It's not too late to plant these bulbs
New Year鈥檚 Eve was so mild in Virginia that I was able to shoo away some oak leaves and find unfrozen soil. As a bulb fanatic, I find that it鈥檚 easy to buy more than you have time to plant before the weather turns, well, wintry.
Here's what I planted, three of my favorite spring-flowering bulbs. They may not be well known, but deserve more attention.
Several years ago during an April visit to Brent and Becky鈥檚 Bulbs, a treasure caught my eye. It was a little daffodil with erect stems and very lax leaves -- Narcissus henriquesii -- and it was offered in their fall catalog. Hooray! [See photo above.]
Then there is the fragrant (grape hyacinth), Muscari macrocarpum, which develops the most fascinating seed structure, . It鈥檚 very short, like many Muscari, so it's best to plant it where lying face down on the ground will not be a subject of neighborhood speculation. Well worth the effort.
Last for today is 鈥� a very interesting flower reminiscent of the alliums. It鈥檚 perfect for a meadow planting, a favorite of pollinating insects and looks beautiful with emerging grasses. Sweet dreams!
-----
Donna Williamson blogs regularly at Diggin' It. She's a master gardener, garden designer, and garden coach. She has taught gardening and design classes at the State Arboretum of Virginia, Oatlands in Leesburg, and Shenandoah University. She鈥檚 also the founder and editor of Grandiflora Mid-Atlantic Gardening magazine, and the author of 鈥淭he Virginia Gardener鈥檚 Companion: An Insider鈥檚 Guide to Low Maintenance Gardening in Virginia.鈥� She lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. To read more by Donna, click here.
