I just planted 70 tulips. While I love bulbs, and the show, they also annoy me about late may, early may with dead foilage or they are there in the dirt darn it where I want to plant my annuals..so I "think" I will stop this year at the 70 new ones...but no promises...I get weak when I see the bags of pretty color and think of the burst of color after a bleak winter. :)

I also have trouble with squirrels eating my bulbs...my husband said yesterday he prolly sat in a tree and watched where his buffet would be today while I worked! :) Stinker.

I've had splendid success with Dutch irises, Spanish bluebells and daffodils. The iris foliage is thin like wild onions, so plant them so that other plants will cover the foliage.

I'm ready to try allium and maybe eremurus. I was going to try camassia, but am concerned of many summers of drought to come. It's now been over 6 weeks with no rain. It should be here later this week.

Cameron

I like Muscari and Squill (Scilla) - nice drifts of blue in the early spring. Together with an over abundance of forget-me-nots, my gardens turn into a sea of blue. And the foliage for both the Muscari and Squill just disappears on their own. No creatures bother either one of those - deer consistently ate my tulips, rabbits get the crocus blooms and I'm thinking I'd like to try some daffodils this year; the tried and true King Alfreds or Mt. Hood.

I have an order coming in from Old House Gardens. I just get a few each year.

As for squirrels and other rodents, you can foil them by planting your edible bulbs in one of those gopher cages. That, or plant them in pots. Most tulips won't come back in my climate of little chill, but the species ones that will I have planted in a raised bed. There the rodents can't tunnel in unseen from below. If they try to come and dig to them from the surface, they are vulnerable to the dog or the owl. Seems to discourage them.

Rosefolly

This year I'm going with the vibrant blues of Muscari and Scilla, with a great dash of fuschia contrast from Allium Oreophillum and 'Atlantis' Tulips.

In my region the ground freezes mid-October so now is the time to plant next spring's bulbs, and I've been scrambling to make my picks. I couldn't have everything - if I could, I really would - so I just picked a 'favorite' (definetly the Muscari) and chose the other bulbs around that.

I have a pair of appletrees that have about 15 ft. between them, facing eachother across the garden, so I thought having mirrored plantings at their base would be quite pretty. At the foot of one tree I'm planting the Muscari with the Alliums, and at the base of the other I'm doing the Scilla and the Tulips. The colors are almost exact matches, as well as the heights of the blues and those of the fuschia flowers, but their textures and appearence are completely different, so I think it will yield some fabulous interest.

Love the color combo:

{{gwi:746261}}

One thing that is nice about my frigid zone is that bulbs I used to consider only for 'early spring' (when I was zone 7) don't start blooming until May... Heh, daffodils remain lovely until July here. :D

Anyway, I hope you all have a blast choosing and planting some lovely bulbs!

I have a new bed and so I started to fill them up with tulips, muscari and daffodils. I also planted allium purple sensation in large masses.

I just came home from the garden center, I've ended up with whitefly in the greenhouse :o(. I'm going to try a Safer's product on them, I sure hope it works, these little b's are hard to get rid of. Well I was there it seems several Muscari varieties that I didn't have jumped off the shelf and glued themselves to me, I couldn't shake them off so had to pay for them. Big Sighhhhh.

Annette

I'm going to plant more of the beautiful pale blue Puschkinia libanotica / Striped Squill.

And more
And more

It's so sweet and so early.

Libby

Libby, I just love Puschkinia libanotica....I had some in my garden for years, and I added more last year too. I wish it would self-seed. It doesn't seem to multiply fast, but it is reliable even in zone 2.

Edna, Have you considered wind flower. This is one I adore, but they won't grow in my zone. I wonder if they would grow in your zone. They bloom early and are little bulbs you plant in the fall. They look like little daisies.

