Bulbs

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Does anyone plant bulbs? What do you plant? Any tips or tricks? Thoughts about any that may do well in shade/part shade?

[Lavandula Girl]

IPMHW - are you looking for color, or fragrance, or both? Do you want something that naturalizes, or do you want it contained to a very specific space? I have put in more than 400 bulbs since moving here two years ago, and am getting ready to move some things as well. The house is about 90 years old, and has gone through 4 or 5 owners in that time, so I couldn't give you names and such for many of the things I'm splitting, but would be happy to share if you have an idea what would please you. Also, I'll be splitting some irises - siberian and bearded. A lot of them are spoken for, but I might be able to spare a few. Granted, I won't be digging for a month or so, but give me an idea what you'd like, and I'll keep you in mind. Also, I'll be trading some stuff locally with friends, and could keep an eye out there, too. By the way, I'm also zone 6B/7, so we shouldn't have too many yard compatability issues.

[flowerpower]

I think the best bulbs are daffodils. They do well in sun and will take a good amt of shade.Lots of varieties to choose from. And the animals don't eat them. I find that tulips only put on a good show for a few yrs, so I don't plant them.

Snowdrops are nice and spread fast. Crocus look pretty in the lawn and get cut back when you first need to mow. Lily of the valley will take shade, but it can spread really quick. Periwinkle (vinca) will do well under trees and it blooms in the spring also. But that's a ground cover not a bulb.

[bluelacedredhead]

On richer soil than the sand deposit I live on now, I had beautiful groupings of daffodils and narcissus that I had naturalized in the lawn. To do that, they look best in groups of uneven numbers. I found 7 bulbs per group to be a good number to begin with.
I also have crocus and Scilla in the lawn here, although they are taking their own sweet time about increasing their numbers cuz there's not much topsoil out front to help them thrive.

[Lavandula Girl]

There are more varieties, too, that you can grow in summer, like crocosmia, glads, and peacock orchids, which are corms and bulbs; or also agapanthus, which is a lily type root system. These all do well in sun or light shade. Some of the spring tulips are really fragrant, and I have some unnamed varieties that naturalize well. In spring shade, grape hyacinth are terrific for lawn naturalizing, too.

[sparrowgrass]

Round here, old house sites are often marked by great drifts of daffodils in the spring. I have found that if you dig them on a nice wet spring day, they transplant fine even when they are in bloom. A good way to get lots of flowers for free.

(Ask permission first.)

[flowerpower]

Sparrow,the majority my daffs were planted 35 yrs ago. The drifts are huge and I have to divide every yr. But it is really beautiful in the Spring. I have well over a thousand blooms each yr. It's the dead heading that's a pain. And every yr I plant at least one new (for me) variety.

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Wow, thanks everyone for the information...I am definitely going to do some daffodils. I have some lily of the valley that was here when we moved in, believe it or not, I want more! I am going to try to move some from under the tree to the side of the house so I will have it in two places and not just one. I love it.

I am new to the world of bulbs, it is all so exciting. To do the work in the autumn and have such happy surprises in the spring...

I think I would be happy with both ones that naturalize and those that remain contained. I'm thinking I could always move around those that don't look pretty where they end up. Or share with friends. I will mail you Lavandula Girl, thank you.

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Oops, can't mail you L.G. ! My mistake. Okay, I have been looking at this Brent and Becky's bulbs catalogue, have you seen it? I am so excited by it. On my wishlist have been: daffodils of various sorts; alliums; tulips particularly in pastels,but some of the brighter varietites have also caught my eye; snowdrops; crocus, colchicum; all the dwarf fritillaria (how can they be so wonderful?!) ; calochortus; and iris, particularly in purple.

Thank you for keeping me in mind, I know my wishlist is rather extensive, perhaps overwhelming. I know I need to pare it back :) I just had no idea so many beautiful things were available.

If it ends up that you want to/are able to send anything along, please let me know if I can send you anything in exchange. I would have seeds available, I can send along a list if you'd be interested.

[windsng225]

Hi ipmhw,
I love those catalogs! I save them all and look in wonder that there are so many choices. So many beautiful flowers.
2 years ago I planted over 300 tulips bulbs in front of the house. The following year it was absolutely beautiful. This year only about 10 came up. I was horrified! I always thought that they multiplied and every couple of years you had to seperate them, like daffodills. But, I think I heard this on Martha Stewart that you have to replant every year.
So that will mean that I am a little confused at this point.
I usually go to the local nursery to purchase them in september and just buy dozens of bags of bulbs, but if I have to replant every year, I don't know if I want to do that. I would rather plant something that will come up every year that I don't have to wonder about.
Good luck on choosing, it's hard to make choices of all that you have to choose from.
joyce

[Gardenurse]

IPMHW--Funny you should ask this question today, because I just discovered this article last night while searching for information on isopropyl alcohol use in the garden. The article also has a link to monthly newsletters about bulb specific information too. I suppose this isn't something you should try to convince people at the liquor store of if you are a gardening minor. But wouldn't it be fun to go in and buy hard liquor, tell them what it is for, have them give you a questioning look, then show them the article? Bet more people would be interested in gardening then!

