Frankly, I'm anxiously waiting for fall. Its my favorite time of year and I focus my planting more on that season than spring, in fact I was already looking forward to and planting for next fall last fall and this spring. Its so nice when the weather cools, its the best time for making changes. Not being much of a bulb lover myself I don't think of that aspect, I'm content to enjoy the ones I see elsewhere, a sign of winters end and a beginning of spring.

I haven't had a moment to spare out in the garden this summer because of a big project with a formidable deadline. The deadline is the first week in September which happily coincides with what I am most looking forward to, I just hope I make it (a lot of stress here). Its so hot out that its not as bad as other times of the year to be stuck inside working overtime 7 days a week for 2.5 months but I'm feeling like a work machine cut off from life.

So this year more than ever......I'm really looking forward to fall. I can't wait to get back in the garden. Oh, and by the way--- the awful trees I've complained about for so long are being cut down and/or severely trimmed back finally. I'll have some new sunny areas to think about and work on this fall & winter.

Wow TR that's good tree trimming news!

I've ordered quite a few new bulbs for next year but that doesn't say much since the first order went out Jan 1st. I'm a bulb addict so this is nothing new but I usually don't order this many little things so it should be interesting.

I never welcome fall and will hold onto summer for as long as I can. We had a good run of rain over the last two weeks and the grass is greening and plants in general are having a rebirth like they should have had in June... except drought sucked the life out of everything before summer could even get started so it's a weird turn of events. Annuals on the verge of death all July are finally taking off and I've weeded the veggie patch and ripped out the dried up carcasses of several failed plantings. I plan on covering many other mistakes with mulch, strimming down anything which I'm bored with, and welcoming anything which looks like it hasn't given up on 2016. Even in August a clean slate is a satisfying thing.

Hmm, maybe I do have a few plans for next year. I'm sowing and planting out biennials and ordered a few more iris. Iris are great for filling in where stupid beans failed and where the groundhog mowed down all the squash. Who needs vegetables anyway.

What are you ordering Katob? I didn't find anything really new this year

Placed this order a couple of weeks ago:

- (more) "Azureum" ALLIUM

- (more) "George Baker" CORYDALIS

- (more) "Red Emperor" Fosteriana TULIP

- (new) "While Emperor" Fosteriana TULIPS

-- (new) "Beau Regard" ALLIUM

For the first time last Fall I planted some no name crocus. I really liked seeing such bright colors so very early in the spring. I want more and just wondering if you have a favorite crocus that you might recommend or is a crocus a crocus a crocus?

I do, Rouge. I adore the early tommies and the sunny sieberi types most of all. The ridiculously elongated slender furled blooms of the tommasianus turn their heads to the early morning sun, opening wide, bright faces to the world. The plain species is lovely but Whitewell Purple is probably my top choice. Sieberi crocus are equally keen to greet the smallest ray of sunlight with Tricolour showing the best definition and glowing amber centre and stamens.

I planted 100 or so experimentally in the woods last year. I was dubious that they would be visible in the grass and leafage but a late mowing kept the grass short enough to show off celandines, aconites and yep, crocus. I will be adding more to the bulb order this year (a white tommie, I hope).

I recall your photos of the fosteriana tulips which did so well for you - glad to see you adding more (can we ever have enough exotic bloom in a gloomy March/April. I vaguely remember growing azureum (or caerulea?) years ago...and this year, allotment alliums suffered horribly as I discovered they are not immune to white rot (one of the scourges of my allotment site). I am keen to reprise bits of Bodnant's and Rosemary Verey's famous laburnum/allium combo in the woods, but shade!

I always have a venture into something new PosieRosie, along with the narcissii I plant every year. Erythroniums, Cammassia, small blue bulbs and fritillaria have been chosen in the last few years (with varying results) but I am also undecided what to go for this year (apart from my tulip spree).

Erythroniums seem picky to me (except for two that grow natively here, americanum and albidum), I love camassia and all seem to grow well here.

TR2 - it's good to hear that those pesty trees are finally going to be gone/controlled! Good luck with the deadline for your project.... I'm sure the result will be beautiful!

I don't have any particular plans for next year - I've got my fingers crossed that most things just survive this dreadful hot, dry summer - and that next year has better weather! I was considering ordering some Martagon lilies to go with the surprise one that appeared this year in the garden. I haven't got around to ordering any yet, but the one that bloomed is setting seed so I'm going to hope that it seeds around - they're supposed to....

I am more than ready for the cooler temperatures of fall! September is actually a fairly dry month here usually, with rain happening in October and early November. I wanted to plant the heucheras in the pots by the front steps into the driveway borders. But it is way too dry to plant anything (plus we'd probably need a chisel to dig a hole!) They might not survive a very late planting if we waited for the October rain (assuming we get any....!) So I hope they can survive another winter in the garage.

