Daffodils in Bloom. 3.29.19

Daffodils in Bloom. 3.18.18

 Full bloom time for dafodils. Each fall I buy a few bags of bulbs and plant them in random acts of daffodil planting. You never know where they will come up. Planting them is an act of faith, that winter will come and go, and we'll be here to see Spring once again.

What's Blooming. 3.4.16

Anemones.  3.4.16

 It's  been cooler and rainy, but now there are lots of flowers  blooming.  Anemones, many of the narcissus, especially Dutch Master and Jetfire, and some others.  An apricot, grown from seeds, is blooming.  Forsythias are coming into their own.  Flowers are fully open on Crimson Spire plum, starting to open on Hollywood plum, Methley plum, and Toka plum.  Charlotte peach flowers are open.

Daffodils.  3.6.16

Unknown, modern forsythia.  3.4.16

Daffodils, mainly Jetfire.  3.6.16

Prunus Sweet Treat.  3.4.16

Ning with front yard flower bed.  3.4.16

Forsythia, 3 years after transplant.  3/4/16

Planting a lily. Early signs of spring. 1.17.15

Tiger lily bulbs  1.17.15

Germinating Daffodils  1.17.15

The "Joy of Gardening" bulbs at Fred Meyer are kind of a mixed bag.  Some are mislabeled, and some don't grow.  But most are OK.  I buy them on impulse, anyway.

So bought these lily bulbs, and planted today.

The daffodils start coming up now.  They don't mind frosts or hard freezes or ice or snow.  Still a long way to bloom.  Nice to see something already growing.   These are replants from a big clump of Jetfire I divided last summer.  Then left them sitting out and some were moldy.  Seem to be growing fine anyway.

Puttering. Leaves, bulbs, moving perennials. 11.1.14

No pics this time.

I raked leaves from big maple.  It's about half done dropping leaves.  I used them for mulch for a dozen trees and shrubs. Good timing.  The grass clipping mulch had many small seedlings sprouted.  Now those are buried under leaves.

I did a 3-way move in front bed.  Buddleia Blue Chip should only be about 3 feet tall, but I did not account for 3 foot spread.  I moved that to a different bed with more room.  Next to it was a small Stella D'Oro daylily.  There are several yellow daylilies in the front bed.  I moved it to the location where I had a brick red Chicago Apache daylily, moved Chicago Apache to the location where the Buddleia was, and planted Spring bulbs in the spot where the Stella D'Oro daylily was.  It's nice to plant things that I was growing elsewhere.  Kind of like a gift from friend or relative, but it was from me.  I like the Chicago Apache, the flowers are big and showy, but it was in a spot where it was difficult to see.  It will show up better in front of the sunroom.  The bright yellow of the Stella D'Oro will show up better there. 

Finally, I planted more bulbs.  Sale at Fred Meyer and Lowes. 

Daffodil / Narcissus King Alfred 8 bulbs planted as one cluster
Daffodil / Narcissus Jetfire 18 bulbs planted as 2 clusters
Daffodil / Narcissus Ice Follies 18 bulbs, planted as 2 clusters
Allium Purple Sensation 6 bulbs, planted as 1 cluster. 

Total = 50 bulbs, so fall 2014 total is 214.  It's not as difficult as it sounds.  Digging with a shovel for planting clusters, instead of individual bulb digger or trowel for each bulb, is much easier.  Plus this was extended over more than a month, and largely as breaks from homework.

In the Spring, if I am able, I want to move a couple dozen clumps of Hyacinthoides and maybe a dozen clumps of Narcissus, from Vancouver house to Battleground.   Both are not liked by deer, rabbits, or voles.   Moving the clumps when they are about 3 to 6 inches tall, digging deep and taking the clumps intact, they move nicely and bloom the same Spring like nothing changed.  Plus they look established like they were there a long time.

Planting more bulbs. 10.25.14

Replete Daffodil and Gladiator Allium.

