Camp, I had a big order ready to place but then saw the tariff surcharge which annoyed me so much I am boycotting! We have no idea where the tariff money is going - into some sovereign wealth fund controlled by the president? I do commend Van Engelen for labelling the surcharge as a tariff fee rather than just raising tjeir prices. I believe all bulbs comd from the Netherlands so tbat every purchase will force you into colluding in this scheme. Count me out.

Anyone who has been around here long enough and has read my posts might know of my love-hate relationship with bulbs. LOVE the blooms in spring, DETEST planting them in fall! The last few years I haven't purchased much - maybe just an impulse buy at a local store - but last year I bought some basic daffs (King Alfred type - love the big bold yellow!) and some crocuses for my daughter's garden.

This year I think I will venture another purchase. Likely just more crocuses (used to have quite a nice display in the lawn, but have lost many and am thinking of revisiting that look) and more daffs. And some tulips for pots (just deer fodder otherwise and they never come back anyway). Perhaps some other small bulb that catches my fancy.

This is all dependent on prices though - kitasei you reminded me about the tariffs starting to affect us and I haven't looked into ordering yet, so that may affect my decision too. I do usually order from VE or Scheepers so I may change my mind as well. But I suppose even my usual impulse buy at a local nursery or big box store will be affected by the tariffs.

rosa good luck - the thought of planting 700 bulbs is very daunting!

:)

Dee

Yes, the tariff thing is grief, isn't it. We faced similar exclusions when Brexit became policy - missing out on Barnhaven primula, seedaholic seeds and a heap of yarn I used to get directly from Finland and Norway.

But can I just bang the drum for seeds here. It is surporising how easy it is to grow geophytes from seed - some of them are blooming in 2 seasons. I always allow a few of the species tulips run to seed because they will bulk up (in a nursery bed) within 2/3 years of minimal effort. Back in the days before tissue culture, I grew all my martagon lilies from seed since bulbs were ridiculously spendy and even now, it is possible to buy a single tulip bulb for $10 while seeds come up like grass....and I will definitely save and post some to anyone across the pond wanting to have a go.

I share Dee's love-hate relationship.

I did buy some daffs locally last fall that I planted under some of my newer fruit trees and I very much enjoyed the blooms on those (when I ventured back to that part of the property). I'd like to plant some under all the fruit trees, mainly to keep the voles away from the trees, but the problem is can't remember which ones I already planted under LOL! If I do pick up anything, it will be locally. I was pleased to see that one of the big boxes had a decent display of bulbs this year, unlike more recent years.

My bulb budget this year was mostly spent on alliums, but I also bought 200 Darwin tulips and daffodils. Not looking forward to planting, but boy is it ever worth it the next Spring!

I visited a regional garden center looking for lycoris squamigera. No joy. Checked several reputable catalogs and found it at $10 per bulb plus shipping. Decided that I don't need lycoris that badly.

I forgot to get Leucojum. I planted about 25 of them years ago and I really enjoy them. I plant them near my daffs and when the daff flowers are done, the foliage is still standing and the Leucojum makes it look like new blooms in the daff foliage. I also have them coming up in a patch of Vinca that looks really nice too. Maz gives me the idea to get them locally and save myself the extra shipping and tariff charges. :-)

Cecily - That is a LOT...lol. I would have left them there too.

Porkchop - Hope you figure out which trees to plant under. Sounds like something I would do. [g] Do you ever use pantyhose cut in strips to tie up your tomatoes? You could use the pantyhose on a branch of your tree to remember you planted under them?

Gardengirl, I've already ordered but....thanks for the idea, next year!

Leucojum were surprise winners in the wood, PM. While camassia dwindled (cos of some munching beastie), the leucojum have thrived and multiplied.

Have been slowly planting away. All the easy spaces have been taken so digging and clearing needs to be done before a bulb goes in the ground...but, there is no pressure to get tuli8ps planted - have left it as late as January before now.

I love seeing trees under-planted with bulbs but yep, that sickening crunch as your trowel chops a fat bulb in half. Does clear up and queries regarding earlier planting sprees though...unless you have squirrels in the habit of planting solitary bulbs.

I try to avoid too much clearing but I have never managed to achieve those artful vistas of winter hoarfrost, gleaming on the seed-heads (beloved of garden photographers and designers). My gardens get battered by easterlies and look a damp, bedraggled tangle of limp brown leafage. So planting and clean up run alongside each other...and once the strimmer has been over, the allotment looks infinitely better than the appallingly overgrown, semi-abandoned garden at home.

