SPRING BULBS

I am in two minds over which spring bulbs will be in my garden next year. I have to weigh up how they look for weeks after the bloom has finished. I know the large public gardens and parks yank their bulbs when they are over, planting new ones every year. For me that is not an option. Or is it? I had never thought of doing this myself.
I have a few favorites which I think are definitely worthwhile leaving in the ground. Number one is the Species tulip Tulipa clusiana, Lady Jane.

Originating from the rocky poor soils of Afghanistan and the Caucuses, it is ideally suited to the poor, dry, limey soils of the Texas Hill Country. It naturalizes well and although I was told the seed are not viable it pops up in several places away from the original bulbs so I think it does reseed occasionally. And the seed pods are what makes the plant tolerable during its bulb regeneration mode. They are one of the few bulbs where I leave the seed pods to mature. It doesn't seem to harm them.
I have tried several of the species tulips including Tulipa clusiana Cynthia, and Tulipa humilis, Persian Pearl, but none return quite so faithfully as Lady Jane.
The flowers close up in the evening and in the early morning their pretty pink undersides are visible until the flowers open once again.

The spring star flower, Ipheion uniform, a native of Argentina and Uruguay, will always be a keeper. It's short grassy leaves are easily hidden among summer growth. It is a great plant for the front of the border.

Why is this next bulb called summer snowflake? It is one of the first spring blooms arriving at the same time as snowdrops in northern climates. The blooms of Leucojum aestivum are similar to the nodding blooms of snowdrops and last for at least two weeks. I have never divided this large clump so I may try to divide 'in the green' this year.

Each of the nodding tepals carries a characteristic green dot.

I love the fragrance of the narcissus family, particularly those with multiple flowers but once the flowers are gone their wide strappy leaves become rather messy as spring progresses. I find the blooms to be fleeting and often damaged by heavy rainfall and late frosts. Maybe they are best grown in a pot where they can be removed from the garden after the blooms die. That is what I did with my paper whites this year.

But it's hard to resist the fragrance of Narcissus tazetta 'Erlicheer' with its double flowers and sometimes as many as 6 flowers on each stem.

and the pretty delicate flowers of Narcissus 'Thalia'

Or this unknown multi-flowered stem.

I certainly have preference for the multi-stemmed flowers with the later flowers Narcissus 'Cheerfulness' yet to bloom.
My personal feeling is that the perfect place for daffodils in in a woodland setting or in grasslands where their foliage can be left to die back. Will I have the heart to pull mine out? I really don't think I have it in me.

GOOD GRIEF!

Just when we were enjoying some seasonable days with drizzle-love gardening in this kind of weather- they tell us it is going to be 89º tomorrow and 85º the next day! As a gardener I don't think I can take much more of this. I have spent the last few days beginning the clean up from the rain, terrible cold and even the long lasting results of the terrible hail event we had two years ago and I dread to think what this weather will bring. There is sure to be another freeze.
I might expect a little of this; paper whites in bloom, but even these are a little early for my garden.

Even a little false garlic, Nothoscordum bivalve.

and the odd grape hyacinth, Muscari starting to peak above their stringy foliage. When will I find some grape hyacinth that have more upstanding foliage?

and before the week is out the gopher plant, Euphorbia rigida, will be blooming.

and roses about to bloom. I had to put a stop to that because they need cutting back and I am not waiting any longer. Forget February 14th. It has taken me two days to cut back the roses in the birdbath circle. And I cut them back hard. Last year I didn't do a hard cut so I shouldn't have been surprised, but was, to see that many of lower branches were showing that hail damage. Now it is out and it only remains to see whether the rose will come back. If not then I will replace them with some new ones. I think they have been in there 10 years.

Bark damage caused by hail

Yes, it's a wintery scene in the English garden which doesn't get as much sun as the other gardens.

Having spent the day with the pruners I turned my attention to finishing another little job I had started at the weekend. Painting the small styrofoam cooler I was converting into yet another trough. So much easier and quicker than making the hypertufa trough and one I am starting to favor. This one was discarded by some party goer on. Dumped in a waste bin I quickly saw its potential and snapped it up. People are so wasteful. At the weekend I did the roughing up and sealing job and all that remained was to paint it, which I did this afternoon. Ever eager to get it planted I found some plants that were in need of a new home. It joins the other one I made which has a bunny ears cactus.