Amaryllis.  I placed it in the sunroom, as an experiment. 

I am pleased that Replete wasn't displayed as a pink daffodil, on the label.  It's more of an apricot color.  I need to plant the rest of the bulbs in a different location.  Now when I dig holes for bulbs, I discover other bulbs, planted earlier.

Final bulb count for new plantings this fall, Battleground:

Red Devon Daffodil / Narcissus = 18 X 2 = 36
Anemone blanda Mix = 20 X 2 packages = 40
Nectaroscordum siculum = 15
Allium gladiator = 2
Replete Daffodil / Narcissus = 12
Allium Ivory Queen = 4
Quamash Cammasia = 8
Tulip Estella Rijnveld = 15 X 2 = 30 in containers
Tulip Purple Pink Mix = 18 in container
Fritillaria rubra "Crown Imperial" = 1
Fritillaria persica = "Persian lily" = 2

If all of these flowers bloom, that will mean 164 flowers from bulbs next Spring.  Plus the bulbs that I moved from Vancouver late summer.  Those I did not do a good job and they sat outside, a few getting moldy, so who knows.  Last Spring, I also moved multiple clumps of Narcissus/Daffodils and Hyacinthoides from Vancouver, wild guess 10 bulbs per clump, 10 clumps  = very roughly another 100 flowers.  Other than the tulips, most are proven deer and rabbit resistant here, and most are varieties that should proliferate once established.

Fall Planting Spring Bulbs. 9.21.14

Bulbs planted 9.21.14

I always plant bulbs this time of year.  Some have persisted and multiplied for a decade.  Some others seem to fade away with time.

At Battleground, deer eat tulips, muscari, and some of the others.  So none of those planted.

These "Joy of Gardening" bulbs from Fred Meyer are not reliable as far as color - last year the Anemone mix was all blue, and the daffodil mix was all the same.  But they grew well and it's OK.  These are the ones I planted this year.

Jetfire is early and very bright.  I have some that have multiplied for more than 10 years.  Ice Follies is also a nice variety.  I was going to move some, but it's easier to start over with new ones.  The double mix, we'll see what happens.

I usually plant narcissus in clumps of 3 to 6.  Instead of a single hole for each bulb, I did a "group hole" with shovel, place the bulbs, and cover.  The anemones, I pulled out the hard-scape tree edging around a ginkgo, planted the anemones, and filled in with soil.  The mulched area under the trees needs to be wider, so the edging is not needed or helpful.  It made for easy planting.

I have more to move when they sprout in Spring. This is enough for now.  I don't want to buy more than I can plant.  This was about 100 bulbs.  They will brighten Spring a little more.

Moving established bulb clumps. 3.1.14

Moving established clumps of bulbs.

I dug a few clumps of Hyacinthoides hispanica and a clump of daffodils from the lawn at the Vancouver place and planted at the Battleground place.  They are big enough to readily identify them, and small enough that they are not too floppy to move.  I take a big soil mass so as not to disturb them too much.  I did this last year and the bulbs that I moved grew and bloomed without missing a beat, and are growing again this year.

Transplanted and Established Bulbs

Deer and rabbits eat all of the tulips and all of the muscari.  The seem to leave daffodils alone, for the most part.  They also seem to leave the Hyacinthoides alone.  There might be an animal digging up some of the Hyacinthoides bulbs.  Or a mole that pushed them out of the ground by accident. But most of them seem intact.

Moving big clusters of bulbs, the result looks like they have been growing in place for a while.  Planting individual bulbs in the fall, they look less robust, and take a few years to make nice clumps.

Planted a few more bulbs

Daffodils and Fritillaria

I've tried in the past to grow Fritillaria.  No success.  This time, I planted it on its side.  According to the instructions, that will reduce the risk for water collection in the bulb's folds.

I planted the 15 Daffodils in groups, 3 clusters.

More color for spring.  If the Fritillaria does not grow, there should still be the Daffodils.

Fall planting bulbs for Spring flowers.

