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!