A stack of spring bulb catalogs is growing like a weed on my kitchen counter. I glance through them when I’m put on hold on the telephone with the electric company. I spy something I’ve never tried before, maybe some boldly striped parrot tulips, and wonder where I might squeeze them in for maximum effect.
Then it occurs to me: What if I was new to gardening and had never planted bulbs? Imagine being faced with so much glorious eye-candy and wondering where on earth to begin. Here are some things I’ve learned over the years about bulbs.
For starters, I’ve found it’s best to buy high-quality bulbs from a local nursery or a catalog such as Brent and Becky’s or John Scheepers. If you’re buying in bulk, try Van Engelen, the wholesale side of Scheepers (this is not, by any means, a complete list of possible sources). When you spend so much time preparing the site, then planting the bulbs and patting them in, don’t waste your time on bulbs you’ve bought on the cheap. I’ve done that enough times to be disappointed.
If your area is plagued by deer and rodents, you might want to pass on tulips and crocuses, which are highly desirable snacks for hungry mammals. Many years ago, I swore off tulips after a ground hog that lived under a neighbor’s barn decapitated an entire bed of tulips. Now I stick to planting them in the fenced yard patrolled by my fleet-footed dog.
To avoid pesky pest problems, start with daffodils and snowdrops. These are members of the Amaryllis family and contain lycorine, a bitter poison that mammals will avoid at all costs. Critters also back away from alliums, which are related to onions and have that potent sulphurous smell. Fritillaria are also left alone by rodents and deer. Like alliums, they come in all shapes and sizes and add variety to a spring bulb garden.
There are so many gorgeous flowers to choose from that it’s tempting to try a few of everything. But resist the impulse to mix it up too much. It’s a good idea to think of closely planted groups of the same, or similar flowers, so that you have a critical mass to admire. One or two flowers, no matter how gorgeous as individuals, don’t make a statement except to say: “We’re lonely. Plant more of us.”
Large alliums and fritillaria have enough heft in the garden to be planted in smaller numbers as accent plants among other spring bloomers.
It’s also good to pay attention to approximate bloom times for bulbs. Catalogs always list this information. Spend some time thinking about which flowers are likely to bloom when. You don’t want to plant a mass of daffodils that all bloom at the same time. Instead, stagger bloom times so you have a drift that blooms early, another that blooms mid-season and another that comes late. Or you can mix drifts so that they bloom continuously throughout the season.
When planting bulbs, it’s important to consider their surroundings. Crocus, grape hyacinth and other smaller flowers are lovely massed around shrubs. Larger flowers, including tulips and daffodils, have foliage that becomes unsightly as it ages. But the foliage is important because it collects nutrients for next year’s blooms, so you can’t just mow it down. When possible, plant those bulbs in places where perennials will emerge to cover up the worst of the dying foliage. Hostas and daylilies are good cover plants.
Bulbs are pretty forgiving. Follow the directions on the package in terms of depth and spacing. I confess to planting more densely than advised. This is generally a bad idea, especially if you’re planting “naturalizing” bulbs, i.e. those that spread and multiply over the years (the catalog will indicate which varieties are best for naturalizing). Don’t cram them in too tightly, or they won’t have space to spread out.
My experience with bulbs has been a hit or miss proposition over many years. One of my most rewarding experiments came by accident a couple of years ago when I received a bag of 20 diminutive yellow species tulips I never meant to order. These were T. sylvestris, a 16th-century heirloom known as the Florentine or Woodland Tulip. Having planted nearly 200 other bulbs around the property, I was beyond weary when I reached this bag of nubby brown bulbs. Following the path of least resistance, I poked 20 holes in a patch of vinca near the house and stuffed them with the bulbs. When they poked their pointy heads up the following April, I was completely surprised. They made a delightful vignette with the dark green vinca, and came back even stronger last year.
As winter drags on, it seems like spring will never arrive. Make sure you plant some snow drops. They don’t shout with size and color, but there’s nothing more cheering on a dreary February day than the first brave snowdrops of the season.
The 2017 House Tour will take place on Nov. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will focus on the newly established North Prospect-Lincoln-Sunset Local Historic District, with its wide range of architectural styles and a complex socio-economic history. This neighborhood includes modest farm houses lived in by members of the 19th-century African-American community and Irish immigrants, as well as houses that were home to college faculty members, businessmen, and other professionals and their families.
Among the houses featured is the house formerly owned by Robert Frost at 43 Sunset Ave. Built in 1875, it’s one of the town’s best examples of the Stick Style architecture, with decorative stick-work at the windows and porches leading to a steeply pitched roof with cross gables.
Also on the tour is 272 Amity Street, one of the oldest houses in Amherst still in use as a private residence. Built about 1750 for Simeon and Rebecca Strong Clark, this house is typical of simple homes in a farming community. With wooden clapboards painted red, the house became known as “The Little Red House.” Robert Frost called it “a living jewel.”
The tour also features 50 McClellan Street, a white wood clapboard house built in 1860-61 by Lucas Williams, a merchant tailor. Timothy Deady and his family of tailors rented the house from the 1860s into the 1880s. In the early 20th century, Mittie Hall, daughter of freed African-American slaves, lived in the house during the time she helped found and fund the AME Zion Church in Amherst.
Tickets are $20 for members, $25 for nonmembers. All proceeds benefit the Historical Society, now in its 114th year. Tickets are available online, at A.J. Hastings in Amherst, Hadley Garden Center, and at the Amherst Historical Society on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, email info@amhersthistory.org or call 413-256-0678.
On Tuesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Kestrel Land Trust is hosting an evening at the Jones Library with photographer and educator Michael Zide This is an opportunity to enjoy Zide’s visual presentation about his award-winning photographs. He’ll share his method of creating landscape photographs that illuminates an “uncommon” view of the Valley. It is free and open to the public (donations appreciated). RSVP appreciated, but not required.
Email Marilyn@kestreltrust.org
On Wednesday, 6:30 to 8 p.m. at River Valley Co-op at 330 North King St., Northampton, Peggy MacLeod, co-founder of Western Mass Bees will give a talk and power point presentation on creating pollinator-friendly gardens. Participants will learn how to improve food sources and habitat for hundreds of native bee species. For more information, contact wmassbees@gmail.com or call 413-530-6119.
Many gardeners have gotten on the pollinator-friendly bandwagon, but buying lots of new plants can get expensive. Nasami Farm Nursery at 128 North St., Whately will host a class Oct. 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. on growing plants for pollinator from seed. The cos is $30 for members; $36 for nonmembers. Limited to 15. To register, go to: www.newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs.
Mickey Rathbun can be reached at foxglover8@gmail.com.