Why tipsy flowers don't tip over: Booze stunts stem and leaves, but doesn't affect blossoms, study finds (From Cornell University, March 31, 2006)
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March06/drunk.flowers.ssl.html

Also, I checked out an issue of Organic Gardening from the library and it had an entire article on wild tulips (I never knew there was such a thing). It also had tips about keeping moles, voles, etc., from eating your bulbs when you plant them (Flowerpower, could that be what is happening with your flowers?) When we bought our house, there were daffodils, daylilies, and gladiolus bulbs planted. I don't do anything with them and they come back every year.

The glads are on the side of the house in shade almost all day and do well. With bulbs, you will need to let them bloom, die, deadhead them, then wait until the foliage turns yellow before you mow them over, since this is how the bulb gets its nutrients and energy for next year. We didn't do that the first year we were here and the daffodils were short and didn't have as many blossoms. We waited this year, so hopefully will have a nice patch of yellow to look at next spring. You can hide the yellowing foliage by planting taller flowers around it that are leafed out and flowering if you so desire.

Bulb sites listed in "Organic Gardening" magazine:
www.tulipworld.com (Holland and PA)
www.oldhousegardens.com (MI, have samplers--even heirlooms--the Baker Creek of bulbs!)
www.dutchgardens.com (VT, you can shop by color, light, height, zone, special attributes)
www.johnscheepers.com (CT)
www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com (VA, have a walk-in store, too)
www.mzbulb.com

I also found drought tolerant bulbs. Yes, NM has snow and winters too!
www.highcountrygardens.com (Santa Fe, NM)

Great site with links for seeds, bulbs, trees, and anything gardening!
http://www.avant-gardening.com/links.html

[Lavandula Girl]

Joyce - are you sure you still have all your bulbs in the ground? I grew up in CT, and we rarely had to pull the bulbs up - only on some of the real finicky varieties. Mom and Dad had those red ones with yellow edges that came up faithfully every year.... they never multiplied, but they never went away. They were already in the bed when we moved in in 1976, and were still blooming every spring when I left home in 1989. We had neighbors who had a groundhog or something dig a ton out of their yard, though, I do remember that! And the deer used to eat the blooms off, but rarely the whole plant. As to them naturalizing, most (not all) varieties don't do it on their own, but do provide you with new bulbils if you bother to dig them up and split them. if you don't, they can decline gradually over the years, but not in one year, like yours seem to have! Once the bulbils are transplanted, it may take them a year or two to be vigorous, so don't lose hope. As to what Martha says, she's probably right for some tulips.... and the Victory Garden guy, Jim Crockett says the same thing about his tulips, and isn't their garden in Massachussetts or somewhere? Is Wallingford zone 6? I can't remember all of CT - I think some of it's 5, right? Most tulips should be hardy to at least zone 4, some even 3, but you may have your own microclimate. Oh, and just to be able to say this to someone from the home turf..... UCONN HUSKIES.... YAY!

[windsng225]

Hi Lgirl,
You know I didn't think to dig up to see if they were still there or not, never crossed my mind that something underground would eat the bulbs! 2 years ago we had a ground hog that I kept fighting to keep out of my garden and found this fox urine that I religiously put around the garden every two weeks.
It went away, but maybe it just went out front. But if that was the case, why would he leave some and not eat all. Well, I guess I will have to go check and see if they are still in the ground.
Where I live there are no deer, at least I have not seen any. I believe it's not wooded enough, too many people and cars around.
Wallingford is zone 6. Thanks for the "Yay" for the Huskies, but I have no idea where they even stand, I don't follow sports at all.
Thanks for the input and advice. I will check it out.
joyce

[Lavandula Girl]

Oh, the Huskies probably don't stand anywhere right now, since it's August.... but I'm a Husky just because I'm an alum - I opted out of playing intercollegiate sports... there were very few careers in soccer for women 20 years ago, so I chose the academic track, not the sports one. (I'm pretty sure there was no way I'd be able to do both!) Did you go to Plant Science Day at the Lockwood Farm in Hamden? It was on the fourth. My sis and her husband live on the farm with their kids - he works for the forestry service in CT. I was just thinking that there may have been someone there you could contact re: the bulb issue. Maybe even try calling White's Flower Farm - they're pretty good about answering garden question emails, as well. I can't imagine that they pull out all the bulbs in the moon garden, or in those long beds they finished last year. I haven't been there since last year, but I know my sister in law is pretty good friends with someone out there - if you want I can get her to ask. Just let me know.

[Lavandula Girl]

Here's what White Flower Farm has to say about tulips purchased from them. Since they're also in CT, this may be good info for you, Joyce.

Grow in well-drained soil. Sandy soil enriched with organic matter is ideal. Space bulbs in the bed according to size. For eye-catching splashes of color, plant the bulbs in clusters rather than singly or in rows. For best effect, plant large bulbs 5-6 in. apart (4-5 per sq. ft.), and small bulbs 2-3 in. apart (8-10 per sq. ft.).

