Thousands of Bulbs

What does over 14,000 bulbs look like prior to bloom? Well, not like these pictures but you can get an idea. There is no possible way I can show you all 14, 000 plus bulbs I have planted on our property in the last three years because they are spread out all over the property. I did take these pictures of our big field which contains the orchard and a wildflower area. The wildflower area is posted above. It is a small portion of the field where I planted mainly native prairie plants such as asters, sunflowers, rudbeckia, Joe Pye Weed, baptisias, cup plants, and many more perennials. Prior to establishing this area as a wildflower area though, Mr. Fix-it and I spent some time planting daffodil bulbs here. These are all predominantly 'Ice Follies'. The grass is brown because it was just bushhogged this month in preparation for the growing season. Soon new growth of the perennials will begin as the daffodils fade away. I will post pictures once these 'Ice Follies' bloom.

Moving into the orchard we see green grass. The orchard is mowed on a regular basis. We walk in this area a lot and need the grass to be maintained in order to have access to the plants and to keep down the insect problem. The chickens also live in the orchard and help out with insects. The orchard itself is about one acre large and is filled with daffodil bulbs of all sorts. The bulbs are planted about 18" apart throughout the entire area.Those tall green stems are the daffodil bulbs showing their foliage in preparation for blooms. The hay bales are a wind block for my two bee hives. Both bee hives are doing great.

More of the orchard looking at the daylily beds and toward the grape arbor. Mr. Fix-it and I planted the bulbs before we mapped out the garden beds. Hence, there are bulbs everywhere including in the garden beds. This is totally not a good method of planting a garden so don't do it. I wish I had taken the time to plan things out better. And this from a landscape designer.

More of the orchard looking past some bare fruit trees toward the front gardens. This area will be amazing once the daffodils bloom. Right now the flowers don't make a big impact in onesies and twosies but that will change as the bulbs slowly multiply. The orchard will, believe it or not even with only one or two bulbs per hole, become a mass of yellows and whites soon. All of these bulbs are of different varieties. There are perhaps about two dozen different kinds of daffodil bulbs just in the orchard. Therefore their bloom times may vary a little. The entire show will not happen all at once then disappear.

More daffodils.

These ones have begun their bloom. They are probably the cultivar 'Rijnfelds Early'.

More blooms are beginning to show. These flowers are such a delight for me! They are never bothered by the wildlife, are tough as nails, easy to divide, and propagate, and bloom for a very long time. I usually have daffodils in bloom all the way from early February until the end of May. For information on how to divide daffodils see my popular post found here. You do NOT need to wait until the bulbs are dormant. In fact, if you do you most likely will forget where the bulbs are located. All of the above bulbs have been divided and replanted within the last three years when they were in bloom, prior to bloom, or just after bloom. I prefer to dig and divide daffodils prior to bloom IF I know what cultivar the bulbs are. If not, then I wait until they bloom so that I can coordinate the height and colors and types of blooms with adjoining blooms....

in the garden....

Tomorrow is Super Tuesday and for those of us in Tennessee it means we get to exercise our valuable right to vote. That's where you'll find me and I hope you'll also be visiting your local polling station too. 

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Bulb Planting Time and a Coupon Code From Longfield Gardens to Get You Started!

I didn't even realize it was Columbus Day! During all my years of working for the federal government I always knew when those federal holidays came around and I always looked forward to them. Now that I am retired I spend most days doing the same thing-working in my garden and I simply forgot it was a holiday. Happy Columbus Day! 