I emptied many, many pots belonging to a former garden customer and now have hundreds of small bulbs which I would like to replant in an experimental bulb frame. Whist they are still sitting in a hessian sack, this is seeming like a feasible idea in my head...but there is a load of other pressing tasks so who knows. So many good ideas (of mine) fail because of insane delusions of grandeur and utterly unrealistic estimates of available time and energy.

The areas I have planted Leucojum are under trees but also in about 3 hrs of sun. They do come back every year, undisturbed by critters, unlike crocus, which are a waste of money for me. I planted a few camassia to try and then they disappeared for about 5 years. Suddenly they showed up again, very surprising.

Yes, I have to be careful about biting off more than I can chew. I will go out with a list on a Saturday an arm long thinking I will get at least half of it done, and then I get 3 or 4 items checked off and that's it. I find what works for me is to break things down in smaller portions. Take a small 5x5 ft area and aim to get that just the way I want it then move on to the next small area. I'm still not going to get everything that I want to do, done, but if I just do a little here and do a little there, I'm working but nothing is ending up looking the way I want it.

I know that my October will be crammed, so I really was very strict with me. I have a small-ish garden, two alottments,

I did a big editing of my perennials, a lot of culling and then moving, I dug up some older bulbs, in very good shape, quite sure Darwin hybrid tulips, the big, long lastings ones,

got some more from a bed that got cleared and bought a bag with 15 pink Darwin hybrids. THe tempting rest is a no-no this season, and I have to be very brave in November when there is a talk/ meeting from our perennial society, with a sale of great and rare bulbs...

big plus, I am almost done now

there were bad seasons when I had bulbs sitting around and perishing because I did not get around to planting them, so, I am very relaxed now and think that I still got too many tulips next spring...

a pic from this April

this is a very narrow strip with perennials along my border, as a light screen through out the season, on the right from the tulips is my neighbor

250 tulips on order!

Im not allowing myself to order bulbs until I plant the perennials I bought this spring.

i always plant a tulip bed for my daughter whose birthday is May 19. Sometimes the timing is off, but i think Darwins sychronize well. Tulips planted elsewhere are decapitated by squirrels who leave the flower lying on the ground. I’d be less offended if they just ate the the evidence.

i need to replenish the large allium which have been displaced and destroyed by misdirected shovels and a gardener with a poor memory.

Im a real sucker for the Bulgarian honey bulb, Nectaroscordum siculum or allium siculum.

It has a presence few other spring flowers do. Ill try to insert a photo tomorrow.

i took a page from Prairie Moon and plant miniature narcissis in my crowded perennial bed. The foliage seems to die more quickly than full size bulbs and they are easier to plant.

Linaria - Nice display of tulips. And I like your nice large veggie bed edged with pavers. Nice size for squash and anything really.

I have to edit and move perennials and shrubs and I’m hoping my energy is going to hold out until I get it done. [g] It is not the easiest of garden jobs.

I wonder if this is the first time you have dug up old bulbs? I don’t often do it, but the few times I have I have really been impressed with how many new bulbs I got out of the deal. It’s always easier to just order more, but there is a satisfaction you get from increasing your own. And less expensive. And it actually isn’t as hard as you think it’s going to be. I dug mine up and potted them and it worked out great. I left them out all season and the next spring I plugged them in right where I wanted them.

Perfect time to plant new bulbs too, after moving your perennials around.

SoCalGal - I hope you will post photos in the spring, would love to see your 250 tulips!

Marie, did you order the Mini Daff mix or select your favorites individually?

That’s so sweet that you plant a tulip bed for your daughter. Is that one of her favorite flowers?

Hi PM

I didnt buy a mixture.

This is our daughter with special needs who lives in a grroup home. She visits Sundays and likes to bring a bouquet back with her. we just gravitated towards tulips because they are so varied and colorful. Also relatively inexpensive at end of season. Heres a photo of a Mother’s Day harvest which comes before the 19th. Some years I miscalculate and the tulips are finished by May 19. . Theres always something in bloom we can make an arrangement with. i never try to save the bulbs. We just buy new ones every year,

Marie, That is a great idea to do wtih your daughter when she comes for a visit. I bet she gets a lot of enjoyment out of it. And the vases of tulips are so cheerful! Good job! And must be fun to pick new tulip bulbs every season. You get to try a lot of varieties.

Waiting for my bulb order to be delivered from White Flower Farm!! Order includes galanthus, a mix of white daffodils/narcissus, and tulips (queen of night, white triumphator, and merlot).

