I wasn't planning to order any bulbs this year...I have more daffodils than I have space for and more to divide this year....but this week I ordered 100 more spanish bluebells, Excalibur (hyacinthoides hispanica)....oh, and some oxblood lilies too....
Honest, prairiemoon, bluebells are dropdead gorgeous. They grow in sun or shade and naturalize (just not fast enough. :) If they're hardy for you, you should try them.

Donna, thanks for that idea, I'll look for it. I just googled and couldn't find a photo of the 'Excalibur'. The photo of a spanish bluebell reminds me of scilla.

I was looking at 'Orange Princess' Tulips. So pretty. I don't usually get tulips. I don't have a lot of full sun areas and I am never happy with how long the foliage hangs around. I can't seem to find a good way to plant so that other foliage hides the dying bulb foliage. Another tulip called 'Montreux' is very pretty too. So, I may get them for a change. See how they do.

I have crocus and daffodils, but I am going to try to add more this year, if anyone has a favorite. I like the dwarfs so there is less noticeable dying foliage and the size usually is more in scale with my small garden.

I started buying Galanthus last year and I hope to get more this year. I wanted to add more minor bulbs whose dying foliage is not a problem. Anyone using a minor bulb that they have been happy with?

Thanks...

I ordered a bunch of daffs from Americanmeadows.com

i got tons of dutch masters and about 40 of the 'pink' mix which i definitely do not see as often! so if you're looking for something a little different than the usual big yellow daffs, try the pink ones :)

http://www.americanmeadows.com/FallFlowerBulbs/DaffodilFlowerBulbs/MixedPinkDaffodilBulbs.aspx

that's what I bought

I also bought roughly 200 tulip bulbs to plant this fall (oh boy, i'm going to have fun digging all these holes..)

I splurged on a bag of those parrot tulips, but I've got tons of those darwin hybrids in a lovely range of colors. Also bought some blue and purple tulips.

http://www.americanmeadows.com/FallFlowerBulbs/TulipFlowerbulbs.aspx

they have a pretty nice selection of tulips

I just placed my order with John Scheepers. My neighbor went in on the order with me as she's really into the Tulips. My zone is inbetween Prairiemoon and Donna's, but I do know from experience that most tulips (and hyacinths) act like annuals here. My neighbor ordered some that we've had experience with that did return for a couple or 3 years: Red Riding Hood (Greggii), Mount Tecoma (late white Double) and Yellow Mountain (a pale yellow sport of Mt. Tecoma)...Really the only reason I ordered anything (I'm sooo out of room) is because I wanted more Ipheion (Wisley blue). A nice little carefree ground cover with leaves that don't hang around forever (my main objection with most large leaved bulbs). I also got Muscari Ocean Magic just because John Scheepers Picture of it made it look so appealing. They will go in a pot.....I wanted one Jonquill (again, thin leaves that aren't so obvious during the ripening process) and after research settled on trying a bi-color 'Golden Echo' (B&B coincidently enough are the hybridizers)....Prairiemoon, if you like the thin leaves like I do, you ought to check into the Jonquilla class of narcissus. They are fragrant and although their flowers aren't as large as the regular dafs, they have multiple blooms per stem so that the display carries on for quite some time.....Donna, I read about the Spanish Bluebells, but never could find a picture with their foliage showing. Is it large foliage?

Here is a link that might be useful: John Scheepers-Jonquilla

:-) I swore last year that I WAS NOT going to spend any more money on bulbs. lol. But I recently got out of the hospital and to distract myself, I looked at Van Engelen and Buggy Crazy websites. lol

These are what I am getting from Buggy Crazy:
3 x L henryi, WHITE BICOLOR HENRY, SUPERSIZED (WHITE HENRY )
3 x L lankongense (L lankongense 0.75)
3 x L martagon, Turkscap Lily (L martagon 0.75)

From Van Engelen:

100 Brodeia corrina
5 Fritillaria pallidiflora
100 Fritillaria meleagris
100 Camassia quamash
50 Erythromium pagoda

I have wanted these bulbs for years but always went for more splashy flowers. :-D I am indulging myself this time. :-D I need to replace my Lily Martagon too, since I killed my fist ones.