Right now I have been busy getting ready for spring. Spring you say? Fall has barely begun so you should be getting ready for winter. Yes and no. Surely there are many things to do to our gardens to get them ready for their winter dormancy-but even if you don't do them-the plants and most of the garden will still go dormant. Spring, now that is another matter. If you wish for spring color (and who doesn't) you must prepare for it now or you will not have much of a garden come spring. I am talking about bulbs. It's time to plant those bulbs. In the part of Tennessee I live in (on the border with Kentucky and in the middle part of the state) bulb planting season begins in September and can extend all the way up to December. Prime time for bulb planting is right now though! Early October through early November are actually ideal times for planting bulbs. To help you (and me) get started the fine folks at Longfield Gardens have offered up a coupon code for you all. This code expires October 18th-so hurry and place your order! It will give you 25% off!!! That is a pretty good deal!  Here is the code:

 InTheGarden25 

As you can see by the above picture I have been busy planting my tulip bulbs I received from Longfield. Now you are not limited to only tulips. Some fantastic bulbs you may wish to purchase and plant now include: narcissus, scilla, camassia, alliums, muscari, crocuses, fritillaria, irises, snowflakes, dogtooth violets, and hyacinths to name but a few. 

One very important tip you should think about it to mass your bulbs. Bulbs, and most all plants unless they are specimen type plants, look better and will make a bigger impact if they are planted enmasse. Forty of fifty bulbs planted together will make a bigger statement then 10 groups of 4 or 5 bulbs scattered around your garden. Trust me on this one. Take a look at my post this past spring on my color changing bulbs from Longfield Gardens to help you get some ideas and so you can see how nice massed bulbs look in a garden setting

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

I Was Wrong About Tulips

I was wrong about tulips. Yup, I have always recommended species tulips over the hybrid tulips but after many years of growing all types of tulips in my gardens I am rethinking that advice. Hybrid tulips are the best! That is if you have longevity in your garden and don't mind going a few years without a bloom. They will of course bloom the first year they are planted but then you can expect it will be several years before they bloom again. That's okay if you don't mind the wait. 

'Pink Impression' is one of the very best hybrid tulips you can buy. I have easily gotten three years of bloom from them before they disappeared-only to reappear several years later.  'Red Impression' is another nice one. Both are Darwin type tulips bulbs; which seem to get high ratings with perennializing in a garden.

They do really make a big show and I can't help but think of Holland when I see these wonderful hybrid tulips in my garden. To see the tulips and all manner of bulbs blooming in the gardens of Keukenhof in Lisse Holland while we lived in Europe is a sight I shall never forget. Believe it or not my garden style has always been heavily influenced by the gardens I saw while living in Europe. Their gardens are park like. I enjoy that kind of setting in my own garden.

I always plant a package or two of hybrid tulips each fall. I know, silly me. I just can't help myself. Each year I plant different colors. I love the blooms even if they bloom only one time! They are so very pretty and spring like. But after the first year I don't ever expect them to come back again-but now I think I'll expect them to return-after a mini vacation of sorts.

This year seems to the year all of the hybrids came back to work. There are lots of wildly colored hybrid tulips. And you know what, I somehow think the 3-5 years between big shows is well worth planting hybrid tulips. They are almost like a surprise you didn't plant when they suddenly appear again after they've spent years on vacation....



in the garden....

A tip when planting bulbs-mass them all together. I happen to like all the same color in one spot but even multi colored tulips look great when massed in groups of a dozen or more. 

It is tax day today and I am behind on filing. Wish me luck and I hope you all have finished yours! 

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

GIGANTIC Crinum Bulbs and A Surprise Visitor

Crinum bulbs are a wonderful pest proof rewarding bulb I grow in my garden. Earlier this year I found that I had done a poor job of planting these wonderful bulbs because they were just too spread out amongst my gardens. I decided then and there to consolidate and put all the crinums where I could enjoy them up close. 

This particular bulb had been in its spot about four years and was doing well. Nonetheless I decided I had to move it. Trying to dig it out of its spot was a difficult job due to its size and the fact it had settled in for the long haul. Crinum bulbs resent being disturbed but it just had to be moved. When I finally got this bulb out of its spot I could not believe its size. The ruler does not do it justice so I'll explain how big it is by saying this. Put both of your fists together facing each other in front of you and then you can see the size of this bulb.