I have one more styrofoam trough garden to go and it's a big one. Maybe I'll get started when the temperature soars to near 90º tomorrow.

GARDEN BLOGGERS' BLOOM DAY FEB 2014

The hard winter has left Texas gardens far behind how they would normally look at this time of year. It is a time when structure takes over from planting.

However there are signs that spring is on the way and with temperature in the 70s and 80s this next week it is going to come quickly. It is likely to be here sooner than we think.

Viburnum 'Spring Bouquet' is about to burst its buds. WIth its evergreen foliage, undamaged by many freezing nights it is a welcome addition in the winter garden.

A clump of paperwhites, always the earliest of the spring flowers.

With an 80° day promised these daffs will be open before the end of the day.

A pot of violas is a welcome splash of color. I planted these in November and left them to the elements. They needed no pampering.

My last flower is a patch of alyssum in the gravel of the vegetable garden path.
Is your garden still under snow? Do you see crocus and snowdrops pushing their way through? That will be a sure sign that a new gardening year is on the way. Please join Carol, at Maydreams for another Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

IT'S A SMALL MIRACLE

Today I turned my attention towards the garden. My poor neglected garden. How could I have left it for so many weeks to endure one of the coldest winters we have had in a long time. The blankets that I use to cover cold sensitive plants lay in a pile in the potting shed. I had to trust my greenhouse heater to a never-yet-tested thermocube which is supposed to switch on the heater when the temperature dips to 34°

Maybe it did switch on because the Kalanchoe, Mother of Thousands is in bloom. Admittedly it is growing in the cactus bowl and was sorely in need of water, but after a day the flowers have perked up and I can enjoy their welcome burst of color for a few days.

There are, however, many losses in the garden. This Agave desmettiana, for instance, is only hardy to 25° and I know it went way lower than that.

There is damage on the Mangave, 'macho mocha' which is a surprise as it is in a sheltered part of the front courtyard. Hopefully new growth in the summer will hide the damage.

But I am even more surprised to see frost damage on Agave parryi.

I never have known the name of this agave but apparently it shrugged off the winter cold. I have a larger one in a pot that I will plant in the ground this spring.
But casting aside the damage there is much to look forward to. I see seedlings popping up everywhere.
Outside the potting-shed door I have a seedling nursery with Rose campion, Lychoris radiata.

They are now potted up so they can grow on ready for planting in the garden.

And there are larkspur,

bluebonnets,

California poppies,

columbine,

snapdragon vine, all waiting for someone to move them into a garden bed!

and today a real sign that spring might be on the way after yet another sub 32° temperature tonight.

THIS YEAR I'M GIVING THEM WHISKY

I think I have found a use for the bottle of whisky that has been languishing on the shelf for the last ten years. Here's the scoop.

Are you always disappointed in how your paperwhites produce long leggy leaves and blooms, which eventually topple over? Someone has found the answer and I just learnt about it.

Give them a tot of alcohol and it will stunt their growth without diminishing the bloom. You can read all about it  here.


In the past I have potted up paperwhites in a low bowl filled with stones and water. They always disappoint me with their floppy blooms and foliage. Last year I bought the bulbs but ended up putting them in the ground and did enjoy their blooms. After the foliage died back I removed the bulbs leaving them in the potting shed over the summer. My plan was to put them back in the garden sometime after Christmas. I've changed my mind.

Most of these bulbs will not produce a flower this year so they are going back in the ground.

The largest I put in the hyacinth jar. I filled it with water and will wait until it has produced a 2" green shoot. Then it will get its holiday tipple.

I will pour off the water and replace with a solution of 1 part whisky to 7 parts water. This dilution will give 6% alcohol, the recommended dilution. Any spirits can be used as well as rubbing alcohol (which would require a different dilution). Don't use beer or wine as they contain sugars, which is just as well, in this house!
I was telling my husband about this over breakfast this morning. He said it must have an effect on water uptake. That's a chemist for you!