Wednesday, October 3, 2012

A final bit of Spring Planning


One of the fun things about spring bulbs is that you get to start the gardening season with a fresh color  scheme that does not necessarily have to relate directly to the bulk of annuals and perennials that follow. That makes color choice a bit liberating. 

Do you have a favourite color scheme when it comes to spring bulbs?

I can never seem to limit myself to just one! It just seems to leave so much unsaid.

Traditionally at the front of the house, I have always had yellow daffodils and red tulips. Then two years ago voles destroyed most of my collection of bulbs in this part of the garden. This fall I need to rebuild it. 

Here was my initial inspiration: 


Edwards Gardens in Toronto

Tulipa 'Cayenne' and black-colored Tulipa, 'Queen of the Night'

I also really liked this combination that I saw at Edwards Gardens. Now I am wondering if this might actually work better with our house's burgundy shutters. 

Adding to my movement in this general direction is the fact that I spotted some very affordable Queen of the Night tulips at the local grocery store. Hmm...should I change my original thinking and re-create this look instead?


The private fenced backyard means that I feel free to change my color scheme up a bit. 

Just inside the gate there is a little courtyard that is my favourite part of the garden. The area is fairly shaded, so I am thinking of putting the snowdrops I ordered in here and adding in white daffodils and tulips. 



What do you think? 

Will the change be a nice surprise or a shock in comparison with the brights in the front garden?


In the main area of the back garden, I have pink hyacinths and tulips, and white and yellow daffodils.

David Tomlinson's garden Merlin's Hollow


One spring flower I hope to add into this part of the garden is Iris Bucharica, which I have admired in David Tomlinson's garden. In my opinion, Iris Bucharica are more impressive and showy than more common Iris Reticulata.

Leucojum aestivum 'Gravetye Giant'

One last item on my wish list for this part of the garden. Aren't these delicate white bells pretty?
 


In the very back part of the garden, (which is again separated from the main area of the garden with a fence) I have introduced a deep mauve into the existing planting scheme.


If I have any money left, I would like to add a few of these delicate Fritillaria and....



maybe a few yellow Erythronium. Erythronium like dappled shade and I have shade in abundance in this part of the garden.

Now I just have to plant them all...I guess I am going to be busy!

41 comments:

  1. Cuántas ideas para tu jardín!! Ojalá cumplas toda tu lista de deseos!!Las imágenes son preciosas!!!Un abrazo grande.

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  2. I do like areas of all white planting. White daffodils and tulips sound like a good idea, but then I also like the first two planting schemes! The Iris Bucharica is gorgeous. So much choice!

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  3. Hi Jennifer
    I'm lovin' the Queen of the Night photo. Why don't you go with that colour scheme in the front and pull other colours from the striped tulips? i.e. you could add cream flowers and dark red (not tomato red) tulips. Lots to choose from.
    I really like those Iris Bucharica! I may go on the hunt for those.
    Perhaps plant your Hyacinths all in one spot for a wonderful fragrant area to wander past. Small bulbs are always so dainty: perhaps pushkinias, chionodoxa and tulipa tarda? Some of my absolute favourites are Red Riding Hood greigii tulips.
    Oh no - I think I just created another shopping list for you :)

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  4. I like all the different colours in the garden, but not together in one area, so I should say red, yellows and oranges in the front garden, pink, lila and purples in the backgarden and white with blue in another area. It's such fun to chose bulbs.

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  5. You're right about being able to introduce different colourways in spring. It reminds me of a garden at a house we lived in for a couple of years when I was growing up. It had been so cleverly planted that as the year progressed, the colours gently moved through the colour wheel. It was absolutely charming. I don't know who planted it, but they achieved something really clever and enjoyable.

    On a less clever note, last year I added a strong pink tulip (Sjakamaro) and a strong orange which had hints of coral (Jimmy) to a dark tulip (Ronaldo) which is almost black, but appears to be a tiny bit more crimson than Queen of the Night. It doesn't sound promising, but it was striking and exhilarating and I'm looking forward to extending the scheme this November. If you fancy something eye-catching, it might be one for you!

