The Magic of Bulbs

Benefits of Bulbs

It may seem early but now is a great time to start planning and ordering your Fall planted bulbs! Ordering earlier in the season gives you the best selection. Of course, ordering later is okay too as you may get things for a cheaper price but there will be a much smaller stock to select from. I love using bulbs in the garden for several reasons I will highlight below. I've included lot of pictures from my time at Chanticleer that inspires me and I hope inspires you as well! 

Early Color 

Winter can feel very long and dreary. It especially does for me being a southern transplant who is used to a milder winter - I've spent many winters in North Carolina outside in shorts and a t-shirt. While there is beauty in the stillness of winter and the snow covered trees, I look forward to seeing a sudden pop of color in the landscape. Bulbs aid in adding color to gardens while most trees and perennials are still having their winter snooze. At Foulkeways there's an abundance of Daffodils that brighten up the entire campus and will continue to do so for years to come. 

Iris 'Katharine Hodgkin' blooms in the Gravel Garden at Chanticleer

A sea of Scilla covers the ground at Winterthur in Delaware 

Hyacinth 'Gipsy Queen' and other bulbs color the rock ledge leading to the Pond at Chanticleer

Bulbs beginning to brighten up the Orchard at Chanticleer 

The Winter Shrub Border at Chanticleer pops with daffodils 

Tulipa accuminata (a species tulip) adding color to the Gravel Garden

Yellow tulips amongst annuals including lettuce in a border

Affordable and Low Maintenance 

Bulbs are a type of geophyte. Geophytes are perennials that have underground storage organs which includes bulbs, tubers, corms and rhizomes.  We encounter and consume these type of plants in our everyday lives - think onions, garlic and potatoes. The benefit of a plant being a geophyte is they are able to store carbohydrates, nutrients and water underground and then grow when the conditions are right. This makes bulbs fairly easy and low maintenance for gardeners! Honestly even if you say you have a "brown thumb" you can pop a few bulbs in the ground and forget about them until you see them emerge in the Spring! If that's your style of gardening you may want to avoid bulbs such as Tulips as that is a favored snack by critters. On top of being low maintenance bulbs are also fairly affordable and you'll get a lot out of them! Many bulbs multiple and can naturalize in areas - Daffodils, Scilla and Galanthus to name a few. 

Daffodils line paths through the Orchard at Chanticleer. They reliably emerge each Spring to put on this show. 

Fritillaria meleagris (Snake's head fritillary) naturalizing in the lawn 

A sea of Camassia is a must see at Chanticleer. This adds interest along the creek every year. 

Bulbs are often used under trees to add easy blooms

Little Space Needed

Don't have a lot of space? Or do you have gaps in the garden that need some filling? Bulbs may be your answer! Bulbs emerge and then die back, making them an easy plant to use when garden space is limited, a small space needs some filling or to add a little something when not much else is going on. Container plantings also work wonderfully for early spring displays. 

A sweet little container with Hyacinth at Chanticleer House

A rain chain I planted with bulbs in the Ruin Garden at Chanticleer

Planting bulbs in the Fall to be hung above the mantel in the Ruin Garden at Chanticleer

It turns into a long bulb burrito :) Placed into the cold frames until the Spring

Tucking bulbs in the railing of the staircase leading to the Tennis Court at Chanticleer

Fun with Colors

Orange and blue? Purple and yellow? An all white garden? You can do it all with bulbs. The color combinations are truly an endless possibility and sometimes a bit overwhelming. There are several ways to go about color selections. Buying a mix that is already done and in the colors you want is an easy way to get what you're looking for. Many bulb companies offer mixes as an option. Creating your own color scheme is another fun way to design. I like to start with one color and branch out from there, creating combinations that compliment my initial color selection. Editing and adding to the design over the years will keep the interest alive in the garden. When you're not into doing too much design, just plant whatever you like! Like pink? Go in with those pink tulips! Want daffodils for days? Plant a mix with staggering bloom times. Bulbs don't have to be complicated. 

A blue and orange combo

A pop of burgundy tulips by the Pond Garden 

More burgundy used in the Ruin Garden

Moody tones created with dark purple tulips

Pastel yellow softens an area of the Bulb Meadow

Try some Oddballs! 

Sometimes experimenting and thinking outside the normal bulb display can make a huge impact - even with just one or two bulbs. Some of my favorites for this are any type of Fritillaria, species tulips (unhybridized), and Eremurus (foxtail lily). If you see a bulb you haven't tried before why not try a few and see what happens? 

Fritallaria persica in the Ruin Garden wall. How fun is that?! 

What a tuber! Eremurus robustus (Foxtail lily) has an enormous tuber! 

A cart full of... Aliens? 

Wow! Eremurus robustus (Foxtail lily) blooming in the beginning of June. 

Don't forget the Natives

Yes there are native geophytes! Claytonia virginica (Spring beauty), Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot),  Hymenocallis occidentalis (Northern Spider Lily)  and Erythronium americanum (Trout lily) to name a few. 

Hymenocallis occidentalis (Northern Spider Lily) in Bell's Woodland at Chanticleer. Native to the South but able to grow in the North. 

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Do you have any favorite bulbs or are you excited to order any this year?  Comment below! 

-Julie 

A mystery tulip in the ruins of the Crowinshield garden of Hagley in Delaware. 

