Fall bulb planting

[breeze]

OK, who's planting what this fall? I ordered a slew of
giant mixed crocus to plant on the bank by the road,
plus, some Glory-of-the-Snow to splatter out with the
crocus, as well as a few daffodils in colors of peach.
Has anyone else ordered bulbs for spring bloom?

[johnsam]

Well........Seems I always plant somethin' - just not sure yet - what!?

Hav' ta' think on that a bit. Got till Dec here to get 'em in the ground.

Good luck with yours!!

[Bestofour]

I put out a bunch of crocus's, croci?. crocus', however you spell it, last year. They are so small you have to have a million to make a big splash. I may add a few more this year. I'll probably plant some more hyacinth bulbs. They smell soooo good. I used to have tulips but I think the chipmonks got them because only 1 or 2 bloomed last year. If someone has an idea of how to keep them from being eaten I'll put some out again. It's a lot of work just to feed rodents. I have a lot of daffodils, but may add a few. I like daffodils the best.

[Stephanie]

I'll be adding more daffodils in the "shade bed" that I added this year in the back. It'll be sunny enough for them before the leaves open up.

I also have some more tulips and crocus to put in.

[breeze]

Bestofour said:

I put out a bunch of crocus's, croci?. crocus', however you spell it, last year. They are so small you have to have a million to make a big splash.

I finally figured that out, too, so, I ordered the giant crocus -
seems like, due to their size, they show out in a more grand way!

Not sure how to keep the rodents from hauling off the hyacinth
bulbs, though...mine are planted next to the back door, and, they don't
appear to brave enough to come that close to the human in the house!

[Bestofour]

I read somewhere that if you put chili pepper in the hole with the bulb it will keep varmits away. I'm going to try it. It's easy enough.

[breeze]

It may work! I have sprinkled hot chili pepper
powder on my trash cans, and, I do know
that the canines will leave my trash be,
in a hurry!

[Danaus]

I had good luck with daffodils scattered in with the tulips. Daffodils are supposed to be poisonous to voles, squirrels, and deer. I don't know if they really are poisonous but the blasted squirrels left the tulips alone.

[Miss Mary]

Years ago I planted about 70 red and yellow tulip bulbs. The first year they were stunning. I received many compliments on them. Then the next few years, half would come back, then a third. And now I just get green leaves. No flowers. Then I read that tulips are not really like perennials, they need to be replanted and replanted again. I said that's way too much work!!! Still, sometimes when I shop I see those bulb bins and it's so tempting........good luck to those planting them.

Mary

[Danaus]

All I've ever done is dumped more rabbit manure on them in spring and fall. I had some Angeliques out front that kept expanding their range. When I had to dig them up and move them after 5 years, there were twice as many as I originally planted. I added a lot of crushed oyster shell every spring too.

Did you tie or cut off the tulip leaves? Sometimes that causes them to produce only leaves and no blooms.

[Miss Mary]

I folded the leaves over and tied them, with one leaf strand. Waited until they withered away. I do think squirrels got some of them. But the others stopped coming up. That first year they were so pretty!
Mary

[Lake Effect1]

Last fall I planted 50 tulips & daffodiles , and the frost killed them off, so I planted fake ones in their place. How eccentric is that??? I'm going to plant more this fall, (soon,) but I think they need to be in shade, because otherwise they were popping out of the snow??? We can get snow here at the end of May, and If it's a good summer be in shorts by the 4th of July!!

[breeze]

I never had much luck with tulips. I moved to this
house, last December, and, my sis-in-law had planted some tulips in the bed, by the carport,
just at the back door. They bloomed lovely - more
lovely than she said they'd ever bloomed...we'll
see what they do, next spring!

Cheers to the spring blooms, Lake Effect1!

[Stephanie]

I just planted some more tulip bulbs (pink) this weekend. The label did say that over the years, the tulips blooming capablility will diminish. I had noticed last spring that some tulips I had planted two years before didn't bloom.

I planted more daffodils this weekend and crocus. I still need some more daffodil bulbs though.

[breeze]

http://brecks.com/index.asp?eid=myseasons

One of my favorites. You can order a free catalog!
Does anyone else have any favorite catalogs for
Spring Bulbs?

[Stephanie]

Thanks for the link!

I know I get e-mails from a flower/plant catalog company, but for the life of me, I can't remember their name and I don't have it saved as a bookmark! If I remember it, I'll post the name.

[Danaus]

Miss Mary, tying the leaves off reduces the bulbs ability to make energy to produce a flower the next season. Most bulb books recommend tying off, cutting, or braiding the leaves but I never do it. Even if you would have dug those bulbs and replanted them, they would not have bloomed very well. They may look a bit ugly but I always let the leaves die naturally. If the dying leaves bother you, you could always plant some cold-hardy annuals between the tulips, but the bulbs have to be at least 6 inches deep so you don't accidentally dig them up. I spend a lot of time and energy whenever I make new tulip beds. I dig down 8 to 10 inches, loosen the soil, plant the bulbs, add compost, manure, and oyster shell, and plant daffodils with the tulips to discourage deer, squirrels, chipmunks, and mice. Calendula, snapdragons, and celosia seeds can be wintersown right over top of the bed. As the bulbs die down the new plants hide the dying foliage. Tulips and daffodils can also be planted under daylillies or along with asiatic and stargazer lilies. Perennials could also be grown with the bulbs if you add compost or manure when the bulbs sprout and after the perennials die back.

I can't believe all the wasted money, time and effort these cities put into planting bulbs alongside the roads. They pay city crews to tie back the bulbs leaves as soon as the plants are finished blooming. Then when the bulbs don't bloom the next year, they go and replant them, discarding the old, perfectly good, but energy starved bulbs. Pet peeve of mine, especially since I have to pay their taxes but don't get to vote on what they do.

[stormraiser]

I planted my garlic. That will probably be the only bulbs I plant this year.

[looks like rain]

i am one of those who waits til the store(s) marks down their bulbs 50 percent or more-this year was no exception, and the selection was remarkable good. i did beat the frost-but the squirrels are on a feeding frenzy and will put a "dent" into next years springs beauty!!!! more in may!!!!!--pete--

[njoynit]

I have paper whites blooming.I don't really care for them but they grow well.I have hycaniths grape with leaves hanging about.Some snowdrops popping up.i love theses .moved them with me.so 1st time popping up here on own....& then I plant to move them again.I have purple LA iris that will bloom in about40 days other bearded iris,dutches too.clivia spider lily.I LOVE These.are white and smell like Jasmine when they open.Amaryllis.Bella donna is still just sitting there not doing a thing.bought in sept brought out potted nov 8th.walmart does a 1 yr return on plants.some yellow daffs popping up(they probably need split)Lycrosis red spider lilys.got some i need to move.Got tons of themiIlove them.astroemeria/lily of incas.this blooms twice spring& fall.alluim yellow pink& white a firecracker series.are nice 1 daylilly,a few clumps of tiger lillys..they need moved also

I have some tulip bulbs.I almost find them a royal pain in the A$$.I've had them for 6 years now and have reverted to containers and when they go dormant will screen the soil collect my bulbs store in cool place for summer then in labor day they go in fridge in vegie crisper and no fruit gets stored in fridge till christmas then i pot them up outdoors in container,I always save my babys.My whites are dwindleing I think i had 4 last year.some darwin hybrids that are purple/white pointed tips& some mixed.2 nice shades red some purples& only two yellows last yr.My glads have ceased to exist.love my Cannas...oh and elephant ears to try this year.some green tarro a surprise in my philodendron I bought& have a yellow water iris in pond and a few of my purple La's& a canna.


I hate to see what i buy next to add.