On the whole the garden seems to be holding up reasonably well - better than I expected. DH has done some hand-watering every couple of weeks but not nearly enough to compensate for the lack of rain. So I'm mainly in wait-and-see-what-survives-to-next-year mode :-(

Edited to add.... one thing that has been fuzzily in our plans.... A neighbour on the next street sold their house - deal just closed - the new owners are going to tear it down and build a new one. There are/were (looking pretty tattered after the heat of this summer) some nice small blue hostas (Halcyon?) across the front. We're hoping to see the new owners appear soon so we can ask if they have any plans for those hostas... If not, we hope they let us 'rescue' them - we could then provide them divisions of them if they do want them. (It is unlikely they'd survive the demolition of the old house and construction of a new house!) So far, we haven't seen the new people, although apparently they've rented a house up the street, so we're keeping an eye on both places :-)

I used to grow c.chrysanthus ('Cream Beauty' and 'Blue Pearl' spring to mind) but was always disappointed by their inability to remain upright. Mine always looked a bedraggled little heap...and the colours were a tad...pallid. The tomassianus and sieberi otoh, do remain nicely upstanding - essential in order to do their thing of opening their petals fully horizontally, making a brightly glowing suncatcher. You get a lot of bang for the buck with the larger flowered dutch crocus...but they lack the delicacy of the species.

Do you grow sternbergia lutea, Rouge? Still being a shade novice, I have not tried these at all...but I am intrigued.

with the larger flowered dutch crocus...but they lack the delicacy of the species.

I read similarly.

Off to the catalogues.

I have plenty of the chrysanthus and Their flopping doesn't bother me a bit. I like that new blooms push the old aside and keep the show going. The Tommies are nice as well but just don't have those creams and yellows. Both are eaten with gusto by the local bunnies but fortunately the local squirrels haven't discovered a taste for bulbs, so below ground is safe.

My weaknesses this year have been corydalis and snowdrops. Colchicum as well and if you want to shame a flower for being floppy this would be the one!

i have a lycoris blooming for the first time. I don't know how I've avoided adding dozens if these... Oh yeah wait, it's because it took ten years for this one to bloom and the less common hardy types are pricey.

I started out buying lots of chrysanthus, 'Cream Beauty', 'Blue Pearl' etc., but they all disappeared over the course of a few years. On the other hand my tommies have only increased, so that is my main crocus. I think the problem was my clay soil and drainage. I agree about the comparative coarseness of the big Dutch hybrids (this hurts my Dutch heart ;-) ), however there is a very early one, 'Vanguard', with dark and light purple flowers that I really like. It is much more elegant than the other ones. It is the light purple one in the picture. The dark ones are tommies, 'Ruby Giant'.

PS: do you have fall crocus? They are the most lovely things. Floppers, but better when you plant them around the crown of a geranium or other low growing perennial. The foliage of their neighbours will keep the flowers free from mud.

Fall crocus are lovely. It's a nice way to depart the growing season.

Other than planting daffodil bulbs this Fall, I'm planning out a butterfly garden in the backyard using only native perennials. Excited to have something garden related to do this Winter.

I have been, but primarily thinking about the vegetable and cutting gardens I want to put in at the new place. At this point it is nothing concrete, just in-my-head planning. I haven't really been thinking about perennial beds and shrubbery outside of where I will put the items I'll be taking with me (remember that gorgeous tree peony I posted about? Gotta get her in the ground somewhere over there...) and maybe starting some Disco Belle hibiscus seeds I have over the winter. There are narrow beds surrounding the house but they're full of lava rocks (UGH!) so all I'll do this fall is remove the rocks over the area I need to plant what I need to from the move and deal with the rest of it next year. But yea - definitely want a big veggie bed and an area for a cutting bed, will have to put some thought into the fencing, sq footage, etc. I'm a planner at heart, so I'll thoroughly enjoy the process over the winter when the snow is flying and I'm soaking in my nice hot bath poring over books and seed catalogs :0)

Oh, those fall crocus pics are gorgeous - I've never grown these, maybe I should pick up a few bulbs if I see them for sale. Sun or shade?

I have planted some new ones in full sun last year, but the ones in the pictures do very well in partial shade, as long as the foliage gets sun in the spring. That is when you will wonder why some of your crosuses are only producing foliage, not flowers ;-). The flowers appear without foliage, like colchicums.

I have my fall crocus in part shade as well. They get full afternoon sun. They are in my fenced vegetable garden plot as rabbits eat any crocus not protected. I grow yellow species crocus in the same spot which bloom in the spring. Early summer they are covered with wild anemone.

Hi Campanula. My winter is too warm for regular crocus so I do have Sternbergia lutea. They took a few years to get established and bloom, but once they did they formed a lot of new bulbs. I have several patches and they don't all bloom together. I don't know if it is the amount of sun, or how deep I planted them, or ...? I had to move many of them last year due to some major house repairs, so now I am waiting for them to establish and bloom again.

Yep, Sternbergia (and uvularia) are on my list - think I missed the boat for this year but will be getting an order in for them, along with a bunch of autumn crocus. My woodland bed at the wood (?) is looking a bit bare so autumn crocus will fit nicely in the vacant spaces left by the erythroniums. I am only in my second year of shade gardening (steep learning curve) but I am finding it enchanting...not to mention the ritual slaying of various sacred cows (hyrangeas...ugh...for one).

Afraid to say flopping will not be tolerated (no colchicums are planned)