It's that time of year again when the catalogs start to arrive, and I must demonstrate self control. What fall planted bulbs will you order, and plant this year to have some beautiful spring blooms? I've placed my first order for Dutch Iris Apollo, and Allium Moly;-). I also have an order for 27 kinds of lilies. The debate continues for me as I make the choice for tulips, daffodils, crocus, more alliums, hyacinths, and hyacinthoides. Annette
What fall planted bulbs will you order this year?
I want to order some tulips. In a city near me they planted the parks and medians with pink tulips which were jus beautiful. What I have in mind is to move much of what I have around. The daffodils haven't been separated in many years and I think they need spreading out.
Morning Doug9345, what kind of daffodils do you have? Mine haven't gottten to the point where they need separating just yet. Do you have a good source for your tulip bulbs?
I have 3 or 4 kinds of daffodils. The main group of daffodils where planed 25 years ago and my step father has no idea what kind he thought they were tulips. These are all yellow. I have some white and orange ones I planted 5 years ago or so. They are later. A third kind is lighter yellow and I have some growing in the woods that I assume were bird planted. They have yellow double flowers. Daffodils grow more or less wild around here, escapees from old plantings I assume.
The last bulbs I bought was an end of season sale from Van Engelen, Inc which is the large quantity division of John Scheepers, Inc. I was happy with the bulbs I got and they did well even though some of them spent the winter in the garage because winter hit hard before I got them all in.
I wish we had some wild daffs around here;-). I only started planting bulbs 4 years ago. I have also ordered from Van Engelen, they send nice bulbs, except the Dutch iris that I received from them was the wrong color. Another good source for smaller quantities is Touch of Nature and, I ordered from Colorblends for the first time last year, and they sent nice sized bulbs that bloomed well this past spring. My first online order years ago was with Netherland Bulb Co., which I get bulbs from every fall.
3 bulb catalogs arrived in the mail yesterday and as I'm looking at each page, I'm marking the ones I like with a colored marker. Just have to decide which ones I really like the best and how many I want to order. I "hope" to try a new planting method this year. I always dig and plant singlely and I want to plant them in groups of 5 or 7 to a hole so they will provide a better show and I hope more appealing.
With our Georgia red clay, I find it easier to plant the bulbs individually. I've also tried the bulb auger, which didn't work very well here in our compacted soil. What I did find useful was a bulb dibber, and it made the planting go faster. Digging 6-6 inches in this soil takes forever, so I plant more shallow, and put soil, and soil conditioner on top, with at least 3 inches on pine straw, and this seems to work for me.
I still need to place the rest of my bulb orders. I've not yet made the final decision on the rest of my bulbs. I know I won't be ordering as many as I did last year.
LOL, I'm definitely new at this bulb thing, as I only ordered enough Crocus, Muscari, and Narcissus to redo two small beds that already have Muscari armeniacum. Of course, the squirrels eat all tulips, so I'm stuck with finding non-tasty bulbs that can naturalize in some shade. Any other ideas would be welcome =)
I'm adding these for spring:
Narcissus 'Dickcissel' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/130133/
Snow Crocus, Golden Crocus 'Romance' http://davesgarden.com/tools/journal/viewentry.php?rid=331138
Muscari latifolium http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/31653/
And mixing some of these in for autumn interest:
Crocus speciosus http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54076/
I've already got fritillaria which I'm trying once again after bad luck 2 years ago.
Also bought alliums: Gladiator, Purple Sensation, Mont Blanc and Schubertii and cannot wait to plant them! I also expect to get some allium azure.
Nice choices everyone. Eleven, I feel your pain about the squirrels, last falln I used the Dupont Wildlife Netting that I got from Lowes, and it seemed to help with the bulb loss. It comes 7'X100', and it's easy to cut with scissors. I would cut around the leaves as they came up, and not as many bulbs were lost as in years past.
Haha, Cem, I wish it were that easy! I actually have maybe 10 scattered tulip bulbs that were here when we moved. Every year I think I might get to see a tulip from one, then the squirrels nip the bloom off just before it's ready to open.