This is a white crinum that blooms in the June/July time frame for me. I have found crinums to be very reliable and very easy to grow. When I first began growing crinums it was upon a whim. While visiting the Nashville Lawn and Garden show there was a vendor selling these giant bulbs that are related to amaryllis. I thought the idea of growing such huge bulbs was challenging so I bought one. I knew nothing of the growth requirements of crinums but did try to plant the bulbs (in March) in sunny areas. Some of these areas are not well drained and some are well drained. I've found the bulbs don't care either way but they do need room to spread. The area I consolidated the crinums is in the Sunny Perennial Border at the front of the border. I can hardly wait to see them all in bloom next summer. 


Many people are afraid to buy and plant these bulbs in my experience. They can hardly believe an amaryllis would grow and flourish in our Zone 6B area. Not to mention the fact that the size of the bulb scares them away. They sometimes think the larger the bulb the larger the snack for chipmunks and other burrowing critters Not so with these bulbs.  Pests tend to leave them alone. I have no issues with losing these bulbs in my garden and they are reliable bloomers.

When you order crinums online they can be quite pricey ranging from $10-$20 per bulb. That is much too much for me to spend. At the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show the vendor sells them for about $3-$5 per bulb and I will personally vouch for the quality of these bulbs. I am not sure of the vendor's name but I will say that every year I've been going to the show the vendor has been there as well. So, if you are local and want a good buy give the huge crinum a try in your garden.

I had to share my little frog with you all. Since I've been busy in the garden moving and dividing and digging plants I've gotten quite a bit accomplished. One such thing was to dig several beauty berries for the Montgomery County Master Gardener sale scheduled for October 8th. This particular beauty berry found a home early when I took it to a fellow master gardener. Just as I was about to put it in my car I happened to find this little frog. Do you recognize it? It is not the pickerel frog I posted about two years ago though it looks similar. I believe this is a leopard frog (Rana pipiens). We have two that frequent the bathtub pond. The other one is a seasonal resident of the pond and is quite a large frog. It peacefully lives with my one and only goldfish in the pond. One day I came out by the pond and found this little cutie resting on the spout. It was so funny it really looked like it wanted a spa day. By the time I got my camera it had disappeared only to reappear in this plant pot. I had to shoo it out prior to loading the beauty berry plant. Leopard frogs are the frogs usually used in dissection and their population is on the decline in the United States, though that is controversial. Here in my garden they are doing well....


in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Crocuses and My Favorite Bulb Source

Crocus chrysanthus 'Goldilocks' (Species crocus)

From In the Garde

Those diminutive harbingers of spring have begun blooming in my garden here in Tennessee and they are most welcomed. In addition to the crocuses blooming the spring peepers have begun their peeping. Can spring be far behind?

Crocus tommasianus (Species Crocus)

From In the Garden

Today I thought I would not only share some crocuses but also talk about my favorite bulb source. I love bulbs. The anticipation of planting those bulbs in the fall with visions of sweeping vistas of color come early spring is rite of my fall gardening. The joy I get seeing the bulbs poke through the snow or grass or mulch is not only one of relief (the voles didn't get all the bulbs), but one of anticipation. How will all the bulbs look once blooming? When will they bloom? Did I make good choices when choosing my bulbs?

'Blue Pearl', 'Cream Beauty', and 'Goldilocks' species (Chrysanthus) crocuses.

From In the Garden

I've always been an adventurous gardener and tend to choose plants based on their uniqueness. Years of gardening have taught me this is not always the best method to choose bulbs. I must first consider my environment and what kind of bulbs will do well here, then I must consider the track record of the bulbs, and finally the price of the bulbs. Most of us don't have unlimited garden funds so I try to be thrifty with what bulbs I purchase for my garden. Bulbs more than anything else can be a hit or miss plant and I don't wish to waste money on the misses so I've begun focusing on a bulbs proven stamina. I want long lasting bulbs that will not slowly pitter away in my garden. They must not only be strong but I'd like them to spread and naturalize here in my woodland style garden. Knowing what I want from a bulb and what kind of garden and environment I garden in makes it most easy for me to think about the bulbs I'd like to grow. Van Engelen then does the rest with the best prices I have found.

