New Fall Bulbs: An Inventory

The bulbs are here! The bulbs are here! A box containing my first ever online bulb order arrived in the mail this week. As much as I wanted to start planting, bad weather kept me out of the garden. The rain didn't keep me out of the garden centre, however. As a result, I'm up to my ankle in bulbs of the garden centre and online variety and I'm ready to dig. I am determined not to repeat mistakes of the past, i.e. forgetting what I plant the minute I put it in the dirt. So here's an inventory of bulbs for future reference.

Daffodil "Ice Follies"
I tried "Ice Follies" for the first time last year, planting several large groupings in the community garden. They performed admirably producing plenty of long-lasting blooms. I love daffodils for their early flowers. I love them more because squirrels don't touch them. I'll be adding 26 bulbs to the front-yard garden.




Iris danfordiae
I planted a small group of these miniature iris in the front garden last fall. They were the earliest flowers to bloom this past spring. The flowers are an intense yellow and seem to last forever. On the down side, they bloom once and then take several years before blooming again. Garden websites recommend planting a few new bulbs every year so that you always have some blooming while the bulbs multiply in the earth. I have taken that advice to heart and will be adding 80 bulbs.

Dwarf Iris "Cantab"
The catalogue had me at "vivid, cobalt blue petals." 48 bulbs.





Drumstick Allium, A. caeruleum
Alliums of all sorts make me swoon. Mainly it's the price. Purchasing some of the real giants like "Globemaster" or "Gladiator" requires a small mortgage. Thankfully, the drumstick alliums are very reasonably priced. They will add some nice height and a jolt of reddish-purple to the May garden. 20 bulbs.

Daffodil "Minnow"
These two-tone daffodils grow only 10" tall. They are also supposed to be very fragrant. 36 bulbs.





Daffodil "New Baby"
Like the "Minnow," the "New Baby" won't grow taller than 10". Both daffodil varieties carry multiple blooms on each stem. 24 bulbs.




Daffodil "Tete-a-Tete"
I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to buy even more daffodils. The Tete-a-Tete's simply called out to me. Anytime I see a "great for naturalizing" sign I go a little nuts. Tete-a-tete are described as extra-early and also carry multiple blooms per stem. I'll be adding 50 to the garden.

Tulip Saxatilis
Why, oh, why do I grow tulips? They are an invitation to grief. Grief of the squirrel variety to be precise. But tulips are so beautiful it would be crazy not to try, right? Saxatilis is a miniature tulip. It is a species tulip that is supposed to be long-lived in the garden with the capacity to spread into a nice big clump. 18 bulbs.

Tulip "Little Beauty"
Another dwarf species tulip. Another "great for naturalizing" selection. I'm adding 18 bulbs.






Tulip "Turkestanica"
The BBC's Plant Finder website places "Turkestanica" in a category for experienced gardeners. Should I be worried? Probably. 18 bulbs.





Long Stemmed Red Tulips
This is the classic, tall red flower I expect to see when I hear the word "tulip." I have 18 bulbs that I will likely divide into groups of six.




Tulip "White Clouds"
Tall with ivory white petals. Again, I have 18 bulbs that I will divide into smaller groups. On top of all the tulips and all the other bulbs above, I also have 300 muscari bulbs to plant. This is easily the single-biggest bulb purchase I have ever made. I always like to justify my binge-buying by reminding myself that I don't splurge anywhere else. I also consider it a personal wellness purchase. After four long-months of winter, there is nothing better to recharge my batteries than springtime blooms.