No, Rita. This fall those nice little men in their clean white coats are going to come to take you away!!!

They had better not. I have things to do. Like plant my bulbs.

Honestly the people on the Daylily OT Chat thread are used to me and my plant crazies. Last year I planted 5,000 bulbs but I guess I got more carried away this time.

Sunflowers are happy!




Four O'Clocks are just pretty!

gorgeous, rita.

My front yard four o'clocks were really pretty. But I had to pull them all out this morning! Looks so stark without all those shots of color. The reason they had to go is I have cleaned up all my daylily beds for planting those fall bulbs. You can't see what your doing to plant until all the extra stiff is cut back. In fact I even cut back the gladiolas in that front bed.

Now I am sure most people, and that would be the sane ones, are not planting 10,000 bulbs this fall. But I believe in intensive planting. Otherwise known as the cram them in method. Every tiny space between daylilies ends up planted with tulups. Daffs go in front or back, or both front and back.

Rita, don't the tulip bulbs rot when you keep the daylilies watered?

No, not in raided beds and most are in raised beds. Now some of the tulips like Triumph division, which I just love, don't return no matter what I do or where I plant them. So it just depends on what division of type tulip we are talking about.

Tulips are my favorite flower. Very favorite. I been planting some for years and years, they die out on me. But last season I branched out as I said to myself I am too old to be having to plant and replant and replant so many tulips each year. I discovered Species and Greiggi and Emperor and Kaufmanniana tulips. Plant once and forget it. They come up year after year.

Now don't think that means I am not planting any of the not so great at returning ones. But at least I know where I stand.

And some types, like darwins and early division tulips have a good return rate for me. Just not 100%. So I know everyfew years (like 3) I need to plant more if I want to keep them thick.

Hey, I found a Sweet Sakura melon that had fallen off the vines that I had cleaned up yesterday. I had not even noticed it. So I tried it and it was ripe and juicy. Green flesh with seeds in middle like other melons. It tasted like a cross between a cucumber and a cantaloupe to me. Hard to describe the taste but that is what comes to mind. If you could cross the taste of a cantaloupe and a cucumber that would be it. Now I will definatly try them again next year.

Hmmm, that sounds good to me! Although, I don't have much luck with melons here. Did get a yummy little watermelon once, tho. I do want to plant out a few tulips this year (DH loves them!). Was thinking of putting a few in with the irises I just planted.

Oh yes, do plant some tulips! Everyone should have at least a few tulips.

Especially the gophers!

woofie said:Especially the gophers!

Not what I had in mind!

It is so humid and sticky today. I am working slower and taking too many breaks. Monday was a fabulous day, cooler and I got so much done. Today I had better hustle if I want to get a good amount of bulbs planted.

Go Rita!Go Rita!Go Rita!Go Rita!Go Rita!

I hate it when my bulb planting plans get a snafu. In this case my Daffodil snafus. Daff snafu is I bought 250 early flame daffs. Put 50 on the daylily slope near the bottom. I planted daffs there last year but not so many came up. Not sure why. So added more daffs. Ok, then planted another 50 by the porch. So far so good. Took the other 150 out to the back yard. Planted 100 red fringed tulips and then planning on putting those rest of the 150 daffs directly in back of red tulips. Now for the snafu. Start trying to dig. No way. Big concrete chunks in the way. Can't move them as attached to wall in back. Was able to squeeze in 50 bulbs instead of the 150 planned. Not happy.

Now I had about 100 Early Flame daffs leftover and had to decide on an alternative place to put them. So I split the batch, put some between a bunch of Serviceberry shrubs and then the rest round near another batch of Serviceberry shrubs. But not what I intended to do but I think it will look good where they are now. But I just hate it when my plans don't go perfectly the way I had wanted them to be.

Serendipty, Rita. I am wagering that, come next Spring, you'll be happy they had to be planted in an unplanned area.

Hope so!

Gotta ask. Do you use one of those bulb augers, Rita? Are they any good?

Don't know, don't have one. Don't have a power drill. I do have a really nice long skinny trowel bulb planter specially made for bulbs.