My Bed of Tulips

DonnaMack, Thanks, I didn't dig up any, but may in the future, so that helps. My Maureen has come back very well. Patti

Well it's all an experiment to me - I left the bulbs in the ground until I could no longer stand the sight of the bed, then dug them up and broke the stem/leaves off and saved the bulbs. I have them laying out drying in my basement (that is, the ones I've dug so far - 2.5 inches of rain this morning and it looks like more on the way - the rest of the bed may not be dug for a few days!) - I only saved the largest bulbs. I'll plant them in this bed in October - I'll let you know if anything flowers next spring.

Absolutely gorgeous! That is a LOT of work!!! I also love the bed when the impatiens are blooming.
Sherry

In late June I planted the bed with assorted vinca, which doesn't seem to be growing very fast. I also planted one of the standard brugmansias I started from cuttings last winter to give the bed a little 'interest'.

Here's how it looks today (July 12). I'll take the supports off the brug in a couple weeks, when the roots have spread enough to anchor the plant and keep it upright in these Kansas winds.

Nice Job!

Very nice, Leawood! That's typical for vinca to grow slowly at first, then suddenly they will wake up and fill in quickly. They like hot summer weather.

Hi Leawood--How are the bulbs doing? I've always considered lifting bulbs rather than enduring the yellowing foliage until early July when I finally start pulling it up in frustration. As it happens I think I live in a zone which requires replanting tulips every year. Maybe lifting is the economical (sweat equity) option--if it works. Do you have access to coolers? I always thought bulbs needed to be refrigerated

Also, can you describe the crimson hedge shown at a distance in the last photo you posted?

thanks

The bulbs are resting in my basement at the moment (a cool, dark room where I store cannas, elephant ears and my banana trees in the winter). We're in the same zone, so if lifting them works for me, it should work for you. I'll be planting them in October, in the bed where the hedge you mentioned borders. The 'hedge' is a row of Canada Red Cherry trees I keep topped at 12'. They were planted 3 years ago and have done nicely.

The leaves are green in the spring, then turn this rich, burgundy color in June.

That bed currently has my experimental vegetable bed (ala Villandry, the chateau in the Loire Valley where they do flower beds filled with vegetables). My version has not been a success - I planted it too late to have it work properly.

This photo is taken from across the creek that runs behind my property.

This message was edited Aug 3, 2009 8:17 AM

Hi bacarney. Hope you don't mind my chiming in. Are you talking about tulips, by any chance? The yellowing foliage of daffodils has to be endured, but I pull up my tulips every year and then replant them in the fall. I now have hundreds and hundreds of tulips, instead of the few dozen I used to buy. I actually pull them and replace them with gladiolus, which I lift to put the tulips back, and self seeding annuals.

I dug mine up in June. The foliage can be yellow - just don't cut it off. And they do not need cooling. I put them in pot saucers with a plastic plant label identifying them, put them in our garage, which is not cooled or heated, and then whenI the foliage completes the yellowing process, I cut off the foliage and put them into brown paper lunch bags. I label the bags with a pen, but also throw the labels in that were with the bulbs.

You can use pot lids, pails, anything. Just don't overcrowd the bulbs. The digging up process, and the labeling process, can be broken down over several days. The best part of all is that you do not have to take the bulbs into the house, and the drying process allows you to make sure the bulbs don't have any nasty insects.

All of my bulbs come back - some actually multiply during this process. I actually have tulip bulbs that are eight years old. I only buy a a couple dozen each year. The display can be spectacular.

Just break down the task by doing it over several days.

I realize that some people think this is a lot of work. I don't find that it is - it's kind of neat to put in 12 bulbs and find you have fourteen. And the cost savings - WOW.

Donna

typos out!




This message was edited Aug 4, 2009 10:27 AM

Excellent point, Donna! In this economy, you must be as frugal as possible. This is the first time I've saved my bulbs (it was your encouragement that got me started) and I'm really looking forward to seeing the results. You know me, I'll post the results regardless of the outcome.

This message was edited Aug 3, 2009 12:39 PM

Hi Leawood. I'm looking forward to the rewards of your efforts. How kind of you to let me know you are saving your bulbs! I hope it works for you as well as it has worked for me - then you can go out and spend perhaps a quarter of what you spent last year and have a second splendid display of whatever you choose.

And if there is one thing that I am sure of, coming from you it will be a splendid display.

Donna

How did your vinca do? Did they fill in?

LOL. The vinca are pretty scrawny and sparse. I'm told they take a while to get established, but it's been over a month! I should have followed my instincts and put in begonias or impatiens, but I've done both in the bed before and (yawn) I don't like to do the same thing twice - hahaha.

