Not much of a show from them. They are supposed to be critter proof, but I am not sure about that...
OK, time to confess! what bulbs did you order this fall?!
We don't have too many critters here, with five outdoor cats. LOL.
With chionodoxas and squills, the show gets better every year. They multiply quickly by offsets as well as seedlings, so it does'nt take long to see pools of blue (or pink or white) among your spring plantings. Critters have never bothered mine.
gemini--I had a great surprise the first spring after we bought this house. Squills came up and were SO pretty. I just left them alone and the next year there were more and they looked even better. A young man that my daughter hired to clear an area dug them up and threw them away (off-season, no flowers). But the next year, guess what? I guess there were some little bulblets that were missed, and now they are on the rebound, multiplying and brightening the garden every spring. These are purple, which is one of my main garden colors. I guess the squirrels don't eat them, which is another plus.
I posted above that the only thing I ordered this year was muscari, but my Brecks box came yesterday and it's full of anenomes!! Oh, brother. I'm glad to have them, but it makes me feel so old not to keep track of things better than that. So......I guess I ordered only anenomes this year!! LOL
Diane
Ooohh, I wish anemones were hardy here. Goodwilly05 has had them survive the winter, though. They're cheap, so I should experiment with some and mulch them well. Now look what you've done! LOL Neal.
Well, of 12 anemones, one made it through the winter, but I just planted some in a very protected area, so hopefully they will be there next spring. I suppose it depends on what kind of winter we have this year. You just never know. But I'm ever hopeful. What is it they say....hope springs eternal... LOL
Neal, it's just payback. ;^)
I've never grown them before, and don't know what I was thinking when I ordered them--unless it was just their very lovely color. They are double Lord Lieutenant. Any idea when they bloom, as in early, late, etc.? Or how tall they get? Can you tell I threw away the catalog? I'm off to check plant files.
Diane
Diane, There's a pic in Brent and Becky's catalog (they're in Virginia) showing them(anemones) blooming with daffodils, tulips, and ipheon, so I'd say bloom time will be about the same for you, probably April. Are'nt those bulbs nasty looking! They always looked like big boogers to me! Neal.
Thanks for sharing that thought, Neal. Yuuuuccckkk! ;^)
Diane
What can I say? I guess gardening apeals to the inner child in all of us. Always playing in the dirt with worms and bugs and such! LOL
Don't tell anybody, Neal, but I talk to the toads in my garden. Now that's bad!! Haven't starting talking to the worms, though. Oh, wait, maybe I have. I apologized to one for digging him up the other day. It's worse than I thought!
I have a very hot in the summer area along my driveway that has yellow lantana that comes back every year and fuschia dianthus, both of which crowded out the purple verbena that used to live in there, too. The dianthus started blooming in April and only stopped a couple of weeks ago. Do you think I could put these new bulbs in that area? The PF info. says they are good for xeriscaping. That bed gets full sun all day and in the middle of the summer, it's brutal out there. They would be through blooming by then, though, I think. Maybe?
Diane
Neal, you are absolutely RIGHT! Big boogers.......LOLOLOLOL.
Breck's said my order was shipped on Oct. 6. It came today. So, two weeks...
Got my John Scheepers order today!
I've got 20 ipheion and 20 'Avalon' daffodils to plant, and I'm DONE!!!!!! :-)
kbaumle--Wanna' bet?
LOL!!!!
A question for you Anemone coronaria growers....Mine were great this year...I planted in small pots early (way before last frost) so that they were set in the garden after frost already 4" high or so....they bloomed like crazy until the heat got them and died back. I did not get around to digging them up yet...and was shocked to find that they are peeping up again....nearly 4" tall, between the cooler weather and the pouring rain! I don't want the frosts to get them. Has anyone dug them green? Any other ideas?
Thanks,
esw
Oh! to keep 'on topic'
I have to figure out how to get into the waterlogged garden to plant....a bunch of lilies from the lily garden, some species tulips and Allium christophi that were too cheap to pass by from Costco. The tulips and allium should be easy, once it is a bit dryer. The lilies are going to be a bit tricky as I have to protect them from all of the voles that have discovered the new lunch mart on the block!
esw, know that voles eat tulip bulbs to, so you may want to consider cages of some kind.
