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OK, so, I want to have this next Spring. I love bulbs coming up as an early surprise. Even like them as a Fall surprise. I know you have to plant them in opposite times of the year for flowers in Spring and Fall. I wanted to plant bulbs last Spring for this Fall but I missed that with the fence build and our early heat. Now that the heat is hopefully ending soon, I want to plow through a bunch of delayed yard projects and one of the first things I want to do is plant the bulbs that I need to now (by now I mean soon, when it's cool) so that we have color for Spring.
I even have this fun tool that a good friend of my bought for my birthday a couple of seasons back. I need to use it!
So I was wondering if, in order to start my Spring inspiration now, what bulbs would you suggest to plant this Fall for next year color? I'd like a big bag of assorted bulbs that will naturalize and come back year after year, beginning next year. With so much property, I can just randomly put them everywhere and hopefully they'll 'naturalize' and then bring wonderful color to enjoy.
I don't need anything exotic to start with. I need to see how well it actually works, so hardy and easy to grow bulbs would be desired. We've got the rest of our lives to try exotic bulbs, ha. For now, just bursts of color next year.
Suggestions?
Be inspired!
i planted 400 daffodil bulbs 2 years ago and they are gorgeous in the spring.
ReplyDelete400???? Wow! I bet it IS beautiful.
DeleteDaffodils are the best to start with, so cheery and very reliable. In your Texas heat, I'm not so sure about tulips - may need to research what's best for your climate. You have so many lovely areas where a big drift of daffodils and other flowers will look magnificent!
ReplyDeleteDaffodils were on my list so that's good. I will definitely see what handles (and doesn't, ha) our heat. Yes, that's what I'd like is to just have them sort of scattered around. Thanks for the suggestions!!
DeleteCheck out this youtube from PBS Host Tom Spencer and Chris Wiesinger from the Southern Bulb Company. Spring & fall bulbs: Central Texas Gardener
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNu9tP-oz68
What an awesome link!! Thank you very much!!!
DeleteDaffodils, Daffodils, Daffodils and some Narcissus. Mine come back year after year. Traditional Daffs, orange and white ones, pink and white, all white, but I love the King Alfreds. I need to dig up the Narcissus, they beds are so full of them and spread them around. If you plant tulips plant them in large pots, gophers ate every tulip I planted.
ReplyDeleteLOL, I didn't know there were so many varieties. OH and how I love the smell of Narcissus too. Thanks for the info!
DeleteHyacinths are one of my favorites...that aroma! Also, daffs and jonquils. And tulips. Thanks for reminding me to think about this now, before the weather sneaks up on me with an early snow!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, Hyacinths have a wonderful aroma too don't they? I need to see how well they do here. Jonquils, totally forgot about those. My Mom had a picture of me as a baby smelling some Jonquils in my Grandmothers garden. Totally forgot about that! thanks!
DeleteWell, I am just plain worthless here. My bulbs are starting to come up and I cannot, for the life of me, remember what they are. Daffodils, I THINK! My flowerbeds were recently weeded and I loosened the earth when we did..and to my surprise I up a bunch of bulbs. I quickly pushed them back, unceremoniously, into the earth and covered them up. This was just a few weeks ago..and now here they are popping up all over the place. WAIT, maybe these are Iris's. :) No..I guess maybe they are Daffies! :)
ReplyDeletePlant, plant, plant and enjoy. Apparently they are particular how or who plants them! :)
Mona
LOL! You are too funny, hey, I never thought about that but I could plant lots and lots and scatter them around and I won't remember what I planted where. I like that they are forgiving. Thank you much! And by the way, you're yard is just beautiful.
DeleteDaffodils! Not sure about your climate for tulips, as MTVA mentioned. And I have never had good luck with tulips – digging critters like to eat the bulbs. But daffodil bulbs must not be tasty – they always come up. Not sure if you have deer there, but they don't like to eat the daffodil plants. I think they eat tulip plants, but I'm not sure. They sure eat everything else.
ReplyDeleteDaffodils are hardy, they spread every year and they come in so many different varieties. Just remember that after they bloom in the spring you need to let the foliage grow until it dies back on its own. That is when the bulbs for next year are forming and storing up food to survive the rest of the year.
Have fun planning for next spring's flowers!
Sarah
Daffodils seem to be the overwhelming recommendation. I just want lots of color and hey if they come in different varieties, I'm cool with that. Simple, hardy and multiplying is good with me! Thanks for the tips, I'll have to remember that. Yes, definitely need to do it now for next year (well maybe not NOW but in a few weeks, I need to plan, ha).
DeleteDaffodils for sure. Great naturalizes. One flower the first year per bulb but then they multiply and after several years you may need to dig some up and move them to other spots when you want them to naturalize. If you're planting some perennials that die back each year you can plop some daffodils in the planting holes so they come up first and then the perennials. Daffodils and daylilies work well together.
ReplyDeleteAnd another vote for Daffs! One flower per bulb the first time? I could live with that if I can get even more in future years. Daylilies? I will have to try that too. Awesome, thank you for the tips and speaking of beautiful yards, yours is always inspiring to me!
DeleteDaffodils, muscari, naked ladies, nerine..... could you get away with freesia and ranunculus in Houston? Perennial glads... I can't remember the latin name, but itseems like it's gladiola Byzantine, or something..
ReplyDeleteCheck out Van Engelen online. Also, the Daylily and Daffodil collection ( for the South) from White Flower Farm. (NO affiliation, just a happy customer!) It's good to plant daffs with something else like daylilies to cover up the dying foliage.
Also, put away the bulb planter... buy about 50 daffs, fling them around, and plant them with a shovel where they landed. ( I'd plant three in each good sized hole, so save some back to add)
You have great suggestions. I"m off to research those now. I just ordered a Van Engelen catalog and am checking out White Flower Farm, if they have a Southern collection that would be great. Thank you for the suggestions!
DeleteI've heard of the method of just throwing them around. That does make it look natural and random huh? I didn't know you could plant multiple in holes. Thanks again!!
Nobody else has mentioned crocus but if they'll survive there, they can look fantastic. There's a park not far from me where there's a "blue carpet" every year (although the flowers are purple rather than blue so not sure why it's called that). And every year without fail I forget to bring my camera to take some photos. You can sort of see it in the photo at the top of this page: http://www.duesseldorf.de/stadtgruen/park/rheinpark_golzheim/krokus.shtml
ReplyDeleteAccording to the official information on that site, there are five million croci planted there. It's 1.3km long and up to 30m wide. It doesn't really last all that long but for the few weeks it's there, it's a fabulous sight.