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Dec 3, 2015 3:10 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Kabby
Lowndesboro, AL (Zone 8a)
Region: United States of America Region: Alabama Bookworm Cat Lover Dog Lover Butterflies
Tropicals Bulbs Lilies Birds Bee Lover Fruit Growers
This will be a new adventure for me. Layering bulbs in a pot and forcing. In one maybe two pots, I will have daffs and hyacinths. Both are recommended to be 8 in deep, which bulbs should be on the bottom? These are both early spring varieties. I'm depending on y'all to come through for me! Thumbs up
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Dec 3, 2015 4:17 PM CST
Name: Neal Linville
Winchester, KY (Zone 6a)
Bulbs Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Roses
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
I don't think it will make much difference, but I'd put the daffs deeper. Since they get taller and are more likely to flop I'm thinking the extra depth may help. Just make sure your containers are deep enough for the bottom bulbs to have plenty of rooting space. That will be really pretty and fun! I've seen tutorials using a 3rd layer of little bulbs as a top layer too.
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi
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Dec 4, 2015 12:47 AM CST
Name: aud/odd
Pennsylvania (Zone 6b)
Garden Ideas: Level 1
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Dec 4, 2015 4:53 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Kabby
Lowndesboro, AL (Zone 8a)
Region: United States of America Region: Alabama Bookworm Cat Lover Dog Lover Butterflies
Tropicals Bulbs Lilies Birds Bee Lover Fruit Growers
Neal I will have muscari on top, pondering crocus also. Thank you Cinta, the video was helpful. These tips will help me get started. Thank You!
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Dec 4, 2015 5:34 PM CST
Name: Neal Linville
Winchester, KY (Zone 6a)
Bulbs Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Roses
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
Crocus will extend the display and Muscari will be pretty with the others Thumbs up
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi
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Dec 7, 2015 11:48 AM CST
Sweden
Forum moderator Garden Photography Irises Bulbs Lilies Bee Lover
Hellebores Deer Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Photo Contest Winner: 2016
Cool, never tried mixing such large bulbs in a single pot. Hope you will have much success!
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Jan 8, 2016 12:17 PM CST
Name: BetNC
Henderson County, NC (Zone 7a)
Container Gardener Seed Starter Plant and/or Seed Trader Tomato Heads Annuals Vegetable Grower
I tried lasagna layering bulbs in my garden, planted Fall 2014. It was a Disaster!!

I had 5 layers (In the order that they were SUPPOSED to come up): first, crocus (2 varieties with sequential bloom times). . .followed by Tulips (early and late varieties) and hyacinth (a trio with different bloom times). . .and ending with one variety of daffodils. incidentally, they also went from shortest to ending with the tallest (the daffodils). All bulbs were planted at the suggested depth and at a suggested rate (both according to the vendor.

Fast forward to Spring, 2015. What actualy happened: the crocus came up, but so did the daffodils: the daffodils crowded EVERYTHING. . the few crocus that managed to get enough sun to bloom were totally obscured by the fronds of the daffodils. About a third of the tuliops bloomed (all together) and all of the hyacinth (also all at the same time); they couldn't be seen at a distance for the daffodil fronds but if one parted the frond, these blooms were so PRETTY!!

