Gardening For All Seasons Presents


Fields of Golden Daffodils and Rivers of Red tulips – go for the Gusto! Every winter I have a recurring dream. I am staring out my window while in front of me is a huge field of golden daffodils. It is a gorgeous sight! The daffs all have their little trumpets pointed skyward as though they are playing some triumphal chorus to celebrate the arrival of spring. I have to admit that one of the better benefits of being The Bulb Lady is that I can actually plant and grow these golden carpets – along with other tapestries woven of multicolored tulips and other spring bulbs.
		I also have to admit that the timing of the spring bulb catalogs is somewhat unfortunate – since you have to plant the bulbs in Fall when the garden already looks pretty full. I don't know about you, but I belong to that school of gardeners who think that allowing any dirt (excuse me - soil!) to show between the plants is a capital offense. So among all the lush growth of the August garden it is hard to imagine that you have room to plant a field of gold or a river of red tulips. Trust me. There is room. The nice thing about spring bulbs is that they come up early – before all of the other things that are filling your garden space right now. You have to trust that there is a lot of room under than giant hosta for bulbs – and around the daylilies and everything else that goes dormant in the yard. Plant them under the shallow rooted perennials and definitely beneath the annuals – because your annuals will not be back next year. But your bulbs will. No matter how crowded your garden may look, there is always room for more bulbs!
	Debbie Van Bourgondien The Bulb Lady
One of the mistakes people make (I am one of those people) is to fall in love with a couple of dozen different tulips, and another dozen or so different types of daffodils and many, many of the so-called minor bulbs and ordering them all. This is also to be blamed on the "full garden syndrome" – right now it looks like three peach colored hyacinths will be more than ample for the space you can see. But think back to last spring. Remember all that bare dirt?? It will be back. Why is falling in love with a dozen different kinds of bulbs a mistake? It isn't if you have the budget to get a few hundred of each but most of us don't have that kind of budget. So we get 3 of this and 6 of that and one of something else – and maybe a couple dozen crocuses because they cost less than the bigger bulbs. And then when spring comes the bulbs pop up – and the gardener droops in disappointment. Somehow reality falls way short of that beautiful vision we had when we placed our orders. We have a patchwork quilt with little dots of color here and there – usually a crazy quilt where nothing really stands out and grabs the viewer. I don't want you to be disappointed. Winter is so dull that we truly need the lift that we get from the sight of bulbs blooming beautifully in our yards. It's not just a matter of pride – it's downright therapeutic to see things springing to life. So while what I am about to suggest may seem heretical coming from the Bulb Lady – I'm only saying it for your own good. I can see you, getting ready to click on that order button with six of one and three of something else and I'm begging you – DON'T DO IT!! Don't buy all those different kinds of bulbs in tiny quantities. Not unless your garden space is limited to one large terra cotta pot. Or if you really MUST have them, buy the smallest quantity possible. Spend the rest of your money on a very few varieties – in as large a quantity as you can comfortably afford. It makes sense, doesn't it? If you have three white tulips and three red ones and three yellow daffodils and you plant them what you end up with are three little, tiny dots of color. Wouldn't a field of color be more exciting? Even a field that mixes two complementary colors? Think of the impact you would get from fifty yellow daffodils – not exactly a field, but certainly a gorgeous splash of color. If you can't resist and end up with several different types of bulbs you can still make a bit of a splash by grouping like kinds together as opposed to mixing them up throughout the bed. Three orange tulips together is a bigger spot of color than one orange, then a white and yellow and then another orange. Or here is another trick. Go ahead and indulge yourself with several different varieties of the big bulbs –but tie them together with a carpet of colorful and inexpensive "minor bulbs" such as Muscari or Scilla. Imagine an area with a dozen yellow daffodils and in a sea of bright blue grape hyacinths or purple Dutch crocus. Or bright red early tulips surrounded by white crocus. These smaller bulbs are almost always less expensive, and while not as showy by themselves, they can unify those dots of color you created with the big guns into an exciting whole. Yellow daffodils in a sea of golden crocus can do a fairly good imitation of that field of gold you longed for. Or indulge yourself in the sensational purity of an all white garden – white crocuses, white daffs and tulips, white muscari and anemones – using all one color in an area can create impact even if most of it comes from those smaller but more affordable bulbs. I guess what I'm saying is to go for the big splash in whatever way you can manage it. If you are absolutely lusting after eight different kinds of tulips and can't possibly bear to cut any of them out of your shopping list then do take a long hard look at the "minor" bulbs to see how you can extend the color splash economically. It may seem hard now – but when the snows melt and your bright pools of color spring to life your garden will be a joyful place. And gardens should always be joyful places. Whatever you do, try to plant in drifts – that way even if your spring bulb display has spaces in it, there will be enough areas filled with bright color to make an impact.