    Here's to some great bulb planting weather!

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  6. I love the picture of Edward's garden! Wow. All the photos and flowers are so awesome that I can't wait that it's spring...

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  7. It is exciting reading about your spring garden! Do you have trouble sticking to your plan? I always see something beautiful, and my plans go out the window.

    l just love that blue bench.

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  8. I such so bad at planning, I get a little better for every year but it´s a sloooow process unfortunately.

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  9. Just plant wherever you want, whatever colours you want to put together, if you don't like it, then you can move them. I have to say that pastels usually go with pastels, and dark colours with other darks, but sometimes you can break the rules.

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  10. I absolutely LOVE tulips!!! But I've never had red or yellow ones. I did have all kinds of pink and purple though, must be my favourtites ;-) and I especially love 'queen of night'. The combination with what I think is called 'spring green' (cream to white tulips with a green stripe) is superb. I would like to find Erythronium once cause I think those would do well in our garden from what I read about them, as do Frittilaria. I can't put tulip bulbs into the ground, too wet, so I have to grow them in containers. Februari this year, all bulbs froze though so no tulips whatsoever. I didn't buy any bulbs yet this autumn... We'll see if I will or not.... My favourite daffodils are the later blooming Narcissus Poeticus. And I LOVE the Graveteye Giant Leucojum, also doing well in wet soil. Planning on planting some more of those if I can find them. Thanks for reminding me ;-)
    Bye,
    Marian

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  11. I planted well over 500 bulbs last fall - I don't envy your knees! You'll have a fabulous blast of color though.

    With lots of deer marauding through our garden each night daffodils are a safe bet - unless the voles find them.

    Like you I want to add Leocojum to the wetter areas or maybe Camassia - or both?!

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  12. Love lots of color. I am always conflicted about which color to choose...I want them all!!! Tulips don't do well here in SC, usually just planted as annuals. Love that bright yellow Erythronium, so cute!

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  13. I have ordered tons of bulbs again this year, can't even remember what. I have put in some Allium Shubertii already in the front, seem to be more of an annual around here. I love their sparkler look even though they are not very colorful. I am always leary about the tulips because of the squirrels and rabbits, but I do put down a chicken wire and sprinkle with Plantskydd hoping for the best.

    Eileen

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  14. That white iris is amazing! I haven't seen that one before. White will look brilliant in your shaded garden.

    Gorgeous images of the rain-spattered trout lilies.

    Every color of the rainbow for your spring planting scheme sounds good to me! ;)

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  15. I think it's great to have a red yellow theme in front and soft white in the backyard ... two different gardens with two different moods, the front cheerful, the back soothing.

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  16. I love spring bulbs - the mice ate all mine that I had in store - so I have had to start again. I love purples and lilacs - and of course all sorts of daffodils.

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  17. You must plant what appeals to you, after all it is you who will be looking at it every day! Different colours for different areas sounds good, I love an all white planting, especially for shade, whatever you do, it will be fantastic, look forward to seeing the results of your hard work!

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  18. Wow !!! I would go with " Queen of the night " and some other tulips ( lilac, white and pink )in the front. Your choises are perfect ! Love the Iris Bucharica and the graciuos Leucojum. Can't wait to see your spring garden, Jennifer. Have fun with the planting !

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  19. Jennifer, I love the white hyacinths! The only that I need to dig them up every summer, dry and plant again in fall. DO you do the same? The tulips and daffodils are growing 3-4 years and then I replace them. They are easy.

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  20. Fantastic photographs, wonderful flowers, miraculous colours. I am greeting

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  21. Surprisingly yellow flower seems to combine so well with many colours~red, white.

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  22. All the choices you showed are beautiful! I think it is fun to change things up every once in a while. I still have a month or so before I put my bulbs in the ground so I thank you for the reminder. I need to get planning! Can't wait to see your result in spring!