Which brings me to an idea I'd like to throw at you guys n gals. The 2 big problems with tulips are critters and typically not perennializing well. As a high schooler I planted tulips in plastic 6-8" pots and buried the pots as vole protection. 21 years (at least) later, this spring some of those tulips were blooming and the pots came right up, brittle and disintegrating, but still there. So, with that in mind, I'm considering doing exactly that in my new semi-shade garden where I really want some colorful Darwin Hybrids (the best perennializers for many, and the 'Impression' series is calling me!) for that area. The soil there is moisture retentive, deep and organic; a sandy loam that's a dream to dig in (like I could'nt put a garden there!). As great as that is, tulips hate it, and moles love it (I think they backstroke through it!). Now I'm figuring when the tulips are done, yank the pots out and let them sit dry all summer (tulips love that), and re-sink them in fall. Think I'll give it a try- Whatcha think? Neal.
Neat idea! I've been tempted a few times to sink pots with seedling bulbs so I could
find them the next spring. I went to a talk by Ian Young from the Scottish Rock Garden
Society who was talking about bulbs. In his slides, he showed that he uses this technique
to keep track of bulbs too. Pls. let us know how it goes!
Tam
Thanks Tammy -very encouraging! Just thought, it'll also make it easy to move things around a bit each year. And when the tulips come out, cannas can go in. Hmm, this may work even better than I hoped. I'll keep ya posted. Neal.
Gem--I think it's a brilliant idea! Now if you can solve the part about the deer eating the tulips the night before they are ready to bloom I think you'll get a star on the gardener's walk of fame! Any experiment is worth it, really, if you can grow beautiful tulips!
It's amazing that your tulips are coming up so many years later, too!
I myself have given up on tulips, but I am still looking for good companion bulbs for my daffs this year. Also want to try some galanthus for early spring. And anything else that the deer won't eat... maybe some of those Tommies crocus and risk the rabbit invasion.
Will have to make another order with B & B or Van E. before too long, I'm afraid... lol
Any more suggestions, everybody, before I make the call?!!
This message was edited Oct 23, 2005 8:51 PM
Oh, I do so want to get in on these sales, but I just can't. I totally overspent already. But there's always next year, right? ;-)
tabasco, I used to have a rabit problem and read that scattering some evergreen (conifer) branches around the tasty buds would deter them. I tried it and had success. Have you tried primula? I love them with spring bulbs. I also planted 2 varieties of Phlox stolonifera this spring ('Blue Ridge' and 'Sherwood Purple') to combine with bulbs. Both have spread nicely already. Virginia bluebells are also very nice with daffs. What colors are you using?
Neal--Your yard is going to be absolutely WONderful in the spring.
Coming from CA, I always think of primroses as an annual bedding flower from the nursery. Hadn't thought to grow them here...but after reading up on them, if I can get them started from seed (wintersowing?) they may work out beautifully here, too.
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/primrose.html
gem--do you grow them from seed? Wonder how hard they are to get going.... t.
http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/us/en/list/full-index/p/16
I recieved my primula as pass-along plants from other gardeners and have never tried seed. They increase so well, they can be divided every year. I have red with yellow eyes and magenta with yellow eyes, but have never seen either sold. I have plenty and would be happy to send you some to try if you'd like. The large flowered hybrids (like the pacific giants you see sold in 4" pots in spring) fail miserably here :( and those are probably what you see in California a lot.