Sierra

I fell in love with MrMorton's 'Summer Beauty' allium, and hope to find some to plant this fall. No luck yet!
Patti

Edna, I vote for Alliums. The pretty purple in late summer is the perfect compliment to all the yellow things blooming late in the season. I have three types planted together for varying height and head size and now need to rearrange some of the yellow plants to interplay with them. I'll have to wait for spring to move things though...too late already for doing it this fall. Just be sure to deadhead them when they're done blooming if you don't want them to spread all around.

MeMo

Edna, off topic, but please check your email. Thanks.

Xuan

Memo -- I'm thinking of putting Purple Sensation among my groundcover St. Johns Wort (hypericum calycinum) that blooms yellow and is evergreen in some warmer spots in my garden. How close together should I plant the bulbs? Do they need to be on drip irrigation? I don't have any in those beds, but can easily extend the irrigation lines when I dig up the bed to plant bulbs.

Thanks,
Cameron

Cameron, Purple Sensation grow well in my zone 2 as well. They are spring blooming though. They bloom here early July. I would say plant them 4 to 6 inches apart. The leaves don't look great once they start to bloom. They turn yellow/brown. The flowers last a couple weeks here...then I leave the seed heads for added interest. I like the look of them. They will also readily self-seed if you leave the seed heads too long.

I also have several other types of Alliums. Little purple and yellow ones...about 4 inches tall, they bloom a bit later in the season. I have one that is...well kind of ugly actually, it has a white top.....but the bees love it...so I keep it in the garden. I also have nodding onion and chives. The bees love all of these plants. And they all self-seed readily.

Sierra

200 daffodil bulbs came home with me a couple weeks ago. I have this resolution -- a WRITTEN statement -- that I will not buy/plant tulips. Well, maybe a few tulips surrounded by white daffodils to foil the voles.

Last year, I managed about 20 (of 40 bulbs) successful purple tulips. My NEW plan is to have Iceland poppies, which bloom at the same time as tulips and last for weeks instead of days. I already bought Iceland poppy seeds. Much less trouble to start poppies than to chill and successfully grow tulips in the south for such a brief (sob) show.

Nell

Cameron, I don't know specifically which alliums I have. I bought them at a country nursery here and the tag just said 'Allium'. They are very drought tolerant in my garden. I squirt them with the hose about once or twice per month. Mine bloom in the fall...around late July into early September. They're about 14-18" tall.

Sierra, I've added 'Purple Sensation' to my wish list for next year. Thanks for that info. I need to pay really close attention to your posts so I can steal ideas from you and your zone 2 garden LOL!

Nell, There you are!! I had hoped you were fine, have missed your posts here.

MeMo

I've been looking around at all the varieties and will probably try to mix them based on bloom time. I think the hypericum will cover the low foliage of the allium. Hopefully, they'll pop out above the yellow and green of the hypericum if I get the taller varieties.

I no longer plant tulips since I have a deer problem It just about did me in to plant several hundred daffodils last year, but I'm game for the allium.

Thanks!
Cameron

Annette, Sorry to hear of your white fly problem. They are tough to get rid of. A few hours at the garden center seems to put everything in perspective, don't you think *lol*

Funny enough MeMo, I was thinking of Alliums. They look so bold.

P'feffa, if I find some I'll be sure to grab a hand-full for you. "My allium is your allium"

Sierra, you've peeked my interest with the windflower. Mmmmm...just may need to go on my 'want' list.

Pretty picture, Nell.

Edna

Hmmmm, I'll try again, just typed in some of my favorites, dropped a catalog on the keyboard and erased everything, it doesn't help that my eyes are almost swollen shut due to a mishap yesterday. Here goes for the second time.

Three of my favorite Alliums, Karataviense lovely foliage on this guy. Christohii big flowers on a 1 to 2' stems and the third Schubertii these guys remind me of fireworks.

I don't grow Daffs any more, lost too many to the Narcissus fly. I use to grow them for exhibition and it just got too darn expensive to keep replacing them.
I have a few tulips but with a lot of the varieties if you don't dig them after they have died down and plant them in a new position they seem to get fire blight.

