Summer Bulbs

I have been preparing for the summer already. I have been buying seeds, sowing seeds, storing bulbs, and... even buying some new ones. Yes, I know! It's only February. I will only be able to plant the bulbs in May after there's no frost in the ground any more.

I bought lots of different lilies, Irises and other bulbs last year. Most of them didn't even bloom. The best performers were low growing lily varieties like 'Mona Lisa' and the tiger lily 'Pink Tiger' (which I believe to be 'Splendens' instead, because it doesn't really look like 'Pink Tiger' at all). Others were just too late last summer, and didn't get to bloom before winter. Summer 2012 wasn't exactly warm. It was quite cool and I kept waiting for the "summer to finally arrive" all summer long! Those lilies that were early enough were growing along the southern wall, and probably enjoyed more warmth than others.

I have been ordering most of my bulbs abroad for years now. Mainly because it's easier to find more cultivars in one place. But then it happens, that I come across some lovely cultivar at my local hardware store, and have to buy that too... Here are some I bought last week.

So what I found there in Bauhaus were oriental lilies, dahlias, iris and Crocosmia. I also placed a big order at Eurobulb. My list includes some Eucomis, Iris, Hemerocallis, Gladiolus, Trillium and some other bulbs. To be honest, I'm not sure if there's going to be enough space in my garden for all of them, but I guess I'll just make more space if there isn't yet.