When to plant in 7b/8a?

I'm very new to gardening, etc. and am trying to get a few gardens going around our yard. I'm curious if there are any bulbs I can plant now (mid-summer in Texas) that will give me fall bloomers? Also, I'm just curious, in general, when to plant other types of bulbs & how long to expect them to take before first growth (i.e. Caladiums, Iris, Tulips, any others). Also, shade/sun preferences on these would be helpful. Some of my items would be in winter sun until the overhead trees rebloom in the spring.

Lycoris now!--full to mostly full winter sun, they are dormant in summer. Better hurry on these if you want bloom on them this fall (October for me)--companies run out of them fast this time of year.

Rhodophiala bifida in red and pink also bloom around Labor Day and do well in all parts of Texas and are the most low maintenance bulb on the planet--the same applies for them as Lycoris--plant now! They also have the same sun requirements as Lycoris.

You can still plant Caladiums for a while now, but they won't make it through your winter. But you will still get lots of enjoyment out of them.

Daff's should be in the ground for best performance by the end of July to end of August--roots start growing on them in Texas in August. 98% of the new varieties I'm planting this year are already in the ground; but I have Texas sources for them. Get them in by late September if you possibly can--ask the vendors to ship early to you. They need full sun from October-November through the end of April.

I'm sure someone will argue me down on this point, but that's never stopped me before. Tulipa clusiana will return here in Texas--it has for me for 3 years and I know a lot of people in San Antonio that it does for also. I have pics in PlantFiles and numerous others I can dmail you if you like. With this species (and make sure its this species or some variety of this species) its location, location, location. Bone dry summers, or as close to it as you can get. I plant them on a slope (which is subjective in Houston and must be taken with a grain of salt) and they bloom in early to mid-February for me. Full sun while in active growth.

The only Iris I grow are Louisiana Iris--but I grow a lot of other members of the Iris clan.

If its a bulb and it grows in Texas--I've probably got at least a few of them. ;)

Ipheions can be planted anytime from now until fall and also do well in all parts of Texas, if you are looking for something small and low maintenance. I can probably name about a dozen other good bulbs for Texas; give me some idea of size, exposure, color, and bloom time you are interested in.

Hope this helps,
Debbie

edited for my usual atrocious spelling, run on sentences, dangling participles, and a multitude of other grammatical errors; I'm sure I've missed a few. =)

This message was edited Jul 1, 2008 8:33 PM

Wow Debbie - thanks so much for the detailed response! So many varieties I'll need to look up on PlantFiles! I'm headed out of town tomorrow afternoon, but I may have some more questions for you when I get back & have sufficient time to digest all this information.

Again, thanks for the quick & helpful reply!

Jennifer