If you’re anything like me, the thought of digging up a bulb during the fall months and keeping it somewhere safe until spring is a bit daunting. Will I do it? Yes, but it doesn’t particularly top my list of fave “to-do’s”. So for this week’s 3 x 3 Garden Trio, I decided to focus on some of the best-loved perennials…plants that will keep coming back despite the icky winter weather we can get here in the Midwest (although we haven’t seen much of it this year). This is a wonderful trio for those of you who have larger garden beds located in sunny areas and are looking for some low maintenance plants to fill in over the next few years. The bright colors and varying textures of this trio play off of each other adding quite the accent to your landscape. An additional benefit of this grouping is that all three are known to attract butterflies and even a few hummingbirds!  The three amazing plants in the following garden layouts are Black-Eyed Susans, Liatris, and Fireball Monarda.

Black-Eyed Susans (5 total plant starts)

Well-known by gardeners and nature observers alike, the simply beauty and everlasting cheerfulness of the Black-eyed Susans are unmistakeable. The blooms are long-lasting whether left to enjoy in the landscape or cut to be enjoyed in a crystal vase. Growing 18-30″ tall, the foliage of this plant creates a nice mounding habit and provides an attractive backdrop for the bright orange-yellow blooms. This particular variety of the Black-eyed Susans is perfect for the “mid-height” ranged of any garden bed in a sunny spot.

Liatris (10 total bulbs)

One of the tried and truest “prairie-type” perennials, the Liatris plant is a great textural addition to this trio with its vertical flower stalks and pineapple-like foliage. The height of this plant in its maturity (topping out at 36″ tall) makes it perfect for the backdrop of any sun perennial garden. The vibrant purple of its blooms are sure to catch the eye even when used in a property line berm or garden bed. A favorite of honeybees, butterflies, and hummingbirds!

Fireball Monarda (7 total plant starts)

A smaller version of its parent plant, the Fireball Monarda couldn’t be more perfect in this garden trio. Typically reaching no more than 18″ tall, this plant fits in the foreground of this trio with ease. This plant loves just about any kind of soil and can get by with a little less water than normal. A vigorous grower, the Monarda produces bright fiery red blooms which can be seen from quite a distance. One of hummingbirds’ favorite sources of nectar!

Garden Layout #1: Rectangular Bed

The tall height of the Liatris makes it a wonderful backdrop in this rectangular garden bed layout. Space the (10) liatris bulbs evenly in a diagonal pattern along the back half of the bed, approx. 12″ apart. Place the black-eyed Susan plant starts just below the soil surface diagonally in front of the liatris a bit further apart (15-18″ or so). Arrange the monarda to then fill in the space between the black-eyed susans and the front edge of the bed, planting them again just below the soil surface. This should fill a bed approximately 40-50 square feet in area.

Garden Layout #2: Berm Bed

As I mentioned earlier, the bright vibrant bloom colors of these three amazing plants make them excellent selections for flowerbeds or planting areas viewed from a distance, such as those in a berm or along a property line. The other characteristic of these plants which make them ideal for this application is that they are all somewhat “drought-tolerant” so can stand to be watered less often…this means less time dragging the house out to those “far reach” corners of your yard! In this layout, I wanted to show how they can easily be tucked into existing planting beds to add some color to an otherwise boring part of the landscape. Again, start with the tallest plants (the liatris) in the back, the black-eyed susans in the middle, and the monarda filling in along the front. This planting layout should be viewed simply as a guide since the location of your existing plants/trees and the shape of the bed can vary greatly depending on your particular situation.

Garden Layout #3: Circular Tree Bed

This trio is ideal for planting around a tall-growing tree since the taller height of the liatris will not be dwarfed by the massiveness of the mature (or not-so-mature) tree in the center. Start by placing the liatris approximately 8-12″ apart around the base of the tree, leaving at least 8″ of space between the center of the bulbs and the bark of the tree. Place the (5) black-eyed susans around the latris in a star pattern as shown on the diagram. Then again fill in with the monarda between the black-eyed susans and the bed edge. This layout should cover a circular bed at least 7′ in diameter.

