What bulbs did you plant last fall?

While anxiously awaiting spring and all those early blooms from bulb plants, lets amp up the excitement by discussing all those bulbs we planted in the fall! I'm a bulb nut, and had gone a few years without adding new bulbs. So the last 2 years I've been making up for lost time, with orders spread out between Van Engelen, Brent and Becky's, Old House Gardens, Colorblends, and a few from local box stores. Just over 2000 bulbs planted in fall of 2013, and again just over 2000 in fall of last year. It sounds like a lot, but about half of them were small bulbs, various Scilla, Chionodoxa, Crocus, Snowdrops, Anemone blanda, and several varieties of Muscari. I like to plant little bulbs in drifts of 50-100 bulbs, so that the little beauties can really shine and make a statement. Quite a few Daffodils, Hyacinths and Tulips in the mix as well.

When I began the gardens here, I focused on larger quantities of Daffodils that multiply quickly to get some nice big drifts of color. After 7 years many have been divided and spread out around the gardens in large clumps, so recent additions are just what I call "starter clumps", of 5 bulbs per variety (sometimes 3, in the case of Old House Gardens), so that I could try as many new (to me) varieties as possible.

What new additions are you excited to see this spring? Where did you plant them? How did you combine them with other plants?

My first orders last year were with Brent and Becky's and Old House Gardens. Brent and Becky's offers a 5% discount for orders received before July 1st, and an additional 5% off for paying early (as opposed to charging your card just prior to shipment), so it offsets shipping charges. OHG offers selections at last years prices for early orders.

Brent and Becky's is my go to source for Daffodils, but there were a few other things from there too:
5 each of Daffodils:
Loth Lorien
Smiling Sun
Monal
Pinza
Serola
Orange Sunset
Tickled Pinkeen
Altruist
Green Eyed Lady
Suave
Double Smiles
Wave
Candy Princess
Thalia Sun
Wisley
Orange Comet
Sweetness
Blushing Lady
Sweet Love
Beautiful Eyes
Sweet Smiles
Falconet
Aspasia
Chinita
Cragford

And 10 each of Tulips 'Come Back' and 'Marit', Calochortus 'Golden Orb', 'Symphony', and C.venustus 'Burgundy, 5 Cyclamen hederifolium, 10 Hyacinthus hispanica 'City of Haarlem', 10 each Muscari 'Venus' and 'Plumosum', and 50 Muscari asureum.

Only chose Daffodils from OHG, 3 or 5 of each of:
Beersheba
Irene Copeland
Mary Copeland
Mrs. Backhouse
Princeps
Mrs. Langtry
Broughshane
Colleen Bawn
N. moschatus
Louise de Coligny

Van Engelen is my go to source for larger quantities at excellent prices. My order from them was:
100 Anemone blanda 'blue shades'
100 Camassia quamash
100 Chionodoxa forbesii 'Pink Giant'
500 Chionodoxa gigantea
100 Galanthus ikariae
50 Hyacinth 'Jan Bos'
25 Hyacinth 'Pink Pearl'
100 Tulip linifolia
50 Tulip 'Peppermint Stick'
50 Tulip sylvestris

From Colorblends I got:
100 Tulip 'French blend-rose'
100 Tulip 'Gentle Giants' (Darwin Hybrids in shades of pink and peach)
100 Tulip 'Three Queens' (late singles in pink shades)
100 Tulip 'Strike me Pink' (late singles in pinks and maroon)
100 Tulip early single 'Flair'

This was my first year to order from OHG and Colorblends, I'm really excited to see blooms from them!

Wow!

You, like me, were kind of starting over, but I brought lots of bulbs from my former home. But if I may include fall of 2013, I did a bit.

The asterisks are for things that were new for me.

