Garden Bulb Blog: Flower Bulbs & Gardening Tips

Repetition in the Garden

In perusing my favorite gardening websites the other day, I came across some really cool, different looking plants such as the Purple Fritillaria and the Hair Allium. These guys were super unique and I had to find a place for them in my garden. If you’re anything like me,

The repeating red hues of this garden help to unify the landscape in spite of the many different types of plants used.

you love plants. You love getting creative and experimenting with new plants and bulbs that add a different twist to your garden and make it stand out from all the rest.

While creativity and boldness are great attributes of wonderful gardeners, sometimes this “all caution to the wind” approach can leave a garden looking random and not extremely pleasing to the eye. While each individual plant was selected for its unique and excellent characteristics, planting too many different varieties and not enough of each can create more of a jumbled mess then anything else. Does this mean you have to give up your love for trying new things and being adventurous? Most definitely not! By paying attention to the following attributes while selecting your plants, you can create a garden space that is not only interesting but also pulls the eye in with common characteristics which will lead the on-looker visually through the garden:

Color: Most everyone has at least two or three colors which they find most pleasing in the the landscape. So you want to try allium and coneflowers? Why not stick within the same “color palette” rather than trying to do too much with a little space? This can be done with many different plants. If you’re in love with daffodils but want to avoid the “one of everything” look, try repeating the yellow of the center of the daffodil in the petals of another. By playing off some of the insignificant colors of one flower, you can make a much more “connected” and cohesive look with all of the other flowers.

Texture: So you’re in love with ornamental grasses but don’t want to stick to just one variety. That’s fine! Plant clusters of like-varieties throughout your garden space to carry on the theme. If you’re big into succulents but still want variety and interest, couple them with

The pure yellow daffodils intermixed with the others helps to bring out the yellow centers of the white blooms.

other plants of the same texture like Hens and Chicks or different varieties of the sedum. The same can be true of bulbs. If you love the thin, elegant foliage of the dutch iris, planting it among another thin-leafed perennial like daylilies can help blend the two plant types together.

If you’ve found something you like in the garden, stick with it! Want to add variety? Go right ahead! Just remember to try to avoid the “hodge podge” look by playing off some of the key elements. This will add harmony to your landscape and be very pleasing to eyes of all who pass by!

Until next time,

Have a question about which fall planted bulbs to plant in your garden or any other bulb gardening topic? Ask Bridget! Email her at bridget@bulbblog.com! If she features your question in a future post, you’ll receive a Holland Bulb Farms coupon for your next order with Holland Bulb Farms!

HEY! That’s MY yard!

Our breezeway entrance, beginning to show life this spring!

My husband and I are relatively new in our neighborhood and have not yet had a chance to get acquainted with our neighbors. When we first moved into our house at the end of last fall, the landscape was quite stark, like a blank canvas just waiting for the artist’s touch. In the small amount of time I had before the snow fell,  I planted over 150 daffodil and tulip bulbs in the front yard. So you can imagine how thrilled I was this spring when the foliage began peeking out of the soil and continued to produce beautiful blooms. Did I mention that I also realized not one other house on our street had a yard as beautiful as ours???

Ever since the first sign of growth, my husband and I have been “charting” the plants’ progress. In fact, one day he said to me, “Bridget, I swear that I can actually see those tulips growing taller–they seem to be growing so fast!” It made me happy to have my husband as excited as I was at the success of the spring blooming bulbs I had planted.

The beginning of spring in the front of our house!

For a few weeks now, we’ve enjoyed the tulip and daffodil blooms and have made notes of which ones bloomed first, second, third, and so on. It is always interesting to me to observe how a garden can “evolve” over the course of a month or two while one plant finishes flowering and the next one takes over. And as it turns out, I wasn’t the only one admiring my spring blooms…

The tulips and daffodils brightening the walkway to our breezeway entrance.

This past weekend, I was dusting our living room (one of the worst house chores there is) and I happened to glance out our front bay window. I did a double take as I realized a young teenage couple, dressed to the nines standing in front of my flowerbed! As I took in the situation, I also noticed a corsage and boutineer, complete with a proud mother snapping photographs of the “prom-ready” couple! At first I couldn’t help but think, “The nerve! This is MY yard and these are MY flowers!” But just as I was about to run out into my front yard waving a baseball bat, I suddenly felt flattered. These neighbors of mine, whom I had never met before, had thought enough of MY flowers to want them in their picture! What better compliment could a gardener receive?!