Eleven, try spraying with stuff that tastes bad to the critters. I have used bitter apple from the pet store/pet warehouse. If you spray it, use a mask or as I do, pull my shirt over my mouth. Nontoxic, I can't stand the taste on my hands or lips, either. I now use a different spray because it is not water soluble so it doesn't wash off in the rain, but I have to mix and spray according to directions. I use it primarily for lily beetles, but it works for everything as long as I can keep it up. It has a pleasant smell of cloves. Once it gets too hot or my back hurts, I'm stuck and they get to dine.
By the way, I'm still working on digging your lady's slipper soon as it dries up more.
Thanks, cathy! I don't know what you mean about dries up more... It's been raining here for days straight! The ground is beyond saturated.
Well, we had hurricane irene last weekend in August, and it rained most of this week like crazy. My friend had borrowed and has now returned my sharp shovel, but there are a lot of tough roots under those lady sliippers.
Coastal San Diego is not cold enough for the regular dutch bulbs, So I tried to find good deals on the south africa or mediterranean bulbs.
I got a package of 100 freesias from costco. it has 50 double white and 50 double pink bulbs. Also a package of 60 dutch iris. 30 yellow flower and 30 blue and yellow colored flower.
Cost less than $13 per package.
The bulbs brand is "bulbs to blooms"
I picked up a bunch at Lowes/Home Depot a few days ago. Dont remember off hand what I got but I knwo I will be buying more and more and more and.... :D
Dream, I always have done quite with Costco bulbs. As we are in zone 6b, we get quite a few choices, but the bulbs I want always go first, so I stop by often and buy them as soon as I see them.
Planted 21 of 25 allium today and will wait for the cold weather to make them beautiful. It is almost impossible to dig in a spot where there are no other bulbs.
Glad to see that everyone's starting o get their bulbs. Today I got a few Ice Cream tulips, and a mixed set of tulips that contained red multiple blooms per stem, and a red and white bloom in the same package. I've placed them in the fridge. Our local nursery Pikes has gotten in some really nice bulbs. The tulips have been placed in the fridge for chilling, and will be planted in late November.
I've also placed my order with Colorblends and Netherland Bulb Company. Both companies send nice bulbs that bloom beautifully here. I'm going to wait for the Van Engelen fall sale before placing an order with them.
Dreamjourney, which zone are you in. I used to live in Jacksonville, FL (zone 8b-9a) and one of the people that I worked with grew daffodils that they refrigerated for 6 weeks before planting.
I'm waiting for the van Engelen sale also... and thinking, shouldn't it be starting soon?
I seem to be "into" double daffs this year... ordered 3 kinds from ADR bulbs (new source for me, and I'm very pleased), and I'm crossing fingers that a few will be left at VE. And I can always find places to put mini daffs or species-type tulips, especially now that I have some new stepping stone paths that "need" to be planted along.
I also picked up some 'Miss Saigon' hyacinths (a lovely purple) and 'Toronto' tulips. I'm not supposed to be digging for a few weeks, so I guess I'm hoping the ground won't freeze hard for a while... or I'll be out there digging during a January thaw!
Last year I got tulips and pink muscari from VE on sale in November. I can't wait to see what they have left either. There's always room for more bulbs ;-).
Cem9165--were the pink muscari actually pink? I have heard that they open a very pale pink, but fade to cream almost immediately. Wondering what your experience was, and where you had them planted. Planting in partial shade would maybe help preserve the pink color for longer, just as it does with the pink Daffodils.
I am in the middle of planting all the spring flower bulbs.
Here is what I got:
6 rebloom beard iris ---- Done
60 freesia single ---- Done
60 freesia double ----- Done
60 dutch iris blue ribbon -----Done
30 dutch iris gypsy beauty
30 dutch iris oriental beauty
80 mixed dutch iris from the value pack of armstrong nursery
100 st brigid anemones
40 dutch master daffodil ---- Done
20 ziva paperwhites ---- Done
10 ranunculus
And a lot of bulbs I harvested from last year.
The only problem is I might run out of space in the garden.
This message was edited Nov 7, 2011 2:17 PM
If there's any yard left, you're not out of space!
