Great combo of plants and colors!

I think often its more about what time of year various conditions arise, seems like that late summer dry period is key. I've noticed several bulb plants that tolerate more moisture while in active root growth, but not while dormant. I have a lot of combos that really "shouldn't" work too, like Japanese irises among Eremurus- I think the the moisture retention due to the clay in the soil here combined with good drainage allows for everything to get along well.

Mine just did not showed up...planted them in Fall last year, nothing happened..

Thank you all for the compliments. Early June is such a wonderful time to be a gardener. So much beauty everywhere you look.

I double checked our rainfall record from Nov 2015 through March 2016. We had a grand total of 43.07 inches. That was a wet winter even by our standards. I have to wear my mud slogging boots to go out and empty the compost bucket.

Sorry yours didn't come up, javaMom. Maybe if you start it in a container first you will have better luck. You have more control over the conditions that way. Once it has emerged you can move it to it's permanent location.

@aspenhill

Terri & I went to the Philly Flower Show, and she bought 3 Foxtail lilies... I think they were in little pots with nubs showing. I wanted to be sure she saw this thread!

From October 1 2016 through today, we have had just under 43 inches of precipitation. That included over 2 feet of snow, frozen rain and ice. Amazingly, my foxtail lilies have not only survived all that moisture but have multiplied. And some new ones that I planted last summer have also returned. I am looking forward to seeing them bloom since they are supposed to be pinks and oranges. The older ones are getting crowded and need to be divided but how do you divide what looks like an interwoven mass of brittle starfish? Oh well, like Scarlett says, "I'll think about that tomorrow."

NoH2O, I've divided them a couple of times and it was much easier than I had imagined. I did it as they went dormant in early summer, and made sure to dig about 18" away from the crown to avoid those spidery roots. The new plants weren't connected to the mother, so I just had to wiggle them apart where the long spidery roots were slightly tangled.

The wiggle-wiggle-wiggle method works well on a lot of plants, although sometimes you need a little tickle-tickle-tickle too. It's probably like dividing bearded irises -- intimidating until you just go for it!

Well, here it is tomorrow and I am thinking about it, thanks to your encouraging posts. Generally, I don't have concerns about dividing plants but these plants have such long, brittle root/arms extending out for a foot or more just below the surface that I am afraid I will break them off. I am glad to hear that you have had success doing it, gemini-sage, and I think the keys to success will be starting way out from the crown and using the wiggle-wiggle-wiggle method, as critterologist suggests. Also, I need to make sure their new holes (or should I say shallow craters?) are already prepared for them before digging them up.

I am married to a double Gemini. I am sure he thinks he is a sage and he often sounds like he is a sage but he can really confuse me. He will insist something is such and such or that he doesn't like this or that and just when I think I know his likes and dislikes he will totally change his mind and say the opposite. He is a very nice person and I love him dearly but, boring, consistent Taurus that I am, I can't keep up with his changeable flibbertigibbetness!

LOL... I'm the flibbertigibbet around here... Joyanna, too, at times. Jim the engineer is outnumbered!

Good luck! I'm sure they'll like having more space, and any roots that break will soon grow back. Have they bloomed yet? I'd let them bloom first and divide after summer dormancy starts as Neal suggested. Keep us posted... I'd love to see more photos! Your garden is lovely... Are you next to a park or ballfield? I was trying to figure out the pretty green backdrop to your flowers...

The foxtail lilies will bloom in early to mid June along with the delphiniums. I will take some pictures when they do.

I live on the main street of a very small town hugging the western Cascade foothills, about 10 minutes from the Canadian border. The 'hill' in the background is Mt Sumas, which is about 2,000 ft elevation. It is low as mountains go but we are close enough to it that it blocks our view of Mt Baker which has an elevation of 12, 000+ ft and is snow-covered all year. With all the precipitation we have had this winter, it is absolutely dazzling...or it would be if the sun would ever come out.

This county is dairy and berry country. So, even though I am on the main street and about 6 blocks from the center of town, that is a cow pasture you see next to my yard and there are more in every direction. The western red cedars are on my property. They are very common around here. There are bald eagles nesting in the cedars on the other side of the pasture. Sometimes they come swooping down over my roof and scare the dickens out of me.

It is a very beautiful area but unfortunately you can't grow a good tomato to save your life unless you have a greenhouse. On the other hand, the raspberries are to die for.

I just came in and planted my first three Eremurus spiders! Its fall now and the buds are placed 2" underground. I don't expect much to happen until spring...if they start growing earlier then I'll place an upturned plastic bottle/jug for those hard frost nights. Why now,...well this is the season when they become available from Dutch bulb importers. I don't think that I should pospone dry tubers from going underground. I've read that they are very cold hardy, but suffer from late spring frost.

Arturo