I try to plant bulbs every year as I am always happy to see them in late winter & spring. The last 2 years I have been concentrating on planting early bulbs, hellebores, etc. with extended bloom time where I can see the blooms from any window or door that I look out of. It’s a great mood lift when I see them flowering with no effort on my part at that time of the year.

Seeing @Marie Tulin Boston burbs z 6a‘s photos of the beautiful arrangements makes me very glad I will be planting more!

Not a ton this year compared to previous years - I too just replant each year, they just don't come back for me, I think they rot in our cool wet summers.

I have 100 pink finola 'glamour girl' , very pink (from Costco) and 145 variety on the way from tulips.com in Mt Vernon, Washington state - when I lived in Seattle, I remember doing a bicycle trip to La Connor , WA - fields of tulips, I thought I was in Holland ! As a kid, I visited Holland, Michigan where they thow a tulip festival each year .

(looking forward to 30 of the Scarlet Pimpernel which I really enjoyed this spring )

Very few tulip producers will ship to me here in Anchorage, so I am grateful for tulips.com although I sure wish they'd send them earlier :), hoping to not have to plant through an inch of frost, although I've done it before . One favorite local nursery used to carry so many nice (VanEngelen?) bulbs but it's been slimmer variety last few years , so I haven't been over there this fall.

Happy planting !

Thought of this thread @suzy jackson as my first bulbs arrived today. If it hadn't rained so much the past 24 hours I had resigned myself to digging until lots later in October/November as the ground has been like concrete with this dry summer. But it was good planting the first 25 as the rain came down.

Well, I am getting bulbs in the ground but making no headway towards completing the job. In order to free up some space for the tulips, I have had to dig out a lot of the self-seeded plants (many). And lurking underneath are swathes of semi-forgotten bulbs...which have increased, a lot. One small patch revealed several hundred wild gladioli, anemones and alliums. As well as at least another couple hundred from a customer. So far, relying on my long handled bulb planter but I expect the drill and augurs will be in use once all the 'easy'spaces are filled.

Are those narcissi called 'Gunshot'? Eek!

I was wondering when someone would comment on the 'crazy' moniker for these daffodils. What were they thinking??

I didn't see the name until I clicked on the photo...crazy name. I agree, what were they thinking?!

Lat, I like the red and purple together.

I finally did it. I ordered species tulips. Ive also been looking at a lot of Tulipa observations from central Asia region, and there are some very unusual species that I don't see offered anywhere. I want to make sure I get the soil right. Some of them grow in gravel on the sides of mountains, so excellent drainage is crucial. Whst I ordered.

Tulipa cretica

Tulipa coerulea ocultata

Tulipa turkestanica

Tulipa humilis

Tulipa tarda

Tulipa greigii

Some of the Greigii tulips appear rather tall compared to most other species tulips. Is it possible that hybrids are marketed as Greigii tulips? Greigii loves hot dry summers and cool moist winters.

I love the striped leaves. Another cool species is Tulipa undulatifolia.

Tulipa undulatifolia

Jay, Wow, you're going to have a colorful yard come spring. Lot of soil prep and bulb planting for you this fall I guess.

Jay

ive had all of thise except cretica and the last. They are as lovely as the photos show.

Where did you order from? Ive never seen ”cretica” before. The little bulbs are so easy to plant. i look fowards to next springs photos from you

marie

I have cretica. It does well and multiplies readily even in my low chill USDA zone 10b. I got mine from VanEngelen.

O well done, Jay. I really think you will enjoy the tulipa.

I have noticed a few bulb companies offering t.cretica 'Hilde' this year, so it is gradually appearing in wider commerce. Years ago, we were lucky to find a scant dozen species tulips (although t,greigii and kaufmaniana had long been sold as 'botanical' tulips. I started most of mine from seed so have always had some interesting variations and some are still elusive,such as the last of all to flower, and one of my favourites- the graceful t,sprengeri. New species are appearing on the market every year as many of us are transitioning away from annual bedding and 'disposable' plants. You always have some terrific bulbs, socalgal!

Suzy, thanks for mentioning T. sprengeri. Ive never heard of it, but out of all the red flowered species Ive been looking at, Id say it's the most striking by far, with those dark centers. Sprengeri is officially extinct in the wild where it originated in Turkiye. This is all google info that I'll forget by tomorrow Lol.

Praiemoon, the bulbs have created a conundrum. I need to choose and prepare an area asap. It might be temporary, but I will still try to duplicate their prefered conditions. My first love will always be our native bulbs like Trillium, Erythronium, Lilium, Clintonia, Medeola, etc. The native bulbs are fussy and often difficult to establish. They usually grow in cool, shady, woodland seeps, in soil with lots of organic matter. I think the species tulips are more durable and can take some neglect and abuse. Im sure they can thrive without shpplemental watering.

