So…I’ve decided to start planting Bulbs for Perennial Flowers and i have Herbs coming. I think as usual I went a little crazy but i have plenty of area I can plant in and I had a flashback of a home we used to rent in Ohio. Mrs. Flack was one of the original families in the little town I was raised in ( Reynoldsburg) We had the most beautiful grass in the backyard she had nurtured and as the winter wore off you could see all the way through spring, summer and fall she had bulbs planted to flower for the entire season in all different areas of beds around the yard. I was very impressed. This was a good 45 years ago so you can see it made quite an impression on me. The bulbs i bought range from planting now to not even getting until the fall. OH! The ones that say Collection or Mixture have anywhere from 5 to 8 different varieties in that set.
1 FOXGLOVE COLLECTION
2 GOLDEN BELLS CARPET DAFFODIL
1 MILLENIUM DELPHINIUM COLLECTION
1 SONGBIRD GIANT COLUMBINE COLLECTION
2 SUGAR BABY CARPET BORDER LILY TM
2 SUN GOLD JUMBO TULIP
1 LONGFIELDS BLACK MAGIC REBLOOMING DAYLILY
2 MOST FRAGRANT DAFFODIL COLLECTION
2 SAFFRON FALL BLOOMING CROCUS
1 BRECK’S DUTCH TREAT TM COLLECTION
3 FIRESPRAY TM TULIP MIXTURE
1 GIANT DUTCH CROCUS COLLECTION
1 GIANT HYACINTH COLLECTION
4 LAVENDER MOUNTAIN LILIES
5 of : Lantana ‘Athens Rose’
4 of : Lavender ‘Munstead’
4 of : Rosemary ‘Tuscan Blue’
4 of : Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’
4 of : Rudbeckia ‘Prairie Sun’
6 of: Maximillan Sunflower
I love tons of color and plants that can be useful. I think I am getting both. Any of you gardeners out there have and tips? Bits of wisdom? Wise cracks? All are welcome…Yea, i know…I am seriously OCD…Thanks
I believe you are right Chikn! Now i know why you are known as Chikin! You are up well before dawn…I think I’ll go with a nice variety. What do ya think?
I like to put borage in my beds somewhere. It has beautiful blue flowers all summer and the bees and hummingbirds love it. It does reseed pretty easily, I’ve only had to plant it once where I want it. Echinacea is another good one for your mix, and maybe an Asiatic lily or three? Some of the double ones are really unique and lovely smelling. I like your initial list, it looks like you have a lot of Spring bloomers - you might want to add some more summer bloomers to make it last. Creeping thyme or alpine strawberries might make a nice short useful border too!
Check out K.Van Bourgondien too. I’ve bought perennials and flowering plants from both companies. Their sales are off the hook, quality, and service is first rate. The dahlias really look like their photos too!
Dax, Thank you sir…I looked at Bee Balm and I really like it and am going to invest. Clematis i haven’t looked at yet but I am very keen to the multiple heights and colors idea…This is fun! AMY, I am looking into Borage right now I know i have some Lillies but will have to look into the Asiatic ones, I am not familiar and will do so. I totally forgot about Echinacea and i’m pretty sure it has Medicinal qualities as well…Never turn down a beautiful plant or flower with a Multiple purpose that does good…Thank you both…I’m a getting busy
I just got in a dozen or so orienpet lilies from Hallson Gardens.
I got an ornienpet (oriental=trumpet hybrid) from them as a bonus 4 years ago. It gets 7 feet tall with bunches of 10 inch wide flowers for weeks and the smell is incredible. Best of all, unlike most of my other lilies, it has multiplied exceedingly well. Last year that one bulb sent up 5 strong stems, all of which bloomed.
I also got a gas plant this year (supposedly it can be lit on fire on warm still evenings in the summer and an oil given off by the leaves will burn off in a flash without harming the plant…
If you don’t know whether critters in your yard will find and devour bulbs, best plant them in some sort of protection. I know I have voles and moles and chipmunks here, and my bulbs all go missing! I’d use the hardware cloth baskets I make for roses, but I think my chipmunks dig up the bulbs. I’ll have to test that some time.
But it sounds pretty and fun! One of my workhorse perennials is called nepeta --catmint. It has blue-lavender flowers and once it gets established I don’t have to water it or anything. It blooms late spring till frost for me here! People think it’s lavender from a distance, which is nice, because lavender doesn’t do well in my conditions/soil.
It roots easily, too, so it’s easy to put a lot of it all around. It forms tight groupings that are pretty dense, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on what you want to use it for. It’s swallowed a small rose I put it by, for instance, lol. I planted them too close together.
I found some called “Walkers Low Catmint” Very nice and they say as you do that it spreads well…Great call Cafe…I’m going in for more…I will have my entire hill filled up. I’m just loving it. You know…I really haven’t noticed much for moles here. A lot of hawks and such predators and I don’t think they last very long. Never seen a Chipmunks here. We have these little bug eyed looking sort of tiny flying squirrels though. maybe right around the size of chipmunks but you only see them at night and they are pretty docile… Thanks…
I can help you with that if you need it, btw. I have tons growing and can send you chunks that can be divided into lots of little plantlets that will get big later. I don’t know if mine is Walker’s Low, but it probably is (it was very popular in garden centers when I got mine). Mine gets to about 20 inches tall full grown and is quite drought and heat tolerant.
Its good to put some bone meal or commercial bulb food into the hole when you plant the bulbs; they live it and will perennialize (come back yearly) better. Isnt it fun to look thru the nursery catologs and dream about warm weather and lovely floral displays? Sounds like youve got some good butterfly attracters ordered. Remember to put the tall perrenials behind the shorter ones;I used to forget to do that! I love hyacinth; they small SO good. Ive already ordered a bunch of fruit; ( three colors of raspberries; Thornless blackberries; new strawberries; honeyberries; and abunch of lillies; perennials; ect. Have already go tmy home place planted up pretty good; but empty spots beckon! Its nice to plant bee/butterfly friendly flowers; they need the support and are so fun to view. You will be busy when all those goodies come; Dutchs!