New introductions to the landscape can definitely be fun and exciting, but there is a reason why some of them have stood the test of time. Hopefully this 3×3 Garden gave you some ideas for ways to use those tried and true perennials of the “sunny garden world”. Like the others, this trio collection is available for 50% off from Holland Bulb Farms. Chick here and get started now!

With hands in the dirt and head in the clouds,

P.S. TODAY is your LAST CHANCE to enter the 2012 Homegrown Recipe Contest! We’ve received some amazing entries so far but would love to have even more! Submit yours here today before it’s too late!

When you think of “flower bulbs” what comes to mind? If you’re like most people, you immediate picture fields of tulips and daffodils, or maybe groupings of hyacinth.

While this idea of bulbs is definitely a correct one, it is also somewhat limited. Did you realize that there are actually two planting seasons for bulbs? These planting seasons are classified as “fall planted” and “spring planted” bulbs.

Fall bulbs are extremely popular and add great color to the spring garden!

Fall planted bulbs, as I mentioned earlier, are definitely the more well-known bulbs in the group. These include your allium, crocus, daffodils, fritillaria, hyacinth, iris, muscari (grape hyacinth), scilla, and of course, the tulips. These bulbs are typically planted sometime between mid-September and mid-December, depending on  your hardiness zone and then bloom the following spring. Many of these bulbs actually require a chilling period (the winter season) in order to bloom and grow correctly. Therefore, gardeners who live in Zones 2 through 7b/8 can grow these without any special care and leave the bulbs in the ground year round. On the other hand, gardeners who live in warmer climates (Zones 8 through 11) and don’t receive this chilling period naturally outdoors, need to provide these bulbs with the cool period artificially, such as in a refrigerator prior to planting every year.

Dahlias are just one of the many amazing spring planted bulbs that can add great color to your late summer and early fall garden.

Spring planted bulbs are somewhat less well-known in the “bulb world” but are just as valuable to the landscape! These bulbs include anemone, begonias, calla lilies, canna lilies, dahlias, elephant ears, gladiolus, oriental and asiatic lilies, and herbaceous perennials. These bulbs are best planted between early March and late May, again depending on the hardiness zone in which you are located and then bloom in the summer and/or fall. Many of these bulbs (with the exception of oriental/asiatic lilies as well as herbaceous perennials) are not frost hardy and therefore need protection or special care during the winter in Zones 2 through 7b/8. However, the gardeners in Zones 8 through 11 can leave most of these bulbs in the ground year-round without the worry of frost damage.

Since the spring planted bulbs are often overlooked but yet have oh-so-much to offer, I figured it might be good to review them. Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to lead you through the land of the spring planted bulbs. Each article will focus on a different type of spring planted (summer/fall blooming) bulbs, highlighting their great qualities as well as pointing out any maintenance tips that may be important. So follow me on this wonderful journey and open your eyes to this wonderful world of spring planted bulbs!

Until next time,

Have a question about when to plant a certain type of bulb 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 at Holland Bulb Farms!

Beat the Winter Duldrums: Start Planning your Summer Garden TODAY!

For those of us who live in “cold winter” areas, as Begonia and I do, right about now the snow is beginning to “lose its luster”. The holidays are over with nothing left to look forward to but another several months of wet boots, red noses, and frozen car doors. So why not bring the spring and summer INTO your home by starting your “summer dreaming” a little early this year?!

Did you realize that many online as well as catalog bulb and perennial companies have already started accepting pre-orders for spring planted items, such as cannas, callas, dahlias, and assorted perennials? You can be far ahead of the game just by beginning to plan now and making your selections before the spring rush begins.

So you may be wondering: how do I even begin to decide what I want to plant this year? Even though this may seem like a daunting task, planning your garden should be one of the most fun and enjoyable things you do! Make it easy on yourself this year by following these easy steps:

1. Decide on a location. Pick a spot of your yard that you feel needs “extra attention”. Or perhaps for you it’s simply your favorite raised planter or decorative container. Have a specific project, such as a flowerbed around your mailbox or in that shaded part of your already existing garden? Perhaps this is the year you want to tackle it! Whatever you do, don’t “over-commit” yourself. Doing so will only leave you tired and frustrated. Have the courage to a pick a slightly smaller project and do it WELL rather than taking on more than you can handle and leaving yourself disappointed by the results.
   