Van Engelen is a sister company to John Scheepers bulbs. I like both companies but Van Engelen is a bit cheaper. Most likely due to the bulb size or quality but honestly, I can't tell the difference and all bulbs I have ordered from Van Engelen have been top notch bulbs that bloom well. 


I've done a lot of checking out bulb catalogs and actually sit down and compare prices on all bulbs I wish to order by catalog. This usually means I have about 5-6 catalogs open to the same bulb before I make a decision. The places I have ordered bulbs from are: Jung, Brent and Becky's Bulbs, and Netherland Bulb Company. I am going to list some price differences of one of my favorite bulbs here on this post. I am only comparing my personal experiences with bulb purchasing to the companies I have actually purchased bulbs from. I will give you an example of the price differences: 


Van Engelen:     100 fritillaria meleagris   $16.50 Size 6 cm/up
John Scheepers: 100 fritillaria meleagris   $18.50 Size 6 cm/up
Competitor 1:    100 fritillaria meleagris   $31.00  Size 7 cm/up
Competitor 2:    100 fritillaria meleagris   $40.75  Size not listed


As you can see there is quite a price range for these bulbs and this is only one type of bulb. I have personally ordered and researched this particular bulb but similar results are available for other bulbs. Most of the websites I visited did list the size of their bulbs and as you can see the more expensive bulbs are a slight bit bigger. Bigger is always better unless you want quantity, then price must trump size.  I can attest for the smaller bulbs growing just fine and personally I don't think a 15% size difference accounts for a nearly 50% price difference, but each person has to make their choice on what they want for their gardens. Me, I'm economical and go with the cheaper priced bulbs for my garden and feed the bulbs very well.


I will say one other great thing for Scheepers/Engelen. Their catalogs are the best I have found for variety and information listed. Under all bulbs; which are categorized by type such as species crocus, hybrid crocus, etc; the date the bulb has been introduced is listed. For my garden I like to buy the bulbs that have been around a long time so the date of introduction is very important. I also prefer species type bulbs and this is also listed in an easy to understand format. The Scheepers catalog has beautiful color pictures of all bulbs but the Van Engelen catalog does not. I usually use the Scheeper catalog to shop then go to Van Engelen to make my order. The quality of both sister companies is the same but Scheepers is more expensive and quantities available for order may vary between the two companies.


The species (Chrysanthus) collection of crocus bulbs I ordered are stunning in the garden and are growing well. I am looking for them to multiply and spread around a bit too in the coming years. I have been most pleased with my orders from Van Engelen and while most folks order bulbs in the fall, you might be one who orders spring bulbs. If so, check out Scheepers/Van Engelen for all of your bulb needs. The other place I usually order from is The Netherland Bulb Company. They are a good company that has good prices for a large amount of bulbs and their customer service is outstanding.


In the coming weeks I'll be showcasing some other bulbs from my Fall 2010 bulb purchase from Van Engelen and I hope they shine as the crocuses do....


in the garden....

I received nothing from Van Engelen or Scheepers to write this post. 


Tomorrow is the Nashville Lawn and Garden show and I, along with a few of my friends will be in attendance. I am so excited as this is one of my can't miss garden events of the year. The other being Summer Celebration. I hope to post on this year's show this Friday. For now, I'm in the garden...




Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Tulips part 2 and Blogiversary

By Skeeter Recently, I told you about a mystery in my Georgia Garden. The title was "Where are my Bulbs." Click on the title to refresh the memory or check it out as this is a follow-up to that mystery. Do you see what I see in the above picture?
Zooming in, we see a round hole in the planter! Yep, Mr. Vole has been busy in my planter.
This is all that remains of the 25 or so Tulips and Gladiola bulbs planted last year! Mr./Mrs Vole was busy keeping the belly full on my bulbs this winter. Little toot! I also found my Amaryllis bulb. As you can see, I had planted it too deep in the soil. It was still trying to make an appearance for me. I have since put her in a pot and she is showing me a green stem. I don't know if she will bloom or not. Only time will tell on that one...Now back to the Chimney Planter which is full of Spring plants returning from last year. I added some cheaply purchased hyacinth, candytuft and phlox for a fuller Spring bouquet. Do you see purple in the front of this planter?After the comments from everyone on the other post, I was not expecting any tulips in this planter. But low and behold, every one of the tulips have bloomed in this planter!
They are bright purple and look to be very healthy. I was so shocked to see them come up and bloom after the disaster in the other planter. I am so happy with this Spring Planter but I am thinking ahead. Soon the Daffy's and tulips will fade along with the phlox blooms. I have added 3 coral bells taken from a soggy situation and put them in this planter along with 2 different colored potato plants. The purple queen is starting to pop up as well. If I have done right, this planter will be full as the spring plants fade away.
I am so happy with the Candy Striped phlox and it seems to be just as happy! Voles got one batch of bulbs but I have TULIPS, In the Garden....

Today is my Blogiversary Day! 2 years of chatting with some wonderful folks around the world! Tina, thank you so much for having me be a part of In the Garden. You are a jewel girl...

Click HERE to see what blogging means to me from my 1 year Blogiversary.

I would like to have a Give-away in honor of my Anniversary but I am currently out of network. The Saint and I made a quick decision to go to Washington DC to view the Cherry Blossoms around the Tidal Basin! It has been probably 20 years since we have seen them and after our Macon Cherry Blossom trip, I was dying to see them once again. So I had to rush to get this post ready for Tuesday. I will find something I think you gardeners will enjoy as an addition to your gardens while on this trip. Hopefully I will have the contest up and ready on Thursday. So stay tuned and thank you all for the wonderful Garden Talk over the past 2 years! I have learned so much from each and every one of you!

I will chat with you once I get back in my Georgia Garden!!!


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Tennessee Yards Done Right and A 'River of Daffodils' in the Yard!

From In the Garden

The daffodils are such a joy in the garden. These bulbs reward the gardener with years of beauty and one can't help but to smile when you see all their sunny faces in the garden, or in this case, in my yard.

Speaking of yards, this post is really about the Tennessee Yards and Neighborhoods Program. This is a fairly new statewide program that is modeled after similar programs in Florida and North Carolina. The purpose of the program is to help Tennesseans learn how to have a yard that is in harmony with Tennessee’s native flora, soil and topography.

At it's heart are nine principles that will help make our yards more compatible with nature and better able to-ah how to put it-look good, be more functional, and reduce our water run off and poison use. I think we all want this in our yards and neighborhoods. The nine principles are as follows:

• Right plant, right place
• Manage soils and mulches
• Appropriate turf grass management
• Water efficiently
• Use fertilizer appropriately
• Manage yard pests
• Reduce storm water runoff and its pollutants
• Provide for wildlife
• Protect water’s edge

Did you know the number one source of pollution in our streams and waterways is 'point of source' pollution? That is pollution coming from home use. It is the oil someone dumps down the drain, the sediment running off our properties, fertilizers leaching into our water table and running into our storm drains, and much more. While each of us contribute only a little bit the amount all together is staggering. This program helps to make us all aware of the problem and works with us to find better ways of reducing the pollution in storm water runoff from our yards to protect a precious resource we all need to live, that is water.

The University of Tennessee (UT) is working in conjunction with county extension agents and master gardeners to get the word out and to teach Tennessee residents how to work with their yards in a harmonious way that is beneficial to all. Karla Kean is our local extension agent and she has a workshop scheduled for Saturday, April 10, 2010 at the Civic Hall located at 350 Pageant Lane. The workshop begins at 8:30 and lasts until 3:30 pm. The cost is $35 per individual or $50 for couples. For that $35 you get several goodies, including a certificate for a soil test, a rain gauge and other helpful items for your yard in addition to learning how to do your yard right. The fee barely covers program costs. If you are interested in this workshop give Karla a call at (931)647-5725 or email her at: kkean@utk.edu. She needs to know how many to expect so she'll have the supplies available at the workshop but if you wish to show up that day, I think that will be fine too though the class is limited to only 25 persons so call a head to be sure to save your spot.