John Scheepers:
50 allium oreophyllum
10 tulip Weisse Berliner
20 allium karataviense*
50 chilodoxa sardensis

Old House Gardens:
8 Lilium martagon album (ordered 5!)*
3 Lilium candidum
3 Lilium White Henryi
3 Lilium platyphyllum*
10 ornigothalem nutans

Illinois Extension:
Allium Purple Sensation*

B&D Lilies:
2 Lilium Uchida
2 Lilium Anastasia
2 Lilium Prince Promise
6 Lilium Sorbonne

Faraway Flowers (sadly, final year):
2 Lilium Blueberry Crush*
1 Lilium Pearl Lorraine

Hallson:
4 Lilium Acapulco (paid for 3)
4 Lilium Dimension (paid for 3)*
6 Lilium Crystal Blanca

Brent and Becky' Bulbs:
10 Daffodil WP Milner
10 Tulip Happy Family
5 Tulip Angelique
10 Allium caeruleum
10 Allium oreophyllum
10 Camasia quamash
10 Tulip Happy Family

I bought a bunch in 2012 but that would be cheating!

Ooohh, lots of lovelies there Donna! I've always wanted to try Lilium candidum, so pure and simple and perfect! I saw a pic years ago of them arising from clouds of blue flax, and I've never gotten over it- must try some this fall! W.P.Milner is such a sweet, soft Daff. Mine need to be moved, a spruce is eating the space where they're planted. Chionodoxa sardensis is another I've had my eye on, that shade of blue looks gorgeous. Ornithogalum nutans looks like a great one to combine with almost anything- I meant to get some last fall and spaced.

The tulips and little blue bulbs were out of genuine aesthetic need, but the Daffs were simply to feed my collector "need" LOL. I'm anxious to see a lot of those planted in 2013 this spring- the 2nd year is so much better for Daffs and little blue bulbs that increase quickly. I'm already seeing Scilla siberica seedlings germinating out there- I love that they increase through seed as well as bulb offsets!

I actually grew some lilium candidum from seed. It's easy but it essentially takes three years to bloom. I tried to bring them with me but they didn't make it. I think it looks great with chionodoxa sardensis. I ordered candidum fro Wayside and they sent me regale album. Which was very annoying but looked great with cynoglossum.

Here are my candidum seedlings - I put them in the window to photograph them. This is in February of 2010. And here they are in the ground (next t the Regale stems from the first picture. This is September of 2010.

I moved in January of 2011 and brought lots of stuff with me, including these in pots. Here they are in April of 2011, along with a hyacinth that was quite rare and is now out of commerce, and chionodoxa sardensis. Sadly, I lost them all. Really sad to lose double hyacinth King Codro, a wonderful dark blue that actually multiplied for me! Started with three, ended up with 15.

By the way, this is what 3 Sorbonnes look like.

Was that Hyacinth from OHG? I'd like to get some of the true Roman Hyacinths from them- such delicate, graceful flowers. I've never tried any of the doubles, but your pic makes me think I need to reconsider them!

Your Sorbonnes are gorgeous! Is that the first year?

One of my hesitations on Lilium candidum was the winter rosette of foliage, and thinking our winters may be too much for them. But if they performed well in your zone, I should have no problem. Am I recalling correctly that they prefer slightly alkaline soil?

That hyacinth was from McClure and Zimmerman. I often ordered some plants from REALLY EXPENSIVE sources and then got a few from M&Z. OHG didn't carry it.

I used to order, from OHG, 3 Madame Sophie Hyacinths (white) which I would surround with anemone blanda (from M&Z), 3 Double Chestnut Flower (pink) which I would surround with with blue anemone blanda, and 3 King Codro, which I would put with tulips. They were under my lilacs' roots, which were purple. Gorgeous, except that the lilacs overran them. And at $15 for each set of 3 they weren't cheap. And except for Codro, which multiplied, they tend to deteriorate.

But at the end of last season Scott DEEPLY discounted them. If that happens again, I'm sold.

You are going to love this. I got 6 Sorbonnes, planted 3 in the sun and 3 in insufficient light, in 2013. The difference was obvious, so I dug up the inferior threesome and planted it in the front, after bloom. But in year two, which you are seeing, there in difference between the bulbs that were weakened and the ones that were planted properly.

Bravo B&D!

Sorbonne is Dianna'a favorite pink Oriental, according to Bob. And it stays in bloom a long time, relatively speaking. And it is wonderful cut for the house.

