South, as in the state of Georgia, and so you won’t hear me complaining about the interminable reappearance of cold in Ohio. Staying with my son who has a nice property right within Atlanta, he is like many young professionals, who just doesn’t feel the desire for lots of yardwork.
Yet, he likes the idea of a nice looking yard. So he talked with me about bulbs. I had him help a lot with our yard when he grew up, but he seemed to miss the notation on when we plant bulbs- or thought the rules changed when crossing the Mason-Dixon.
Rule # 1 for spring blooming bulbs: they are planted in the fall because they need a cold period to bloom.
We see them now in their glory in Spring, but we had to take a bit of forethought to buy those unprepossessing bulbs and put them in the ground last October or so. Taking notes on which flowers you like, what the bulb varieties and names are, where the best places to put them are all things we can do in the springtime, but the actual planting has to take place in the autumn.
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| Mailbox space |
What Else Is Different?
However, there are some things that change when gardening in the South from my practices in the North, and I was wondering what bulbs do best in Atlanta’s gardens. I will be doing some research, but if any readers from these warmer climes have suggestions I’d love to have them.
Bulbs are ideal for “no gardening” people who own houses. The only caveat is to allow their foliage to age and wither, so they need to be in spaces that don’t require mowing to keep the neighbors happy. For my son, that means the area around the mailbox, the space between the walk and the house and the wooded verge beside the creek. I could visualize Glory of the Snow, Daffodils, Scillas, and some specie Tulips.
During summer a simple stand of annuals, or daylilies with geraniums would provide an attractive flowering cover for this bed that already has some ornamental grass ( I just cut it down for the new season), liriope, hostas, and small shrubs. A few hours work in spring and occasional maintenance that even a mulched area requires is all that is needed.
The Back Yard
Can’t you picture some cheery spring bulbs when looking into this photo?
But then, I’m the one that loves plants and gardening and becomes excited at the idea of what a property with trees and a small stream could look like with some wildflowers, irises (oooo- Iris ensata!)….
Well, you know.
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© 2013 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.