Fall bulb sales when?

Well, I've had some trouble with voles going after species tulips, and I think they may have reduced my saffron crocus... But most of what I've planted here are daffs, crocus, and muscari, and I don't think those are preferred items on any critter buffet.

Price comparisons are always good. Some bulbs just seem to be more expensive... but then you'll find somebody carrying them at half the price of anybody else. Now, they might also be smaller bulbs, but for something like daffs that will get larger with time & care, you might rather buy smaller for less $.

t, that is a big price difference on Fragrant Rose! I noticed some of the price differences aren't that striking, but VE does seem cheaper across the board. The Fragrant Rose bulbs I got last year from B&B were huge too, all doubles and triples, and as big as my fist. Kinda hoping most of these daffs I'm expecting are not that big; those monsters are a booger to plant!

I've been very pleased with both sources, though.

hart, I noticed John Scheepers co. (VEs sister company), has a $35 min order. I'm surprised its even that much, but I noticed their prices on quantities are close to VE.

critter, M.azureum bloomed earlier than the other muscari for me last spring too, and was a more reliable combination with earlier blooming daffs. Kicking myself for not picking up some for my "Sky" garden.

I was browsing the net for spring bulb displays yesterday, and came across a pic that I can't find today..grrrrrr. Anyhow, it was of a mass of gold, yellow, and cream snow crocus and was gorgeous! I think I'll intermingle Gipsy Girl, Cream Beauty, and Romance in hopes of creating a similar effect. I'll keep searching for the link and post it if I find it.

Tabasco, I think you are right to compare the prices as last spring I did the three in sort of a parallel trial order which I printed out and then chose the place that had the cheapest price on the same cultivar before submitting my order. VE sells some of it's Narcissus in small quantities (10) which make them cheaper than B&B. Generally I found all their prices were impossible to predict. Plus I like to give both business as I think they both do a great job. The lion's share of the Spring order went to VE(which is a theoretically a wholeseller) with the least to JS which was for mostly Narcissus. My spring order to BB was for some of their unique and special Narcissus, tulips and minor bulbs that I couldn't chance on waiting for the sale to snag. I got many that I waited to order in both their sales but not all by a long shot. I love the hunt, but I think I am seriously out of room now.

Critter, I am going to love as Tabasco called, your "swoops" of color I am worried about my crocus addition as they seemed to get munched on last year.
Gemini, I love the notion of a "sky" garden. Did you order or grow already that Scilla - mischtschenkoana which is pale bluish white and larger? Patti

Patti, I looked long and hard at those Scilla for that very spot. I ended up concentrating on other pastel little bulbs for my pastel area in the shade- I love how pastels glow in shadowy areas. I have already put in quite a bit in the sky garden, but did have to pick up some cute little iphieon and puschkinia for that garden. The Sky garden was inspired by my love for blue, white, and yellow plantings.

Now that weather is keeping me indoors more, I'm noting areas out the windows where I'm going to really appreciate early spring color. I keep scanning for areas that need color the most; it will be interesting to see in spring what I missed, lol.

gem--are you planting these bulbs in gardens you created (or will create) or in the grass or in existing gardens? It sounds like you have loads of planting space!

Gemini, you made me look out of the window where I do my most computer work and whata-you-know, lots of places that I now can see neeeeeds some narcissus. I have some that are jam packed in a raised bed. Do you think I could just transplant them now? I ordered a few of Scilla, I will keep a good eye on them for your sky bed.

I am going off to Vt on the 7th for a 5 days. I haven't planted anything new up there this year. Sad But I missed most of the tulips last year because our house being worked on from the car that drove into our living room last winter. But our neighbors loved them. Deer don't bother them up there, so far. Patti

dang, patty. were you home when that happened?

Hmmm ... bulbs for shady areas! I have lots of shade that needs lots of color. What bulbs grow best in shady areas? (p.s. This is the first year that I'm planting bulbs.)