Upshot: I won't do THIS again!! I had my garden helper carefully dig this area up and I grouped the bubs by main genus. The daffodils were planted in groups of 12 amid my lenten roses, all the hyacinth were replanted ALONE in that same garden area, the salvaged crocus corms were planted en masse around one of my lentenroses (separate from the newly replanted daffodils) and the spent tulip bulbs were sent home with my garden helper to re-grow to blooming size, undisturbed in pots on his back patio!
Avatar for Deebie
Jan 8, 2016 12:28 PM CST
Name: Deborah
midstate South Carolina (Zone 8a)
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!
Charter ATP Member Amaryllis Tropicals Plant and/or Seed Trader Seed Starter Plumerias
Plant Identifier Peonies Lilies Irises Hummingbirder Echinacea
Ooh, that's too bad. Thumbs down Sorry to hear about that. Thanks for the warning, though. I had thoughts of doing that in pots today to save space. Okay, I have to rethink that and plant most of them separately and plant annuals or perennials over the bulbs to hide the dying foliage. I think daylilies should work well. What do you think, Neal and enablers?
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Jan 8, 2016 1:21 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Kabby
Lowndesboro, AL (Zone 8a)
Region: United States of America Region: Alabama Bookworm Cat Lover Dog Lover Butterflies
Tropicals Bulbs Lilies Birds Bee Lover Fruit Growers
@BetNC oh my that sure sounds like a disaster. I'm fortunate to only layering in pots as a winter project, something different to do. Easily enough to correct for next years activities.
I have a few daffs planted with a new crop of tulips, more so as a squirrel deterrent than from a beauty aspect.
@Deebie I planted annuals in my daffs to hide the foliage and I'm toying with the idea of daylilies in the tulip bed when their foliage dies back. I have a dozen or so daylilies in pots that need a spot of their own in the spring.
Deborah I also started a thread previously about interplanting bulbs amongst the daylilies and one poster said it was a mess when time to divide the bulbs or the daylilies for that matter. So I like groundcovers in between my daylilies now.
Avatar for Deebie
Jan 8, 2016 2:49 PM CST
Name: Deborah
midstate South Carolina (Zone 8a)
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!
Charter ATP Member Amaryllis Tropicals Plant and/or Seed Trader Seed Starter Plumerias
Plant Identifier Peonies Lilies Irises Hummingbirder Echinacea
Thanks, Kabby. Now I've got to check on non-invasive ground covers. Humm . . . let's see, I have some ajuga and a small clump of nepeta. I'll use vinca only in pots, as it gets too aggressive in the ground. It's a little cold today and I feel lazy for some reason. My mind wants to plant bulbs, but my body says, No! I have no energy to get moving. It may have something to do with lack of sun. It's very cloudy and cold today.
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Jan 8, 2016 4:12 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Kabby
Lowndesboro, AL (Zone 8a)
Region: United States of America Region: Alabama Bookworm Cat Lover Dog Lover Butterflies
Tropicals Bulbs Lilies Birds Bee Lover Fruit Growers
Deebie I'm a non moving slug today myself. No sun sure makes a difference. And I still have bulbs to get in the ground too. *Blush*
You can't go wrong with low growing sedum, Lemon Ball and Coral Reef are great in my beds. Veronica Georgia Blue and Wooly thyme are doing well. And even though other folks poo poo creeping jenny I love it. I pull it back from the daylilies if it gets too close.
Have ordered creeping phlox for this spring. Green Grin!
Oh on the veronica I planted mini daffs in it, the yellow is going to look great in it.
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Jan 8, 2016 5:15 PM CST
Name: Neal Linville
Winchester, KY (Zone 6a)
Bulbs Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Roses
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
I like using daylilies to obscure floppy daffodil foliage. I haven't allowed any to get too crowded into each other so I haven't had any problems with them. Rather than intermixing them much I plant clumps of daffs near clumps of daylilies. About the time the daff foliage is looking ugly is when the daylily leaves really start growing. Otherwise I mostly place clumps of bulbs between various perennials that may not cover as well as daylilies, but draw the eye away nicely. I don't use many annuals in the ground (aside from self sowing annuals), but when I do I typically keep them away from hyacinths or tulips because those bulbs prefer to be dry during summer dormancy. Daffodils tolerate moisture during dormancy better than most bulbs, but the leaves hang around for such a long time I've usually got all the annuals planted by that time.
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi
Avatar for Deebie
Jan 8, 2016 9:58 PM CST
Name: Deborah
midstate South Carolina (Zone 8a)
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!
Charter ATP Member Amaryllis Tropicals Plant and/or Seed Trader Seed Starter Plumerias
Plant Identifier Peonies Lilies Irises Hummingbirder Echinacea
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Jan 9, 2016 11:42 AM CST
Name: BetNC
Henderson County, NC (Zone 7a)
Container Gardener Seed Starter Plant and/or Seed Trader Tomato Heads Annuals Vegetable Grower
I also have a separate little flower garden I call my spring bulb and summer annual garden. In the center is a riotous mix of mid-spring flowering daffodils (mainly large cups of diffderent color and hues), backed by tall purple spheres of ornasmental onions and bordered on the other 3 sides with short medium-purple grape hyacinth. (last year's pic was lost when this PC crashed. . . I think I MIGHT have missed on getting them to all bloom at the same time. . . I'll see this year!)

I let the daffy fronds etc. ugli-fy this garden for 6 weeks post-spent bloom, which usually works out to be plant out time for the annuals I've grown indoors specifically for this garden. I just mentally shake my head and look the other way when I pass by !! Last year, I put in zinnias the firswt week of June. (I deadheaded so they'd bloom continously until fall/Oct.) This year, I plan on putting in tidal wave petunias.

I used to have a strip of daylilies on the edge of this garden, next to my sidewalk and that I could see easily from my house, but I didn't like the fact that they bloomed for just one day per bloom (they had several buds/blooms each) and then all there was to see were green fronds. The blooms were gorgeous, though!
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Jan 9, 2016 12:26 PM CST
Sweden
Forum moderator Garden Photography Irises Bulbs Lilies Bee Lover
Hellebores Deer Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Photo Contest Winner: 2016
Certainly easy to forget about the foliage when doing bulb mixes as it's the bloom we usually want. I've done that myself a few or many times Rolling my eyes. Whistling Green Grin!
I think it's easier if one mixes smaller bulbs or perhaps just one larger with some smaller ones, but with so many bulbs available today there should be an almost endless number of combinations that could surprise! I rather like the term 'time share' for this myself as it's so descriptive of what one ideally could accomplish when mixing bulbs or perennials. I read the term 'time share' in that context for the first time in Ian Young's bulb blog and he does this so very well: http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/lo... .