Yes i can confirm that,

Marie, I ordered bulbs from 2 places, Breck's and K. van Bourgondien. I compared prices and they seemed reasonable. Up until now I haven't paid much attention to the bulb conversations unfortunately. It's good to hear that your's have done well.

Suzy, I think collecting and growing the seeds could end up with some ste

llar offspring. T. acuminata is very interesting. It's an ancient hybrid of unknown origin. Probably selectively bred over eons. Acuminata is slightly pricier. How many years must you wait for seed grown species tulips to flower?

Tulipa acuminata

Tulipa biflora

It's very similar to T. turkistanica, but I love the pale lavender in the petals.

Tulipa linifolia

Tulipa greigii

Are the undulated leaves typical of the species? This is growing in Uzbekistan.

SoCalGal - Great photo of the tulips. They are on the edge of rocks? Is that soil rocky or sandy as well? Especially like that cute cretica.

I am a fan of small bulbs that are easy to plant and especially ones that multiply easily. I love crocus but some critter keeps digging up the bulbs and eating them. So I order more Galanthus and Scilla. Daffs of course, no critters eat those. I wonder about tulips? Even the species, are there critters who find them tasty?

The one other problem for me is that I have clay soil. And a lot of tree roots to contend with so my garden is dry a lot. Not good for woodland native bulbs but the bulbs I use do well here. Not so sure about the species tulips.

My T cretica are next to a dry streambed with decorative rocks that is a stream on those infrequent occasions when it rains in southern California. Soil is somewhat sandy.

Dirty Talk.

I stumbled upon this great video about species tulips. I have added acuminata and linimifolia. I feel guilty about not ordering sprengeri. It seems to be the rage in Europe, but why? Is it really any better than a Red Riding Hood griegii?

Ive ordered 3 Clintonia umbelullata bulbs. I love C. borealis too of course. What exactly is this magic clay medium for germinating tulips composed of?

https://youtu.be/O-hay5uhFnc?si=PV1PPfKiht47fAA_

Susie, I replied to your message, but I haven't heard back. My notifications don't seem to be showing most of the time, but your's did. Ive ordered Tulipa spregeri and montana seeds from the UK, but I need a seed plot permit and unfortuately our corrupt, self serving government has shut down the USDA site that I need to get the permit from. I never imagined that I'd ever grow tulips from seed, but we do what we must do.

Have you ever smelled the fragrance of Tulipa sprengeri? Im not sure how the seed plot permit works? Is the permit good for only 1 transaction?

Jay, your species tulips order looks divine, it's making me dream again ! The only ones that I've been able to establish are tulipa tarda, which I do really like .

I've got my order from Mt Vernon, tulips.com - they're in the ground so I guess I'm ready for frost ... hurry jackfrost , before I'm tempted to order more , or not... :))

lat62, I see you caught the tulip bug too. What tulips did you order? Ive also ordered acuminata and a parrot tulip. Ive recieved the cretica Hilde bulbs and the rest are on their way from Holland. Im going to buy a couple bags of grit tomorrow, and then sort out where Im going to plant them.

Ive been watching these videos and they are so informative. The woman hosting lives in Cambridge. You wouldn't happen to know her, would you Suzie?

https://youtu.be/3wcdeNe8UqY?si=-mYQqMn4sWeqV7HI

https://youtu.be/WyfglLFb0Bg?si=B0Vz7wk91bJkuw6h

I've been looking for a reliable wholesaler for lily bulbs. Searches turn up a few, but they get a pretty sad rating a Dave's Garden Watchdog. A local nursery uses Stuifebergen, but they're minimums are too large for my budget and need.

I did order a few from " J.W. Jung Seed Company", Lily, Leichtlinii, Pack of 3 , Lily, Orienpet, Friso, Pack of 3 , but after adding in shipping it was more expensive than buying at local retail outlets. Was annoyed I didn't see the final cost before submitting the order, and not sure if it was bad web design or me being a dummy. ;o{

These are the ones I went for :

25 Charming Beauty

25 Queen of the Night (I've planted those for decades, can't give 'em up)

25 Columbus

10 Frozen night

20 Orange Princess (for my dear sister)

10 rococo parrot

30 Scarlet Pimpernel

I'd like to put in the photos, but can't seem to copy/paste... anyway,, the website has nice photos ! tulips.com

Now I've gotten an email for their sale, so I'll have to order more :))

SeniorBalloon, Im not fond of having to purchase a minimum amount either. I planted my Clintonia umbellulata today. I ordered 3 rhyzomes and recieved 7. I thought they grew from bulbs. I looked at bonap to see what other Clintonia species there were, and I came upon this west coast jewel Clintonia andrewsiana.