I have a friend who is very serious about primroses. She is teaching me about the different kinds. My new love is primula sieboldii. Only have a few. One is pink on the inside and white on the outside.
http://munchkinnursery.com/newsletter/primula-sieboldii/
Here is a candelabra that I have many of. I think it's actually a denticata. I also have japanese in a seasonal stream and auriculatas that haven't bloomed yet.
http://www.rmrp.com/Photo%20Pages/PP/Primula%20auriculata%20marbled%20100DPI.htm
I planted English primrose this year, and they did great, although I did notice I had to watch the watering and not do that too much. I'm hoping they make it through until next year. I wonder if they do, if they will increase in size for me...
http://davesgarden.com/pics/kbaumle_1127598816_417.jpg
t, here's my partial list. went back to costco and took advantage of the reduced price on bulbs. $6.97/bag of 50.
passionate 25
skagit valley 25
carnaval de rio 25
hollandia 25
double tulips, assorted colors 50
gavota 25
francoise 25
daffodils, not costco:
replete 10
blonde beauty 10
ice king 10
orangerie 10
flower drift 10
winston churchill 10
tahiti 10
the rest i'll bore you with later.
Tabasco - have you tried Leopards Bane (Doronicum)? Its a pretty little
perennial that blooms really early - yellow-daisy like blooms. Its a shade
plant. and I just LOVE primulas. I've grown quite a few types from seed.
If have a big area planted by my spring with Japonica - check out this thread
to see a pictures of many primroses.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/507541/
I believe Sieboldii is one type that doesn't have to have the moist soil
most require. I had terrible luck with most primroses 'til I bought my current
place - its got really nice boggy soil along the stream. :-)
Tam
everybody--I love the pics of the primulas and I read that there are quite a few collectors out there, too, and I can see why...
http://www.americanprimrosesoc.org/photoalbum.htm
http://www.auriculaandprimula.org.uk/
there are so many more than what we used to plant in CA...thankyou for your offer to share a sampling, gem. I would love to try one out from your garden..
moonglow--you have a nice long list of bloomers, there...costco is always my downfall, too. After I make my carefully determined order from B & B, I pass by the half off racks at the big box stores and completely blow my plan (both garden and budget!).
I looked at the Van Engelen catalog again for some fill-ins and to try to gather courage (again) for some tulips, but it seems like much is sold out already. The Van Engelen lady did call me today to tell me my order will be sent out tomorrow so I will have something to do this weekend. :-)
I just got my bulbs today from Van Engelen. And don't order from them just yet - they have a nice
sale in Nov. I order via web so they email me when the sale starts.
Tam
Tammy, I was planning to wait for the sale, but they have sold out of so much I'm afraid there won't be a thing left in November I think it has something to do with the value of the Euro vs. the Dollar. They don't want any extra inventory this year...too expensive.
I haven't tried Leopard's Bane but I would like to try it. Will put it on my seed list..
I am going to print out this thread and put it in my notebook. There are a lot of good suggestions on here! Thanks everybody.
t, i have 100 bulbs from bloomingbulbs i haven't listed yet, and they are SMALLER than the costco bought. some have even rotted, too. what a disappointment. i have to take inventory and let bloomingbulb know.
because of the rot, i am now rushing to get them on the ground. i've read and asked around, and for my zone, december planting is best they say.
i've heard enough bad stuff about brecks, but i've been lucky with them. well, last season was my first with bulbs, and i started late (end of jan). i ordered early from them and the bulbs are huge and firm.
here's SOME from brecks, i have used their coupons and really paid cheapo for these.
muriel parrot 7
queen of congo 14
flamingo parrot 7
white fire 7
giant daffs for naturilizing 150
did not order any bulbs this year .
after reading all the troubles with squirrels and such digging them up
i called a meeting of all the squirrels in neighbor hood and promised them for ever bulb they bring me
i will trade for a nice nut .
so if you see a squirrel leaving your house with pilfered bulb ,
heading to my house he is just my suppler
LOLOLOL @ tazzy
That's a good one, tazzy.
I refuse to count them!
I have ordered from John Scheepers,bluestone perrenials,eflower garden,buggy crazy (lilies) and of course costco.
They are all sitting and waiting until November to be planted.
I also love primulas and they love to grow in my garden in the mountains.I have red candelabra that spread like crazy ( not complaining )A friend of mine has an orchid primula that she started from seed from the UK it is just fantastic.