In the meantime enjoy my 'river' of 'Ice Follies' daffodils....

in the garden....and a yard done right.

P,S. I'll be teaching a class there about landscape design-think right plant-right place. Come on out and join the fun.

Everyone have a great Easter from all of us here at In the Garden!

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Where are my bulbs?

BY SKEETER
(another mystery brought to you today by a baffled gardener) Last year, after reading about others daffodils and tulips on Garden Blogs, I decided it was time to give them a second chance. I have never had luck with bulbs in my Georgia Garden but was tempted to give them another go. This happens when you visit garden blogs. And look, they returned in the planter on the east side of the house! The Daffy's are growing much faster then the Tulips and Phlox which were all planted at the same time.
I also planted Tulip Bulbs in the Semi-Formal Flower Garden last year. I talked about creating this New Planter in front of the picket fence which hides the Ugly Gas Tank. In the above picture, you see those beautiful Tulips keeping African Daisy company.
Winter has come and gone and here is the Planter today. Where are the Tulips?
I see this little bit of foliage.
And I see this little bit of foliage but nothing more! Did they rot in the soggy conditions of the rainy winter? Were they bad specimens that don't return? Or as I suspect, did our resident Vole get to them? Look at the Black-eyed Susan coming up!
Other Bulb plants such as these Dwarf Lily seem to be okay. Blueberry Candy, Pandora's Box and Daring Deception Daylily are fine as well. All these lilies are near the Tulip Planter.

So WHERE ARE MY BULBS? In the Garden...


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Bulb Planting Time in Tennessee

It is that time of the year we all look forward to-bulb planting time! I enjoy planting bulbs so much I always look for sales on bulbs and tend to go a bit overboard. This was the case last year when Rural King marked all their bulbs down to about .25-1.00 per bag. I think I may have bought them out. It seemed like I was planting for days last year. As such, I will not be planting so many bulbs this year unless Rural King has such a killer sale again:) But I will be planting some bulbs.

I am not a very careful gardener when it comes to mapping my plants and bulbs in the garden so I have to be careful where I plant new bulbs. I have this problem that I forget where the bulbs were planted last year and when fall comes and it's time to plant more bulbs guess what happens? I tell you I just hate digging into bulbs and it happens to me all the time. Anyone else have this problem? This year I've decided to only plant in new areas to help avoid digging into bulbs already growing in the garden. Most of my new areas are mainly shaded gardens in a woodland type setting. As such I have planned for shade tolerant bulbs such as snowdrops, winter aconite, corydalis incisa, and muscari. Of course I will still push the limits by planting a few tulips. I can't resist tulips. My color theme with the tulips this year is reds and hot colors. My garden will surely stand out come spring.

The way I plant bulbs here in my garden is to dig a hole, add a pinch of bulb booster and then drop in the bulb. I make sure the bulb is pointing up and I usually plant in groups of 5-7 scattered throughout my garden in a natural way. Generally you can plant bulbs at a depth of 2-3 times their diameter. Come spring their bright faces will help to hurry the winter away....

in the garden....busy planting bulbs.

Scilla

Scilla are one of those bulbs that works hard in the garden. It is not as well known or frequently grown as its flashier cousins, narcissus, grape hyacinths, hyacinths, crocuses, and tulips, but is worth growing!

I grow Scilla siberica in my garden. I planted these bulbs many years ago and they faithfully come back each year. Scilla are also known as Squill and Bluebells. These are surefire bulbs.