Bloom Report 5/2/2024

What's in Bloom?

Aesculus pavia - Scarlet buckeye, native

Perimeter Rd

Perimeter Rd.

Phlox subulata - moss phlox, native

Dining courtyard

Abington pond

Fothergilla 'Mount Airy' - witch-alder, native

Community Center

Syringa vulgaris  - Lilac

With Packera underneath. Love this color combination!

Packera aurea - golden ragwort, native

Perimeter Rd. 

Aronia 'Brilliantissima' - red chokeberry, native

Community center containers

Podophyllum peltatum - mayapple, native

Oak trail

Calycanthus floridus - Carolina allspice/sweetshrub

Oak trail

Tiarella cordifolia  - foamflower, native

Dream Garden

Trillium luteum - yellow trillium, native

Oak Trail

Uvularia sp. - bellwort, native

Oak trail amongst Anemone

A lovely tapestry 

Rhododendron periclymenoids  - pink azalea, native

With Hieracium maculatum 'Leopard', Japanese garden

Halesia Sp.  -  silverbell, native

Dream Garden

Dream Garden

Sisyrinchium nashii 'Suwannee'  - blue eyed grass, native

With Fothergilla, community center

Aquilegia canadensis 'Little Lanterns' - Columbine, native

Gwynedd pond garden

Carex rosea - rosy sedge, native

Cute little blooms. Gwynedd pond

Asarum canadense - wild ginger, native

Abington pond garden

The little hidden flower. Fly pollinated!

Honey We Shrunk the Garden Beds

To say the entrance sign beds felt pretty mundane would be an understatement. A vast sea of  mulch spilling over the edges, it would probably take hundreds of annuals just to properly fill them. I knew the size was too much and the team did not enjoy having to water them so often. While I had dreams of dramatic tropical displays in the summer (why not go big, you know?) we decided on using only native perennials and that is definitely the smarter, more sustainable choice to represent Foulkeways. I can always be a drama queen with the container plantings. 

Now, let me take you on a transformative journey! 

Entrance bed 2023

December 2023

The sign beds have typically been planted with annuals. It's easy to find low growing annuals to add quick seasonal color and this is the traditional way of landscaping sign beds. Don't get me wrong, this girl loves her annuals. They're fun to experiment with, easy to use to fill in areas and you can grow them yourself with little trouble from seed or cuttings. Some provide the added bonus  (or sometimes a curse depending on the plant) of self-seeding into open gaps, helping you effortlessly fill those areas. 

But for these sign beds it really was enjoyable to think outside that predictable design of beds of pansies in the Spring. 

The first step in this makeover journey was the removal of the overgrown spruce trees. They disappeared one day and I was very okay with that. This was followed by the large hollies and leatherleaf viburnums that also outgrew their place at the entrance beds. This helped significantly with improving road visibility when turning out onto Perimeter Rd. And we had a clean slate! 

February 2024

After discussing how I wanted to go about planting the beds, I asked if we could reduce the size and Mike and Andy made it happen. They brought the beds in several feet on the sides and in the front, followed by laying sod to complete them. 

The resizing resulted in two appropriately sized beds that look like they were always there. The beds were now calling for some plants! 

March 2024. Resizing in progress. 

The next step both was fun but challenging - plant selection and design.  I carefully selected native perennials that would be the appropriate height with staggering bloom times. From the ground to the bottom letters of the sign is only a mere 12 inches. Getting perennials that aren't just basic low growing ground cover, that display color and don't block the sign was somewhat of a challenge. But a fun one - plant shopping is never boring!

A look into my planning. Notes and sketches only I really understand ;)

A look into my planning. Notes and sketches only I really understand ;)

Sodded and planted. April 2024. 

Selected perennials include:

• Phlox subulata - spring color and evergreen foliage for the front of the bed
• Bouteloua gracilis -  a grass that adds a fun airy element and added winter interest
• Liatris microcephala  - an adorably compact blazing star 
• Aster 'Wood's Purple' - a compact aster that blooms late summer into fall 
• Rudbeckia 'Little Goldstar' -  a compact black eyed susan 
• Gentiana 'True Blue' - summer to fall blooming with gorgeous blue flowers
• Coreopsis 'Moonbeam'  - creamy yellow flowers blooming all summer, delicate foliage. One of my favorites! 
• Allium senescens 'Blue Eddy' - the only non-native. This allium has very fun pinwheel rosettes and blooms late summer into fall. Alliums are  a wonderful garden addition as they are easy to grow, deer resistant and have multiple seasons of interest! 

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The entrance sign at Meetinghouse was treated in a similar way.  The size was reduced, oversized shrubs removed and the bed was filled with native perennials and grasses as well as some bulbs like Allium 'Gladiator' which is just beginning to bloom!

Resizing in progress! March 2024

Photo by Mike Gornnert. Plants ready to go in. 

Planting complete April 2024

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This has been a really fun project that will help elevate the look of the sign beds, reduce mulch and watering (once established, currently i'm fighting against these 80 degree, rainless days!), and act as small havens for little critters and insects. Right now the plants may look small, some are blooming and some are not, but perennials need a little love and patience (don't we all). As the saying goes 'the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.' I find this very true for many perennials but the excitement for what's to come gives something to look forward to. 

-Julie