Even though I have a small garden, I try to do what I preached last week at a talk on Flower Bulb Design and Planting. My advice?
Try a new spring bulb or a new variety of bulb every year.
Sure, I have my favorite cultivars, especially of tulips. Ones that I simply MUST have year after year. But as someone who has gardened for a long time now, I enjoy the rush of something new and fresh to look forward to each spring. In other words, I like surprises. So when is it time to plant the new darlings you want to try? Well, it’s still WAY too early to plant in my Southern garden; I usually dedicate the week right before or after Thanksgiving for that.
This year, I’m trying an assortment of white blooming flower bulbs from Breck’s Bulbs that I haven’t planted before in the garden bed underneath the canopy of my giant white Chinese Snowball Viburnum. When it is in bloom…from late March into May no less…the back yard is flowering in practically all whites and pale blues… from not only the viburnum, but also existing daffodils, muscari, Spanish bluebells, deutzia, violas and pansies. I think of it as the bridal phase of my garden.
This year, compliments of Breck’s I am adding to the white and blue montage with this list of beauties I haven’t grown before...(and yes, I will be giddy with anticipation this winter awaiting their appearance. Here goes! (Notepad ready?)
The entire process has been a surprise actually. I just requested that Breck's send me bulbs and corms all in white to match the spring aesthetic I was going for. Watch me having fun unpacking the shipment here.
Unlike the front where I treat all bulbs as annuals, I will leave these to mature and hopefully perennialize in place. Watch a video of the practical and pretty aspects of my design here.
Emerging foliage from other perennials and shrubs will hide the browning foliage (necessary to perennialize the bulbs and to feed the bulbs for subsequent years) as it ages and discolors.
Other beauties new to me, like the white iris, saxifrage, and lilies listed above, will be planted in two places; both in containers and in an east-facing bed. I have lots of inspiration pics that I am trying to replicate from treasured garden books.(Like the lilies in the metal planters left). Garden books make great muses, do they not?
Now, if the results of all this white flower bulb planting look as good in reality next spring as
they do now in my imagination, I’ll be one happy gardener. If you haven't tried bulbs before, please don't be intimidated. They are SO easy, and all shipments (see below for free shipping code) come with detailed planting instructions. If you have questions about your zone, quantities, or colors, Breck's will be happy to answer your questions when ordering. Go forth and try something new. :) And let me know your thoughts on this romantic color theme.
*This post is sponsored by Breck's Bulbs. Breck's is proud to be America's largest direct-to-consumer Dutch bulb importer,
If you want to be a happy gardener too, order these beauties from Breck's and use the code LINDA19 for free shipping (trust me, a great money saver when ordering bulbs online!) Make sure to share this post with friends who might want to take advantage of this free shipping code as well.)