I don't know what has happened to me this year, I just suddenly got the 'bulb bug'. [g] I'm even ordering tulips which I never order. I didn't spend that much money on plants this year, so now I'm making up for it with the bulbs. :-)

Last year I didn't order one bulb until the November sales and I got a few that I really liked for cheap, but they were out of some that I wanted. The two years prior I didn't order any.

So, I just ordered more daffs from Daffodils and More. I love ordering from David Burdick, the owner, because he loves to talk daffodils and will really spend the time to help you order what will work in your conditions. And even makes recommendations for bulbs that are right for you, when he doesn't even carry them. He offers some of the new American hybrids and some from Ireland and Scotland. They aren't cheap, but he does have some that are on sale. He doesn't have a lot of photos on his website, but I discovered Daffseek.com, what a great tool. Have you used that?

I'm getting ....
Bantam
Birthday Girl
Pink Glacier
Altruist

and a few more, I forget.

I called B&B today too, and ordered those two tulips I am starry eyed about this year...lol. And I was just going to review and see what else I want to order and from who and I remembered I hadn't checked this post in a couple of days and I'm glad I did. I wish GW would fix their function to let you pull up the posts you've made, to put them in chronological order.

superpony, that is a pretty pink daff collection and nice to see a sale so early. I am a fan of pinks.

maryl....thanks so much for that link. You are right, I usually look for the thin foliage too, but I guess I haven't found much in the last few years, I think that is why I broke down and bought daffs this year w/o considering that. But now that you've pointed me to the jonquilla, I'm going right to that page when I finish this post. :-) ..... I have Red Riding Hood, one of two tulips that has been coming back for me for over 10 years. I'm going to try to get chinoxoda established in my lawn. David Burdick just highly recommended it because it sets seed so quickly and blooms so early that you can mow your lawn soon after they've finished blooming. That's my kind of bulb!

pitimpinai! Nice to see you. Glad you are feeling better and entertaining yourself ordering bulbs. :-) If anyone deserves to spend a little money on bulbs this year, it's you! Nice order you've made. I haven't started looking at Lilies yet, but that's next. [g] I love the martagons. I love your spring bulb order too. I stay clear of fritillaria every year because I hate the Red Lily Leaf Beetle and I read that they are an alternate host. One of these days I am going to order some of those Erythromiums. Never heard of brodeia, I 'll have to check it out.

Thanks... :-)

Hi All
I love the Spanish bluebells. I have several that have formed nice clumps over several years. They return nicely here in the Dallas area.

Haven't got my order together yet. I do know that I'm doing a lot of tulips again. Loads of reds and yellows for VE and Colorblends. I really liked the species tulip mix from Colorblends called Alladins Carpet. New favorit daff is Quail...gotaa get more of those. The flowers las a long long time.

Favorite tulips last year was Colorblends French blend Rose. Stunning! There were selling them by the stem at a gourmet grocer in the area for $13 a stem. If you've never tried this mix and are looking for a blend of pink, rich rose and orange tones...and huge flowers...you might give these a try.

gotta get the list together this weekend. I want to try the leucojums tooo.....I think!
smiles
c

I am not getting any more Daff. :-) Too many already. In fact, I have been thinning them out for several years now.
Found that no 'pink' Daff. really exist. ALl od mine came up either creamy or soft peachy color.

I fell in love with the Impression series, lily flowering and early double tulips. I also have a lot of Allium to bridge the spring blooming flowers with summer. Have these bulbs in my garden for at least 7 years now.

