I'll be ordering a bunch of daffodils soon so you don't have to feel foolish alone. Daffodils are one of the few bulbing type plants I can grow anywhere that the army of pine voles, who inhabit our 10-acre woodland, do not eat. Daffodils and garlic I can grow anywhere/everywhere and the voles don't eat them like they do every other plant (except 4 o'clocks) that has any sort of tuberous root or bulb or corm.

Yes, I couldn't do hostas in Oklahoma, because of the incessant gnawing. My crocus was usually left alone by them, strangely. As were the summer bulbs (cannas, crinum, lycoris).

Well, I don't have voles in my yard in Arkansas though, so I do have a few hosta that are multiplying and holding their own.

I'm hoping to plant some flower bulbs around the property this fall. Now, please tell me, why am I the only person who calls daffodils Easter lilies? My entire family has always called them that, many a time, I think, in relation to our religion (Think about it, they emerge near Christmas time, when we celebrate Jesus having been born, grow throughout the winter and give hope in an otherwise dark, dull period, and then bloom at Easter; It just so happens they bloom when Jesus was crucified, leaving a light of the world for all of us! The daffodil is very much important in us remembering these important holidays.)

Anyways, I love Easter lilies, and tulips. I don't see many people who grow tulips around here though. Is it too hot in the summer? Dutch irises do wonderfully around here. Maybe I'll try those.

My mom has many hostas, but she placed them in a spot with full sun....They look SCORCHED every. single. summer. Will be moving those to a shadier spot.

Oh, I do have cannas and they don't eat them. I guess I'd forgotten about them, or just take them for granted. Also, crinum lily. So, that's a couple more. Oh, and bearded iris too....so far.

I can't grow hostas here either because of the deer and the voles. The deer munch the foliage, and then the voles come through and wipe out the roots. It drove me mad in our early years here, but eventually I got to where I accepted reality and stopped trying to grow things that the wildlife eats.

I've never heard daffodils called Easter Lilies before, Jacob. Maybe because down here in southern OK they tend to bloom in February through the end of March, so tend to finish up before Easter.

Tulips ought to do well there I would think. I grew them in Fort Worth and they did surprisingly well, and Fort Worth is zone 8 and can have some fairly brutal summer heat (though, as I learned the hard way, it is not as hot there as it is in southern OK). Most only bloomed for a year for me in Texas, and I pre-chilled them in the refrigerator before planting them because Fort Worth did not always have cold enough winters. (It would be much worse there now as they do not often get cold at all any more.) A few would come back and bloom a second year, and maybe a tiny handful a third year, so I started growing daffodils instead as they were more reliable. If standard tulips don't do well for you, you might have success with some of the species tulips (think wildflower types versus fancy hybrids), some of which originated from Turkey and other places where they thrive in rocky areas. They perennialize and spread and come back reliably, but also tend to be shorter and to have simpler blooms. Are you in zone 6? In that case, they might need a good layer of mulch to get them through the winter. In zone 7 or 8 they are fine without it, though I think mulch is almost always a good idea anyhow.

I love, love, love tulips and want to grow them. I'm toying with skipping growing potatoes next year so I can grow tulips in the tall raised potato bed since it is lined with hardware cloth to keep the voles out. I've had so much fun growing more flowers and less veggies this year that I intend to continue doing it next year, and probably forever after.

You can see some varieties of species tulips here, just to see what they look like. I have no idea which retailer has the best prices for them as I haven't bought any species tulips since moving here.

Species Tulips

My crinum lilies have been in the same place without ever being divided for at least 15 years, Dividing them is on my list of things to do in 2019 or before 2019 or whenever. I cannot do it during snake season because rough green tree snakes and timber rattlers often hang out beneath the crinums. I don't know why. Maybe because the foliage is so dense and it likely feels cool there. I wouldn't mind an encounter with a green snake---had one today in fact---but I prefer to avoid the timber rattlers.

Dawn

Thank you so much for the info on tulips, Dawn. I most definitely will try them then, because I love tulips! I am in zone 6, I think 6b officially. But as with anything that includes weather, it varies from year to year. It's hotter in southern OK than Fort Worth? Not expected at all!!

I'll admit I'm not a big flower person, but do enjoy spring bulbs when they come up haha.

I would have some species tulip recommendation (by next spring). having planted many of them last year. I need another year to see how they do.

I can recommend greggii though as a commercial grade that does return well in Arkansas and NE Oklahoma. They don't really multiply much, but they seem to persist.

Greggii Tulips

dbarron, I never knew there were so many different varieties of tulips! If I ordered some, when would you plant? A lady I know in Hindsville, AR, is saying to plant in late Sept.

Well, the basic thing is, plant when you get them, which for me is usually late October or early November.

There is not set time to plant, no advantage to delay, etc here. The tulips will root in and grow when the soil gets cooler and more moist.

Who on earth do you know in Hindsville? I grew up there.

dbarron, good to know. Thank you! The lady I know goes about on Instagram, Facebook, etc., and her name is Brenda Embry. Super nice lady. I buy my seed garlic from her :) She also sells some seeds (namely flowers) at certain times of the year if you are interested. I've bought columbine, giant sunflowers, and red celosia from her before, all good quality.

You seem to have a history in both Arkansas and Oklahoma. How old are you?

Hmm, can't say I know her. Hindsville proper is 75 population. However, the mailing address is fairly vast.

I looked at her blog entries and I think I pretty much know the area she's living in, it's near War Eagle River, I think.

I'm 51 (tomorrow) and I've lived and gardened in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas, with a tiny bit of experience in California.

dbarron, out of all the places you've gardened, what has been your favorite? Haha

Hey, they all had their perks. Nebraska things looked fresher longer into summer and fall, though long winter. Oklahoma, I could grow cactus and agave and lots of neat natives. Arkansas and natives, though with a bent toward water loving/tolerant natives. Texas, well, it was perpetual summer...which is good and bad.

I definitely belong to the camp that you should garden appropriately to the climate you live in. It doesn't pay to try to fight nature. And part of gardening is figuring out your own mini-climate/environment.

True true. Micro climates are very fascinating, and I think the major reason that gardeners in the same regions can have many different results. You can study online as much as you want, but you can't truly learn without experience because of it haha

As an example, I fought with keeping a heuchera alive for years. I finally tried it behind the roof drip line on the north side of the house. They're monsters there...it mimics the cliffs they grow on in nature.

Also with the tulips I ordered, I planted little pockets of 3 or 4 in various locations based on sun exposure, water, soil to see what they thrived in best. Results still outstanding.

I've enjoyed your exchange, dbarron and Jacob! Thank you!

Well dbarron, the benefit of tulips (and many other spring bulbs) in our shaded yard is, they would bloom before the leaves get on our trees, allowing us to see some beautiful flowers before the shade sets in. They probably appreciate a little shade in summer. Easter lilies (or daffodils, as you call them) are numerous on our property, popping up everywhere. Chickens love them. They really like shade in summer it seems. Dutch irises are the same. I just love Dutch irises.

A microclimate ideal for me- wind. I've found that fungus can be very bad on our property due to us being below a hill, blocked from most wind. That's a real benefit in winter time, but in summer it can cause airflow to be in a bit of a shortage. Tomatoes will be covered in leaf spot, dying, and yet our neighbors' at the top of the hill are still fully green. I've gotten by that by placing them on the highest spot in the garden, as well as a spot to get sun the earliest to dry off morning dew. Crops with lesser fungus issues don't mind being down low!