I spent a good part of my Sunday just chillin out with this Allium ‘Globemaster’:
And enjoyed watching this guy come and go over and over again:
Category Archives: Bulbs
A garden tour from this Easter afternoon:
Viburnum buds continue to progress. And I realize just how many ornamental grasses I have based on their need to constantly photo bomb:
See what I mean?
What is interesting with these Mt Hood daffodils is how the trumpets start off yellow and eventually settle in pure white:
The Summer Snowflake blooms are appearing in bunches now, but I was more intrigued by the early evening sun on these bulbs:
More and more leafing out on the trees:
The lilac shrubs have shown signs of life for the first time:
The peonies continue to emerge and unfurl:
I planted two Leymus (Blue Lyme Grass) ‘Blue Dune’ in containers last summer and let them overwinter outdoors. They didn’t take long to appear again this spring:
The Dappled Willow (Salix ‘Hakuro-nishiki’) has fully leafed out and looks better than ever:
The tulips I overwintered in the garage actually bloomed (yeah buddy) so I made sure to bring them indoors where they could be gleefully ogled:
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend.
Ours was kind of awesome.
The crocuses have finally arrived.
Some one please remind me to plant more bulbs next fall. While they are fleeting and some times a challenge to incorporate into the landscape, they are a sight to behold this time of year, especially after our painfully long winter.
That is all.
I am going to take you through my recent bulb planting in rapid fire fashion because, well, that is also how I put my plan together before I started.
Here we go:
1)Narcissus ‘Jack Snipe’:
Quick logic behind location (see photo below):
- These are early spring bloomers so my daughter will have something nice to look at out of her playroom window.
- That is actually all I got.
Negatives after evaluating my location decision:
- Once these stop blooming, the spent flowers/foliage will be front and center without any attempt at hiding it behind emerging perennials.
- These are so small (10 inches) that they probably cannot be seen from within the house.
2)Narcissus ‘Tahiti’:
Quick logic behind location (see photo below):
- I found an actual open space.
- I may be able to have these blooming at the same time as the purple Campanula ‘Joan Elliot’ in front of them.
- When spent, these Narcissus may be hidden relatively well
Negatives after evaluating my location decision:
- I think the height of the blooming Narcissus and Campanula are exactly the same so one will actually hide the other.
- Do I even like these Narcissus? Not really sure yet.
3)Allium ‘Grateful’:
Quick logic behind location (see photo below):
- I found an actual open space.
- I found a space that was open.
Negatives after evaluating my location decision:
- Unsure if the bloom color will work with the neighboring Lady’s Mantle and peonies.
- The spent foliage will be in plain view.
A potential positive spin after even further review:
- Spent Allium blooms are kind of cool and can lend a bit architecturally.
4)Allium ‘Globemaster‘:
Quick logic behind location (see photo below, will be in the middle of the bed):
- I planted only one bulb as a trial run so location wasn’t a concern.
Negatives after evaluating my location decision:
- None that I can think of yet. But give me time.
And then to top it all off, since I have failed numerous times in the past to successfully grow tulips in my wet soil, I figured why not give them a shot in containers. I will just store them in my garage over the winter. I’ve done it once before with moderate success so I am optimistic that I can pull it off again. And since I used bulbs from Martha Stewart, nothing can go wrong:
Wish me luck.
John
Everyone loves the daffodil.
They are the ultimate sign of spring after a long cold winter. A promise of better things to come if you will.
But yours truly is completely indifferent to the narcissus … with one exception. I dig the white ones.
A few years ago, I did my homework and determined that the best white daffodil available was ‘Mount Hood’. I can tell you from experience, they rock:
I have always had a soft spot for white flowers (one of these days I will create a moon garden filled with only white flowers, but I digress) and Mount Hood fulfills that need.
What is interesting, is that when these daffodils first bloom (late April here in zone 6B) the trumpet is a pale yellow color:
And eventually transforms to a pure white (as seen in the two photos below):
And when the pure white state is reached, it is nirvana:
I planted a few clumps of these a few years ago and while they reliably come back and bloom each year, I haven’t seen them multiply as much as I had hoped for:
Some other nuggets of info before I get out of here:
- Each bloom is about 5″ in diameter
- Survives in zones 3-8
- They reach a height of about 14″ to 18″
- Prefer full sun but have thrived in partial shade for me
- The foliage is a fantastic blue/green color
- As with all daffodils, they are deer resistant
Have you grown this? Dig it? Would also love suggestions for other ‘whites’.
John
I have failed miserably trying to grow tulips.
I have never been able to successfully get a hyacinth to bloom … even once.
Even daffodils have been a bit of a challenge for me.
I was ready to throw in the towel on bulbs all together a few years ago, considering my growing conditions – poor draining clay soil, numerous rabbits and deer.
But after a Google search on “moisture loving bulbs”, I finally found a bulb that has survived for multiple years for me, the Summer Snowflake:
To actually see a bulb peaking through the soil in early spring is a thing of extreme joy for me:
Here is some information on the Summer Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum ‘Gravetye Giant’):
- Size – about 18″ tall by 24″ wide
- Survives in zones 4-8
- Prefers full sun to partial shade
- Typically blooms in late April here in zone 6B
- Has been deer resistant to date
Some additional photos:
The leaves are strap-like and glossy and form a vase shaped clump:
As the blooms appear, the leaves and flower scapes take on a bit of an arching shape:
As for the actual blooms, each “bell” is made up of six equal petals each marked with a green dot at the tip:
While most of my bulbs are relatively young (3 years), I expect them to multiply as the years progress so I will soon be looking at some serious drifts each April/May.
The foliage has already emerged here with the warm temps and I am pumped to see how they perform.
Now it is time to get out of here and do a Google search for some more wet tolerant bulbs …
John