Interest in a Daffodil swap?

Thanks,Gemini.

Critter,your daff bed is beautiful.How large an area would you say it encompasses?

Er... maybe 30 or 40 feet long, curving to perhaps 8 to 12 feet in width? I'd have to go out and measure, LOL, but that gives you a general idea. It's sort of kidney shaped, anchored by a mimosa at one end and a maple at the other, with a couple of little maples planted close together at the center back of the bed.

I found a photo showing the early bloomers (Neal's little yellow daffs, white 'Ice Follies' & "Yellow Jonquils for Naturalizing" from Brecks). You can also see a couple of clumps in the new border running along the little line of trees at the back of the yard. Late bloomers are mostly 'Geranium' and 'Yellow Cheerfulness', and there's a scattering of mini dutch iris, crocus, etc. for earlier color.

Daylilies are now budding up to take over the show in that bed. I'm gradually filling in with sweet woodruff as a groundcover, also.

Wish I could jump into this swap this year, but I'm just too far behind on things to add dividing daffs to my to-do list. I'll be watching the fun, though, and cheering everybody on!

Thanks, Critter. I want to get some "Geranium" too and a few other late daffs.

I will also have a lot of "Thalia" to go around. I'd classify it as mid-to late season.

You're right, Critter. Better not go so overboard on swapping. There will be lots of bulbs to dig and plant. Might be best to start out small, maybe I'll limit myself to no more than a dozen trades. The swap was a tremendous amount of work.

I'm sure you'll manage to fill one or two flat rate boxes, Stormy!

Part of the problem here is a painting project that had a delay in the middle, so now instead of getting all my planting done, I'm painting. LOL

Hmm, Neal did you mention a shipping deadline up there?

Gorgeous display, Jill! They've increased beautifully! I think the foliage should be dying off sometime in June for most of the country, so how about everyone plan to get bulbs shipped out to me by July 1. I think that would give folks time to get them dried and packed, but I'm flexible on that (we could push that back to August 1 if that works better). I'd like to get everyone's return boxes sent by the end of August so planting can start in September (which I'm thinking would be good for northerners).

How does that sound?

Would be fine, Gemini. But we need more participants. Think later tonight I'll post a link in the Northeast Forum. Lots of great bulb lovers there.

there are some folks that have shown interest on the thread in the group trades forum too. I'll start compiling a list and see how many in all we've got showing interest.

I'll play too.

Cathy

Well I found my camera cord! Here are some of my King Alfred daffodils that I bought from "The Jonquil City" sale in Smyrna GA. Don't know if this really shows how tall they are.

Here's a close-up. You wouldn't know they had that little fading of cream unless you got really close. Or at least I didn't.

After going to the Daffodil shows in Atlanta and Keukenhof I really wanted beds and beds full of them... they I really started looking at the prices per bulb in Brent and Becky's catalog. You should have seen my face slowly turn from an excited happy smile to a sad little droopy frown.

critterologist, you've really got something to be proud of. I'm sure many of you do. I'll just keep plugging along and get there though. I just always start out with grand expectations. I see in my mind grand sweeps of Lilies or daylilies or daffodils, or better yet all of them! (I don't think going to Holland helped keep my expectations realistic!)

I love looking at all of your photos, keep posting. And Neal, when you get the official trade list going, I won't gab on and on, I promise. It will be all business.

Welcome aboard, Cathy!

Catherine, I'll keep a thread open for chatting throughout the swap- always fun to discuss flowers!

We've got 10 interested participants now, so it's a go! I'll keep it open for more to sign up and join till the deadline, which will be August 1. I'll start a thread in the Group trades forum and post a link to it here.

3G, a little off topic for this thread, but Brent & Becky's does a half-off sale about a week after Thanksgiving... and they always have lots of daffs left, so unless there's one particular one I absolutely have to have (which happens), I wait for the sale. Van Engelen also has fall sales, plus they give good volume discounts (that island bed of daffs happened 100 bulbs at a time).

I like the later deadline... means that if I get caught up (hah!), I might be able to jump in if there's still room. But don't save me a spot, because I am really behind now! LOL

Oh, come on Jill! I have pushed the deadline back to August 1, hope that tempts you, LOL.

Here's our official swap thread:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/994782/

I just wrote it at the top of Nov. in my calendar. Thanks. And I can't get to planting until then anyway. (And sometimes not even until Jan., but don't tell the bulbs that, they don't know and don't seem to care either, that's when those King Alfreds went in and they were just fine.) :-)

Oh 3 Gardeners, I remember many years ago buying 200 mixed bulbs, daffs, tulips, crocus and some other extras I got as freebies for buying so many. I was expecting a huge spring display. What I got was some very pretty but small clumps spread all over the yard. It was just like the yard swallowed them up. Every year I would get a few more and finally I have something like the type of display I was expecting many years ago. LOL

Good tip... plant in big groups and drifts, concentrating whatever bulbs you get in one or two areas rather than scattering little groups here and there. Even just 5 bulbs will have much more impact as a single big clump than planted singly across the front of a border.

I like to plant mine in groups of five and tuck them around here and there but I am getting enough now that I have much larger displays. I have also been trying to find early, mid and late bloomers to extend my display.

Oh, I forgot to tell y'all that this is my back yard.

I wish!! That's from Keukenhof and that's my daughter sitting on a path running in the middle of the bulbs.

This photo is of a variety that was on display in the show. That is her hand next to it for comparison as to it's size. (She's 12 yrs old). I have some great photos of some very unique varieties that I wish I could show you but I don't know how to do those photo buckets. Maybe I can figure out how to do a collage.

Wow, 3Gardeners. I bet that smelled good!

Spectacular!

LOL,

I'm giving this thread a bump in hopes a few more folks would like to join. Still waiting on bulbs from a few, and we've had one participant drop, so some more bulbs would sure help make this a successful swap.

Here's the swap thread link:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/994782/

Have you recieved any more bulbs?

cathy

No more bulbs yet, and nothing back from the dmails to those I had listed as participants (3) I haven't received bulbs from yet. After a couple dropped, we were only left with 8 participants, which I've been hoping would be enough to offer enough variety to make it a worthwhile swap for everyone (..but cutting it close, for sure). Right now we've got a lot of King Alfred, several mixed-primarily mixed white varieties, some Erlicheer, Snowbird, and no id whites. And I have dug a few Jetfire, several Thalia, Pippin, and a sport of Thalia I've had for years and can't recall the name of. It is like Thalia, only with a doubled cup and a bit larger bloom. Also have a bunch of what I believe to be this yellow double:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/73081/

Update: while getting the link for the yellow double above, I heard back from a dmail and another box of bulbs is coming! So, we're up to 6 now- yayyy!

Also, I have an idea to toss out. How about we extend the swap till the end of September, and see if anyone purchasing bulk bulbs may like to send some in to swap as well? If my getting everyone's boxes mailed the first week of October will give everyone enough fall planting time, I'm thinking that may encourage a few more to participate. There are some great deals for 100 bulbs of one variety, so some may like to keep some of them and swap the rest. Is there anyone too far north to receive bulbs the first week of October?

I could do that, I'd be glad to get some to send. That would put me back in the swap.

Holly, that would be super!

Each year I have the problem of the foliage seeming to disappear overnight, then I can't find where to dig.

Neal, was planning on digging mine this weekend but didn't want to say for sure in case something kept me from it. Weather is looking decent...think maybe the humidity might even drop, ugh!

Lana

That would be super Lana! Supposed to be lovely weather here this weekend- daily highs in the 70's :-)