slideshow: bulbs in my garden
MOST 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:
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- I have layered in a lot of flower bulbs over the decades here, mostly ones of no interest to animals. Narcissus are all poisonous and therefore pest-proof…
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- …whether medium and large-cup ones, or the little guys…
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- …like ‘Hawera,’ a pale yellow and highly fragrant. Wonderful.
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- The minor bulbs come first, breaking through the leaf litter. Snowdrops, or Galanthus, can come in March if winter has begun to relent.
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- Winter aconites, Eranthis hyemalis, are a favorite, and I am finally getting quite a colony going. Late March or early April into May.
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- The glory of the snow, Chionodoxa (this one’s the species luciliae, with paler blue, white-center flowers) is a self-sower here.
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- I like the darker blue one, Chionodoxa sardensis, much better, but it can be hard to track down some years in catalogs.
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- I am always fascinated by the odd shapes and color of fritillarias, including this little one called F. uva-vulpis.
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- The crown imperial, Fritillaria imperialis, is a proud, regal thing and smells like a skunk from hundreds of feet away. Love it. Nobody seems to nibble on this guy.
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- Wonderful, and curious, aren’t they?
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- The poeticus types of Narcissus, like this ‘Recurvus’ style with reflexed petals, are super-fragrant and late to bloom.
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- I added another animal-proof bulb that’s great for naturalizing, Hyacinthoides hispanica ‘Excelsior’ (also known as Scilla) in 2009. Off to a good start!
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- One of the easiest alliums, or ornamental onions, A. aflatunense, soars above the hostas out front in May. More seem to self-sow each year. No pests pester alliums.
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- Instead of a tight head, Allium christophii’s is large and loose, and silvery-lavender. Lovely.
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- I don’t even know what to say about Allium ‘Hair,’ a drumstick type gone madcap.
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- Allium rosenbachium (purple) and its white form ‘Album’ in a row for cutting. Yes, the bouquets will smell onion-y; a few drops of bleach in the vase is supposed to help. I use them in a display by my door.
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- Allium moly is vivid gold, with nice pleated foliage…and an inclination to be quite prolific, which some gardeners say means not well-behaved in their zones..but fine here.
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- Cut in a little vase on the windowsill, Allium moly is pure sunshine.
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- Allium caeruleum (or azureum, both of which mean blue) is a real beauty.
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- An allium cousin, Nectaroscordum siculum, is perhaps my favorite bulb of all, a self-sower with mauve-and-green dangling bells in June.
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- Closer in, for a look at its intricate coloration.
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- I even like the buds, before the flower’s little bells are set free to dangle.
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- I grow tulips only for cutting; never in the garden beds. They’re planted deep in my raised vegetable garden beds, and dug up when they start topeter out every three to five years. I plant crops right over them. Yup.
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- I have no interest in timid shades. High color tolerance=me. tulips are animal magnets; fence accordingly or be prepared to do battle.
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- There is no lily more compelling than the martagon called ‘Claude Shride.’ The picture tells the whole story. Lilies are delicious to critters, too, and to lily beetles, which I hand pick and squash or drown.
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- A less-wild-colored martagon, shared by a friend from unnamed stock. Lovely in the open woodland in dappled light.
Hi, I always wanted to do a tulip cutting garden in my vegitable raised beds. Tell me how to do it as the timing is off. My tulips are out now and are almost done. The green dies down in about a month too late to plant crops.? Which crops do you put into the beds with the dieing down leaf matter? do you start them from seed or larger? I usually do my garden from seeds except the tomatoes. My tulips usually don’t last more than three to four years. I would rather confine them in a smaller area and then cut them for bouquets.
I would like more information on this. thanks Linda
Welcome, Linda. I have done this for many years with good results. Easiest would probably be to run the bulbs lengthwise down the edges of the raised beds, like an edging of cutting tulips, leaving the middle area open; that way you don’t have to fuss with the foliage and can just leave it and plunk your tomato plants down the middle of the bed (or anything else you like). Depending how wide your beds is you could have a tulip or two in staggered row(s) on each side. My beds are 4 and 5 feet wide.
I have also just planted right in between them, since I put my tomatoes and other vegetable seedlings in young, but it all depends on the spacing of your tulips whether there is enough room.
Wonderful slideshow and you identified a fritt that no one else could name.
Martha
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.