And they have been in bloom for almost two weeks. They are light blue, in a tight clutch, and bringing a disproportionate amount of joy to my life. Doesn't take much, thankfully.
Last fall I planted oodles of minor bulbs. These are the bulbs that are small in stature and tough as nails. What an excellent combination for the Far North. They are all showing signs of robust life. How gratifying. I have already made the decision that I need to plant more crocus this coming fall. They are just too precious to miss out on.
The glossy garden magazines say that these minor bulbs will naturalize (multiply into a carpet of color). Well, to an extent. For a real show, we here in Homer need to keep planting bulbs each fall. The yellow daffodil that you can buy by the gazillion in the various box stores will spread quite nicely. Keep in mind that they are the same yellow as dandelions. Don't count on tulips to come back strong every year. They tend to peter out. Plan on planting tulips every fall. But for now, enjoy what you do have, be grateful for your foresight.
Fortunately, I made a map of the planting of these bulbs, otherwise I would have no idea what I planted where. Mapping your entire garden is just a handy idea. Using actual labels is risky business. They are plucked out by birds or the wind can play havoc. Then, of course, there is a certain terrier named Paris who finds labels most fascinating. Thus, labels fail me. An updated map never fails.
The peony bed received a complete overhaul last summer. This meant that I could plant as many bulbs as I wanted in that particular bed because, I reasoned, I am finished moving plants around. I did not want to delve into the world of minor bulbs if I was going to be forever digging into their tender little bodies, effectively killing them before their time. These things are pricey. So I planted just that one bed with abandon. This is a bed that can be seen from inside the house so the beauty of these bulbs will be appreciated every single minute they are in bloom. Dazzling.
As each bed becomes more permanent, the intention is to saturate them with minor bulbs. When the dead foliage is cleaned up each spring their blooms will fill in the surface of the soil so nicely, so delicately, that the wait for the bigger perennials to make a show will not seem so very long. That's the theory.
Another plan that has to play out to be proven is if the bulbs will spread. At the moment they are planted in little vignettes. The iris reticulata snuggled in among a double handful of chionodoxa. What will this look like in five years? This is a waiting game that I am looking forward to playing.
I have also made the investment of a few trumpet lilies. White ones. The intention is to plant them among the monarda (bee balm, bergamot), "Marshall's Delight." This should really be a stunning combination. With our weather warming, the trumpet lily should make a good show of it.
The Asiatic lily is a bulb you can plant this spring. They absolutely love it here. I have a few white ones to plant in with the monarda just in case the trumpet lilies fail me. Hedging one's bets is always a good idea.
There are so many colors of Asiatic lilies that you can really pick and choose what you have in mind. Lilies are becoming more and more attractive to me. They are relatively tall, can stand on their own, look very good grouped together and they add an elegance when scattered around the perennial beds. Their hardiness is becoming legendary. They can be divided over and over again. When I was given a shovelful of these lovelies, some of them were inadvertently left out of the planting hole. Days and days later they were found, very dry and looking very dead. Lo, they went into the ground and rose from the dead. Way to go.
Alliums are yet another bulb that you should be on the lookout for. The giants are simply stunning. They have a distinctive globe shaped bloom that adds some surprising texture to a planting.
Anemones are bulbs that should be planted in the fall, but here in the Far North, that is not going to work. They will not survive the winter. So you will be seeing them for sale everywhere now instead of fall. Don't pass them by but do not expect great things from them. Treat them like an annual and you will be rewarded with a really lovely bloom in quite a wide range of clear, welcoming colors. Tuck them around your perennials or plant some into a container.
Rosemary Fitzpatrick has been gardening with gusto in Homer for 26 years.
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