Plans on paper to plant daffodils in drifts

critter, I forgot to mention, I'm also looking for little bulbs (scilla, chionodoxa, muscari) if you want to split up any good bulk deals.

LOL! Of course you realize that if they still have the C. vernus in stock when their sale starts, we'll have to order some more...

Deborah, sorry for the diversion on your thread, guess Neal & I could've done this by Dmail... but then y'all wouldn't be able to giggle at us! You know, a month ago I was saying I didn't think I'd be trying to plant my usual 1000 plus bulbs this fall... at least most of them are "little bulbs" this year!

Neal, I think VE also has a pretty good price on Scilla 'Spring Beauty'... there's a price break for ordering 200 (which I probably will anyway) or 500 of them... that's the one that got really good reviews on the "little blue bulbs" thread a couple of years ago, so I figure if I'm going to add Scilla out there, that's the variety I want.

Oh, right, sorry Deborah, so easy to get distracted here. But, do remember, drifts of crocus are lovely among drifts of early daffodils, LOL.

yes, and I'm counting on my crocus drifts and "ribbon" of M. latifolium to unify my clump plantings of daffodils... :-)

I'm giggling, LOL. Talk away please, that's how I learn how to spend more money from all of yall enablers. Glad to hear I'm not by myself wanting more bulbs! Now I'd like to see y'alls pictures in the spring so I'll know what additional bulbs to plant for next fall.

Deborah, are you sure you don't need any C. vernus? I'm debating whether to order 500 now for Neal & me and hope to order another round during the sale... or whether to just order 1000 now and be done with it. LOL!

Neal, I've got you down for 250 C. vernus lavender mix, 100 Firefly... do you want any Scilla 'SB'?

Y'all are making me tired just talking about all those bulbs you are going to plant! What kind of vitamins do y'all take, anyway? glad all y'all southerners know what "y'all" means! LOL

LOL, I'm telling you, the little bulbs aren't much extra effort! As long as you're digging holes for a couple hundred "big" bulbs like daffs, you might as well plant several hundred more "little bulbs" over and around them! I'm going to need to eat my Wheaties though, especially if we don't get some good rain soon to soften up the ground for my tiller!

Sounds perfect critter, and I'll happily take 100-200 scilla :)

Deborah, glad we can be a "good" influence on you, lol. My indecisiveness used to always lead me to pick up a few each of a ton of different varieties of bulbs, but I've finally managed to steer myself in the right direction. Now, with little bulbs I'm finally planting by the 100- great impact the first year, even from a distance, and cheaper that way! And critter is right about combining them with daffs, beautiful! Often I put 3 bulbs per hole when planting tiny things like snow crocus and scilla, and since they don't have to be very deep, it's not too big a pain.

Yep -- 1 daff bulb, 3 crocus bulbs around and above it!

Oh, all right, you talked me into it. Put me down for a couple hundred. LOL
LOL, Marsue, y'all means you'uns.

Deborah, let me know if you're serious... although I think the double shipping will eat up most of the quantity savings, so if you're willing to do VE's $50 minimum order you're probably better off ordering on your own (I'm shipping Neal a box anyway, so the double shipping doesn't figure in).

The lavender mix giant crocus would run you $14.30 per hundred, plus shipping from me to you. The C. sib. would be less than that, exact amount depending on whether we ended up order 500 of any of them. :-)

Yeah, Deborah, and I am thinking about starting a thread over in General Discussion forum about
"southern sayings". LOL

Thanks Critter for the offer on the bulbs, I think I'll order on my own. while my internet service was on the blink for the most of yeasterday, I had a chance to look through the VE catolog. Saw lots I'm considering.

Marsue, that sounds like fun. I'll have to check it out. I'm prudy good at chewin' up the English language and spittin' it out.

Ordering on your own is the way to go, I think. And if you find you didn't order quite enough, their fall sale starts a week or so into November. :-)

Thank you for the heads up on their fall sale. I'll have to take advantage of that one.

I started a sale thread recently, wanted to make sure you'd seen it.. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/773618/

Yikes! I used up all my yellow bulbs just on one side of the pond! Maybe I planted them too close? :( Doesn't look like my plans to mirror each side of the pond are going to materalize this year. I see all the sales and really could use more bulbs to finish but where would the money come from? Thanksgiving grocery money? LOL If I bought more bulbs now I'd be diggin'em up, washin'em off, throw'em in a pot of water and adding an onion in a week or two.

ROFLOL!

I don't think that plan needs to materialize all at once. With your approach, you'll have definite starting and stopping points, and you'll know where to plant over the next few years... that's better IMO than planting too thinly and then trying to "fill in" between by guessing where bulbs might or might not be buried.

With the other bulbs, continue around in whichever direction you'll best be able to see them. :-)

Maybe we should adopt the furniture industry sales pitch....buy bulbs now and do not pay interest until 2010????

Now that's a great plan, Bert!