The front flowerbed near to full bloom...and also the backdrop to a couple's pre-prom photograph

Now I’m not certain that I would ever have the guts to pose for a picture five feet in front of a house owned by someone I had never met, but the experience definitely made me feel good. After all, do we not plant flowers to beautify our surroundings? I like to think that my little piece of the earth makes it a nicer place to live. And for this young prom couple, it made a beautiful picture which will be viewed in photo albums long after the flowers fade.

Until next time,

Have a question about which bulbs are the most photogenic or any other gardening topic? Ask Bridget! Email her at bridget@bulbblog.com! If she features your question in a future post, you’ll receive a Holland Bulb Farms coupon for your next order with Holland Bulb Farms!

HELP! I ran out of time to plant my fall bulbs! Now what?

“I know you’re not supposed to plant fall bulbs in the spring but we were hit with hard winter weather rather early this year and I am left with at least 100 tulip and daffodil bulbs that were unable to get planted. Would they survive to bloom next year if I were to plant them now?”

~Dianne from Idaho

Dianne asks a very good question…and one I’ve heard quite often! We all know what it’s like to have the greatest plans for our yard that never seem to quite materialize. Sometimes you even get so motivated that you actually purchase the bulbs and yet they still never make it in the ground! Whether it’s a forgetful mind, the unpredictability of Mother Nature, or just plain running out of time, it’s okay: we’ve ALL done it. And the best news? It may not be too late for your bulbs!

These bulbs were bought with good intentions...anything you can do with them now?

The most important factor to consider when deciding what to do with fall bulbs which were never planted in fall is the conditions in which they have been stored. Were they kept in a cool, dry place since you bought them? Were they left out in the garage? Were they left on the warm kitchen table? Test your bulbs for firmness by squeezing them. Also look for signs of rot or blight by checking the outside of the bulbs for dark or mushy spots. If the bulbs feel firm and have a rather healthy-looking outside, then you’ve got yourself some winners! Most likely, if the bulb was left outside or in a very cold garage and was allowed to freeze, it is no longer salvageable.

So now that you’ve determined that your bulbs are still healthy enough to survive, it’s time to get them “chilled.” As you may or may not know, most fall bulbs (tulips, daffodils, and hyacinth to be specific) need to be chilled in order to grow and bloom properly in the springtime. When planting them in northern climates which receive consistently cool weather in the winter (Zones 3-8), this happens naturally. However, since your bulbs were not planted before the winter and now the ground is frozen, the bulbs can no longer be planted in the ground this year. This leaves you with two options:

1. Plant the bulbs in one large (or a few small) pots. Plant them at the correct depth but don’t worry too
   

   These 'Queen of Night' Tulips need to be chilled in order to grow and bloom correctly.

   much about the spacing. As long as the bulbs aren’t on top of one another or smashed side-by-side, they’ll be fine. Place this pot in a cool but not freezing garage (upper 30’s and 40’s for temperature). If you do not have a garage or shed which meets this criteria, the pot can be left outside on a patio or deck as long as it is wrapped in something which will protect it from frost (such as burlap or bubble wrap). The bulbs will then receive their necessary “chilling” period but will not freeze. In approximately 10 to 12 weeks or so, you should start to see a little growth. Once this happens, move the pot to a nice sunny patio or lawn area (or remove the bubble warp). The bulbs will continue to grow and bloom just as they would in the ground. The bulbs can then be dug out of the pot and moved to a flowerbed either during their growing cycle or after the foliage has browned and dried. OR…

2. Place the bulbs in a paper bag in the refrigerator. Be sure that the refrigerator is set at a temperature between 35°F and 50°F. Also, rid the refrigerator of any fruit (particularly apples) as these produce a plant hormone called “ethylene” when ripening which will cause flower bulbs to rot. After a period of 10-12 weeks, the bulbs may start to sprout. At this time, the ground outside should be thawed and the bulbs planted in the ground. They will then grow and bloom as normal!

One important thing to keep in mind when doing this is that the environment required by these bulbs is being artificially created. Therefore, be forgiving of your bulbs and do not expect them to be super all-star growers and bloomers the first year. It may take them a little while to readjust but after they have completed their first full growing season, you’ll never be able to tell the difference!

Because Dianne’s question was featured in the Bulb Blog, she received a $5.00 off coupon for her next Holland Bulb Farms order. Congratulations to her and thank you for the great question! Keep them coming and you may get a coupon, too!

Until next time,

Got a gardening question for Bridget? Email her at bridget@bulbblog.com! If she features your question in a post, you’ll receive a coupon of your next order at www.hollandbulbfarms.com!