   Let your imagination bring the warm weather to you even on the coldest day!

2. Start collecting ideas. Collect all of the information you can find: garden magazines, website and blog articles, plant catalogs, and web addresses to some of your favorite plant sources. When you see something you like, tear it out or print it off and begin a “summer dreaming” journal. Try not to get too hung up on plant height, color, light requirements, etc. at first. These will only limit your creativity.
3. Look through your treasures. Once you feel you have collected a good amount of information, sit down with your journal and sort through what you have found. Can you find any common themes in the plants/ideas you’ve selected (formal garden settings, color patterns, exotic-looking plants?). Begin to think about these ideas in relation to the location you had pre-determined to “fix-up” this year. Will they work here? Does the area get enough sunlight or too much? Do the colors go together or do they clash?
4. Begin building the dream. Now that the information you have collected has been somewhat organized, decide which direction you will take and separate the plants/ideas that will be included this season. Do NOT throw the rest of it away! Keep all of these ideas in a folder to re-visit at a later time and don’t EVER tell yourself “no” to an idea you truly love. Yes, it may be true that you don’t have the money to have an 8 foot tall marble fountain in the middle of your backyard surrounded by 5′ cannas. But that doesn’t mean you can’t someday do something very similar, just on a smaller scale. Again, it may be true that you just don’t have enough sunlight in your backyard to grow the climbing wisteria vine  you’ve always dreamed of but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other climbing perennials which would work wonderfully in a more shaded landscape and provide just the same effect.
5. Go shopping! Join newsletters and email lists to your favorite websites and suppliers and begin watching for coupons. Start finding specific sources for your purchases and don’t wait too long to place your order. Once the weather starts to warm up, there will be many gardeners thinking about making these purchases and you won’t want to get left out in the cold

From now on, whenever the winter rain, sleet, or snow starts to get you down, head to your favorite garden website or magazine and continue your “summer dreaming”. It won’t be long before it’s here and you want to be ready for it, don’t you???

Until next time,

Have a question about your “summer dreaming” 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 at Holland Bulb Farms!

An old-time favorite but still a very frequently used perennial, the Iris is truly timeless. Whether it be a the romantic, frilly Beardeds or the more modern, chic Dutch Iris, both add elements to the garden which are unmatched among other perennials. August is often referred to as “Bearded Iris Month” simply because bearded iris like to be planted in late August or early in September for best results. Today I thought I’d just give a general overview of both for those readers who may be slightly unfamiliar with the difference or maybe just wanted their memory refreshed.

Bearded Iris

Typically sold as “rhizomes”, Bearded Iris (or sometimes called German Iris) are the elegant queens of the late spring

This Red at Night Bearded Iris is one of the most popular!

garden. The rhizomes are planted just below the soils surface, with little to almost no soil cover. The roots grow out of the bottom of this rhizome, creating a solid foundation for which the plant to grow. These Bearded Iris typically produce blooms made up of standards (the petals which stand upright) and falls (the petals which point downwards). The falls are covered with a soft “fuzz”, creating the beard which gives the iris its name! These rhizomes are best planted during the fall season but be sure to give them plenty of time to become established prior to any frost. They are great naturalizers (meaning they multiply quickly) and are reliably perennial. If you’re interested in more than a one time bloom, check out some of the Reblooming Bearded Iris!

Dutch Iris

Dutch Iris, although similar to Bearded Iris in bloom shape, have many of

This Orental Beauty Dutch Iris boast of bi-colored blooms of yellow and lavendar.

their own characteristics which make them highly sought after. Their extremely narrow, long leaves make elegant additions to cut flower arrangements and the blooms tend to last an extremely long time making them a florists’ favorite! Dutch Iris come in a variety of blues, yellows, purples, and white. If you’re looking for a more unique, later spring-blooming boarded plant, try some of the dwarf varieties like the Cantab or  the Danford Dwarf Dutch Iris!

So do yourself a favor this year and plan for fresh cutflowers out of your own garden next spring! Plant Iris SOON! And if you need some help choosing, try checking out some great Bearded Iris Collections!

Until next time,

Have a question about iris 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!