Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Odd Bulbs

I'm a sucker for Camassia
Most definitely a first...

Allium Hair
I hesitate to acknowledge this...

Fears of jinxing and such...
Allium Fireworks

This weekend, it felt as if Mother Nature was on my side.

(At long last! :)

Minutes after I'd given a loving pat to the soil, covering the brand new bulbs that I needed like a hole in my head ...

Grey clouds stretched across our blue skies and a quiet rain finished up this last project of the season.
Monsella Tulip

It's been a dry autumn. I'd regretted turning off the outside faucets.

How very kind of Mother Nature to water my bulbs.
Replete Daffodil

This time of year, most every gardener I know is a card-carrying member of the I Dread Winter Club.


I'm a bit of a rebel in that respect.

I'll confess, I'm looking forward to some lazy days. Curling up with a good book and enjoying a whole lotta quiet time.

Allium Schubertii
My gardens were a ton of hard work this summer.

Flatly refused to plant bulbs because of that.

But, there's always somebody stirring up trouble. 

Allium Unifolium
Sat down, over coffee, with a friend of mine who was clearly in cahoots with every  bulb company on the planet.

Brightly colored catalogs stacked about her kitchen.

All I gotta do is look at a picture and bam! I'm slapping down a credit card for one gotta have it, or another. No matter how crowded my gardens, seems there's always room for new bulbs.

Tip: Mountain critters hate Alliums (onion) bulbs but they dearly love a good Tulip. I plant rings of Allium bulbs around the Tulips and it works like a charm. They can't find 'em! I'm pretty sure I heard those rodents groaning when they saw what I was up to.

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Bonus Photo :)))))

Aftermath of Halloween:

My oh, so, creative darling daughter was Tippi Hedron, this year.

You remember her, don't you? Star of the Alfred Hitchcock thriller movie that L calls The [Angry] Birds!

19 comments:

Alison said...

What a great tip about planting alliums around the tulips! I tend to go for daffodils rather than tulips because the critters leave them alone. But maybe I'll be planting more tulips now.

Rilly said...

I've never grown Allium but love the looks of the Fireworks so may do some research and try it next year. I'm trying to stay low maintenance to preserve my knees.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

What a great way to thwart those pesky rodents. Keep on planting.

Carly said...

That's how my mother and I spent our day yesterday! Planted the last bulbs just as it was turning dark. Our garden has been sadly lacking in spring bulbs so I can't wait for the seasons to change and see how many of them come up. We don't have to worry about the deer but I hope the rodents don't eat them.

What catalogs would those be? I did my best to find what I could at the stores but they don't have anything like a lot of the pictures you post.

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Carly!
Yesterday was the perfect autumn day - a great time to finish up the garden chores. :))

I'm more of an impulse bulb purchaser than devoted to one company but these guys http://www.vanengelen.com have a fun selection of unusual bulbs.

Marguerite said...

Excellent costume! I planted tulips this year but unfortunately I'm taking my chances whether they'll be eaten. They're in a part of the garden that amazingly hasn't been infested with voles so I have my fingers crossed. But if I have problems next year I'll know to try alliums

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Alison;
I plant loads of Daffodils, too. Up here, in the mtns the alliums bloom much later so it's a nice complement to the Daffs. ;)

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Rilly;
That Fireworks is a fave of mine, as well, though they bloom so late it's not right that they call them a 'spring-blooming bulb.'

And, as far as the knees.. I use an old auger I found at a second hand store. Works great with my hard soil and I don't have to bend down!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Thx, Lisa;

Pesky, indeed. They were so brazen this year... gobbled everything in site.

Gloria Bonde said...

Hi Kate - Today I received your beautiful plant! I love it! Thank You - I posted about it on my blog.

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Oh, yay! Thanks again for the marvelous meal. :))

Diana said...

Loved them all! Thanks for the great tips!

Lona said...

Some wonderful bulbs you have gotten for Spring. I really like the Allium Schubertii. What fantastic looking blooms. Replete daffodils are so pretty. I had some years ago but they have disappeared for some reason. I probably dug into them and ruined them some time or other. LOL! They well be welcome for sure by the time we get through winter. Nasty stuff. LOL!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Lol, I always look forward to winter and a break from the garden. SNow is fun too!

Melanie J Watts said...

Gorgeous photos. I really should plant some ornamental alliums, too late for this year though.

Jennifer@threedogsinagarden said...

Hi Kate, I haven't bought but a few bulbs. I am hoping there are sill some left in stores! They are hard to resist aren't they?

Wally said...

Wonderful bulbs.

scottweberpdx said...

HA! I love it...these past few years I've been falling more and more in love with Alliums...I want millions!

sweetbay said...

Great advice about the allium and tulip bulbs. I will have to try that!