I've never seen alliums around here which weren't sold as bulbs. You'd think some nursery would pot some up and sell them. They are irresistible when in flower. I'd buy some myself!

My friend recently gave me a Globemaster bulb. I'm chipping it now. I have cut the bulb into 12 pieces and these should make little bulbs around them. It'll take 2-3 years for them to bloom, but I will have gotten a very good deal and more bulbs than I could afford otherwise. You should research chipping of bulbs and save some money.

What's happening when you plant bulbs? Are they disappearing or being eaten? That's very frustrating. It's been my experience that you will not find bulbs for flowers that bloom in Spring anymore this year, unless on a clearance table at a big box store. I've never seen potted Alliums either.

I've never seen potted alliums, either. Maybe there's a reason for that, though. I get my allium bulbs from Bluestone Perennials in the fall. Decent price and all of them have come up. I like to plant them with my tulip bulbs to keep the rodents from digging up the tulips. They don't like the allium, so by planting the two together, it repels the animals. Last fall was the first year doing it that way, and I didn't lose any tulips either. I plant the daffodils near the tulips, too, since rodents don't like them either.

I recently saw a Globemaster allium (in white) at Mahony's in Winchester, but they didn't look too healthy so I didn't get them. They did not have any other variety. I suspect they may have had them earlier but the good stuff goes fast. They also had several iris,differnt varieites in bloom. I may go back to see if they have any left. I have learned not to buy in bloom as they seem to die shortly after planting. I planted about 200 bulbs last year and nothign came up. I dug them all up this year and well, I only found about 12 in total and half of them were rotten.

Most critters don't tend to eat allium bulbs, I think. However, sometimes you can lose the bulbs to rot because water collects in the depression in the top of the bulb where the stem comes from. Sometimes people have better luck with the big alliums if they are planted at an angle rather than upright.

Few nurseries sell blooming alliums because they have to charge so doggone much for them to make a profit (the bulbs themselves are fairly expensive). And if they don't sell while actually in bloom, they don;t sell at all.

If your bulbs don't survive, neither will a bulb that has been potted for bloom... so you need to figure out what's going on. Give it another shot, and if they don't make it, dig down to where you planted, and see if it looks 'eaten' or rotten, or...

Z6 vs Z4 - you may have already discovered this, but not all of MA is the same zone... the further inland, the colder. Below is a link to a zome map for MA. You may want to double-check what zone you really are.

Here is a link that might be useful: MA hardiness zone map

if you're looking for simple chives allium, you're welcome to some of my big healthy clump. i'm in winchester. cottonarboretum@comcast.net
i buy all my alliums and other bulbs from van engelen or their sister co. scheepers, depending on what and how many i want. i grow many and of many varieties. did yours that rotted- come from a reliable source or were they end of the season leftovers? if they were firm when you planted them, maybe your soil doesn't have good drainage.....
best,
mindy

200 bulbs and only six survived? I'd be spittin' mad; and I'm not trying to be wise, but do you remember how you planted the bulbs? Sometimes, I get confused when planting smaller unfamiliar bulbs - pointy or flat side down????

Mindy,

I have seen photos of your gardens and they are truly beautiful. I would love to see them one day and try the chive allium as well. What are the light requirememts for this plant? Where in Winchester are you?

I wasn't so mad that I lost all those bulbs but more dissapointed.I got most of them on a drive home from CT. It was a small farm stand type thing on the road. She gave them to me for a steal. I can't rememebr how much they were exactly & there is no way I would be able to tell if they were healthy or not. The other ones I got at BJ's in a kit type thing. These ones did much better the first year and this is were most of the ones I was able to save came from. The ones that did okay had multiplied some two and three times. How do you know when its is okay to take the growing bulb off. I planted all of the okay bulbs in a container with the drawf iris on the outside and the siberian on the inside and the glads in the middle. If they do come up next year it should look really pretty. I looked at several zone maps and I am in fact Z6. Thanks :oD

DIRECTIONS TO COTTON-ARBO RETUM

597 Washington St. Winchester Ma. 01890

From the North:

Take Rt 93 south (or from Rt. 128 to Rt 93 south, go 1 exit):

Exit at Montvale Ave. /Stoneham. At end of ramp, turn right, turn left at

Citgo Gas station (1st light) onto Washington St.. Look at your odometer. Go 0.6 miles, just past a strip of parkland on your left, and turn left onto Sunset Rd. and park.

