Flowers in Fall

Tis the season to think about what to do in the fall as a gardener! As I mentioned over the last couple of days, you should definitely be thinking about cool weather veggies to plant.  Another consideration you should start kicking around is if you want incredible flowers blooming at the first signs of spring.  If you do, you need to plan ahead to get them.  Most of the most gorgeous early bloomers such as tulips, daffodil, crocus and hyacinth need to be planted in the fall when the air and soil are cold.  There’s a bit of a science/art to the whole bulb planting process too, so planting the bulbs should be done with care, but I can get into all the how-to ways of planting bulbs in a later post.  Today, I want to introduce you to some less known bulbs that can take your gardening to the next level. 

That Special Feeling
Everyone has seen yellow daffodil popping up everywhere just as the days get a little warmer.  We all know that spring is upon us when we see red and white tulips.  But color is only stretching the surface of the amazing wild world of bulb plants.  There’re different reds, yellows and whites to choose as well as textures, heights and pellet structure. Here are some of my favorite bulb plants that can take your flowerbeds from pedestrian to stopping people in their tracks. 

A certain satisfaction comes from seeing the labors of autumn digging in cold ground turn into vivid flowers by May.  Let’s make that work count this year by not limiting our choices to tulips and daffodils. They are only two of a much bigger group of bulbs.  You can pick from irises, fritiliaria and crocus too. Here’s my picks:

My Short List
Summer Drummer Allium: This is the tallest ornamental allium that can reach as high as 5ft.  It is a perennial and loves lots of sun.  The round head and the purple color can make for a great bed or border, and it can withstand the harsh winters of the northeast. 

If you are going to go the daffodil route, try Felindre or Orangery Daffodils.  The Felindre has an incredible white flower with a orange and yellow eye.  It is a perennial heirloom variety from Wales.  It likes full sun and grows about foot and half tall.  The Orangery daffodil is a yellow and white flower.  The pellets are white and the eye is a big, fat yellow dot.  It looks like a muffin or cake!  Also a perennial and loves sun, this daffodil is deer resistant and is great for cutting.  

The Orangery is flower on left. Felindre is flower on right.

Maybe my favorite bulb family are the tulips. They seem to have the widest selection. A few that I think can add complexity to your beds are Queen of the Night, Dream Touch and Continental.  These are all rich in color and are perennials.  The Queen of the Night and the Continental love sun but can take some shade.  Dream Touch is a full sun kinda flower.   The dark, rich hue of the Queen of Night brings an exotic look to your beds and can be paired with the more traditional white and yellow spring bulbs to spice up your yard.  

Queen of the Night Tulips

Continental Tulips

Dream Touch Tulips

On the sweeter side of the tulip family is the Bakeri Lilac Wonder, a lavender purple tinted tulip.  It only grows about 8 inches high so it’s perfect to splash across a border or edge of a bed.  

If you like crocus, give the Grand Maitre Crocus vernus and Tricolor Crocus sieberi a try this year.  Both like full and part sun and both top out at 6 inches high…AND both are perennials.  The Tricolor is purple, orange and yellow while the Grand Maitre looks like a goblet made of evening sky.     

Could Talk Bulbs All Day
This is just my short list of great bulbs to consider this autumn.  Variegata, Batik and Black Gamecock irises are all awesome choices too!  There’s such an incredible world of bulbs to pick that you should never feel limited.