what to plant over bulbs?

I've been puzzling over this for a month now, and decided I should open the question to the experts-you all. I mostly have perennials at this point, bul I planted two new bulb beds in front of my foundation plantings.

I can't figure out what annuals to plant over the bulbs! My foundation plantings are blue, violet and white tones, and I'd like to stay with that. Need annuals that aren't huge, can tolerate sun and some afternoon shade. Aaargh. All I can come up with are impatiens but I know there must be something more creative than that.

ANY ideas, suggestions welcome. Obviously I was overcome w/ bulb lust last fall and did not think this through. :(

Browallia is nice... Coleus would be good, but that's red/black/green/yellow, ect...
Impatiens by themselves are great. OH! I just found it; Sweet Alyssum. It forms a thick carpet, after the Tulips finish too. Combines great with impatiens as long as the sun is on one side the impatiens are on the other.

~Daniel

Oooh. Alyssum sounds good. i love the fragrance. I'll have to look up Browillia. Went to a nursery today and looked at Verbena which I hadn't considered. Thanks for the ideas. I have a couple more weeks to experiment-usually I'm doing this at the last minute! Thanks!

Ageratum (floss flower) come in blue, violet and white and should work nicely in your situation. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/search.php?q=floss+flower&Search=Search+PlantFiles

I'm that one too! A purple var. I hope it does not mind being direct sown, lol.

~Daniel

Oooh. that sounds really nice too. I will be doing some 'try-outs' over the weekend. Thanks to all!!

Anytime, clp!

~Daniel

What kinds of bulbs are you planting among? Some prefer drier conditions over summer dormancy, especially Tulips, so you may want to consider something that doesn't require a lot of watering if that's the case. Annual Vinca is highly drought and sun tolerant, and some are low and spreading, which works well. Most Daffodils don't seem to mind summer moisture, so Impatiens would work well around those. Hyacinths aren't as picky as Tulips, but they do like it somewhat dry in summer. Something like Marigolds or Profusion Zinnias would probably do the trick with them.

Daffs, tulips, rain lilies, muscari-a very varied mix. Actually really random!

I do it every year. It's around my lilies and tulips. And it comes back every year/

Cynoglossum.

Donna,
Those are really pretty and I haven't heard of them before-going to look them up on PF!

Garden balsam (impatins balsamina) - just press the seeds into the ground and water.

Also verbena boniariensis.

It also comes in pink (cynoglossum) Select Seeds ia a source for both..

This message was edited Apr 28, 2010 2:22 PM

Salvia viridis (hominum) in blue, white and pink. You can grow thwm as a mix or in separate colors.

Salvia cocinea Snow Nymph.

Salvia cocinea coral. You cane grow all these from seed, or buy them very cheaply at garden centers. Just watch out for annuals with big root systems. Nicotiana alata is gorgeous, but when you pull it out it can take the bulbs with it.

Borage - comes in blue and white. It seeds and keeps growing all year. You'll need to scratch out the seedlings the following year but you'll never have to plant it again. In white.

And the classic blue borage (see the lily?)

Donna Mack, those are some interesting ideas.

I seed a few packets of maritime allysum in the daffodil garden to try to hide some of the foliage. Then grow some annuals from seed too.

(It's always a dilemma for me to hide the daff greens~~I sort of over did the number of daffs I planted so I really have a lot of foliage to deal with. I read some new research which says you only have to keep it for about 6 to 8 weeks, so that's what I go with.)

All of these can be grown from seed - it's what I do. Look for heirloom seed companies. My sources are Select Seeds, J.L. Hudson, the Fragrant Path, and the non-heriloon but good Swallowtail and Joohnny's Selected Seeds. But they are ALL very cheap in garden centers. Heirloom annuals are not the hottest, latest thing, but wow are they gorgeous!

Ah, the dreaded daffodil foliage.

Verbena bonarienses and nicotiana alata (watch a chunky root system on the latter) put out nice foliage just as the daffs become obnoxious. Borage works, and Avalanche petunias, because they spread without a big root system.