Oh well, maybe by frost they will have filled in. I'll get out some MiracleGro and the hose feeder and see if I can't give 'em a boost. I used vinca in a bed by the patio and they are (finally) starting to get bushy.

This message was edited Aug 3, 2009 6:21 PM

I so enjoy your gardening efforts and try to check in on your updated posts of your garden. I have had good, actually great success, with Vinca in the garden by giving it all I can think of to get it going. I learned some years back, even in pots, it can drag along until mid to late summer before it takes off. That is too long for me to wait for full plants. I now encircle all of my annuals planted in the garden with a small amount of Osmocote, and make every effort to also spray them with Miracle Grow every two weeks. Sometimes more often than that if time allows. You and I are in the same zone I see, so we have a limited time to get flowers to their peak with enough remaining time to sit back and enjoy the fulfilled vision of beautiful flowers. My method does require a bit of extra investment but the results have proven well worth the cost to me. BTW, I found an internet source for a large bag of Osmocote, enough for a bizillion pots and in ground plantings, that is half the cost of what is locally available. Still not cheap, but certainly a great buy when you need a lot. I always have some left over for next year even though my children raid my bag so they can avoid putting out the cash for their own. :(

Tussee

Thanks for the hint, Tusseemussee! I've never used Osmocote before - what is your source for large quantities? Have you ever tried Milorganite? I used to buy 50# bags of blood meal for my hostas, pansies, etc in the spring, but they are no longer available (it was also used as a supplement for cattle food, so it's not produced in bulk any more because it was somehow connected to fear of Mad Cow Disease, according to a local nursery supply store I shop at). When I couldn't get the blood meal, the owner suggested Milorganite. It's made from sewage plant waste.

It is high in nitrogen (6-2-0) and really gives my hostas and other border garden plants a boost in the spring. It's relatively inexpensive (even less than the blood meal!), although I noticed it went up 25% this year (typical - it becomes popular and the price goes up!). Its about $19 for a 50# bag. The high nitrogen is perfect for leafy plants like hostas, but I read somewhere that nitrogen also benefits blooming plants as well. I put a cup of Milorganite in each of my brugmansias recently and it seemed to help stop the leaf yellowing I was having.

I gave the vinca a shot of Miracle Gro a couple days ago. I may try some Milorganite as well and see if we can't get them GROWING. Here's a photo of my hostas, cabbage and coleus in the border - they love the Milorganite!

Leawood - how cool!

I'm a big fan of Milorganite. My plants love it, and the chipmunks stay away from plants that have just a sprinking of it, so when I put things in pots or turn earth I use it. It's quite low in nitrogen, doesn't burn, and is approved by the EPA. It used to be hard to find but now Ace Hardware stocks it all the time, at $6.00 for 36 pounds.The price actually came down, much to my shock. Interesting, too that they list it on their web site for $11.00. In more generous amounts, it also repells rabbits.

And I swear by Osmocote - the four month variety. There is a nine month type but we don't have enough season for that. But it's terrific insurance for plants.

Leawood, I'm not familiar with Milorganite but I have used several mixtures in my flower beds, with trace elements, that probably worked for plants in the same way. Osmocote is a controlled release fertilizer. Every time it rains, or you water, small amounts of fertilizer is released. I buy the 3-4 month life type, with a 14-14-14 formula as this seems to best fit my overall plant needs. My source is A. M. Leonard's and they are the absolute best mail order business I have ever dealt with. They sell all sorts of things - I think the garden items are now being offered through their Gardeners Edge. I've bought from them for years and the average delivery time is about 5 minutes from when you hang up the phone from placing an order. Lol. I kid you not, it seems that fast. With Osmocote, they only offer 50# bags, and that is the only way I want to buy it as smaller sizes are always far more expensive weight wise. A bag this size would last most gardeners at least 3 years. I lucked into a shipping break this year - $4.99 for all purchases if ordered by the end of March. So I ordered 2 bags. Lol. It does not spoil, just have to keep it dry and hidden away from family members.

That last photo of yours is beautiful. Everything looks so fresh and satisfied.

Tussee

Well the season's almost over and I have to say I'm disappointed in the vinca in this bed. I gave it MiracleGro and Milorganite, and the plants got nice and bushy, but the blooms are very disappointing - I think the bed gets too much shade for vinca (you can't see it, but the Brugmansia is very lopsided - the sunny side has grown nicely, the shady side is much smaller). I've planted begonias in the bed in previous years (success) and impatiens (success), so I guess I should have stuck with the winners.

This message was edited Oct 2, 2009 1:16 PM

Which tulip are you planting this year? Hope they send you the correct color this year. Patti

Thanks for asking - now it can be reported - the bulb company - VanBourgondien - just shipped the replacement - 1,000 Mrs. John Scheepers tulips (bright yellow). No charge. No charge for shipping. No one at the company could think of a reason the bulbs I received last year were marked Mrs. John Scheepers, but were, in fact, a different variety, and according to the customer service rep, nobody else complained of receiving the wrong variety.