It seems I have fallen in love with all the minor bulbs. Crocus, Snowdrops, Muscari, Chioodoxa, Spanish Bluebells, Dwarf Iris and Hyacinths as well. Looks like I'll soon be adding Puschkinia :o). To go out in the garden when winter's on the way out, to see all these bright cheerful little reminders that winter is on her last legs and spring is around the corner, all the mistakes I made in the garden the previous year are behind me and I haven't made the new mistakes YET LOL.
I love seeing little drifts of minor bulbs that have naturalized here and there, it really brings a smile to my face. Another thing I like about these guys, it doesn't take forever for the foliage to die back.

Annette

Great thread, Edna. Alliums have my vote. I love them. I finally get to start adding bulbs in the front. I'm planning on planting a lot, and a lot of variety. I'll be in Holland in November, so I'll be shopping and shipping. I'll be making a couple of forays out of Amsterdam on bulb hunting expiditions.

Steven

Oh, Steven, as much as I enjoy going through my catalogs in the dead of winter, wrapped in a warm quilt....I can't even imagine how wonderful it would be to go far away and be able to hand pick all the colors and varieties that must be available when you are in the land of bulbs! I can't wait to see what you come home with.

MeMo

I recently found old family pictures of me as a 'wee one' in Amsterdam. Oh how I loved that part of Europe. What better place to collect bulbs!

Guess what???!!!!! I've got tickets to see Andre Rieu. I can hardly hardly hardly wait. He's from Maastricht, Limburg.

E-

hey duluth, I agree with your'sea of blue' that you get in spring. I plan to add more bluies to my front bed. Right now, I have a half circle of muscari around the top of my front 40ft bed. I will look for for-get-me-not and other stuff hardy to my Z5 that is blue. More daffies too.
Pondy

At this moment half of my fridge is full of bulbs, mostly daffs this year. Tulips, though I LOVE them, are mostly annuals here in zone 8, so I will plant just a few. I am sure there will be more bulbs to fill the rest of my fridge - alliums are among my favorites, too. Last year I planted lots of those. And somehow every fall the greed takes over, and I buy more and more. It totally worth it though in spring when tons of gorgeous blooms appear.
Can hardly wait to start planting!
~Natalie

Hey back at you, Pondy. I just ran through Menard's and picked up a bag each of Muscari Armeniacum, another Muscari called Blue Spike, Puschkinia Libanotica, and some large yellow daffs. They had some nice tulips, but the wildlife always gets those before I can enjoy them so thought better of it.

Cameron/wonbyherwits,

Don't be worried about camassias and drought. They are native to the West Coast where it definitely rains all winter but we can have 5 months of no rain in the summer(rare but not exceptionally so). In fact, even our normal summers are dry- my soil is dry at least six inches down despite two days of good rain last week.Camassia have evolved for our dry summers here. In fact, they need good drainage thru the winter, even in wet soil.

Here where they still grow natively, they are common on seaside cliffs,growing in thin soil on rocks. Do an image search for ''gary oak meadows'' and you'll find lots of beautiful photos all in meadows that dry right out in the summer.

My old garden, I had single cream ones that seeded themselves allover in the lower wild garden. It was beautiful- alas, now bulldozed. The violet and blue shades they come in are beautiful with the fresh green and chartreuse foliage on spring.

I brought all my violets and blues to my new garden and as many cream as I could dig up. This spring, I bought some of the double creams- just 2 as they aren't cheap. Besides seed, the bulbs increase quickly in clumps. I'm hoping for some nice clumps of double creams before too long.

...Don

Don, Where have you been all summer? We'd love to see pictures of your progress at your new home. I remember the beautiful gardens that you left and I know your new garden is probably just as beautiful even if new. I'll keep an eye on the gallery and hope that you post some pictures.

MeMo