Wee Garden
Bulbs and Rhizones
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twotulips.jpg
2 Tulips bloomed out of 2 dozen planted bulbs

I love the bulbs the flower in early spring, daffodils, tulips, crocus which smells so sweet, iris, and the other varieties I haven't yet been able to try out in my yard. 
 
I'd love to have fields of daffodils and tulips but that is better left to Skagit County and it's Tulip Festival.  We lived there for a time, and it is really quite something to behold.  It gets a lot of visitors in the spring who come to see the fields in bloom.

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                 Bulbs
 
Daffodil (Narcissus spp.)
Full sun for at least 6 hrs. a day.
Tolerates any soil ph level.
Plant, Sept.-Nov., 6-8 in deep (pointed side up),
Reaches a height of 10-18 in. high.
Blossom size of 1-3 in.  Blooms early to late spring.  Grows in zones 3-10
 

Gladiolus (Gladiolus x Hortulanus)
Full sun
Prefers a soil ph of 6.0-6.5
Plant corms 6-8 in. deep (pointed side up), 6-8 in. apart
Reaches a height of 2-6 ft. high
Blossom size of 1-8 in. in diameter.  Blooms July to frost    Grows in zones 7-10
 

Lily, Asiatic (Lilium)
Full sun.
Plant bulbs 4-6 in. deep, 9-18 in. apart.
Reaches a height of 2-5 ft. tall.
Blossom size of 4-6 in.  Blooms in June.
 

Tulip (Tulipa spp.)
Partial to full sun.
Prefers a soil ph of 6.0-7.0
Plant bulbs, mid to late fall, 4-5 in. deep, 6 in. apart.  Deeper for tall varieties.  Blooms early to late spring.  Grows in zones 3-7.

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I want to plant bulbs this fall, but rodents always manage to find them. How can I keep the critters away?
 
You can try using soup-size cans with both ends removed. Punch several holes in the cans for drainage, then push each one down into the ground so that it forms a cylinder around a bulb      

Iris
 
Don't cut iris leaves after the flowers fade. Leaves carry on photosynthesis and develop nourishment for next year's growth. Cut off brown tips and remove the flowering stalk down to the rhizome.
 
You can divide your iris in August.  If this is only your first year with your iris plants that is not as neccessary as say your third year.  By then they will start to get crowded and they will not bloom as well and the blooms will be smaller.
 
                           
 
 

Iris in bloom along the fence line
irisfullbloom.jpg
bloomed well in 2nd year after planting; cut into fan shape last season when leaves began browning

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--Beware of Snapdragons--

--Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade--
 
--My husband said if I buy any more perennials he would leave me...gosh, I'm going to miss that man!--