LOL! Dmail him, Cordele... maybe you can work something out! You'll be planting bulbs until Valentine's Day! ROFLOL

I took everyones advice and tried to plant close rather than spread out too thin and sparse. My finally numbers of daffs exceeded 500 and the smaller bulbs well over 1000. I'm glad I kept the early bloomers together. Had I not done that with as large a planting area as I have, they would have been lost in the horizon. Here's the start of the early bloomers.
The pond is as full as it has been in 29 years. I think there may be a drift of daffs under water. :(

This message was edited Mar 6, 2008 10:16 AM

When should I try to dig up those clumps closest to the water?

Daffs are planted all the way around with most of the latest bloomers in the middle. However, I did try to plant a few of all bloom times in every clump.
Most all clumps are 5 bulbs.
All the little white flags are marking ditch lilies that I planted in 2006. Thanks to my pleas for postage when I first began gardening and joining Daves. I just never got around to pulling up those ugly flags.

Daffs & ditch lilies -- great combination!

Those clumps look fantastic! What a treat! And just think, many of the varieties you planted will increase... the show will just get better each year!

The ones by the water don't seem to be yellowing or anything from being too wet... I'd say move them after they're done blooming, if you want to move them... give them time to store up a little energy for next year before disrupting them.

How about adding Marsh Marigolds in the edges and up out of the pond to join nicely with all the Daffs Deborah? When Spring gets agoin I usually have bunches of them I dig up and put elsewhere or toss. They are a bit invasive but they are wonderful yellow bloomers in and near a pond,fast growing and prolific☺I could try to send you some I pull up,but I don't know if they can stay alive to mail. I could try getting seeds this year for you if you would like to try them☺

You certainly are creating a fantastic oasis,what a great idea☺

It's looking good, Deb! I can hardly wait to see more photos as the others come up and start to bloom. I believe critter is "right on" in her advice about when to dig the bulbs.

Marilyn

Thanks so much Jill, Lucille and Marilyn.

I'm so glad I didn't mix my colors up and stayed with yellow together, and then whites together on my house side of the property. (Critter's advice again. HeeHee) Sure seems to make the area bigger to me for some reason.

Lucille, save me so seeds please. Working on that 'river' of yellow and reds, Lu! Are marsh marigolds the same as pot marigolds? do you know the botanical name? I may have winter sown some but totally forgot they are pond marginals! Yea! If that's so! I've also winter sown some swamp milkweed and Joe pye weed too.

Marilyn, I'll be sure to take more pictures as more bloom. I can see now that I'll be planting more daffs next fall more so into my grassy area though. That grass is centipede so it doesn't need mowing as quickly as the burmuda that's growing up closer to the house.

I've read re-read and bookmarked the articles that Lin and Gloria tipped me to. One article gave them a complete list of the cultivars good for the south. I bought some and have those in mind to add more for next year too.

Make sure you give them sone fertilizer, OK?

The daffs are so pretty! Wish we had a pond like that...

Marsh marigold( Caltha palustris) They are late coming up this year but as soon as they start popping I will post a pic of them for you Deborah.The tag says they are considered a Marginal and are perfect plants for your pond and surroundings.They keep the water clean and beautify your pond and garden. They have always reminded me of Daffs even though the leaf is wide and they are just like a
Daff blooming to welcome Spring back each year. They rebloom too with each subsequent bloom becoming smaller. I have a Skunk Cabbage planted in with them,but have not had good luck growth wise with it so I never bought any more of those. Maybe this year it will get big and healthy. It's my fault as I have moved it so much to get just the perfect spot in the bog,HA,HA,the eternal search for the perfect plant in the perfect spot.....well maybe when I get to Heaven☺

Does your dog go-a-swimming in the pond? He looks like he is part Lab and somehow I almost expected him to jump right in when I saw his pic☺

Okee Dokee, Bleek. I did put a tablespoon of bulb food in each hole when I planted them. When should I top dress with more fertilizer?

Thank you lakesidecallas. Our 'pond' is a nice word for the big drainage ditch that it is. Since catfish, bass and brim thrive in it, pond seems just as fitting. :o)

I don't have seeds for Caltha palustris, Lu. Plantfiles has a nice group of pictures and I love them! Designart's picture of the 'river' of marsh marigolds beside that creek is lovely! Thanks for suggesting these. They would be wonderful around my pond. Just added them to my want list too! Katy (pictured) is a lab and she and our male lab Kobe go fishing daily. I'm waiting on the day a snapping turtle grabs a hold of a nose.

Just right after they have flowered sprinkle another 1/2 tablespoon on top but not when you expect a downpoor as it may all wind up in the pond and that's not good.

Ouch! Just thinking about that snapping turtle makes me hurt! Poor doggies--sure hope that doesn't happen.
Deb, feed your bulbs after they bloom. That is when the bulb draws the food and stores it for next year's bloom but don't wait until the bloom stalk dies--do it as soon as the bloom has drooped and started turning brown. If I am wrong about this, anybody just chime in and correct me.

We cross-posted, bleek. Sounds like my advice was pretty good after all. LOL