These scilla bloom very early and are understated, but definitely a presence. They come in other colors like white, purplish pink and violets too. I wish I had taken a macro shot of these but it was way back when I did not know quite how to operate the camera. (Thanks Frances for showing me)

Check them out this fall, and don't be afraid to try something different. Other good bulbs you might like to try include Chionodoxa luciliae, (now changed to Chionodoxa forbesii) aka Glory of the Snow. Both of these bulbs are reliable no matter the circumstances, but you do want to plant them where you can enjoy them up close. Get busy as fall bulb planting season is full upon us!

in the garden....
Happy Anniversary to my dear husband, who indulges my passion for both gardening and for blogging. He's a great husband. Thanks for all you do Babe! I love you so very much!

Brainy Seeds

Brainy seeds indeed! There can be no other description for these large orange like fruits which contain the seeds of the Osage Orange tree, aka Maclura pomifera. While still in the Army I spotted these on a run route near our base at Fort Campbell. Being from the north and being a gardener I was both fascinated and curious as to what these big things were laying all over the ground (yes even while managing to fast walk-what I call a jog-on a physical fitness route). I picked some up and took them to my office. I asked everyone what they were and no one knew. That was until a good old country 'boy' from Kentucky said, "Oh, those are hedge apples."

"What the heck are hedge apples" I asked.

"I don't know but they grow in the woods around here and where I am from. We used to throw them at each other as kids. They hurt!"

Yup, I would imagine so as they are much harder than oranges, though about the same size. On a recent visit to Anonymous's place, I asked Boy #2 and Sidekick to pick up a few of these hedge apples for me. Both boys asked what they are and what do you do with them. What do you suppose I told them?

"Why you throw them at people" Of course!

No, just kidding. I told them they are brain seeds and make the squirrels smart when they eat them. Which really might be true since squirrels love the seeds inside of these 'brains'. Chipmunks appear to love them too, as I have found a few pieces of these brainy seeds scattered around the yard, and I know that pesky chipmunk is the culprit!

Boy, I sure hope Anonymous's kiddos don't start throwing these at people.

in the garden....

I have noticed the foliage of my grape hyacinths have begun popping up. If you see these small daffodil like foliage leaves popping up, do not worry as it is normal for established clumps of grape hyacinths to grow their foliage in the fall. This is a sure sign fall is fast approaching and we will soon be planting more bulbs for a nice spring show.

Plant of the Month-May 08

Alliums are a favorite genus of flowers for me. I first began growing the 'Drumstick' alliums, aka Allium sphaerocephalum, then began venturing into bolder types.

Two years ago I mail ordered 9 'Globemaster' alliums from Netherland Bulb Company. The bulbs came in super good condition in late fall. I planted them and hoped for success. I had previously tried Allium 'Gladiator'. The Gladiator cultivar barely bloomed the first year, and never appeared again. Globemaster is similar in growth habit to the Gladiator, so I was a bit worried about wasting my money.

But the 'Globemaster' alliums have done so well and have such an interesting and long season season of enjoyment that I have chosen 'Globemaster' to be my May 'Plant of the Month'. It is getting hard to choose a plant because there are so many good ones! I considered irises, but they don't last long enough in the garden, then salvias, but everyone has them and maybe I will feature them another month, the heucheras were considered then discarded, and finally I settled on 'Globemaster', a favorite!



Alliums need good drainage and full sun. Those two conditions are hard to find in my garden. But, I did locate what I hoped to be a good position for my initial nine bulbs. They came up beautifully last spring. When they bloomed the sight was simply stunning. These flowers just gave and gave. The foliage begins growing in February, then the flowers begin to form and bloom in April. The bloom lasts for more than a month. Once the huge purple bloom has gone by, the Globemaster alliums remain upright and beautiful in the garden for another month or so. They do fade from purple to grayish brown, but their form is still very good. I just loved these blooms.

