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So I returned from my travels to one of my favorite seasons here in NC…glorious spring. And what did I see when I arrived….my bulbs all in bloom. If you remember back in the fall, I wrote about my laborious exercise in researching how to shop for bulbs and then the follow up laborious activity of actually planting those more than 200 bulbs…and combine that with my post on how the garden has taught me patience…what do you get? My absolute amazement with this showy display of daffodils, tulips and hyacinths in my yard. It is truly a bulb blooming bonanza. It took my breathe away. It reassured me that often times patience does has its rewards and, in this case at least, has outperformed my wildest expectations.
Here are a few things to do now:
1- ENJOY….walk outside more, cut them and put them in your house, look back at photos when that part of your garden was bare…or in my case overgrown with my nemesis plant–English Ivy.
2-Take pictures. You will want to know what your yard looks with each burst of blooms, so you can plan for next fall. Also document when each variety blooms, so you can better decide in the fall what you need to plant more of to extend the season.
3-Share. Cut them and share them with your friends, family and neighbors. You never know, you may inspire someone to add more bulbs to their garden.
4. Brag. You deserve it. You took the time in the fall to plan and plant those little nuggets of wonder to wait almost 6 months for the pay off.
5. Leverage your joy and pride to plant more and sustain your gardening throughout the spring season. It is my favorite, but it is the season that gardners literally work the most. Pruning, preparing, mulching, mowing, planting(inside and out), weeding….You need the energy to sustain you for the season.
Oh….blog partner, Chris, was right…they are so much better in bunches. Last year I had a few here and a few there. I had them in these rows as if they were these little British soldiers lined up for battle. This time…I planted them in bunches….asymmetric, almost wild. Boy, do they shine in that formation. You should plant more bulbs…and always in bunches.
What about you? Are your bulbs in a full blooming Bonanza? Tell us about them.
Happy gardening!
Saude!
melissa
So what does that mean…a fragrance hug. Well, I have a patch of hyacinths right outside my front door. This time of year, every time I walk outside to go for a run, check the mail, even take out my recycling and garbage, I am consumed by the fragrance of these little spring wonders. It is really like a hug. And don’t we all deserve a hug once in a while?
So the hyacinths outside my front door I planted 3 years ago and they are the first ones to pop up this time of year. Which is a lesson I learned. It does take a few years for plants to get established. The ones I planted this fall during my bulb bonanza…they are just peeping through. I planted them in a place where I could walk into that fragrance hug, along my path in my back yard and right next to my deck where I hang out on sunny days. It is best to put your fragrant flowers where you will actually be able to smell them.
So put on your list this fall to plant hyacinth bulbs. You deserve a hug and a fragrance hug smells so sweet.
Happy Gardening!
melissa
Bulbs, bulbs bulbs...
Ok, I just spent the last 3 hours researching bulbs. Yes, I said 3 hours. You should expect a learning curve when you are new to something. But this curve was super steep and frustrating might I add. So last year I learned you plant bulbs in the fall–lesson number one. And that is about it. I bought my bulb mix from Lowes…not that there is anything wrong with Lowes…just they have the most limited selection and as I have just found out on this bulb research adventure…they have limited quality too.
So with credit card in hand, I was ready to buy some bulbs. I googled best bulbs to plant in NC…did I get any recommendations–not online. This is when my frustration began and reinforced why Chris and I decided to write this blog. e-access to good NC garden research. If the google gods decide to be nice to us, perhaps next time you are looking to shop for bulbs, this post will come up tops–bulb buying guide for NC beginner gardeners.
Actually Chris and I are both writing post on this subject…one from a veteran…and one a beginner–that’s me.
Bulb Buying Guide for NC Beginner Gardeners:
1) Read the starter article from Chris about buying bulbs. This will give you a good plan to start from. Pick your places to plant and set that budget. Don’t forget all the bulbs you buy…you have to plant. I remember when blog reader Linda Watson commented on a post–bulb buying frenzy ending with 500 to plant. Oh my…my back hurts thinking of that.
2)Ask your friends what grows in their garden(psst…by reading this you are asking your friends too–that is why we started the blog).
I asked Chris what she grows in her garden. We started on Daffodils–she spouted off litany of names. I couldn’t write down fast enough. Her big advice was to plant flowers that extend the season. Translation: pick some that bloom early(i.e. Feb like Feb Gold Daffodil) and then ones that bloom late like spider lily (Lycoris) blooming Aug-Oct.
Spider lily is a late season bloomer: Aug.-Oct
3)Beginners should start with common flowers. You know the ones you see everywhere. I was a little frustrated with this point because I was ready to jump to that uber-groovy-cool-rare-thing-TonyAvent-planted…but not a wise move for 3 reasons:
- You want to enjoy the fruits of your labor
- You want to get the most out of your dollar
- You want to have success so you have more garden confidence for years of gardening to come
4)Volume is key for the beginner gardener. Why? Because you haven’t had enough time or money to accumulate plants and 10 bulbs don’t cover much ground. Plus, most bulbs look more dramatic in large clumps around borders or in little woods. If you are thinking of buying…start with 25 or 50.
5)Skip the mix. I was going to go this route. It meant I didn’t have to research, and I could just easily order 3 mixes…early to late and be done with it all. Actually, Chris and I debated about. She was right…I was lazy, and I will thank her for talking me off the mix-buying-ledge. Why? Because they usually are filled with stuff no one wants and the big rule on all plant buying…just ’cause they sell it doesn’t mean they grow here.
Tip: When you look at the catalog apparently they only list cold hardiness zones…not warm hardiness. I looked at the daffodils and saw zone 4–i said I know they grow here in zone 7 why do they say the former? Apparently gardening traditions come from England, so they just list cold hardiness.
So what did I buy?
I went on a daffodil tirade–50 each of these:
Baby Moon Daffodils
- February Gold
- Thalia
- Baby Moon (jonquils which i found out is a sexy word for small)
- Ice Follies
Hyacinth–one of my favorites…these were the dutch ones. Their fragrance is bar none. 10 of each of these.
They should have said...Stop to smell the Hyacinth instead of roses...
- King of Blues
- Pink Pearl
- Carnegie
Lycrosis(Spider lily) radiutas (25) and one type of tulip called “hearts delight”(50). I have been warned that often tulips don’t do well here in the south. I was sad, but am going to give it a go any way. I chose a variety that are known to grow well here–the perennial variety.
Hearts Delight Tulip
I had more in my cart but, luckily I had my plan. Yeah there are over 200 bulbs here. When they arrive, you will need to make sure you put the right ones in the right places–this bulb planting guide will help me–Thanks Terra Ceia Farm!. But…I can handle it…if not, perhaps I will have a bulb-planting party at my house 
Bulb Planting Depth Guide
You still have time to order your bulbs. I hope this bulb buying guide for NC beginner gardeners helps.
So what are you favorite bulbs? Share with your friends your recommendations.
Happy Gardening.
melissa