Bulbs for shady areas? Not so many...here's a search from B & B: http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/search/bulbfinder.php?zone=&color=&soilmoisture=&sunvsshade=fullshade&height=&othernaturalizes=&origin=&floweringtime=&extgenusid=&otherresistant=&extfamily=&extnickname=&dateintroduction=&extdivision=&otherbbfavorites=&otherrockgarden=&otherinthelawn=&othercontaineruse=&othercuttingorpicking=&otherindoorbulbs=&submit=Search+For+Bulbs

You can do a search for "part shade" too. And maybe get a few more results.

I haven't had a lot of luck planting for shade lovers--even for under deciduous trees, but others have-- It takes a bit of experimenting, I think.

If the shade comes from deciduous trees, then anything that does its flowering and growing in early spring and dies back before the leaves get big on the trees (crocus, early daffs, snowdrops, species tulips, etc) should do well. If the shade is because we're talking about the foundation bed on the north side of your house, your choices may be more limited. :-)

Thanks tabasco! The spots I have in mind are generally part shade during the spring.

late comment...but the added shipping to west of the Mississippi was enough to keep me from panting after the B&B sale, despite tempting photos (like that amaryllis of bbrookrd's!)

mamajack, We had given our house to a friend to use for a few months while she was between the sale of her house and the renovation of her next, and fortunately no one from her family was home. The car hit the corner where everyone always sits in the favorite chair. The lady, who is a friend whose husband is a lawyer who did the closing for us when we bought the house, hit ice and lost control. She was only going 25-30 and just badly bruised. They had even borrowed our house a couple of months before to use to house people for a big reunion as they we were not going to be up there at that time. But it is mostly back together. The damage would have been far worse if she hadn't hit a mugo pine which cushioned the blow.

Lesson, buy more plants. I doubt that tulips count. Patti

well i am thinking that if i had a second house i could sell it and buy every plant known to man. i could build a gymnasium sized greenhouse and grow tropical trees..........sorry, the fantasy got away from me. glad no one was hurt. but i bet they hated making that phone call to ya'll after all of your generosity. lol.

t, most of the bulbs (except crocus) have gone into garden areas, but several of these that just came in and are on the way are going into the lawn. They are areas further from the house where the grass can remain unmowed till late in spring and won't look messy from the distance.

Patti, I'd be reluctant to move daffs now, as some that I've run into while digging are already growing lots of roots. I'm not sure how moving now would effect them, particularly if they need to be separated. If you could just lift some shovels full and set the whole clumps in place, that may work. You would probably slice into some bulbs, but if they're crowded I doubt you'll miss them.

michaeljo, the situation critter described, with shade from deciduous trees, is the spot for pastels I mentioned. Its on the South-West side of the house and gets good sun in spring. There are several large spruces and a few white pines in that part of the lawn that serve as a wind break, so there are some areas between conifers and the house where it is just too shady all the time for most bulbs. Those spots get some Spanish bluebells and shade tolerant perennials. The sunny side of the conifers serves as a great backdrop for daffs and tall tulips. I'm so thankful for all the trees; the wind on this hill is blustery, and the conifers really help, and the deciduous trees make a huge difference in summer, blocking that hot SW sun.

Ok, the sun is shining, today is a planting day!

Looking for recommendations and ideas from y'all. I've got 5 Frittilaria persica, what would they look best with? The dark color needs to be set off with something else, but what? Pink (hyacinths or daffs) could be nice, white could be striking (I've got A.blanda'White Splendour', various white daffs, tulip turkestanica), or orange and yellow could be fun (in an area with species tulip Little Princess, various yellow/orange&white/orange daffs, orange pansies, plum/orange violas). I'd love to try all three combos, lol. Input welcome here!

Neal - I don't think you needs any help at all - great ideas! I didn't have good luck with my F. Persica.
I feel in love with their silvery leaves and deep purple flowers. I think they need very good drainage
and a nice hot sunny spot. I put them in a spot with excellent drainage and southern exposure but with
a bit of shade from surrounding buildings. They came up only the first year. I'm gonna have to try again
somewhere else.

Thanks Tammy, but which sounds best? Lets see, I'm guessing you'd combine them with pinks and lavenders; am I right? This may be a one time shot; I know many have the same experience with fritts not returning. And I doubt I'll replace them if they don't persist on their own.

