What should I plant?

I really want to plant a bed of bulbs. I know for sure I want daffidils, Yeah, I can't spell) but after that I'm not sure. I planted them under a tree with begonias last year and they did quite well, but I want to put some others with them, so I'll have ablooms after the dafs are finished, even some while they are blooming.
Any suggestions? I'm in zone 8

Lilies are a good choice, especially Asiatics. They bloom well after daffodils are finished and will come back well in your area, and even multiply to form large clumps over the years.

Lorraine,
I planted cannas, gladiolas, daylilies, oriental stargazer lilies, tuberose, dahlias all this spring. Every one of them came up and bloomed really well. Late in the summer the cannas got some leafrollers which made the foliage yukky, but still, they continued to bloom nicely. (I planted them the first week of March). For fall planting, I've ordered daffodils, crocus, lilies, alliums, hyacinths, muscari, babiana, eremerus, foxglove, reblooming bearded iris, freesia just to name a few. I'm giving all of them a try, and we'll see what likes me best.

My favorite place to order bulbs online is EASY TO GROW BULBS. They have fantastic products and equally super service, even AFTER the sale is made. Look on the Garden Watchdog and they are in the top 30, I think.

Laura, thanks for the recommendation... not sure how I've missed this source! Do you know if they generally offer late season sales/discounts? There are so many spring flowering bulbs that I'd love to have in my yard that what I plant is often determined by what remains in stock during the fall sales... :-)

Hi critter,
Easy To Grow sent me a 40% off email special after spring sales were winding down. This was probably July? They remove the spring bulbs and change out the website to only show fall bulbs, as the season changes. Right now, they are only selling fall bulbs. Granted, some things are planted spring or fall. Easy to Grow's people are quick to respond to emails, personally, and they guarantee their products. If something fails to perform, they stand behind it. I have found that my substandard performers came from Wal Mart at discount prices. Not knocking Wal Mart, BUT, their bulbs just did not perform as good as the online stores that specialize in bulbs. Certainly, Wal Mart must buy in huge quantities in order to get those prices down that low. Same goes for Home Depot or other type stores.
As to the leafrollers, I think they were just in the soil or carried by some birds or something. I don't think they could have been avoided, but who knows.
This has been a learning year for me. I bought a large variety of things to plant, just to see what would thrive and what would not. Some were bargain priced, some were not. For East Texas 8b, I can recommend:
Roses
Gladiolas
Dahlias
Tuberose
Pentas
Purslane
Mexican Heather
Liriope
Zinnias
Daylilies
Vitex
Crape Myrtles
Lantana
These are the ones that I have enjoyed the most. I was in love with the cannas until the leafrollers set in.....

You're right... you tend to get what you pay for with cheaper bulbs from the box store. Still, Sam's did have huge boxes of King Alfred bulbs last fall... small bulbs, and not all of them bloomed this spring for my MIL, but they'll grow, and they should put on a better display next spring.

But that's why I like to do my "bargain hunting" at the good online bulb retailers!

I love the canna foliage too (no blooms on mine this year, perhaps they went out too late), but I have to dig them for the winter here!

Oh, and I just signed up on their site for email notification of specials etc. :-)

Back to Loraine's question...

I think some daffodils will do better in your zone than others, so be sure to check the descriptions or look them up in PF before you order.

I figure that whenever I am digging holes for bigger bulbs like daffs, I want to have some smaller bulbs on hand (crocus, muscari, species tulips, etc) to toss in on top of them. Planting in drifts or clumps tends to give better looking results than planting in rows, and you can tuck other perennials (especially things that die back in winter and then come up to cover the fading daff foliage.. daylilies and daffs are a classic combination) right in among them.

LorraineR:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/

Check out the article I wrote on daffodils. The articles are archived on this page.

Daffodils are great for layering with other plants especially daylilies. You can make a show far into the summer. And the companion plants keep mowers away from the daff. foliage so it can ripen.

I usually order bulbs from Van Engelen/Scheepers. I didn't know about Easy to Grow. Im on my way to check it out.

steve, you suggest in your post (second post) to try asiatics...I went from San Antonio zone 8b to Houston 9a (I think) and people here say the asiatics don't do well. Anyone else in zone 9 able to grow them? What would be the difference in conditions that would help that?

Glad this thread was started. I'm new to planting just about everything and was so tempted to load up the cart when I saw the bulbs at HD and Sam's Club. Just not sure if bulbs (tulips and daffodils) which said bloom march-(was it may?) is long enough for me? No idea what to pick. Sigh. Trial and error, trial and error.

Not tulips. Yes. Daffodils. Daylilies are great over daffodils. Im not sure what would be a good blue for as far south as you are: ixioliron?
muscari for sure, some of the early irises, as in Dutch iris, Spanish iris. All of these need excellent drainage.

I am speaking of a permanent planting that will go on indefinitely.

If you don't mind annuals, you can plant tulips but don't forget to refrigerate first.

I think you are to far south for camassia Indian Hyacinth which I talk about in the article.

Oh. I forgot. To take the planting into August a big stand of tiger lilies would be spectacular.

This message was edited Oct 6, 2007 6:06 PM

Tir Na Nog,

Were you able to grow Asiatics in San Antonio? Just curious what kind of success you had with them. They have done fantasically well for me here in the Dallas/FTW area. I lived in the same house for 6 years and had planted tons of them....they not only returned every year but multiplied and the clumps expanded, and I had a brilliant show year after year. When I pulled some of them to trade, the bulbs were enormous, bigger than anything I've bought online. I planted a bunch at my new place last fall....the stems are still green on most of them and I would bet my last dollar they return. I have only lived in the DFW area in Texas. I suspect one reason they may struggle in Houston is the humidity/high rainfall......most lilies do not like soggy soil and wet conditions. I would bet they grow in Houston though if your planting area is properly amended and drains well, and it would be worth trying a few. Asiatics are tougher and more adaptable to varying conditions than other lilies.

Steve

if you have soggy soil none of the bulbs including daffodils & lilies will do well. For this situation you would need to build raised beds that drain well.

Steve,

They did just great in SA! Here in Houston I have permanent raised beds but the area also has 2 trees---beds get full sun couple hours but then filtered light rest of the day so not sure WHAT will work here, sigh!

No tulips----gotcha! LOL. muscari---I saw Sams Club had those in!

Tir Na Nog & Gloria,

You are absolutely correct on the raised beds. At my old house I had some drainage issues, but installed raised beds all over the back yard and nearly everything came back well, including hyacinths. Tulips were the only bulbs that struggled and only a few of them would return, and the dry side of the yard had the best performance. At my new house NW of Ft Worth, the soil is totally different (only 20 miles away) - not much clay here and a much higher sand content....and when I was digging a couple of weeks ago I found my daffodils were still down there in full force (they will rot and "disappear" in wet conditions). I just bought more online from John Scheepers...some lilies and more hyacinths...just when I said I would stop....

This message was edited Oct 7, 2007 10:37 AM

lol steve---I know we always buy more than we planned on! glad to hear you've had great success in your garden!

There was some mention of where to buy bulbs. I have had EXCELLENT luck with Costco bulbs but was disappointed to see the price is MUCH higher this year. They have been quality bulbs and performed well.