Planting Bulbs Video Tutorial

We realized after we filmed this that we went a little fast, so forgive us. Next time we'll slow it down. The basics covered here are: Make sure the bulbs are nice and firm. Squeeze them, if they feel soft at all, they are bad bulbs and will not flower for you in the spring. The top of most spring-blooming bulbs are points and the bottoms will be rounded, sometimes with roots, although the Anemone bulbs look almost like buttons (you have to look for the tiny roots in one of the dimpled sides). The next bulb basic is that you want to plant the bulbs at a depth three times their height, so if the daffodil bulb is two inches high, your hole should be six inches deep. The final basic we cover in the video is: firm those bulbs in! Padding down the soil around the bulbs will discourage squirrels and chipmunks from digging up your newly planted bulbs.

A couple things we didn't cover: You want to wait until after the first frost to plant bulbs. Many times they are available in September, but wait to plant them until there has been a frost.

Also, you can sprinkle in some bulb tone into the hole if you are planting somewhere other than a nice fertilized garden. When we plant bulbs that will naturalize (spread) at the edge of a wooded area and a lawn, we alway use bulb-tone in the hole as we plant, to feed the bulbs in the first year, and then we sprinkle the ground with bulb-tone each fall after that. If you are planting bulbs in a garden that you fertilize with organic material (fish emulsion, aged manure, compost) than no extra fertilization is necessary for your bulbs.

Peacock Planter at Old Westbury Gardens

This very cool Peacock planter was another treasure that Victoria discovered while visiting the grounds of Old Westbury Gardens in Long Island, NY. The yew is planted in the ground behind the planter, while the body of the peacock is planted with trifolium, ferns, ivy, and the top plant we couldn't identify.

Victoria's Road Trip: Old Westbury Gardens and Planting Fields in Long Island, New York

I was a lucky girl this week and got to go on a wonderful field trip to Long Island with my great friends Deb, Bonni, and Barbara. We visited Old Westbury Gardens and Planting Fields where we attended a wonderful program put on by Horticulture magazine.

This is a dawn redwood Metasequoia glytostroboides that we got to visit with during the lunch break in class. This is one of my favorite trees, it's known as a living fossil because it has been around for 350 million years. It was rediscovered in the 1940's and brought here to the United States by the Arnold Arboritum. This one was maybe 70 ft tall. It had wonderful cones and these long string like beads of seeds? Not really sure what they are but boy were they pretty. Any one have a clue?

October Sale: 30% OFF Everything in the Nursery: Watch Your Investment Grow!

It's not too late to plant! Cool nights and the rain we got this afternoon, make it the perfect time to plant. Plus, with 30% off trees, shrubs, and perennials, adding to your garden now will earn big returns on your investment when they bloom next summer(gains measured in happiness and joy of course).

Take for instance this beautiful Hydrangea 'Limelight' is 4' tall now (easy to carry and plant), but will grow to be 8' to 10' tall and wide. Talk about watching your investment grow!

Fall Color: DYCs (Damn Yellow Composites)

"Damn Yellow Composites."

In wildflower identification, the Asteracceae family is so large (1100 genera and 20,000 species), that specific identification in the field can be so difficult as to not be worth it. You can figure out it's an Asteraceae easily enough: most members are composite (they have both ray and disc flowers). You can usually identify the color, yellow, and the family, and that's it. (Unless you're lucky enough to have figured out you've got a sunflower) - Sometimes attributed to Lady Bird Johnson.

And even though gardeners hate trying to identify them, we love the way they offer fall flowers even after last night's heavy frost. This particular variety (we are lucky enough our grower knows the variety) is Helianthus 'Low Down' which has a low bushy growth habit (15" to 18" high) and an abundance of blooms.

Pictured behind the Helianthus is another fall favorite Fothergilla (we'll talk more about this one later) and a variegated holly called 'Honey Maid.'

Fall Color: Pyracantha Orange Glow

Pyracantha (Firethorn) is a fantastic drought resistant evergreen shrub. It flowers in the spring, covering the plant with clusters of white flowers, but as you can see, the real display starts in September. The bright orange berries can persist into winter, depending on how many birds stop by for a nibble.

Firethorn is in fact covered with sharp thorns, so be careful planting or transplanting a large specimen. Pyracantha 'Orange Glow' can reach 10' tall and 12' wide, although there are other varieties that are more compact (and also varieties with red fruit).

A favorite use of pyracantha is as an espalier, and up against a wall can be trained into many different shapes. Firethorn is a fast grower, and can also be used on slopes to help with erosion. It can be pushed in to the shade, but will flower and fruit best in full sun.

Come Get Your Scary Plants!

With Halloween just around the corner, we'll help you decorate inside and out with our Halloween-themed decorations and some spooky plants: the dark, almost black, Alocasia (of the elephant ear family) and the tropical cork-screw Equisetum (of the horsetail family). Both are house plants, and both could easily go from dressing up your Halloween display to adding a modern-Zen touch to your guest room or office.

Another great double-duty houseplant is the playful pincushion (Nertera granadensi), which can decorate your Halloween tabletop, and then don your Thanksgiving table too. These little plants will keep their berry best in bright light and cool temperatures. At the start of summer, they produce small white flowers, followed by long-lasting orange berries.