WOW ! Thanks all of you. I am printing out the entire thread and really appreciate all the variety! And to think I thought I was stuck with impations LOL.

You all are great. Times like this I really really appreciate having the DG expert family!

I had forgotten about Cynoglossum. The name means "Dog's tongue", probably referring to the leaves. They are irrespressable self-sowers, fantastic blue mist, and they tolerate sun! I did lots of Borage last year, but found it rather "rude" (flopping over everything else, throwing seeds everywhere, etc) so did not plant this year, but I tried to get the white one to germ, failed. I'm planting balsam as soon as the flood in my garden drains! Thanks DonnaMack for reminding us of all those wonderful plants!!

~Daniel

Hi Daniel.

Yes, every spring I scratch out the borage seedlings. And I rip plants out by the roots when they flop - as you can guess there are always more. The white is actually stronger for me (scratching out those seedlings now).

Cynoglossum does self sow, but I let it because it is so ridiculously beautiful and NO maintenance, but as it starts to go to seed I rip out about two thirds of the plant. But check this out - see the pot in the picture - cynoglossum with stipa nessella (hasn't greened up yet). This is from last summer. I brought the pot into the house (since stipa is a tender perennial and takes forever to get to this size), threw it in my front entrace and watered it periodically, and the cynoglossum in the pot, with the pink kind, is blooming! For the last two weeks! In my house! Amazing.

You will love the garden balsam. I used to germinated it indoors but no longer do so. All you have to do is press in the seeds into the soil where you want it to grow - do not cover them. Water them a bit over the next few days and they will be in full bloom less than two months later.

I'm so glad you like them. Thank you for letting me know.

Forgot the pic!

The cynoglossum in that pot is really pretty, and much closer to the color I need than the verbena I got (figure any extras go into containers). Found some Browillia (sp?) at the nursery over the weekend, picked one up, and had WS'd some borage. Also WS'd Salvia Blue Denim, and never saw the balsam before. Thanks for all the options and the seed sources.

It's like having my own plant encyclopedia with you all (tried the AHS encyc. before I posted, but of course, when you do that you have no idea what really happens..........)

Again thanks so much!

Went to PF to look up cynoglossum,and I WS'd it as Chinese Forget Me Not! Got a number of seeds from Wintersown and this was one of them. Hooray!

Yes, Chinese forget me not is another name for it. The seeds a sticky, and you will end up distributing them around your yard because they cling to your clothes. I put the pink on one side of my yard and it turned up on the other side (it has a knack for positioning itself beautifully). But they have very shallow roots and are easy to pull up. I love them because they effectively bloom all season.

The reason I know this stuff is that I lived in a 4 unit condo with an 8 by 10 balcony. I wanted color and started by growing heavenly blue moring glories and scarlett starglory on trellis string - it was stuiing. Then I started planting anything I could into a pot - and open pollinated (which you probably know means that they come true from seed) were easiest. One thing led to another...

When we moved to my current house I had 30 pots of annuals and tender perennials, which my family kindly helped me move. The landscaping was not in, but I had pots of garden balsam and nasturtiums and nicotiana and others and it was great! Then I started shifting them to the ground, although I still have lots of pots. And I kept notes, and have been keeping them since February of 2000. I'm glad I did, because it makes it easy to share the info.

But you know what's really great? Keeping these heirlooms alive. They are so easy and inexpensive, and I think they are really elegant. It's so nice to find others who apprciate them too.

Victoria Blue Salvia is an easy-care annual: no deadheading, no pinching back! It's a favorite of mine. I think the botanical name is Salvia farinacea 'Victoria Blue'. It's a gorgeous shade of blue, flowers continually, and has a long season, i.e. is not especially tender.

Ella, I absolutely agree. I love all of the salvia farinacaeas. I grow several colors of them. The excess plants are great in pots, and they self seed around my roses. A great plant that is completely wonderful. I do think that Victoria is the best of all.

