In mid-daffodil season, I've been struggling to fend off obsessions over other plants. The problem is that all the spring-planted bulb catalogs are in full swing right now. I've found that the plants I love most are the ones Granny, Aunt Dot, and grandfather loved, whose gardens I used to wander around as a boy. They were: irises, lilies, daffodils, roses, salvias and daylilies. Granny loved impatiens and gladioli as well, but I haven't gotten into them yet, though I do have some Byzantine gladioli planted at my mom's.
The problem with other bulbs, such as lilies, are the expense. I bought 15 lily bulbs for almost the same price as 50 daffodil bulbs. The irises I want to grow cost $10-15 per plant, plus shipping. I could get a second job to fund my gardening desires, but then I'd probably not have time to garden. Oh well, restraints are good.
The lilies I bought are 'Fusion', a wide hybrid of the Easter lily with a lily native to California, and Lilium regale, a lily my grandfather grew along his driveway. I also bought some Nerine bowdenii bulbs. They look like Lycoris but are pink and fragrant. They don't like our wet, humid summers, so I'm planning on planting them in pots and keeping them out of the rain all summer.
I have a hard time with that too. I spent all Winter planning and dreaming, but when they are all in bloom I'm already digging through the catalogs for the next season. I don't often let my self focus on what's here and now.
ReplyDeleteHave you come across this site before? They sell old and rare varieties of plants https://oldhousegardens.com/
Haha, our minds must think alike! I was writing this blog post while having their website open in another tab and dreaming about their irises!
DeleteI'm jealous because just about everything they offer would grow well in your zone. I was looking at Iris germanica and Iris pallida dalmatica. Their daffodils allure me too.
I think I found them looking at different glads. I really like their oddly shaped "Boone" and "Carolina Primrose" varieties.
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