, but it's close), so stands to reason your temps would be similar. I am showing your hottest months are July and Aug. with average highs of 81 and 82 F respectively.

Austin and Ft Worth average 96 and 97 F in August respectively. All three cities' coldest month is January - Lisbon's avg low is 46, Austin's, 40, and Ft Worth's, 31 F. Lisbon is considerately farther north than the Texas cities but the fact that we're inland makes us have more temperate extremes, relatively.

In terms of rainfall, Lisbon does average almost 15" of rain more per year than Los Angeles, but about 4 to 5" less than Austin or Fort Worth.

For August highs and January lows, Los Angeles averages 85 and 48 F, and San Diego averages 78 and 50 F. San Francisco is closer to your average lows and rainfall but cooler for high temps in summer. Its latitude is also more similar.

So, California gardeners might be able to give you relevant advice for your growing conditions. Good luck!

Fernanda,
First of all, Steve is quite right abt the plant zone & local conditions. Texas does not equal Lisbon, & I should have looked at the zone map more carefully. I have never lived anywhere that we didn't experience hard freezes, blizzards (Maine & upstate New York), etc. , so I'm pretty much in the dark abt warmer zones gardening. But I'd get more advice from the store if you can. Perhaps the store has already prepped the bulbs and they're ready to go. They should be able to give you sun advice, too. But, please, keep in touch! I'd love to know how things turn out! I'm sending you a picture of one of my favorite hydrangeas.
Pat (goshsmom)

Oh Pat, that's so beautifull!!!! We have lots of hydrangeas here in Portugal, but I've never had much luck with them! I thank they are fond of moist weather, because in the island of Açores they are as common as weeds! Here in Lisbon, though we have humidity enough, it is probably not sufficient to keep them happy. To make up for that they need quite a lot of shade, and then they don't thrive because they are in shade.... catch 22 sort of thing LOL! ( or so I gather from my own experience..)

Yours are gorgeus!

Here's a lousy photo I took of my kalandivas, its a cell phone shot, but I think you can still make them out... I need a digital camera desperately!

I will keep in touch for sure, and keep you posted !

If you have more pics of those fabulous hydrangeas, please post!

Thanks!

Fernanda

Fernanda, your freesias won't need precooling, as they're a tender bulb that I'm guessing will flower in winter for you. That's a lovely thought! They do like sun to keep them from being leggy though. I would think the crocus would need precooling, but that may depend on the variety. What kind do you have?

hmmm.... the package wasn't too clear. Basically I think it just said "Crocus" LOL! Colour: blue; calibre: 7/8. ... and that's it!

Encyclopedic, I should say...ROFL!

Anyway I think they are crocus sativus...

I just noticed there's no pic on my previous link... so here goes!

oooh, phew.... lousy photo really... ;-$

MyHiraeth, I can tell that they're beautifully colored & full. But it's true, if you got a digital camera, you can get some really amazing photos with little or no natural photographic ability. (I speak as one with no inborn photo capabilities.) If you want to see more hydrangeas & my container gardens at my previous house, go to
http://community.webshots.com/user/pshobson
and look at the flower pictures. Nothing extraordinary, but they bring back nice memories for me.
Pat