TOO THIRSTY, HUNGRY FOR NUTRIENTS, not allowed to “ripen” last year long enough, overcrowded–these are just a few of the reasons that Narcissus (and other bulbs) may be putting on a less-than-spectacular performance this spring, like the clump above with lots of leaves but only a single bloom. This quick FAQ gives all the reasons (or find out what to do about poorly flowering bulbs along with all kinds of other bulb answers on my bigger Flower-Bulb FAQs page).
bulbs
daffodils not blooming well? reasons why
March 22, 2012 at 8:01 am
{ 9 Comments }
colocasia ‘mojito:’ keeping our love alive in winter
September 23, 2011 at 11:25 am
IFELL IN LOVE AGAIN, AND I WANT IT TO LAST. The latest object of my affection: a variegated elephant ears called Colocasia esculenta ‘Mojito’ that I adopted this spring at a local garden center, despite the fact that he was no cheap date. I fear the coming winter may be the end of us, though—he’s Zone 7B, and I’m a mere 5B. How can we keep our love—and this spectacular plant—alive? I sought counsel from the most experienced person I could think of, in the hopes of doing just that. [read more…]
growing eucomis bicolor, or pineapple lily, in pots
August 15, 2011 at 10:22 am
IWAS GIVEN A POT OF EUCOMIS BICOLOR, the so-called pineapple lily (guess how it got that name), by a friend who was moving and couldn’t take it along. Why had I forgotten how easy this wacky-looking South African character, whose genus name means well-haired because of the tuft of brachts topping the flowerhead, is for overwintering in the basement here? From its moptop to the purple-mottled stems and freckled leaves to its long-lasting, trouble-free performance, there’s nothing about Eucomis bicolor that I don’t like—except that I don’t have more. [read more…]
new! slideshow of my 54 top shade plants
June 28, 2011 at 12:01 am
SHADE IS A TRICKSTER, CAPTURING AND RELINQUISHING territory as years pass and woody plants grow—or are damaged or lost. Twenty-five years into gardening on one site, some former “shade gardens” here now bake, and even more spots that were sunny—well, you get the changeable, unpredictable picture. Thankfully, for the latter areas, I have old clumps of lower-light plants to divide, including those in this new slideshow of my top 54 shade subjects. I included some woodland-garden shrubs and trees for those seeking to manufacture some shade of their own—or wanting to add more understory structure to what nature has provided. [read more…]
doodle by andre: love me tender, say the bulbs
May 19, 2011 at 6:00 am
AFTER WINTER SPENT UNCEREMONIOUSLY IN HEFTY BAGS IN THE BASEMENT, the non-hardy bulbs at my place are striking up a chorus of Elvis’s “Love Me Tender,” trying to get through to me that they want a kinder, gentler life than the one I offer here at A Way to Garden. How did Andre Jordan, our official doodler, know my cannas and dahlias and such had filed complaints with the Department of Bulb Welfare? I’m not that mean when I tuck them in for the winter, or when I wake them up, am I?
rise and shine, tender bulbs!
May 7, 2011 at 9:13 am
OUR SPRING HERE HAS BEEN SO SLOW TO GET COOKING that I let the tender bulbs I’d stashed in the basement, like cannas and dahlias, all sleep a little longer this year. But now I’m sounding reveille, and saying “be up, be doing” like my Grandma used to say to me. I won’t put them in the ground till month’s end, but meanwhile, here’s how to get them off to a good start.
what narcissus is it? (and who moved my labels?)
May 3, 2011 at 11:40 am
HAVING AN OLD GARDEN HAS ITS POSITIVES—AND PITFALLS. Yes, there are grown-in plants, enough to divide, spread around and share–if only you could find the names of the damn things. Nowhere is my “what happened to the label?” plight more dire than among the Narcissus, some of the very first things I planted 25 years ago. This year I’m trying to catalog them on “film” and do the homework to give them names again. Can you help, perhaps? [read more…]
fighting lily leaf beetles organically
April 28, 2011 at 2:16 pm
IDON’T USE CHEMICALS, but that doesn’t mean I don’t fight unwanted garden pests. At the moment the primary skirmish is with the lily leaf beetle, Licioceris lilii, who happens to be my favorite color–a sort of Asian lacquer red–but otherwise much-loathed here. And so these days, I am out hunting, on a search-and-destroy mission for the small but voracious pests who also like Fritillaria and Polygonatum (Solomon’s seal) and a number of other garden plants not captured in their common name. Ready for a fight? Onward, organic gardeners, onward…and don’t forget to get the beetle eggs, too. Here’s how: [read more…]
slideshow: my garden’s bulbs, updated
February 22, 2011 at 8:17 pm
CALL ME IMPATIENT, BUT I AM THINKING ABOUT BULBS already, as in: Would the snow please melt and let me see some? Most bulbs take up little room, and I have a particular fondness for animal-proof ones, various of which are included in this updated version of my popular bulb slideshow. [read more…]