Donna, your photos are interesting and show that your plants grow so well in your garden. I grow many of the same but I don't think they get enough sun~~tend to be a little floppy. Maybe too much fertilizer too.

One that hasn't been mentioned that I think is a fun filler for summer flowers is 'tassel flower' aka emelia javanica. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/658/

In the plant file pics the bloom looks much larger than it really is~~it's more like the size of a nickel. For me it's a nice filler with day lilies, zinnias, etc. Adds a little punch of red color. I first saw it grown in our municipal mixed flower (show) garden and other than that, rarely see it. I think the seeds are available from Diane's or maybe Select Seeds.

Tabasco, I had never heard of or seen emelia. What a charming plant!

I think you may have something with the fertilizer thing. Cynoglossum and salvia farinacea self seed in my yard and receive no fertilizer at all, unless they are in pots. Here is a self seeded crop in my peony beds. I just pull out the excess. I grow lilium candidum there, and am concerned about overfertilizing - so they do without. I have the salvia around roses and grasses, as well as over my hyacinths. I don't fertilize my grasses - they just get compost - and my roses are fertilized only at their bases. So these plants may very well do better without fertilization. I guess I can stop feeling guilty about neglecting them!

tabasco, how do you grow Tassel flower? This is the 2nd year I've tried wintersowing it with 0% germination. Do you think its something I should direct sow in early fall? I'm finding that's the key with a lot of reseeding annuals.

Donna, yes I must quit with all the fertilizing. I either 'over' or 'under' do it.

Gem, I don't have tassel flower in the garden this year but as I recall I just sprinkled the seeds around in the springtime. I didn't do much WSing with it because it's basically a 'tropical'. Perhaps I sprinkled a few seeds in a used plastic lettuce container and left it on the kitchen counter til germination, too. In any case I had no problems~~maybe you got your seeds from me and they were bum seeds? I never know what I'm doing when I'm seed collecting.

Here is a site that gives a lot of detail about germination:

http://www.backyardgardener.com/seeds/product08/7190.html

One old-fashioned annual that I did grow from seed this season is Cerinthe. I WSed it late because it is very tender and then transplanted the seedlings into a new 'antique' cast stone pot. It looks like it will do well there. http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/plant_display.asp?prodid=231&account=none

And I have my little zinnias ready to go into the garden any day now (as soon as the garden dries out a little).

I do like these old-fashioned seed grown flowers. They are fun.

p.s. Gem, did you ever plant/sprinkle the white 'Maritime Allysum' seeds into your garden? Mine are going strong among the giant allium and bearded iris.







This message was edited May 12, 2010 3:17 PM

Oh, cerinth is fabulous! I read all kinds of things about it being difficult to germinate and fresh seed being necessary and none of it is true. I just stick it in pots. It will work for you too, and it's so easy to do that way. And I've gotten 6 year old seed to germinate by doing that. I used to start it from seed under shop lights.

I particularly like growing it with annual lilies, which I start from seed in January, in pots.

Thank you for reminding me of this wonderful plant!

Yes, too little grown, cerinthe. A close relative to borage and when the two are planted close to each other as they were in a previous year at our place they do look v. similar. Although our cerinthe is more elegant than our borage I think and much more polite. I've never had a problem with getting cerinthe seeds to germinate. I did WS them this year.

Donna~~just wondering~~what are 'annual lilies'?

Lilies that can be grown from seed to bloom in one season. They are usually longiflorum/formolongi crosses. I start them in January, they bloom in September, and then I can reduce the water and overwinter them in pots. Here is my first one, from Park Seed. It's a great way to get lilies to bloom at the end of the season in the north.

Beautiful photo of the lily, Donna.

You must be a very dedicated and talented gardener to grow lilies from seed! (-:

tabasco, I've been looking at those "tassel flowers" growing in a neighbor's garden, they're blooming now and weren't hurt a bit by our recent freeze and snow (yesterday). I had no idea what they are. They're charming, and would look good as a filler for almost anything in the garden. Now I've got ideas...lol

Judith