Daffodil hill.  via Commons.wikimedia.org

Today it's raining and raining and raining.  Pacific Northwet.  I love rainy season.  Fire in the heating stove.  Dogs napping in front of the fire.

I planted 100 generic daffodils in Ning's border, clusters of 4,5,6.  Plus big Allium gigantum which I grew last year in the onion bed.  Moved catnip and 2 small raspberry starts out of bearded iris bed#3, and into the bee garden.   Both grow too large to remain among the bearded irises.   Tidied up a little more of that raised bed, and planted grape hyacinth and smaller types of narcissus.  Planted some bunches of daffodils in the bee garden.

That's about all.  Too wet, and I'm tired.   It sounds like a lot, but was only about 2 hours, split into slow 1 hour sessions, one in am and one in pm.

Daffodils - and possibly all narcissus - are considered deer resistant and rabbit resistant.  Last year something ate a few, but left most alone.  Must taste bad.  Grape hyacinths / Muscari are also considered deer and rabbit resistant,  but most were eaten down to the ground. 

Alliums are also considered animal resistant.  Some varieties did well last year, some were sparse.  I planted a few more purple alliums.

A few more small bags and half of a big bag of bulbs, left to plant.

Gardening for the Winter. Multiplier onions, Flower Bulbs, Tree Protection.

Multiplier Onions about to be planted.

More Daffodils for the yard.

 The Yellow Potato Onions are now planted for their winter "incubation".  The roots and tops grow during the remainder of fall, then settle in for winter.  Most were the very big size this year, leaving fewer small starts to plant.   I planted about 25 sets, with half being large - to make multiple small sets, and half being small - to make large onion bulbs.  They grew very well last year, with the September - planted ones growing better than later - planted.

One also made topsets.  I planted those as well.

The Egyptian Walking Onions are growing roots and tops.  Fast start.

This Daffodil mix brings the # of bulbs planted this fall to about a hundred.  There are about 150 more to plant.  It sounds like a lot, but they are quite easy to plant.

I made 5 tree - guards so far.  This year I am experimenting with hardware cloth.  These are /12 inch mesh.  I think I'll buy 1/4 inch mesh once I've used up this roll.  Based on the web sites I've read, 1/4 is superior for vole exclusion. 

The ginkgo may not need protection.  Ginkgo trees are considered deer and rabbit resistant.  But no harm in a little protection.

I also have tree wrap saved from last year.  Tree wrap may seal in moisture, which could encourage fungal infection.  So I am not as enthusiastic about that.  On the other hand, tree wrap is easier to apply, compared to hardware cloth.

Varmint Screening for Crabapple Tree

Varmint Screening for Ginkgo Tree

The websites often state the hardware cloth should be partly buried.  However, that would mean damage to shallow roots.  So far, animals have not under-mined trunk protection.  If they do, I'll have to consider more secure options.

Planting a Sourwood Tree

Out of the nursery pot, showing root ball

 Here is the sourwood tree I bought.

When I bought it at the nursery, I thought these trees had been sitting in the containers for the season.  Taking out of the pot, I see that's not true.  They were dug up from the nursery row, balled and burlapped, and transported to the nursery.  There, compost soil was placed in the container, the tree added, then more compost.  So they looked like the root mass was much bigger than it was.

That makes me think it will be harder to establish.  The tree is quite large for its root ball.

Planting.  Daffodil bulbs surrounding the tree.

Soaking in.

 Planting the tree - I surrounded it with mixed varieties of daffodil bulbs.  During the summer this tree should be mulched, with no competing plants.  However, daffodils grow their roots in the fall and winter, and the tops during rainy season.  I don't think they will be much competition for the tree roots.

Daffodils are reportedly deer and rabbit resistant, so I'm hoping they will have a bit of a protective benefit for the tree.

Planted and mulched.

Planted, watered in, and mulched.

I hope it grows.

We are heading into the rainy season.  That should help this nice tree establish roots and settle in.