Many Tulips (the midseason and late-flowering varieties in particular) tend to bloom magnificently the first spring or two after planting and decline thereafter. Species Tulips, Darwin Hybrids, Fosterianas, Greigiis, Kaufmannianas, and WFF Perennial Tulips can put on a stunning display for several years.

To encourage a perennial show:

* plant at the depth recommended on the plant label (or slightly deeper); we recommend you plant large bulbs 8-10 in. deep, smaller bulbs and species Tulips 5-6 in. deep.
* remove blooms (on all but the Species Tulips) as soon as they fade to prevent the formation of seeds;
* allow the leaves to yellow before removing them;
* and fertilize in fall and early spring with any of our fertilizers specifically formulated for bulbs.
* Tulips will also perform more reliably if they are not watered during their summer dormancy.

Most early and midseason Tulip varieties are excellent for forcing. Rooting time: 14–16 weeks.

Please note: An amber gel-like substance called gummosis is sometimes present on Tulip bulbs. It is not harmful and will not affect the bulbs’ performance.

[windsng225]

Thanks so much for all the info, L girl! Just about everything that you said that should be done, I have. Except for the planting of bulbs, Large bulbs only 5-6 per sq ft. I think I planted maybe 10-12 in each circle that was dug for them. So maybe there is just too many in one spot. See I planted inbetween the bushes out in front and when they came up, it was beautiful.
I was so disapointed when they didn't come up this year for the exception of a few by the stairs. But the daffodills came up, and I planted at least 100 of those inbetween the tulips and bushes. It sound complicated but isn't. It was like my own private flower show.
Yet all that I planted in the back yard, they all came up. I guess the only thing that has to be done is investigate and dig!
I did not go to the flower show in Hamden, I don't drive anymore. What a shame that I missed it. I do know about Whites though. I have a few of their catalogs here.
But I have never been there, of course from where we live in Wallingford, it's just too far to go. I am sure my son would take me, but I am also sure that he would not enjoy it as I would! lol.
Thanks again for the information. I really do appreciate you getting all that info together just for me. Very generous of you and your time.
joyce

[mrtomatoexpres]

hi if you make a chickenwire box to put your bulbs in the animals can not get them :)

[Lavandula Girl]

Good point! Or, if you do think you'll need to bring them up after bloom, you can sink them in chickenwire baskets, or in those old bushel baskets, but with the bottom replaced with wire - then you can bring the whole thing up, instead of digging individual bulbs. (I think that trick's in an old Martha Stewart magazine, too)

[Lavandula Girl]

Here's the Peacock Orchid (Acidanthera murielae)I'll be splitting... the flower is a pretty true white, with a chocolatey purple center. These are corms, which are cold hardy in zones 7 and up, otherwise they need to be dug up for winter. This is the bloom on my first one, today. I'll probably have only 6 corms available, so let me know if you want them. These are about 2 feet tall, and will get several blooms per plant. Mine are doing well in full sun, and also in part shade (afternoon shade).

[windsng225]

L Girl, they are absolutely beautiful! I would love to get some of those if your offer still stands. Although I don't have anything to trade for them, except some Italian plum tomatoe seeds from Italy and some Brocolli Rabbe seeds I can give you.
I was looking at a Burpee e-mail that they sent me about tulip bulbs and I saw some beautiful tripple blooms on some of them. There are so many to choose from, and I think I will try some unusual colors too.
Although sometimes I truly believe that if you want something of quality you need to go to the source, Holland. I know they have a websites and I will have to do some research to see what I can find. Usually if I see something that looks good I will generally pick it up. One year shopping at Home Depot I was looking at the bulbs about this time of the year and all these baged bulbs were in bins. I picked up a couple of bags and was going to take them but really looked in the bags and they were moldy. So it pays to check things out before you purchase. Maybe they would have grown, I don't know. But it did make sence to me to put them back, not worth the chance.
Thanks on the offer and I would love to take you up on it. It is very generous of you. Thanks again!
joyce

[johno]

We went to Holland for our honeymoon years ago and we really enjoyed the flower markets and fields of daffodils, etc., for miles on end. On our last day there we bought some tulip bulbs and put them in a backpack. There was a fine mist in the air and that was all the moisture it took. By the time we got back home they were moldy and none of them grew. Definitely don't buy moldy bulbs!

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Sorry I haven't been around, we've had a very unbelievable string of crisis/tragedy/things requiring immediate attention here this summer, in addition to all the work of the garden. Although, I guess maybe it would be believable, it does seem these things tend to happen in spurts to everyone, not just us. But I'm checking in.

Thanks for all the replies and information. I've pretty much got my selection made, I think. I'm trying to get some friends to add their orders to mine so they can save on shipping, so I haven't ordered yet (proselytizing for the cause). More people need to garden around here!

I spoke with a rep. from Brent & Becky's and she said most people treat tulips like annuals, they are more likely to rot in the ground if they get too much water (than daffodils, which is what she was comparing them to), or can be eaten, as others have said. I don't know what other issues there are, but that definitely helped me consider my tulip spending more wisely (we have very, very wet summers sometimes, water can sit in the yard). Anyway, just thought I'd mention.

I'll be back around when I can, looking forward to some calmer days here. I wish you all some beautiful days.