The pink muscari were pretty pale for me also, but still special... I put them in a little clump by the end of the front walk so they wouldn't get "lost." The pink crocus (rosario?) that I planted 2 years ago were delightful, more of a lavender-pink, but with a delicate form, just a little different than "standard" crocuses -- and they multiplied! :-)
Here's the link to the pink "tommy" crocus on B&B: https://store.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/productview/?sku=13-0153
little clump in my front garden this past spring:
Critterologist, I too am waiting for the sales. Got some great buys last week from Bert (bleek) Touch of Nature. I need to check and see when they started their sales last year. We are planting next week. I haven't done the count yet, but I have many grocery sacks full and ready to plant in the guest room. Good thing that no one is visiting now. Patti
I just checked and my sale order to Van Engelen was on Nov. 9th last year. BB was at the end of the month, Nov 29th, I think. Eyes peeled. Patti
Patti - wouldn't it be better to plant them in the garden rather than the guest room? ;) lol
Too funny, plus the allium and frits, stink! So no house guest would want to visit. Patti
My pink muscari was a light pink, planted in partial shade with a pink daffodil mix, and tulip bakeri Lilac Wonder. It is a nice combo that I had to protect with landscape mesh so that the bulbs weren't eaten. I still lost some of the bulbs to the the backyard critters, ( sorry critterologist), but was able to see the combo bloom.
At last count, I have 1771 bulbs for fall planting this year, not counting the ones I saved from pots last year. The lilies are already planted surrounded by Narcissus Hawera. My tulips are chilling in the fridge, I'll plant those in early December, and the rest of the bulbs are hanging out in a box on the back deck in shade till they get planted. Our weather is in the 40's and night, and 60-low 70's during the daytime.We've already had several nights with frost, and hit freezing temps several nights last week. The annuals have been "burned" and it's time to think about putting in the pansies. We're gonna have low 30's at night at the end of this week again.
dreamjourney, you're way ahead in the planting game. Congrats on getting so much done so early.
Patti, my DH would kill me if I had bulbs in the guest room. I've already taken over one of the fridges for bulb chiling, I don't want to push my luck. LOL, Annette
Nice idea to get some Lilac Wonder to put in that little corner with the pink muscari.
I've got bulbs in the living room presently... will have to wait another couple weeks probably before I'm allowed to start digging, although I have a young neighbor who is willing to dig where I point, and that works pretty well also!
Here's a pic of Lilac Wonder and pink muscari, it's kinda bright, so it doesn't show the true colors well. Critterologist, hope you get to plant soon.
Better view of LW with open blooms.
oooh, that's pretty! another one to add to my wish list...
I keep checking my email and clicking on the VE site... somebody please post on this thread if you notice the sale starting!! (I'll post too, promise, well maybe right after I place one quick teensy little order.)
Yes, whoever sees the sale at Van Englen or Brent and Becky's please post. Also, bleek has an early end of season sale that's been listed in the classifieds. I got excellent lily bulbs from him this spring, and I got my order of allium Moly, and Dutch iris Apollo from him recently and they are beautiful bulbs. Annette
Van Engelen has posted their 25% off end of season sale. Yippee !!!! Just checked out their website.
Cem9165, thanks for the info. I just ordered some calla lilies, anemone and brodiea. Now the big challenge is where can I find space for them.
*happy dancing*
Last night was the first time all week that I didn't check their website just after midnight, in fact I didn't get over there until just this afternoon since I was away in the morning.. figures! Well, a couple of things I was after were sold out, but many more were still available, so I had a VERY GOOD time. LOL
I've been re-working several garden areas, so now I have clearly visible places to plant bulbs between the new little perennials. I'm going to plant some split-cup daffs (aka "butterfly daffs") around my new butterfly bushes, tee hee. I got 'Sorbet' (put in a little clump 2 years ago and they were one of my very favorites last spring) and 'Love Call' and a bag of mixed ones. There's another area where I'm putting in double daffs... have 'White Medal' and 'Golden Duccat' waiting from ADR, and I just ordered 'Flower Parade' from VE. I have a few more in my shopping cart from EdensBlooms, too, and I just might have to call VE back for some Tahiti (or move some from my clump on the other side of the yard, LOL).
Hyacinths... 50 Miss Saigon from ADR, then 25 Fondant & 25 Woodstock from VE. If you like pink you'll love the 2-toned blooms on Fondant. I had a few last spring, loved them, "needed" more!
Tulips... 100 Foxtrot, 50 China Town, both from VE... check them out! 'Foxtrot' was my very favorite tulip at the Keukenhoff a couple years ago -- you'll love how the color changes as the bloom opens and ages, gives tremendous depth to a bed of them. 'China Town' is one of the green tulips, a delicate pink color with -- get this! -- white edges on its leaves.
