Ledge and Gardens

The Blue Eyed Tulip - Tulipa humilis 'Alba Coerulea Oculata'

There is a rather dear little species tulip which is clear white with a lavender blue eye. It bloomed in my garden this week until the heat hit it and knocked it right over. Species tulips can be a bit pricey and the price is one of the reasons I only have about five of these little bulbs. At barely five inches tall this tulip needs a place of prominence in the garden. Mine are growing next to the stone bench by the fish pond. This bench is a wonderful place to contemplate the beginning or the end of the day accompanied by a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. The little blue eyed tulips, Tulipa humilis 'Alba Coerulea Oculata' sit right at the foot of the bench. When faced with an unusual plant with a high price tag, I find that trying just a few in the garden can do either of two things. Both of those things depend on the performance of the treasure. Sometimes the pictures in a catalog are deceiving with the promise of impossible colors and performance. Sometimes the plant in question fails to emerge from the spring soil. If this happens, only a few dollars have been spent and knowledge and experience are added to the gardener's data base.  The second scenario can be costly. The plant in question performs beautifully and the gardener wants more. A large drift of this little tulip would be lovely. They can cost as much as $2.00 per bulb. Blue is a much coveted color in the garden and blue and white are clear and clean and restful to the eyes.  Do you think they are worth the cost? Should I get a few more?

St. Patrick's Day - 2011

Today is St. Patrick's Day.  Right on cue the little white snowdrops unfurled to reveal the green.  They have been closed up tight as the temperatures were cool all week.  Until today.  Today the thermometer rose to 62 F and the snowdrops opened at about 55F.  They have a very sweet fragrance and someday I hope to have rivers of them.  Yes, rivers.  It is a goal. Happy St. Patrick's Day.

The First Flowers of Spring

Spring is over a week away according to the calendar but the garden rarely waits for the specific date as Mother Nature has a schedule all her own.  These are the only flowers in the garden.  They are revered for that fact alone.  The bees do not know that they are here yet.  I am going to pay attention and watch for that first pollinator.  It is still cold.  There is still snow.  Spring will come and go for the next few weeks alternating with late winter but spring will take over.   It is inevitable. 

Heat wave!

High 88 F but it was 95 F in Boston!
Low 53 F

The end of April brings record high temperatures here in New England. Currently, at ten a.m. it is 80 degrees.  I know many other parts of the country are experiencing highs also and this gardener does not approve.  The blueberries are in bloom, the tulips and daffodils are marching on to heat destruction and many of the early flowering shrubs are also blooming.  The blooms last such a short time when the temperatures are high.  Today's high is an expected 88 F which feels way too warm to this unacclimatized gardener.  The flowers will come and go much more quickly and it is hard to garden in this heat. The frost is sure to come and tender new foliage and flowers will be at risk.    I can empathize with the Austin and other southern bloggers when I feel as limp as the petals on the tulips.   That ends the complaining and I am still embracing the  'River of Bulbs' in the GFSD garden.  There is a newcomer to the river.  This orange tulip was in a orange/yellow Color Blends mixture and is one of the first to show up in this border.  I realize that I should have just planted orange as the daffodils are yellow and provide enough contrast.  We are all enjoying the color here and Tucker likes to pose...well, he grudgingly obliges me, and poses to provide scale and a canine element to the garden.  What is a garden without a dog?

Wordless Wednesday 4-8-09

Click on picture to enlarge

Bulb Planting commences!

High 66 F
Low  38.3 F

May 9, 2007  Tulip 'Orange Princess'

I generally order bulbs every other year.  Why?  Because I always get carried away with the beautiful promise of the pictures and I order so many that it takes great effort to get them all planted.  Every other year I seem to forget how much work it was and only remember the beauty of the blooms.  Last year I did plant a few tulips such as the above 'Orange Princess' but this year I placed my order with the thought of adding a river of bulbs to the new Garden of Five Sisters and One Daughter ( aka GFSD).   A river of bulbs!  Sounds great doesn't it?  Planting bulbs at 'Ledge and Gardens' always requires a pickax.

I dug a trench about fifty feet long and eighteen inches wide although there are a couple of wide spots.The job foreman is hard at work as you can see.   I planted 100 Narcissus 'Accent' which is ivory white with a pink trumpet or perianth.  I get tired of yellow in the spring and white always is refreshing.  These will bloom in April and I have to say that these were the biggest bulbs I have ever seen!  Fat and healthy, many with offsets.  If you are going to dig a trench in soil which requires a  pickax then you should optimize the use of that trench.  With this in mind, the daffodils and Tulips are interspersed in the same 'river'.

Click to enlarge picture.

  I added Tulipa  'Avignon' which is described in the John Scheepers catalog  as 'brilliant spinel-red with fire-red edges, a tomato red interior and a sunny yellow base'.  I'm not sure what 'spinel-red' looks like so check back in May when these beauties will bloom!  I did plant them closer than six inches.  The bulb police have not yet been here.  In addition, in the wider areas I planted Camassia quamash which I have never grown before.  This is blue and  is native to the Northwestern U.S.  It will be about 15" tall.  Camassia will take a moist soil according to  the catalog. I'm not sure this is moist enough but I saved some bulbs for a different area so I can see which group does better. In the wider spots I have planted some species tulips.  There are one hundred Tulipa 'Little Beauty' which is cherry red with a blue center and blooms in early May.  Also planted were T. clusiana 'Lady Jane' which is described as 'candy cane' . The picture looks beautiful.  I did spray the bulbs with neem to keep the critters away.  It has a bitter taste which is supposed to make the tulips less delectable and it will also mask the smell of the bone meal which is mixed in the soil at the bottom of the hole. The Job Foreman loves the freshly turned soil and is taking a much needed rest. A couple of  blisters and a tired back later and all that is left to plant are one hundred assorted alliums,  a few Camassia and some dog tooth violets.  Oh, and the two pounds of garlic bulbs which arrived in the mail while I was out planting!