Back Yard

By necessity the yard is in a state of benign neglect now. Fortunately I did a lot of pruning and clean up in previous weeks. Nice the fruit trees and bulbs are blooming.An antique narcissus variety. The bunches each started with 1 to 3 bulbs. Now I need to find the name again. They could stand to be dug up and divided this summer. Hard to see but there are also Juno Iris in the photo. The chive barrel is growing nicely. Maybe Ning will make chive dumplings in a week or two. Comfort food.

Rainy and Chilly

Turns out yesterday was the perfect day for a little planting - today is chilly and rainy. The rain will settle the bulbs and onion/garlic sets in nicely.

I read about planting garlic.  Some gardeners plant on the shortest day of the year (Winter Solstice) - we are WAY ahead of that.  Some plant in early October.  So I'm in good company.  The various ones that I'm sure I have missed in the ground have not sprouted above the ground, so I'm not much behind mother nature on that either.

I planted the following. They were from Dutchbulbs.com. The photos are from that site as well. I ordered them this summer, this time a small number due to I know I would not have a lot of planting time.

"Blushing Lady" Narcissus. Six bulbs. Something to add variety to the many others already planted over the years.

Narcussus "Dinner Plate". There were two very large bulbs - the size of Amaryllis bulbs.

Hemerocallis "Sixth Sense" listed as "6" flowers with ruffled petals in cream and gold tones with a red eye and wired edge. Mid-season, rebloomer, tetraploid, semi-evergreen." Being semi-evergreen it may not be as hardy as a dormant variety, more hardy than an evergreen.

Hemerocallis "Startle". This is a dormant variety, so considered more hardy.

Lilium citronella, an old variety. I like these. They are also labeled as "Yellow Turk's cap lilies".

Spring Bulbs, time to plant.

With so much demanding my time, I'm not planting as many Spring bulbs this year. More than that, I'm not ordering via mail order. I did pick up some packages at a big box store. There was a big bag with 75 daffodil bulbs (standard yellow "Dutch Master" and the ones below. Doubtless I'll add some more this fall. Not wanting to overdo it. Plus, there are hundreds in the ground from previous years, and some have probably multiplied.

The price is lower than last year. These don't seem to make it. I have about 25% or 50% survival, then it takes a couple of years to reach blooming size. Not sure why. They are usually quite dried out by the time I get them, which I think stresses the plant significantly. I planted this one in a slightly raised area, to avoid rot during the rains already happening and soon to increase.

Irises are a challenge even when established. The rhizomes need to be at soil surface. It's difficult to weed under and around them, so the tend to be very weedy. I plan to reduce the number somewhat this winter, keeping groups of each variety but not letting them roam all over the garden beds.

I've given up on bulb planters, and instead use a shovel, dig a hole about 1 foot diameter and 6 inches deep, and plant 5 or 6 at a time. That way there are nice bunches the following spring, instead of one bulb here and one bulb there.

According to my study program, I should take a 5 min break per hour. I'm taking about 10 min, enough to plant a few bulbs.

Narcissus blossoms

Last fall, I planted a bunch of new Narcissus varieties. Now is the reward. These were mail order, so no way to know ahead how they'll look. Catalog photos here. There are always differences in color on computer monitors, and on paper, but the appearance on my monitor matches the catalog photos, and the colors in the photos that I took do look like the flowers in my garden.

This is Vanilla Peach, from Dutchbulbs.com. Really quite pretty.




Ice King from Biltmore Estates. This is my favorite of the new ones.
Replete, from Dutchbulbs.com. I was surprised at myself for ordering a so-called "pink" narcissus. Especially since they almost never seem to look pink. This variety is a beautiful tangerine color, even though the catalog photo clearly shows pink. I like this much better. This is my other favorite of the new ones.

This one is "Sunnyside Up", also from Dutchbulbs.com. Again, the colors aren't true to the catalog, but I like this variety as well.

More Sunnyside Up.