I've really enjoyed the Anemone blandis 'Blue Shades' I have in a little front bed with 'Rip van Winkle' mini daffs... divided the daffs this year and am putting a bunch in another bed, decided I needed more of the anemones to go with them. I ordered 500 from VE just now, would have been tempted to order 1000 except I already had 200 purchased earlier. They're easy to plant in this moist dirt -- just push them down with your finger!
VE also still has Allium azureum, one of the bluest blooms I've ever seen, so I got some more. You know how hard it can be to get accurate blue on a digital photo -- well, these really are the bright blue that VE's photo shows!
I didn't get 'Lilac Wonder', but VE did have T. saxitillus (the species, very similar), so I got some of those as well as T. turkestanica... both were less than 10 cents per bulb, hard to resist!
So get on over to VE already and place an order!
(Just for the record... I think some years they decrease their price further in another couple of weeks, but I thought at 25% off their sale prices were really excellent now. If -- big if -- I get everything planted by Thanksgiving, I'll be back!)
Oh, and I mentioned EdensBlooms... worth checking out... small selection of daffs this year but some really lovely ones (Aaron has great taste!). I just got some amaryllis bulbs from them through a co-op on another site, and I'll probably order a few more... the bulbs I got were on the small side (just as his descriptions said), but some were small just because they were smaller-bulbed varieties, and others may have been smallish but still were putting up 2 bloom tips each. The prices for single amaryllises from his site are very nice, and you can save a few dollars by ordering multiples. Order over $50, and shipping is free. I love free shipping!
Critterologist, you're killing me LOL, BFG!!!! I can tell how excited you are about the bulbs that you've ordered, and I can't wait till spring to see you post pictures of your blooming bulbs. What's your total number of bulbs to be planted for this fall? Glad you have good dirt, I'm dreading planting in this GA red clay. Happy planting.
Clay here, too, but we've put 40-some yards of compost in over the years, and that helps.
I'm guessing it'll be 300, maybe 400 daffs going in this year, 200 tulips, 100 hyacinths, plus 25 lilies... I usually try for a max of 500 "big bulbs" (anything that needs a 5 or 6 inch deep hole is "big"), but I got carried away. Might have to tuck a bunch into pots or something, LOL.
"Little bulbs" are way easier to plant, and with all the anemone blanda I'm sure I've got over a kilobulb of little ones to go in.
Hooray, I got out this morning for an hour and put 100 'Toronto' tulips in the ground. My planting plans/reasoning get kinda goofy sometimes... these will be red, so they got planted near the front of the border right behind a strip of strawberries. LOL
I know I'll feel better about that next box arriving if I've managed to get a start on planting this weekend!
critterologist: Glad to hear you recommend Fondant Hyacinths so highly--I passed on them last year, but ordered this year, and am now looking forward even more to seeing them bloom! You will love the Woodstock variety, too, it's a totally unique color, and really stands out beautifully.
I second the recommendation of Allium Azureum, it's a lovely variety, and comes back for many years. Wish I could plant Anemone Blanda, but I'm in the very top edge of zone 5, and they don't overwinter here, even with protection. Same with the T Saxitillus, just not quite hardy enough. I put in Tulipa Turkestanica this fall, they should be slightly more hardy.
Golden Ducat is a beautiful daffodil, but it has problems with weak stems, which is why it's not more commonly sold. It will do best sited in full sun and a sheltered spot where the wind won't blow the blooms over and snap the stem. I cut big bouquets of daffs every year for local nursing homes and my office, and never had any luck with GD--it's definitely not strong enough to be a cut flower. But in the right spot, it's very pretty in the garden. This year I ordered Delibes, Sound, Loth Lorien, Princess Zaide, Passionale, Salome, and Ice Follies. I already have the last two, but there is no such thing as too many Ice Follies, and a friend wants some of the Salome.
I'm very fortunate in that I have wonderful Iowa dirt, and also that I finally put up an 8 foot deer fence last year, so I have a new area of about 1/4 acre to fill, which will take me years to finish. So I can finally have tulips! The only large tulips I've had for the last 20 years are a clump of Pink Impression that the deer don't find, at least most years.