When Are You Planting Bulbs This Year?

Your friendship is more than enough, Pixie. Well, maybe a few more fantastic photos this year especially of your blue flowers - they were fantastic. You'll have us all at Wal Mart buying up all the packets of mixed blue annuals this year.

We cross posted, Patti. Sure you can borrow him and he's sure to enjoy your great dinners, too.

Pirl, He would have to wear his umbrella hat. What fun to find self seeded treasure in the compost.

Candyce, I read that anemones need to be soaked if the soil is dry when planted, but if you had planted them after a rain or had a good rain soon after planting, they should be fine. You are suppose to plant them on there sides as you can't tell up from down. They look like dried prunes or worse. But I can't imagine that it matters as most bulbs seem to right themselves when planted Topsy turvy. I had them come up in the three spots that I planted them in last year. I started with a little bag of each with the pink was the least successful. The blue and white seemed quite happy, but have no expectations that they will return, only hope. I planted more of the white and pink this year. Patti

Patti, don't read this.... Lily bulbs are out for Spring 2008 @ B & D Lilies. I will be there all day with bib on.
http://bdlilies.com/2008.html

Pixie, cruel, cruel joke. I will ignore, I will ignore, I will probably peek....Thanks, Patti

Darn it all about the allium.
Oh well. That's what my DG friends are all about ~ teaching me what and what doesn't works.

Now Pirl, that's not nice showing off your lupines to us lupine challenged people.

Patti, I enjoy all my successess, not to worry about that. It just irks me that I casn't grow a certain plant, that should grow here.

Now here's what I can grow and enjoy:--one of my sunny borders---

One of my shade borders and grandkids (feet only of one)

Beautiful, polly!
Simply gorgeous!!

And how's this to make you think of spring? My favorite lilac, 'Lilac Sunday'

Oh what a beautiful lilac!!!

Thank you, Candyce.

Maybe Pirl will tell me exactly how to grow lupines, but I suspect it has something to do with her great compost.

Thank you, Pixie. I love how it hangs down. It's a semi new intro from the Arnold Arboretum to commemorate their Lilac Sunday event.

Polly, bite your tongue. I doubt that there is really anything that you can't grow well. You must be harboring a Lupine thief that has gone unseen. Gorgeous garden, truly. Patti

This message was edited Jan 1, 2008 11:08 AM

Love the spring memories. Thanks for sharing the lilacs!

Your photos are beautiful and your grandson is so cute! Your lilac is a beauty.

Actually we just push the lupine seeds into the soil - about 1/2" to an inch. The soil where they grow best isn't rich with compost at all. The gardens closest to the six compost piles get the best of it simply because they are nearby.

pirl, so you direct sow the lupine seeds and when? And how much sun and direction. It all shouldn't matter as they seem to grow with wild abandon along the roadside all the way up to Quebec with not a care. I should have no excuse as I am in such a similar zone to you. Thanks, Patti

Planting as soon as the seeds are ripe all the way through winter. Direct sowing is easiest and in 2006 Jack planted 800 directly, of which only about 100 came up but that was fine with us.

Full sun. No particular direction. Those in the northwest garden do worst of all.

Thanks, Patti, that's a true compliment coming from you, and the rest of the wonderful gardeners on this forum.

Thanks, Pirl. Aha, direct sow. I haven't tried that yet. I buy starts for my nursery, and they grow good in the pots. I'll have to try direct sowing them.

Can they be planted late winter / early spring and still bloom?

A few will but normally no, they won't bloom right away.

Now are you sowing them in flats, or in situ?

Outside: directly and intensely. I'd say about 3 or 4" apart in all directions.

I will try that, then. What seed mix do you use?

Where do you get situ?! Or is it C2?

The situ is the problem - we're running out of situs!

We have the seeds we've saved from our own lupines: I have loads of them if you want any.

Thanks Pirl. I will try that.

What is situ?

Pirl, Patti, Polly & Pixie, Your gardens are perfectly picturesque! Seriously, you are masters.

Patti, great quote!

Happy New Year!

Sow them where you want them to grow. If too many germinate and grow move them ASAP since they develop not only long tap roots but also a surface root (just a tiny bit below the soil) and that cannot be hurt when moved.

Thanks for the compliment, Dave. I still have the asters attached to the hill for you so I'll send them in April. The brick path was just finished a few weeks ago.

Are you guys jerking me around? I never know with you.

In situ (in place)

I was joking. Dave is sheltered.

Me? No. First time I heard the term. So it's just direct sowing. I thought it must have been a seed starting mix or process that I wasn't aware of. Funny

When I was little I really did think Anon wrote a lot of poems!

Cute!

Sorry, Dave. With Victor I just thought I might do a five line essay on in situ, and then he would tell me he knew all that anyway, and come back with some other remark. I should have known YOU would not be jerking me around.

But, please carry on, Victor.

After your essay.

Like when you have carcinoma in situ. That's where I learned the term. So now that it's snowing again, if I can find the old crocus bulbs (I mean old from fall 2007), what should I do with them now? If I can get to the pots before they're full of snow again,,,,,
xxx, Carrie

Carrie, Plant them in situ, but without the cancer, when we get a thaw this month or next as we almost always do. They always do OK, but if they are really early crocus, they may be later but they will bloom. Don't plant them any shallower than normal. Patti

So apparently this phrase has a lot of uses that I'm not aware of. Well I guess my goof for 2008 is used up.

Geesh guys, now even Patti is getting in on it.

In situ

Now who can pronounce it? (Not 'in' (or even 'it') Victor).

Polly - in sit - oooo. with the accent on SIT. Pretend you're a first year medical student! You choose the country,,,,,
Patti - thanks!
x, Carrie