Ice King again - not much like the catalog photo, actually much nicer. The catalog photo has darker yellow centers.

The older Daffodil patch, at lower level. Dutch Master. The upper level is Ice Follies and Bella Estrella.

Strange, I don't know which one this is. I like it. The coloration is subtle, with yellow fringe on off-white trumpet. It doesnt match any in the catalog. A mystery.

We hove lots of others in bloom as well, photographs taken in previous years. Many are multiplying, especially jetfire and Dapple Dandy (I think).

Jetfire. These stated as, I'm guessing, 3 bulbs about 7 years ago. They've multiplied into a nice cluster.

Professor Einstein. These were in the lawn when we bout the house. We've lived here 10 years. This cluster also started as one rescued bulb, so is multiplying nicely in this location. It's not the most fluffy but it's an old variety, so I like it.

October. Bulbs, new plant room, late harvests

As noted earlier, it's been difficult doing gardening, keeping up with the house, working working working, and looking after others. So here we are.

Currently, figs are ripening. During September, Hardy Chicago was very productive, with a few dozen figs. Now it's Petite Negri. Vancouver has a few, but they are getting moldy before they ripen. That did not happen before. Lattarula has a few - the first year ever! They are sweet, also seem to mold slightly on the outside when ripe, but not enough to matter.

I dried some figs, as well as some grapes. They taste so much better when grown at home and dried in a food dehydrator! I had no idea.

Many grapes remain, after eating many pounds of grapes. This has been a productive year for grapes as well.

Lots of apples now. They are pretty much all ripening.

A bedroom (actually junk-room) on the southwest corner of the house will become my home office and plant room. And guest bedroom. It will have a futon/sofa, a desk, and some plant stands in the windows. I added a western window; there is already a large south facing window. I took some photos but the current computer room is too cluttered for me work with them, so they'll have to be added later. I tore out the carpet last year. The floor was badly damaged and had a large plywood patch. I replaced the patch with oak flooring taken from a closet (that is being cannabilized for a bathroom), so it is authentic to the house. I sanded off the remaining finish from the floor, and now have given it 2 coats of polyurethane. It may need a third coat. Then new baseboard, paint the walls. It has a new light fixture already.

Then I can have the cacti and other plants in the south window. I'm trying some orchids, they can go in the shaded west window.

I planted about 100 daffodils and about 100 tulips. They'll help cheer up the winter, when they start poking through the ground in Feb and March.

Most of the tulips were an unspecified tulip mix, but one package, planted under an old cherry tree, looks like this.

Daffodils included:
Bella Estrella (Biltmore collection)

Vanilla Peach (Dutchbulbs.com)

Sunnyside Up (Dutchbulbs.com)

Replete (Dutchbulbs.com) - How did I end up with this one? I don't like "pink" daffodils!

Ice Follies (Dutchbulbs.com)

Ice King (Biltmore Estates)



I also decided to try, once again, to grow some Lycoris.
Lycoris squamigera, photo from wikipedia. In the past, I've made several tries to grow Lycoris squamigera. These were traditional in my family, passed down through generations in the midwest. There, they were called "surprise lilies", and since I've heard them called "naked ladies" and "resurrection lilies". The leaaves grow in the Spring, then die off. In late Summer, the flower stems grow and bloom within a few days. I would love to have some. I've tried growing them here in the Northwest, without success. Internet research suggests that I'm planting them too deep. Most instructions state they should be 6 inches deep, but those seem to be based on the 'generic' bulb size. I found other instructions stating that they should only be covered up to their shoulders. So I'll give it a try. I also added a red variety, not the traditional family variety, Lycoris radiata, and a yellow one, Lycoris aurea.

Lycoris aurea, photo from wikipedia.

These have a different growth pattern, I think but the labels are contradictory.
Lycoris Radiata, photo from wikipedia. The L. radiata already has small leaves. We'll see what they do this fall and winter.

That's about all for now. I hope to get this blog going better once the home office is completed.