Rita,
You've been busy! Your yard will be lovely next year.
kay

I have been busy and I am really tired. It was too many bulbs really to actually have to deal with all the planting. But I wanted a certain look and this will give me lots and lots more early bloom and put daffs and tulips were they have never been. Plus lots of it will be in the garden that is seen from the street. So that finishes my idea of bloom from one thing to the other out there. Should start with daffs, then tulips, then tall bearded is and then roses. Then some asiatic lillies and the daylilies. After daylilies comes another flush of the roses blooming. That is usually early to mid August. A long series of bloom.

Then in the back yard I put all those literally hundreds of Dutch Iris. I sure do hope they work out.

WOW, that should really be great!!! Cant wait to see your pictures, you will be so thankful in the spring. LOL I know how you feel. I just finished planting more bulbs , it is so easy to go crazy with them. I don't do many tulips now, but I have gone crazy with more daffs, and muscari, and of course the lily bulbs.
I was just downloading my pics in photobucket and came here and saw your post. You should have a terrific Perennial Parade next year.
cindy

Where do you get all the energy it would really do me in planting thay many bulbs. Next spring will be fantastic in your yard make sure you post some pictures. I love it when something is in bloom from spring to fall.

I added some more tulips today only 24 which I planted in clumps of four that was enough to fill in a couple of areas.

Betty

I know I really will love it come spring. It was the only reason I could deal with it. I usually do afew daffs and haven't done tulips in afew years but wanted to go all out this time.

I wanted to plant a lot of bulbs this year, but a garage came down and soon a new one will go up. So now I'm planning new beds for around the new garage; hostas and native woodlands around the north and west sides, the south side for the sun-loving natives, and a few nons, starting most by winter sowing seeds. So it'll be next fall when I can (hopefully) plant some bulbs. In the meantime, I'll just have to enjoy my little patch of daffodils in the lamp post bed and the hundreds of muscari I had to rescue from being bulldozed, now spread throughout one of my other beds.

Karen

Wow, Rita.That is one big pile of Bulbs you planted.I just bet you are worn out now, after all of that.Can't hardly wait till next spring to see pictures of all these bulbs in bloom.Its going to look fabuleous.

Jean

I haven't even started planting bulbs yet. I'm still weeding and mulching beds.

Looking forward to your pics next spring!

Julia

I've been wondering what you are up to, I knew you would be busy doing something in the yard! I got some new bulbs, nothing like your numbers though. I've been waiting for it to rain so the ground would soften up a little. Finally rained, but supposed to continue today with tornado warnings out so I don't guess I'll be out today. I haven't even been doing any weeding, the ground has just been too hard.
I don't know how your garden could look any better, but I know it will. Should be amazing!

I was really going for the wow factor, especially in the front were mass displays of tulips and daffs are now planted. All those bulbs plus the Tall bearded iris I put in earlier last year should give me so much color in the spring, starting really early. I had thought to start even earlier than the daffs with the small bulbs like crocus and grape hycinth but by the time I ordered what I did in my bulb order it was way more than enough for me for one year. But I am already looking at the spots I did not plant bulbs and thinking I will order again for planting next fall. And I am sure that I will because I am sure that my spring disply will be stunning and I will want to finish with the areas I did not yet get too.

The other thing I went nuts on was the dutch iris. planted hundreds of them. As much as I love them I am not going to plant any more until I see how they do for me here. Its iffy up north with them. Some people do very well with them, others not so good and they die out. So we will see.

And the thing is since I started with the terracing and the putting in of the daylily gardens, I had always planned for both lily bulbs and spring bulbs to be added to the disply. There are already most of the lily bulbs planted but the spring bulbs I am still working on.I have such grand ideas in my mind but it takes me literally years to get it all in effect. Thats why I have been working on the garden for years and years. It takes it done in stages to get it like I want. Impossible to just do it all even in one section at once. But I see it in my mind so I work towards that idea. It usually works out pretty well.

My last effort is that front yard area were I put the belgium block mini terraces. I had wanted to do the top part of that hill in daffs for years. But I couldn't as I didn't get to the terraces until now. That front is still not totally done, I intend to add lily bulbs next spring just couldn't get to it this year.

Plus I intended to start the daffs way up on top under the shrubs on top but didn't have enough bulbs to do what I want. So instead of doing only afew and then next year hard to add because you don't know were they bulbs you already planted are, I just left it. Will just completly do that section next fall.

Rita,
It is necessary to have future plans. I can't plant my tulips yet, since it is not yet cool enough. Yesterday, it was 83. We are supposed to have some really cool weather this weekend, and the change to cooler weather is bound to come! It sounds like you will have an almost unstopped bloom season next year. I can't wait to see the pictures.
kay

It seems to me that my furture plans never end. You would think that they would as I have my yard almost entirely in gardens. But no matter how much I do I can still think of more that I can do. It amazes me that I can fit all this in. I am also surprised that I am this excited by the thought of more bulbs since I was so tired after this round of bulb planting. I am still tired today but not bad.

I lost track of how long it took but I had four really, really large boxes with the bulbs. I started planting the day they arrived. Well, I mostly sorted everything out as far as grouping things and knowing were they go. But I planted afew and then just kept right on going. I did not label anything. Its all for mass color in the spring and I don't care what the name of each type is. Labels would just mess up the look I wanted and be too much work.

I planted the first 30 or so daffodils and the lilies, but I want more lilies. I have a few Dutch Iris and a hundred tulips, but I have more daffodils and 300 more tulips coming. I will use that bulb planting thing I got last year since I can plant about a hundred tulips in an hour with it and it takes much longer without it.