Walk back to Washington St., turn left and walk down 1st driveway on your left. This is

the best entry to the Cotton-Arbo retum.

**** PLEASE COME VISIT THE GARDENS ****

**AT THE COTTON-ARBO RETUM IN WINCHESTER**

The 21 year old Cotton-Arbo retum is located around a residential

property in Winchester. Wishing to share the gardens with everyone,the owners have opened them permanently to the public 24/7 May through October of each year. The gardens are made up of a series of intensely planted garden rooms, linked by a series of sunken paths, ponds and waterfalls. Foliage guides the aesthetic, with great emphasis on Japanese maples, conifers, deciduous trees and shrubs. Herbaceous peonies and non-bearded iris have a strong presence in the perennials, accompanied by thousands of varieties of perennials, vines and ornamental grasses. There is a rustic shade hut and five waterfalls and ponds with sitting areas.

With the changes in foliage and flowers, the gardens look quite different every two weeks or so. Peak bloom times are May, Mid June and September.The gardens were created to provide a beautiful quiet respite for everyone to enjoy. Feel free to bring a picnic lunch, or a book, or a dog (we love animals)!! We are often working in the gardens and are happy to answer questions.

The Cotton-Arbo retum is open to the public, sunrise to sunset, daily,

May through October. 597 Washington St. 01890

***Remember: OPEN EVERY GATE!!! Nothing is private except the house.***

~ The Way To Have What We Want Is To Share What We Have ~

PAST AND PRESENT IN THE COTTON-ARBO RETUM

We moved to Winchester and began this garden 21 years ago. Aside from an evergreen hedge, and various mature maples, nothing that you now see - was here.There were no fences and the back of our property was a wild woodland of junk trees and scrub. We began our landscape design by laying out garden beds that were visible from key viewpoints in our house. After three years of intense garden development, our gardens were awarded the "Best in Show" prize in a competition sponsored by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and Boston Magazine. For our prize, we were sent to Holland, where, at Trompenberg, we discovered the wonderful world of conifers.
This life-changing experience took us out of our perennials focus and raised our vision, literally and figuratively, so that we began to emphasize the' bones' of our gardens- with conifers, shrubs and trees. Visually, we like to play flowers off their surrounding foliage, with an emphasis everywhere on the foliage itself. As we and the gardens have grown older, we have come to realize that perennial beds are the most labor intensive of gardening, and that , while a perennial's flowers often last only 2 weeks, the foliage of shrub, vine and tree- lasts the entire gardening year- 3 seasons.The differences in foliage are like the differences in a person's fingerprints- innumerable! Size, shape, color, texture, variegation, smell, light reflectiveness, movement- all contribute to our fascination with foliage!

If this is your first visit, you will be surprised how different the gardens look from one week to the next. In the spring, perennials are short, there are many empty spots, and the gardens have a much more open feeling. You can see from one area to the next. In the summer, plants grow taller and fill in so that the various gardens become their own 'garden rooms'. Fences disappear and flowering vines ramble over railings, shrubs, obelisks
and arbors. By September, the plants are at their tallest, highlighted by the many ornamental grasses.

Design elements we hope you will notice: The repetetive use of purple, yellow, blue and variegated foliage in providing continuity and in keeping the view lively; The role of varying plant heights in a garden bed; The role of varying garden levels and sunken paths in providing a sense of intimacy and privacy;The role of hidden elements and glimpses of vistas - in drawing you into the various garden areas; The role of water elements; The roles of garden art and architecture.

We are so glad you have come to share our gardens. Please bring friends and come back often.

**And remember- When you see a gate, open it and explore!!** Every gate takes you to a new garden area.

Nothing is private except the house.
The Way To Have What We Want Is To Share What We Have

The gardens sound magnificent. I drive down Washington Street everyday. I had no idea what was there. I live very close by and can walk there easily on a nice day. This weekend, if the weather is nice you can expect to see me there strolling my son in his carriage. I am also using purples, blues and yellows in my garden and I look forward to the inspiration I find. Hope to see you soon. Thank you.