I loved them so much I purchased 27 more bulbs from Netherland Bulb Company again this past fall. I thought I would be smart and plant them out front where they would make a big statement in my front garden, and not be hidden in the backyard. I could certainly picture them blooming their lovely purple color above the yellow four o'clocks (not in bloom at the same time-silly me!) in my front foundation bed, and across the sidewalk in an adjacent bed I call the 'Sidewalk Garden'. Original-huh? It turns out my planting location was not a good location. The front foundation bed is heavy clay and does not have good drainage, all but one allium disappeared. Lesson learned. The sidewalk garden alliums fared better and all are blooming. Yahoo!

The first picture shows the alliums in the sidewalk garden. They are doing great! They are mixed in amongst some crocuses, muscari and mum foliage. The start of the allium foliage are the little tufts of what looks like sedum or yuccas growing up in this bed. I have this problem with double and over planting, so all of my plants will inevitably be growing near or among other plants. The next picture shows some more of the foliage and the buds. Slowly the buds are opening up and looking a bit like something from outer space or Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Opening a bit more in May....! The blooms last a very long time in the garden. I like plants which last a long time and give good interest such as these alliums.

While visiting with Nina yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to see she also grows the 'Globemaster' alliums! They are blooming beautifully in her yard too.

The alliums are underplanted with chrysanthemums. The allium foliage will die back in a month or two and disappear completely when the mums take over. Come next spring they'll be back up and ready to grow and reward me again. That is why the 'Globemaster' alliums are my choice for May's Plant of the Month.

in the garden....

Tulips...Ah sweet tulips

Tulips, ah sweet, sweet tulips. Such a welcomed sight in the spring. What?! No tulips? You say you planted tulips and while they bloomed lovely one year, they have now disappeared?

Rest assured, you are not alone. Tulips seem to disappear each year. It is SO frustrating for a gardener.

One summer, when the Jimster was in the local public library children's program, we made weekly trips to the library. My big thing was to read plant books. I especially like books dedicated to one type of plant, like bulbs. There are TONS of bulb books in my library, but not so many dedicated to just tulips. I researched and researched. I just knew I could learn what type of tulip bulbs to plant to hopefully have them not only return each year, but to spread themselves around and perennialize.

All the books I read said Darwin hybrid tulips perennialize well. Maybe the authors' ideas of perennializing and mine were not the same. I expected all tulips to return and even to make more, they did not. I think the author maybe meant Darwin tulips perennialize better than most tulips. Since most tulips don't come back faithfully, they don't perennialize. I guess that means Darwin tulips return occasionally?

Optimistically I planted about 500 Darwin tulip bulbs that year (2005). I like bright colors, so I chose Apledoorn in red and yellows, and also some white ones. I just knew, based on my research, that the bulbs would all return. Nope. What a disappointment.

Last year (after two wasted years on the Darwin hybrid tulips), I decided to go another route. I deduced that species tulips would be the best for returning each year. After all, they are not hybridized and some have been around for hundreds of years. I duly researched all the bulb catalogs and chose the oldest type species tulip in the color I liked, red of course.

I purchased 250 of these tulips at a bargain price. They are planted in massed formations all around my backyard. The species tulips are featured in the second, third and fourth pictures.

The first thing you will notice is the foliage is very different from hybrid tulips. The foliage of the species tulip is very narrow and much shorter. This is actually a bonus since the large Darwin tulips have foliage that tends to get rather overblown, tattered and messy quite quickly. Not to mention the fact the tulips themselves are prone to being blown over.

The species tulips are short yet colorful. They are sturdy and eye catching, but not in as big a way as the hybrid tulips. Time will tell if they return faithfully each year in a better manner than the hybrids. The picture with the pinkish red and yellow tulips surprised me. The pink tulips in all of the pictures are 'Pink Impression'. They were a sale purchase at rock bottom prices in January. The yellow tulips are a Darwin hybrid I planted in 2006. I am surprised they returned as full and lush as the newly planted Pink Impression tulips. Maybe they will stay around for a while this time and I hit a good perennializing tulip hybrid.

in the garden....