But every
gardener knows that if you want delightful spring bulbs to pull you from the
winter doldrums, you must order and plant them in the fall!!
Daffodils are
a favorite spring bulb. Their sunny
blooms come in a variety of colors and shapes.
Once planted, daffodils should return each year and multiply in number,
but only if you plant the varieties suited for the southern garden. Ice
Follies, Fortune, Carlton, and Gigantic Star are good big-flowered varieties. Small –flowered varieties Trevithian, Peeping
Tom, and Professor Einstein are also good choices. Daffodils are also deer resistant. Order your
daffodils now for planting in October and November.
Tulips and
hyacinths are bulbs that must be refrigerated for at least 6 – 8 weeks before
planting. Store these bulbs in the
vegetable bin of your refrigerator by the end of October and they will be ready
to plant in late December or early January.
Minor bulbs are any bulb that is not a tulip or a trumpet daffodil. I had no idea there were so many for a Louisiana gardener to choose from! Here are my notes from an informative Master Gardener presentation on minor bulbs given by Carolyn Sutton:
* Ipheion uniflorum - grass like foliage with blue flowers (aka blue star or spring star) can
be planted in grassy areas because it can be mowed through the
summer
 |
| www.highcountrygardens.com |
* Byzantine gladioli - magenta color; get top heavy
 |
| www.99roots.com |
* Spanish bluebells - another blue for the garden; tolerate shade
 |
| www.opalexplorenature.org |
* anemone - need good drainage; finicky; Mr. Fokker (blue), Bride (white)
 |
| excepdeli.blogspot.com |
* ranunculus - not as finicky as anemone; yellows
 |
| www.flowerbulbsinc.co.uk |
*lycoris squamigeria - aka magic lily, naked lady, resurrection lily (blooms in July)
 |
| en.wikipedia.org |
* snowflakes (Leucojuna vernum) - little white bells, good multiplier, likes wet soil
 |
| www.bloomingbulbs.com |
 |
| www.brecks.com |
Recommended books:
Perennial Garden Color by William Welch
Garden Bulbs of the South by Scott Ogden
Recommended Bulb Catalogs:
Southern Bulb Company www.southernbulbs.com
Old House Garden www.oldhousegardens.com
Brent and Becky's Bulbs www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com
Love ya'll, Shelli
2 comments:
Shelli, do you or Carolyn have any experience with growing allium here? I thought those alliums that have the big blooms didn't do well here? If they do, I will be planting many! But I've shied away from them since I thought they were pretty iffy.
I planted some last year and they came up, but the bloom was unimpressive. However, I planted them in the spring! This year I know better and will plant them in the fall. My research said they will bloom as far south as zone 9. Hoping for better results this time around!!
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