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  23. Podoba mi się pomysł z białym kwiatami w miejscu zacienionym,to znacznie je rozjaśni. Resztę zrobisz tak jak będziesz chciała, bo to Twój ogród. Piękne zdjęcia kwiatów. Pozdrawiam i dziękuję za miłe odwiedziny.
    I like the idea of white flowers in the shade, it will clarify much. The rest of you do as you want, for your garden. Beautiful pictures of flowers. Cheers and thank you for your kind visit.

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  24. So many gorgeous flowers to choose from. At this time of year when the catalogues come out I am always enthralled by the oranges, deep maroons and purples like you are admiring with Queen of the Night. But I wonder, as pretty as they are looking at them in pictures at this time of year, would they look as nice in spring when everything around them is bright pinks, blues and yellows?

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  25. Just as fall fires up here with its deep autumn colors, it is refreshing to have these spring blooms and bulbs to pore over. Fun!!

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  26. Your photos are always so gorgeous! I wish I could skip winter and just go straight to spring...

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  27. A lot of my favorites in there. My leucojum self seeds prolifically. I have not had much luck with Irsi bucharica. If I recall correctly it requires hot dry conditions with excellent drainage. Fritillaria meleagris selfsales in full shade in my woodland.

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  28. Wow there are alot of gorgeous flowers here. I love the delicate pink tulip and the Fritillaria.

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  29. Whatever you decide will be beautiful -you have an artist's eye. I adore your wreathed gate! It's so festive.

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  30. I always tend to get carried away with purchasing then throw them in the ground wherever I can. Need to get a better plan going like you have!
    This year I got stuck on more of those peony-flowering tulips. Love the wreath on your gate too.
    p.s. thank you for the kind compliment on my 'Peaches'nDreams' hollyhock photo. Made my night!

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  31. Yes you are! But the colors...WOW! Thank you for some great inspiration and ideas! I love love love your garden gate! So charming!

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  32. Jennifer Your inspiration post has me getting inspired... Love to plant bulbs in the fall , gives one something to look forward to through the long winter.

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  33. I think whatever you decide to plant will be beautiful! If you've always planted red and yellow maybe it's time for something new. You can always go back to a previous planting scheme once the new tulips stop blooming. Please check out the Garden Love column on my blog. :o)

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  34. I love the white irises. A white bulb garden sounds enchanting. I'm a very bad bulb planter and am still on the fence about whether to plant any this year. :)

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  35. And overhere, the country of the bulbs, there is so much to choose that I don't know what to buy because I want them all, haha. Finaly I already bought some but there is so much rain overhere I can't plant them. Succes with you white bulbgarden it will look like a fairytail in you garden coming spring.
    Have a wonderful sunday Jennifer.

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  36. You ARE going to be busy, but spring bulbs are sooo welcome. I think the color change from front garden to back will be wonderful. It is hard for me to limit my palette also. In front I try to stay with pink/purple/mauve. In the back garden pretty much anything goes but I attempt to group the colors.

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  37. Wow! You are going to be very busy. I planted 400 bulbs one fall. Actually I started planting them in fall and ended around the 1st of Dec. I love tulips, but they only last about 2 weeks in our area. About the time they bloom, we get our spring winds and then I'm just left with stems.

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  38. I love planning the spring garden, but not so much the actual digging and planting of the bulbs:) I tend towards pastels, but the last few years I've added all sorts of colors, including some outrageous, but gorgeous orange parrot tulips. I find even if they all clash, they're a welcome sight in the spring. Last year I planted an area with 'Queen of Night' and pure white tulips--I loved it!

    I've already ordered all my bulbs, but gosh, I do like that Erythronium. Darn it, now I may have to look for some:)

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  39. Great shots!! I love love love tulips. Always a favorite. I will never forget our trip to Holland when I was younger seeing the masses and fields of them planted. I think that is where we fell in love.... =0)

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  40. Do let me know if you can the all white Iris bucharica anywhere. I purchased the yellow and white at Gardenimport last autumn, and it was glorious this spring(should have published a post on it), flowered for eons.

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