I'd put them with the 'Little Princess' tulips. You know I usually don't have a "thing" for orange, but I really love the combo of the 'Little Princess' and blue-purple Phlox stolonifera that happened here by pure accident... and I can definitely see something like that around the feet of the Frits. In fact, it seems to me that the couple of frits that did bloom for me had 'Little Princess' nearby to set them off.. so I can't swear to it, but I think they might bloom together for you. The orange/plum violas or orange pansies would be good too -- and you'd probably be more sure of having them bloom at the "right" time!

Neal - yep... I'd go with pinks and purples. I've had wonderful luck with all sorts of
frittilaria. Just not the Persica. I've bought every variety offered by Van Engelen
and they all do well for me (except the persica). I love them all.

I think this one is F. Palllidaflora ... in my rock garden

Gemini, Thanks for the narcissus advice. I think I will do a clump move.

My F. Persica grew great last year but the buds never opened. We had some cold weather which may have gotten them.

I agree with Tammy about the nice silvery green color, but I would have rather seen the blooms! I think pink hyacinth with white narcissus and the burgundy frit with pale yellows turkestanica would look great or go wild with the oranges and burgundy which I love always. Or just buy some more bulbs to go with it, 'Black hero', or 'Persian Pearl' ha. Patti

Tammy, that was my favorite Frit last spring along with raddeana. I didn't add more this year except two that I didn't have before (Fritillaria verticillata and uva-vulpis ) until I see who loves me and comes back well. Boy are the boxes stinky when they arrive. Trowels crossed. Patti

oooo... Patti - where did you get those? I haven't had any of those three.
(frit lust!) I remember the very first time I bought frit bulbs. I had them sitting
in the passenger seat next to me driving home. I thought I must have run over
a skunk until I remembered reading that it was their smell that was supposed
to drive off rabbits and such.

Tammy, that fritt is gorgeous! Easy to see why its a favorite.

Patti, I think the pink/lavender/cream area is going to win out. Its next to the memorial garden area that is mostly plums and purples, so it will help tie it all together. And as it happens, I have 50 Persian Pearl tulips just waiting for a home, lol. The soil is better there, so I think their chances will be better.

critter, I've also got some Little Beauties that need a home. The dark centers may be nice with the fritts. After I walk around in the yard some more, I may change my mind- I'm still really liking the orange combo. Its so hard being an indecisive gemini, LOL.

The answer is simple, and you've already mentioned it... you need a couple more sets of those fritts! :-)

Gemini, I can't wait to see your beds. Do they all have names? I did the names of mine mostly by location so it is a dull sounding list but I don't get lost. I can sort them easily in my journal by beds to see what is where. That especially helps with the bulbs. It has helped a lot in general too though not completely to avoid some real doozy's of color combinations. I call those the "OH, MY" and where is the shovel moments. I hope I have kept my bulb bags straight this fall or there will be a lot of "Oh, My's" this spring. Patti

Tammy, here is F. raddeana which I bought from Van Engelen last year about 4.00 each however only 3 came up, but the dogs had dug up a huge hole near them, so I think a couple got displaced. Why do the dogs always dig in the places where the expensive plants are? Fritillaria uva-vulpis was 25 for 3.25 from Blooming Bulb and Fritillaria verticillata is on sale at Brent and Becky for 5 for 7.00. Patti

I never really set out to name the beds, but end up needing a way to id the spot in my notes. The name typically arises from some image the bed ends up invoking. So now there is the Sunrise bed, Sky garden, Sunset garden, pastel garden, and butterfly garden. More beds are popping up, so they're bound to start getting pretty creative, lol.

I missed that one! I hope they carry it next year... looks really pretty Patti.

Gemini, Your names are more exciting than my names like "lower herb bed, hot bed middle, west walk, driveway walk". I can't do a mass edit in my DG journal, so I guess I am stuck because I have 30 something bed spaces defined and it would take weeks to change all those entries. I knew my names were boring to begin with, but I was trying to get organized after I joined Dave's and didn't take the time to be creative.

