ABOUT | TOPICS |
Search  Hint
| Newsletter Signup
| rssrssfacebooktwitter

slideshow: bulbs in my garden

February 28, 2009

martagon-lily-claude-shrideMOST BULBS TAKE UP LITTLE ROOM and give a lot in return. This slideshow includes some of my favorites, many of them animal-proof. Come along and see what they are. Click the first thumbnail to get started, then toggle from slide to slide using the arrows beside each caption:

Related posts:

  1. slideshow: 8 favorite garden ephemerals
  2. slideshow: a garden walk in winter
  3. slideshow: a look back at spring 2008
  4. how-to slideshow: wake up, cannas, wake up
  5. the 2009 garden in pictures: a slideshow

{ 7 Comments }

Comments

  1. LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD says:
    March 8, 2009 at 4:36 pm

    I think Claude Shride is the most beautiful lily there is; what an absolute treasure. And the seed heads are so attractive, too. Lucky to have a place to grow tulips for cutting without messing up the displays in your spring garden. I’m trying to combine them (space and sun limits) and I’m not sure that it isn’t a losing battle.

  2. MaryEllen says:
    March 9, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    How deep do you plant the tulips in the veggie beds? I love this idea, esp since for me tulips are finicky and don’t always return.

  3. sandra says:
    March 10, 2009 at 7:34 am

    I was wondering if you have had trouble with getting bulbs, especially narcissus to naturalize. I’ve planted many bulbs over the years only to see them decline and disappear despite planting them in appropriate sunlight conditions. I’ve wondered if this was due to the acid soil in my area. In addition, I read a newspaper article by Martha Stewart which listed species of narcissus that were superior naturalizers but unfortunately I misplaced the article when it was bulb purchasing time. I would be interested in your comments.

  4. margaret says:
    March 10, 2009 at 8:16 am

    Welcome, Sandra. All the “why didn’t my bulbs bloom” tips in the FAQ above can be the culprit, or planting the wrong variety as you hint. Start with this list (and call them or another high-quality bulb dealer such as the ones in my sources above) to further narrow the list for your conditions and climate. See you again soon.

  5. sandra says:
    March 10, 2009 at 11:18 am

    Thank you Margaret. The tips were helpful…it may be the competition from nearby tree roots that are contributing to the decline of my narcissus.

  6. Martha says:
    May 7, 2009 at 10:36 pm

    Wonderful slideshow and you identified a fritt that no one else could name.

    Martha

  7. margaret says:
    May 8, 2009 at 5:24 am

    Welcome, Martha; glad to help. I love the Fritillaria and used to have numerous kinds…but strangely the skunks (which is what Fritillaria smell like!) like to dig up all the little ones. This one has survived to see another spring, however. See you soon again too, I hope.

Comment:

The Sister Project

The Confessional

Some stuff really gets A Way to Garden-ers going. Weigh in, or just lurk while everyone else shares about these hot buttons:

Compost, Compost, Compost

I am as proud of my compost heap as I am of any part of my garden. It is the archaeological record of my garden past; it is the stuff from which future gardens will arise. I read a lot about, from sources like these: Garden Organic, a 50-year-old British charity; Journey to Forever (don’t worry, not some into-the-bunker survivalist cult); and the vast Cornell Composting archive. Dig in.

Juicy Bits

375 VISITORS, 1 BIG RHODIE: spring garden open day, in a virtual visit. How it looked, and also what they all asked about

keeping deer out DEER FENCE: I tried every potion and anti-deer trick till I finally got real and fenced. Strategies for every garden situation.

secrets to great tomatoes TOMATO TIPS, seed to harvest: Dozens of tricks for a better crop.

yes, even in dry shade MY 4 TOUGHEST GROUNDCOVERS perform even in the worst spots, like dry shade. Maybe these tough perennials will serve you as well?

5 great small trees GARDEN-SIZED TREES can’t just be the right scale; they need to have multi-season interest, too, to earn a spot here. Maybe you have room for one of my 5 favorites?

10 underplanting do’s and don’ts MAKING MOSAICS—that’s what I call good underplanting of trees and shrubs with a tapestry of plants for many months of enjoyment. Here’s how I do it.

a ribbeting bullfrog whodunit LET BULLFROGS BE BYGONES? No way. Where have all my biggest frogboys gone? The latest frog mystery explained.

stars of the spring shrubbery BEYOND LILACS (and forget forsythia!), a slideshow of some of the finest spring shrubs you may not grow (yet).

speeding up the compost DRIVE BY, HIT-AND-RUN composting is my latest craze, and speeds up the decomposition process while making good mulch quickly. Here’s how.

making a 365-day garden THINK FALL (YES, FALL): Don’t get sucked in by spring-bloomers only when nursery shopping. A great garden happens 365 days a year: Shop smart to make it so.

the facts about bulbs SOMETHING UP with a flower bulb? Paltry bloom, or wondering when to feed or cut off the foliage? It’s all here.

must-read garden poem MY FAVORITE GARDEN POEM celebrates loss, one of gardening (and life’s) realities. It does it with humor: "Why Did My Plant Die?” is a must-read.

12 steps to sanity? HELP FOR GARDENERS: Hi, my name is Margaret, and yes, we operate a 12-Step program here. Welcome.

orchid rebloom made easy I REBLOOMED MY FIRST ORCHID last year (finally!) and it turns out to be pretty easy going. Here’s how.

my seed-starting 101 WHAT ABOUT SEED-STARTING in general? The A Way to Garden method.

crispy refrigerator pickles WHAT IS IT ABOUT refrigerator pickles that makes everybody so happy? Get those cukes growing now. And then some.

hail the stewartia I LIKE PLANTS THAT EARN THEIR KEEP. By that I mean they do more than a week or two of showing off; they look good in more than a single moment, or season. The small-ish to medium trees in the genus Stewartia are a good bet if that’s the kind of multi-season interest you are looking for. Sound good?

can-do pruning REPEAT AFTER ME: I can prune. I can prune. If you follow this simple method for starters, your woody plants will thank you.

the ‘other’ peonies JUNE IS PEONY TIME, the big raucous kind of peony time, but just before that another kind of peony you might want to consider adopting does its subtler, wonderful thing.

which lilac to plant? SO MANY LILACS, so little space. Browse a glossary of some of my favorites before you shop—maybe you’ll like them, too.