There are always more things to do in the garden (Thank goodness!) How are the chickens? They were very cute.
kay

Here it must be the right time to plant bulbs since they ship them at the correct time to plant. I usually just buy some at the local nurseries and they have the spring bulbs already stocked in September. Still it felt like it was late already so I really wanted to get these in the ground.

I am really quite happy with the garden except for the fact that I had no real place for the tomatoes to be planted. I did make a little mini tomatoe garden spot and had about 10 plants all squished together. I was not happy as for the first time in as many years as I can remember I did not have extra tomatoes, only just about enough for myself. And not many even for me at that. I think the soil was too poor for tomatoes were I had them even with the small amount of compost on top.

I was complaining about being very unhappy without my tomato garden to the landscaping guy that does all my hardscape when he came to cut the grass last week. He thought I should just enlarge the spot I had them in this year and use up the remaining lawn space there for my tomato garden next year. I really didn't want to use up the remaining lawn up but even more so I don't want to go without my tomato garden.

So I will have him come and dig the grass up this time instead of just throwing compost on top. And then have him bring compost in his truck so I can get alot. I have decided I will follow his suggestion next spring. I want my tomatoes. I KNEW I would not be happy without a veggie garden but I really, really wanted to do a pretty garden upstairs were the tomatoes used to be. Not sorry that I redid that area as it looks so great already and was only done this spring. Not even totally finished.

But the reason for this supposed off topic from spring bulbs rant is that while I was planting out there for the past week, I had lots of time to think garden. I was focused on bulbs of course. But I got to thinking. I think alot about the garden and what I could do in it.

Anyway I had had the idea in the past of doing that area of lawn underplanted with daffs so that it looked fantastic blooming in the spring. I nixed the idea as I would have to leave the grass uncut for two months because of the daff folliage. I didn't want to make it another flower bed and plant bulbs. So I had the idea of the tomato garden in my mind. But I like to get lots of use of all my space. Multi use. So I decided I could make the space for the tomatoes, have veggies all summer and have deeply planted and early flowering spring bulbs. Daffs for sure to give a flowering meadow effect (without the grass) and then I will just plant my tomatoe plants. In the fall I pull out the tomatoes when they are done producing anyway. And have a great spring display. Anyway this was my big idea and great brainstorm. I am near 100% sure that I am going to do it next year.

Kay- The chickens are fine. The first batch is over two weeks old now and feathering in but look like scruffs (normal for their age). I have the second batch younger ones just hatched Saturday morning also peeping here in my office. For all the rest of you wondering what Kay is referring too I bought an incubator (two actually) and fertile chicken hatcing eggs and made my own chickens ha-ha :-)) Well, my own chicks but they will grow.

Rita,
How many chickens do you plan to have?
kay

I have no idea. I will be raising them and only keeping afew. I love hatching them. They are so cute.

OMG, RITA;Where are you going to raise Chickens at with everything planted with bulbs and lilies and everything else.Well, guess you COULD put some windows and lights in your garage and have chickens in there.

Jean

Ha, you guessed it. Building in the garage is the plan. Can't do it until spring so I better not go crazy on the chickens over the winter.

Funny I should check the forum out today and see your post. For some reason I dreamed about mass plantings of Dutch Irises last night, too weird, I know. Then I come in here and read your post. LOL

Can't wait to see pics, that will all be so lovely. A lot of my beards that I planted at the end of summer, totally the wrong time to plant here, have survived, can't wait to see them in bloom.

Sharon

that is really cool, Chickens!!! Will you get good fertilizer from them too!!!!
cindy

Sharon- I never used to even know what Dutch iris are. But since I first saw pictures of them, I have really loved them. Decided to finially have them in a big display. If they die out after afew years (like tulips do around here) well, they are reallly cheap to replace. They come in small bubs that look very much like onion sets. I know Kay has them and I love to see her pictures of them blooming each spring. Funny you should dream about them.

Not totally sure what you mean but I think you mean your bearded iris. I really think you can plant them anytime and they will just grow. Sure are pretty when they bloom in the spring though.

Well,
I plan to plant my muscari, dutch iris(100) and several varieties of alliums Monday. It still isn't cold enough to plant the tulips even though I got another order today (i had forgotten about this one...it included some of the pink impression tulips which I thought I had forgotten to order.) Maybe I've been a little bit too busy this year. Hmmm.
kay

Kay- I remember last fall you planting all those pretty pink tulips and then there were some pictures this spring. I just had to plant tulips too after you did all that. I really do really love tulips they are so pretty. Just not really hardy in that they last around three years here were they put on a good show (first year the best) and then they more or less die out.

Rita,
For the most part they are annuals here. I did plant them deeper, as I heard they were more likely to rebloom the next year.

This year I bought a good many Queen of the Night tulips since someone on the bulb forum said had been blooming for years at her house. We'll see.
kay

Hi Kay & Rita, I was planning on ordering lots of Dutch Iris but wondered if it was okay to mulch on top of the dirt? I tried to mulch the bed my late mother in law had of bearded iris and it almost killed them. Thanks, Judy

Dutch Iris are nothing like Bearded Iris. I guess they call them iris because the flower does have the iris shape and look like an iris. But Dutch Iris are bulbs, look like little onion sets. You can mulch away on them. My Dutch Iris are mulched. Its only the Bearded Iris that can't take the mulch. You plant them in the fall when you plant tulips and daffs and they come up in the spring.

Thanks a bunch Rita! I saw some I wanted to get and kinda figured that since they were bulbs that went down in the ground. I can't wait to see all your pics of your new ones next spring. It ought to be spectacular!! Thanks again, Judy

I planted the Dutch iris between the new TB iris that I put in this summer.

Also all around there in that area.

Tulips went in along the front here.