This message was edited Jan 17, 2015 6:02 PM

Neal, just went back and looked at your mention of ornigothalem nutans.

I ordered camassia quamash from Brent and Becky and got some bulbs that looked odd, planted them and... wow!

Stunning. In the first picture, somehow an anemone robustissima appeared on the north side of my yard against the garage. That's the leaves of thalictrum rochebrunianum. The thalictrum was the only thing I planned!

In pic 3 you can see that it is a very assertive bulb!

So I moved some over to my lilium Anastasia bed, where it did beautifully.

Thank you B&B!

And Neal, yes candidum requires alkaline soil and a two inch planting depth. It looks awful when the foliage overwinter but then they appear - Poof! - in the spring.

This message was edited Jan 17, 2015 4:44 PM

Oh my! That's a big mistake in labeling! Camassia don't increase as aggressively, I could see a lot of folks being really upset. However, I do find them lovely! I like that they're tall enough to cut. They would be gorgeous in wedding work. I was thinking they would be great around single late Tulips, in an area where my earliest columbine always starts blooming in April.

Here's a link to the Tulips:

http://www.colorblends.com/Wholesale-Flowerbulbs/Tulip-Bulbs/French-Blend-Rose#.VLrm4dLF_uQ

This is the Columbine:

I also think Ornithogalum nutans would look good with this blend in my pink bed (Three Queens blend), where there is a mauve-ish lavender Lilac, a pinkish lavender Clematis, a pink Azalea, and some Iris and Peonies that bloom early. Oh, and some late white Daffodils too.

http://www.colorblends.com/Wholesale-Flowerbulbs/Tulip-Bulbs/Colorblends-of-Tulips/Three-Queens#.VLrov9LF_uQ

This is the other blend of late singles, Strike Me Pink, which I think is a funny name since its 1/3 each of plum, lavender, and pink. Anyhow, its planted in an area of primarily purples and lavenders, with some pink and mauve here and there. The 100 Camassia are in the same area, and a lot of bearded Irises, some Siberians, and a lot of Columbine.

http://www.colorblends.com/Wholesale-Flowerbulbs/Tulip-Bulbs/Colorblends-of-Tulips/Strike-Me-Pink#.VLrqC9LF_uQ

Wow, I had no idea Colorblends were so gorgeous! I just ordered their catalog.

I think that they would look fabulous with your tulips! But then, we have the same color scheme - every single color!

I wan't unhappy. I never would have ordered them. Scott at OHG has started selling them. I purchased some more from him and he expressed surprise. He said that no one knows about them. I couldn't resist sending him my old pics - but then I didn't really discover them before everyone else, did I?

Oh, and I can't take credit for this PJM rhododendron, either. It was here when I got here. It is the only zone 5 hardy rhodie, so it was easy to get it identified. A person on Dave's got it right away. I was so dumb I thought it was an azalea. I come from the land of high alkaline clay. There WERE no rhodies, or azaleas. I thought I didn't like rhodies. It's one of my favorite plants, and I understand that it has been there for 30 years.

And at its feet, the Deutzia Chardonnay Pearls I brought from home. It was the only place I could fit my little deutzia. They bloom few weeks apart, so there is always some action there. It was a gift from Raulston Arboretum. I NEVER would have bought it - and it's one of my favorite plants. I love pint sized shrubs. Tough little guy - I got him in 2009.

What a gorgeous columbine, by the way. Do you keep it away from other colors to keep such a stunning tone?

I have exactly one columbine, and it was here when I got here. I'd never grown them. And I must say, I really like it!

Nice white Columbine- would look great with everything! The one above is one of several I started from seeds from a seed swap. They were just labeled 'many colors, many varieties', but all were like the photo, except some have less white in the center. They're nicely compact too, about 14-20", start early and keep going a long time. I have them a bit of a distance from other Columbine, so all the seedlings from that patch have been the same. I just dig them from there and place them around the garden. I have plenty of seedlings, I'll send you some to try if you'd like.

I love that Rhodie- such cute little leaves! I see why you mistook it for an Azalea- looks like an Azalea on steroids. I love small blooming shrubs too, just use them like any other perennial in the garden.