While admitting no wrong, the fact that they replaced $300 worth of bulbs (my cost - I order wholesale from them) says they know there was a problem somewhere.

The replacement bulbs just arrived and will go in the ground as soon as I can pull up the vinca, move the brugmansia and get a guy here to till the bed. NEXT spring - a sea of yellow tulips!

Hurray! Finally a company that makes good on a deal.

Can't wait to see the bright yellow display. Be sure to send VB a photo - maybe they'll use it for promotion purposes and reward you for it.

LeawoodGardener, I will be looking for my sunglasses come spring! I am so pleased they replaced their mistake. The bulbs that I have purchased from them in the past have been fine, but plants not so much. I loved your sea of white last spring, but it wasn't your vision. Patti

Oh my gosh, now we have to wait ANOTHER season to see LeawoodGardener's sea of yellow. We live in St. Joseph, MO, about 1.5 hours north. Maybe I'll make a drive down to see them in person this year as I have so enjoyed watching this thread! I'm glad VB made good - I've heard good things of their bulbs but horror stories of their plants. I bought some hostas from them and they are doing well. I just love their catalogues as each flower looks so perfect.

What do you do with your brug for the winter? I'm new to them?

I have ordered from vanBourgondien for over 10 years and generally, I am happy with everything I've received. I was pretty upset that the tulips last year were wrong, but the bed looked terrific with the white tulips, and they lasted 3 full weeks!

You definitely need to visit next spring! I'll be posting pix as they sprout and develop, and my garden is always 'open'.

Several years ago I ordered 25 Sum and Substance hostas from VB (I have a large area of shade!) and last year I discovered they have Hosta Virus - I contacted VB and (after some persistence on my part) they gave me a credit to replace the diseased plants. This photo was taken in early May, before I discovered the problem.

Good to know - will have to visit next spring and see the garden for myself. It was gorgeous last year with the other tulips.

I neglected to answer your brugmansia question - I don't try to haul the big plants in for the winter. Instead, I take cuttings and start new plants for the next spring. Here's a link to a forum on it:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/947548/

If next year is like this year, I'll have more than I can use in my garden, so I can probably trade/sell you one of my 'starts'

I'm really confused as I'm a newbie and anything that grows comes inside this winter, haaaa. You're not bringing that gorgeous tree inside, just going to take cuttings and start new ones for next year. Does that mean that brugmansia is only a year old - the one in the photo? I haven't researched them yet, though another DG friend from Platte City I think is going to help me start a collection. Once you start, from what I gather, they are addictive too?

I'm so anxious to watch your gardens develop this next year. We'll make a trip down next spring and see the sea of yellow.

Glad VB has been good to you - I'll have to try them again now that they've made so good on their promises to you!
Cynthia

The brug in the photo with me (above) was one of the cuttings I started last winter (they were large branch cuttings) at this forum:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/947548/

This is what it looked like last week. I pulled up all of the vinca last night and spread a layer of horse manure on the bed. On Saturday I'll dig out the brug (it's huge) - I will either cannibalize it for cuttings, or experiment with trimming the roots and cutting back the foliage and see if I can hold it over in a pot in the basement.

Saturday afternoon I have a guy coming to till the bed and work in the horse manure. Then I will plant the 1,000 YELLOW tulips and mulch for winter.

This message was edited Oct 8, 2009 6:33 AM

I think your vinca probably did need more sun. Impatiens might be better for the area.

I hope you will keep us updated with pictures of the yellow tulips like you did with the white. I just came across this thread yesterday and was skimming through it. Your bed of tulips even though they were the wrong ones were absolutely gorgeous. Look forward to seeing the yellow!!!! That is a lovely area you have there.

HI--many thanks for the peek at the Canada Red Cherry trees. They look aglow

We've had rain all day--tulip planting must wait until next weekend.

Here's how the Canada Red Cherry trees looked one morning last week. I was outside watering and could not resist taking a photo. I planted 750 of the white tulips I dug up from this bed and planted them in the bed in front of the Canada Red Cherry trees. The rest (smaller bulbs) I'll sprinkle throughout my border garden.

I gave the South bed a topping of horse manure after I pulled out the vinca and dug out the brugmansia. A guy came and tilled yesterday and I'll plant the yellow tulips one day this week (weather permitting).

This message was edited Oct 11, 2009 9:03 AM

Wow, gorgeous how the light filters through the red leaves! Looks like they are glowing!

Angie

I've started a new thread to chronicle what happens this year:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1050210/