I am now looking out my window at that spot that I need to move some narcissus to, but it is cold and windy today. It has become more apparent than ever that I will need to plant there soon or I will regret it come spring. It will stick up like a sore thumb. Here is a picture of the spot looking back towards me. It sure could stand what Tabasco calls a "swoop" of bulbs. I hope we have a long enough extension cord. Patti

For anyone who is still ordering... get twice as many crocus bulbs as you think you'll need. Really. I thought 500 would be enough. I ended up with 750. I've planted half of them and only covered 1/3 of the area. Those little bulbs (actually, the ones BB sent me were huge, for crocus bulbs!) never go as far as you think they will. And at half off, you can afford to order twice as many, right? LOL

critterologist...I wish I were in Delaware right now. Parts of the lawn not in full sun had a thin frozen crust this afternoon. And I have over 1,400 more bulbs to plant. On the postive side, if the ground were not freezing up and had I not be lazy, I would still be ordering.

I think I'll get them all in but not nicely laid down in good soil. I'm just peeling back sections of the lawn, digging down, sitting them in and replacing the sod.

I think that's what I'm going to end up doing with the box of snow crocus sitting in the garage. 1000 bulbs for $20 from BB. I told them that's like dangling penny candy in front of a chocolaholic! DH isn't sure how concerned he should be about the front lawn... LOL! It'll be fine.

Actually, I wish he's decided to rent that aerator this fall. I had visions of running along afterwards, dropping snow crocus bulbs into the little holes left by the tines. Has anyone actually done that? I guess you'd need to drop a pat of compost or something into the hole. But it seems do-able.

Critter, What a great idea. I think I would just rake some soil over them . The lawn wouldn't mind a little top dressing either. Patti

Patti, that spot does indeed call for some naturalized color. Leave it to me to remind you of another spot that "needs" bulbs, lol.

critter, that sounds like a good idea! I hit it hard today and got 270 daffs planted as well as the 5 fritts and 150 little bulbs in the ground. Wishing for a machine about now, lol.

LOL while I was out working on my new compost pile today, you bulbaholics have been enabling each other up the yazoo!

bb, Can't believe you have left that pretty dogwood so very bereft of bulbs! You must get busy! And I agree with critter's bulb budget philosophy of "half off, so plant twice as many". Why not?! Ha!

Waiting for my B & B box and then I will be finished. I am so conservative with my bulbs this fall it is dulling me out completely....

Gemini, I didn't go outside at all today, but had bulbs dancing in my head all day. Way to go with your planting. I am thinking I might try to find a big bag of all white (Mt Hood?) for cheap when I go off Island next week. And plant a hoard of Galanthus, Scilla siberica and
Muscari with them. The deer don't eat these, yet.

I just read Nantucket has 35-45 deer per square mile. We leave the deer herd the front yard (where that pictures were taken) to graze as they want. Last year they went down on a stone terrace and ate the DL (buds only). I will be moving them in the spring. The rabbits are worse. But I always am happy to see them anywhere, but in the deer fenced part of the garden where all the tulips and lilies are planted, strange. Patti

Tabasco, now I feel ashamed. But it( the one starting to bloom) is a much loved beach plum, my DH made almost 100 jars of jelly from it this fall. The other is a native scrub oak which I have been pruning for years to get it to look pretty that was in the scrubby wild part of the yard until a couple of years ago when I brush cut all the mess down. When I finally cleared around it that was a ta-da moment! I am working on a few more on the property buried in the brambles. I told DH my plans and he agrees that it could stand some spring color and that the extension cord will reach. That means he will help plant it. Hooray! Patti

Patti - maybe a cordless drill would be in order for DH this Christmas. :-)

Tammy, We have a cordless which I tried once to use but I like to use the electric one with the auger as it so much more powerful. I was thinking last night that our pillows could use replacing, so maybe he will be getting those. But I think I better come up with something he might actually like especially after the big pile of bulb bills he has been getting lately. Patti

I've never used an auger here... too many rocks. But I was thinking the cordless drill would
allow him to help you plant those bulbs where ever you want... not just where you can reach
with extension cords. Sorry to hear the drill doesn't have enough power.

Tam