Like Neal I have mixed Daffodils and Daylilies and as I understand things, this is an almost classical combination, recommended by many. Same goes for mixing Hosta and Snowdrops which also works really well. Initially I also thought the results with Daffodils and Daylilies were excellent, but as the bulbs were eaten from the inside by narcissus bulb fly larva i got to admit there was a good reason replanting was never any problem, very easy indeed Hilarious! Hilarious! Hilarious! .

I have however planted a color mix of Muscari aucheri from the Magic series in between some Dayliles and the plan is that when it's time for replanting I'll lift the Muscari as the foliage yellows and store them over summer and then replant them when I finished dividing the Daylilies later in the year. This is more planted like a mat between the Daylilies than as small groups, but still with some distance between them, but if I can't lift all the bulbs this is okay. I do find it really difficult to dig for bulbs blindly in the autumn without foliage attached, so I try to avoid that as much as possible. We will see how this works in the end.
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Jan 9, 2016 1:12 PM CST
Name: Neal Linville
Winchester, KY (Zone 6a)
Bulbs Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Roses
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
I've found hostas effective for hiding dying bulb foliage too. Most of my hostas are under deciduous trees where the early spring plants receive plenty of sun before the trees leaf out.

Bet, when you layered bulbs were they in a pot or in the ground?

William, I LOVE that bulb blog! Thanks so much for sharing the link! Beautiful photos and combo ideas. Bookmarked for future reference Thumbs up
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi
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Jan 9, 2016 8:15 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Kabby
Lowndesboro, AL (Zone 8a)
Region: United States of America Region: Alabama Bookworm Cat Lover Dog Lover Butterflies
Tropicals Bulbs Lilies Birds Bee Lover Fruit Growers
William do you think the muscari will be too short to clear the daylily foliage? It's hard for me to find a happy medium for interplanting. I planted Tiny series lilies between daylily rows last year and at a foot high they were too tall IMHO. I had intended to dig them up but time got away from me.
Bet the foliage on my zinnias was awful with leafspot so I let them reseed, pulled up the old, and they looked much better the second time around. This spring I'm going to plant Profusion zinnias, they look better than the giant types.
Now I'm off to read the blog! Smiling
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Jan 9, 2016 9:23 PM CST
Sweden
Forum moderator Garden Photography Irises Bulbs Lilies Bee Lover
Hellebores Deer Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Photo Contest Winner: 2016
Kabby, the Muscari worked great for me last spring, but my daylily foliage wasn't very tall when the Muscari bloomed, and there was good space between the clumps as well. It will be more compact this upcoming spring, but I expect it to work okay. However this doesn't mean that this couldn't become an issue for you, as your climate is more different than what for instance the USDA zones seems to suggest. The winters here are not always very cold as a result of the gulf streams warming effects, but they are always long as we are so far north and spring often comes slowly here. Some years it snows in May, the ground can be deep frozen into April. It usually takes some time for daylilies to get going in spring here. So probably best to check local conditions before attempting anything similar.
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Jan 9, 2016 10:19 PM CST
Name: BetNC
Henderson County, NC (Zone 7a)
Container Gardener Seed Starter Plant and/or Seed Trader Tomato Heads Annuals Vegetable Grower
My disastrous attenpt at lasagna layering bulbs was in ground. I'd seen Youtube videos of lasagna layering bulbs in pots and reasoned I could do the same in ground. I was wrong!

The foliage on my Magellan Yellow zinnias looked awful, with large holes that I thought were the resultg of gnawing by some bug or slug or SOMETHING. The Zahara Starlight Rose zinnia (planted in the center, as an "eye" effect) was non-effected. But my plantiung backfired in another way: the yellow zinnias wereabout twice as tall as the Zahara's, so the "eye" waqsn't visible from any distance!! (I thought the Zahara's were pretrtier. . . do you suppose the foliage holes in the yellow zinnia were leafspot? Just what IS leafspot anyways??)

My zinnias from the parking lot


the "eye" as seen standing next to the flower bed
Thumb of 2016-01-10/BetNC/456bb0
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Jan 10, 2016 5:25 AM CST
Name: Neal Linville
Winchester, KY (Zone 6a)
Bulbs Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Roses
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
I love the Magellan series, and those look pretty together.

Most muscari here bloom well before the daylily foliage gets going. The only one I would avoid near daylilies is M. plumosum- that one blooms much later, about the time tall bearded irises are blooming and would definitely be covered by daylily foliage.
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi

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