I’ve learned to think ahead with my garden this year. I planned most of 2020 between November and February of this year. I got first dibs on all the seeds I wanted, but even then, I was late to the party getting a lot of the permaculture plants I was hoping to add. Last weekend, I saw a post on Instagram about ordering next year’s bulbs and realized I was ready myself. I placed an order with American Meadows taking advantage of the 50% off special for next year.
Alliums
My husband adores Globe Alliums. They bloom at a time I’m currently low on plants and look stunning mixed in with grasses on a landscaped median near our house. For this reason, I plan on interplanting a collection of Purple, White, and Magenta alliums into the prairie bed. They aren’t exactly native, but similar, more modest Alliums are. These will just be much showier.
Anemone
I’ve ordered a set of Anemone bulbs; this will make a small patch near the doorway to the garage.
Saffron Crocus
Saffron isn’t a spring bulb, but ever since visiting a saffron farm in Morocco last fall, it’s been on my list of fun things to try. I’ll be putting them in a pot near the back door to enjoy and then protecting them through the window. More of an experiment than a display, but it should be fun.
More Crocus
I had zero luck with crocuses this year, so I’ve doubled down. In the tradition of failing big, I’ve ordered a collection of early and later blooming crocus to scatter across the homestead.
Hyacinth
I was impressed with late-blooming grape hyacinth in a neighbors bed as a way to extend the bulb season possibly. We also realized that we needed an intense contrasting color to balance the forsythia in full bloom. I picked the most intense, bold pink hyacinth I could find to provide that contrast. Since I saw hyacinth blooming at the same time as the forsythia elsewhere in the neighborhood, I think it was a good fit.
Fritillaria
I ordered checkered lily fritillarias. I’m planning on putting these in the journey garden and the Food hedge a pretty spring flower related to our native trout lilies but domesticated from Eurasian species. I wanted the varieties of color as I’m a bit heavy in yellow this time of year. I’ll probably add some trout lilies in the future.
Tulips
I’ve added two different varieties of tulips to the mix. I’m not sure how perennial my current plantings are, so I added a collection of darwin tulips that should be durable year over year. Since I relished the few, yellow tulips that gave me a coda to the season this year, so I intentionally ordered an assortment of late-blooming bulbs to augment that display
Daffodils
Given their resistance to furry neighbors, I’m adding a few more daffodils this year. Mostly among the fruit shrubs in back. I’ve added an assortment of varieties to the collection along with standard canary yellows. But I did intentionally include a few elaborate forms in the mix.
Note, I have no sponsorship relationship with American Meadows inspiring this post. I just like documenting my sources.