As the Garden Grows

What's blooming today?


You are here: Home / Archives for In The Garden

My Addiction

by

I went out on Saturday and bought several types of spring bulbs from Freesia to tulips. I haven’t purchased bulbs for a couple of years because I planted so many in the first three years that we had the garden. I think I’ve planted more than 3000 bulbs in those first years.

Unfortunately some of the bulbs have either died off, or else they were dug up and carried off by those pesky squirrels, so I just had to purchase more right?

Depending on the weather I hope to plant them later today or perhaps tomorrow. No delaying like I did with all of those annuals. Uh huh, these are going in the ground as soon as possible.

I’ll tell you exactly what I bought and planted in my next post – and how many there were. I don’t have the bags near me right now but I’d estimate there are at least 300 bulbs this time round!

Yeah I’m addicted to gardening, so shoot me. LOL

It’s click and comment Monday and yeah, I don’t have a renter, but please feel free to visit one of the links in my blogroll ( My blogroll is on the Links page) Pick someone to visit and leave a comment, then visit their renter or someone on their blogroll and leave a comment there. Do this at least five times to spread the bloggy love.






A timely flower

by

Join Green Thumb Sunday
Join
Four o’ Clocks
four0clock2

Four O’ Clocks are one of my favorite annual flowers. I first planted these flowers four years ago in my garden after hearing stories from my parents of how lovely their Four O’ clocks were in their Winter Texas home. My mother kept telling me how nice the scent was so I decided I wanted to try it because I wanted a scented garden.

I purchased a package of seeds from one of the garden centers. The packages contain seeds for a variety of colours of Four O’ clocks so you have no idea what colour might grow where. That summer I had a couple of Yellow flowering Four O’clocks and a few White flowering ones. I quickly discovered that the white ones gave off a lovely scent – as I’m found of saying the scent is similar to Jasmine. I don’t know how many types of flowers I have now that smell like jasmine to me now, but I obviously enjoy and seek out that scent.

What’s interesting about Four O’ Clocks is that they are named for their blooming habit. The flower buds are supposed to open in the late afternoon, presumably as early as four p.m. however mine never open that early. Well perhaps at this time of year they are opening that early, but during the summer they tend to open at about 7 pm and once they are open their beautiful scent perfumes the whole garden.

Every fall I collect the hard black seed from the four o’ clock plants and I store them in a cool dry place. In the late spring I go out and plant them directly in the garden at the depth of approx 1/2 inch. Most years the plants are up and starting to grow by early June and I often have blooms by the end of June. This past summer though they got off to a slow start and I didn’t start having blooms until August for some reason. I must make sure that I have fresh seeds for next year.

The plants grow to approximately 2.5 to 3 feet tall and have a diameter of 2.5 feet or more. I find that mine need staking by the end of july as the plant gets heavy with it’s multiple branches of blossoms.

Four O’ Clocks are also known as The Marvel of Peru (Mirabilis jalapa). They are annuals in my area, but they are classified as perennials in USDA zones 7b to 11. 4 o’clocks form tubers that can be lifted and stored in cold regions to maintain a specific plant. These tubers are hardy to about 10F, or colder if well-mulched.

One other benefit of growing this plant, for me at least, is that they are toxic to Japanese beetles. I grow several rose plants and Japanese beetles love roses and tend to eat flower buds and leaves. I’ve only ever seen one or two Japanese beetles in my garden and I’m hoping that they are munching on my Four o’ Clocks and dying and therefore not living long enough to harm my roses.

Have a Great Sunday! I’m going to the In-laws today for our Canadian Thanks Giving dinner and get together but I’ll be home in the evening to visit my fellow Green Thumbers.

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

It’s time to plant Spring Bulbs

by

Have you planted your Spring Bulbs Yet?

Spring Tulips Bulbs are easy to grow and are a wonderful choice for the garden. They take up little space and provide a burst of color at a time when your border, or garden, can be flagging.

Firstly ensure that the bulbs that you purchase are healthy and free of disease. Avoid misshapen bulbs, any that look dry and withered or with areas of mold showing. These will not grow, but, worse, they also have the potential to spread disease to your existing bulbs.

If you are buying for container planting, large bulbs will produce more flowers. Smaller bulbs are perfectly fine for mass planting in the border.

Many smaller bulbs such as fritillaria are also more successful when bought in containers- always check that these moisture loving and other woodland bulbs have not dried out when buying.

Most bulbs come from the Mediterranean regions and enjoy free-draining, sunny positions. Some woodland bulbs do not. Erythronium (Dog’s Tooth Violets), Trilliums, Anemone nemerosa, Galanthus (Swnodrops) and the popular Arisaemas all need humus rich soil and cooler, shadier conditions.

Spring flowering bulbs are planted in autumn, autumn flowering bulbs are planted in spring. The planting technique is similar.

Narcissi should be planted by the end of March. You can plant later but the flowers will not be as prolific as the bulbs will have started into premature growth. Tulips can be planted a month later. Containers of bulbs can be planted later than bulbs in the ground as containers tend to warm earlier and the bulbs come into flower before those in the ground.

Plant mail-order bulbs of pot them straight away. Don’t try to keep them dry for long periods.

Preparing to Plant
Prepare the border by digging in some well-rotted compost or adding a fertilizer such as blood and bone. Do not plant bulbs directly on top of fresh manures or partially rotted compost- the decomposition of these materials may well affect and infect your bulbs.

Make the planting hole about twice the depth of the recommended planting depth, then fill to the required level. This gives a good, fertile and friable soil for the bulb roots to grow into and you will see a measurable difference in the flowers.

Sand or grit at the base of the planting hole improves drainage, especially on heavy, clay soils, and can deter some bulb-feeding pests.

Clumps of bulbs, planted three, five or seven to a generous planting hole (don’t crowd them) look more natural than serried rows. It all depends on the look that you want.

Formal planting needs to be carefully done, using a line or wooden marker to keep lines straight. Organize you bulbs so that you don’t muddle them – a bright yellow tulip in the midst of a pink scheme screams mistake.

Mulching bulbs helps stop soil temperature fluctuations and unseasonable bursts of growth.

Planting Depths
Planting at the right depth provides the right conditions for your bulbs- too shallow and they may suffer from summer height or winter frosts.

As a rough rule of thumb bulbs should be planted at a depth equivalent to three to four times the height of the bulb. On lighter, sandy soils, go even deeper.

Meta