I had a look at the native west coast Lilium and found more jewels. We have very similar orange tiger lily-like species in the east.

Lilium bolanderi

Lilium colombianum

Lilium kelloggii 'Boyd Kline'

Lilium maritimum

Lilium occidentale

Lilium parryi

Lilium parvum

Lilium rubescens

Lilium washingtonianum var purpurascens

Heirloom Daffodils

https://youtu.be/jIiU3kK4k4U?si=JnavaZi3GHxTtU8g

The best of Talking Dirty gardening show, featuring Mike Clifford.

https://youtu.be/d5BpWjsVIF4?si=0noym9OwPRw7_ZZD

I find this gardening show immensly more enjoyable than watching Monty Don.

Lat62, nice selection. My favorite is Scarlet Pimpernal. The green streaks in the petals are stunning. It's called a broken tulip. I think that means the petals don't unfold in the normal way. I grew the double flowered Angelique about 20 years ago. They only lasted 1 season. Maybe the chipmunks found them?That almost black tulip is cool too.

Carribean parrot tulip. I ordered this one.

La Courtine

Definitely on my bucket list for next year.

I hàve sent seeds to the US before, and also Canada. I said they were beads on the customs declaration so am happy to try ànd send and bunch to you. Growing geophytes is easier than you might imagine and can often get to blooming size in 3years while simply being left to get on with it with no special effort. The best way to get rare and costly varieties. Sprengeri is a tiny bulb which will pull itself very deep in the soil with dropper roots so is really difficult in commercial practice. Am typing on phone so not doing my usual rambling and loquacious posts.

Im considering growing Ramsons. I have had no luck germinating Allium tricoccum, Ramps. Our 2 native Ramps, A. tricoccum and A. burdickii, both flower after their leaves go dormant. I just planted 7 Clintonia umbellulata rhzomes. They resemble Allium ursinum. I read that most people grow Ramsons for their delicious leaves, not for their flowers. I think they are garden worthy for the flowers. Do they easily self sow? The one drawback is they will leave an empty space after going dormant, but there are many shade annuals that can used to fill in the gaps.

Ramsons, Allium ursinim

It's as pretty as Starry Solomon's Seal, Maianthemum stellata.

Ive had a lot of failures trying to germinate plants in Liliaceae. The seeds require 2 years of fluctuating temperatures. Doe's anyone have tips?

I know the leaves taste best before they flower.

I'm not considering growing bulbs from seeds, but it sounds like a fun project. I am surprised to hear how difficult it is to grow Lilies from seed. I have the native Tiger Lillies and it seems to me they have dropped those bulbils and propagated that way because they expanded into a patch. Unfortunately the rabbits had a field day with them and I think this spring I had one left.

My bulb order arrived and I didn't realize how much I ordered....lol. When I saw the size of the box, I did a double take. 100 Narcissus Mix bulbs is a LOT...lol, and although they are mini, some of the bulbs are large. And I got galanthus and anemone and squill which are smaller bulbs, but I see the squill need to be planted 5" deep, so that doesn't seem easier. I'm going to be trying to plant a little at a time for quite awhile it looks like.

Prairiemoon, your tiger lily sounds more like the Asian Lilium lancifolium. AFAIK our native orange lilies don't produce bulbits. I came across lancifolium in the woods this summer. I was tempted to come back and collect the bulbits, but I decided not too, because my native Michigan Lilies were going to bloom. I just ordered 3 Philedelphia Lilies from where else but Prairie Moon. I bought a bag of Lilium lancifolium bulbs years ago, but I was having a problem with voles at that time and the voles ate them all

. Honestly until very recently, I also thought that Lilium lancifolium was native. Ive decided that buying Lilium bulbs is better than growing them from seed, because if I can overcome the hurdles and manage to germinate them, I still have to wait 3 to 5 years for them to flower. It would be wonderful if our native lilies made bulbits.

Jay, you are probably right. I don't remember where I bought the Tiger Lilies but to me they look a lot like the Michigan Lily. I really like the Michigan Lily but are they native to New England? I'd enjoy seeing a photo of yours. And I'll post a photo of mine when I get a chance. Whatever they are, it looks like the rabbits are going to make them extinct if they can. Sad. Next year I'll have to try some new deterents.