Cynthia, I tried Colorblends French blend Rose two years ago. Stunning it is!
I had tons of Leucojum aestivum 'Gravetye Giants'. :-) Dug some out two years in a row because they multiply fast...faster than Daffodil 'Ice Fillies' :-)

Spanish bluebells (hyacinthoides hispanica) have foliage similar to daffodils, but I do not believe it hangs around as long. The blooms are arranged in spikes: lovely bells dangling down all along the length. Excalibur is a purer blue than the species and a bit taller. They also come in white and pink, but blue is just such a great color to work with gaudy bright azaleas and camellias.

maryl, I love ipheion too. I bought sixty more last year to add to a clump I had planted several years ago. They got lost under an azalea, but are just the purest sky blue when they bloom. Their foliage just melts away, very neat and fast. When they are happy, they will make droopers and spread at a steady pace, even in my heavy mulch. I hope to eventually have a "puddle" of them under a Vitex tree. I'm going to try to pay attention this year and see what daffodils bloom at the same time. It would be pretty to dot a few into that blue puddle.

For those of you who are southerners, I would also highly recommend leucojum. Snowdrops just positively will not do for me here in my zone, but Snowflakes are a great substitute! Their foliage is similar to daffodils. I put them in big clumps under my hydrangeas.

Also, if you can find them, atamasco lilies (zephyranthes atamasco) are easy, prolific and gorgeous. They make big crocuslike white blooms with a chartreuse throat. They bloom here around Easter each year. They love heavy wet soil.

Is it better to order now or are there sales in a few months? Does johnscheepers have good prices?

Order now for the best selection. I really try and put alot of thought into my orders since I have such a small amount of space and don't want to waste it. What a disappointment when I've finally narrowed my order down and find out the company has sold out. I ordered from Scheepers because they not only have a great selection but an excellent reputation (here and on Dave's Garden Watchdog)and nothing wrong with their prices (in the bulb world cheap is usually not a good thing). They ship at the proper planting time and I try and get my order in no later then September 1st.....Donna, thanks for the info on the Spanish Bluebells foliage. If you ever get a Narcissus/Ipheion combo that blooms at the same time I hope you will tell us. I'm also looking for container Tulips/Muscari (M. Armeniacum) combos if you know of any. I'll probably pitch the Tulip bulbs after flowering but the Muscari is easily tucked in about anywhere in the garden if I decide to keep them.

You know, maryl, I have had muscari for years. They persist. They multiply. They do not bloom. Do yours? I have wondered if I have the wrong variety for the south...?
Another good reason to love reliable ipheion.

I've grown Muscari in one spot for over 15 years and no problem with rebloom that I can recall. I'm pretty sure that what I planted all those years ago was the usual off the rack Muscari Armeniacum. The problem with yours may be that you are in a more southerly zone and need the variety Muscari Neglectum (the old southern starch muscari). Could be you don't get enough cold where you are to set buds. Or of course there's the other usual suspects; overcrowding or too much shade......I'd like to try some of the other blue colors of Ipheion other then my old stand by Wisley blue just to compare. Maybe some day.

Daffs, daffs, and more daffs! I've bought about 125 different named cultivars from the IN Daff Soc, and have smaller orders coming in yet from Mitsch's, Buggy Crazy, and a small coop group. Could I be out of control???

Found that no 'pink' Daff. really exist. ALl od mine came up either creamy or soft peachy color.
pitimpinai, actually there are several daffs that have cups that are 'quite' pink. I have seen a lot of them at shows, but a lot of them are just not very readily available via on line ordering, or even finding in catlogs. Next spring at a daff show, I will note several cultivars that are quite pink, and even try to get some pics.

Most, if not all daffs, get their true color as the bloom matures. Even if they initially open a peach or cream color, a lot of them will end up being quite pink once the bloom matures to its true color.

Sue

I've seen some that supposidly have orange cups, so how orange is the orange? Is it a deep reddish orange or pale peach? Do these designer colors fade fairly rapidly? Obviously I'm not a daf person like you Sue, so really don't know. We are a little far south for "dafmania" I think.

maryl, I mis-wrote. My ipheion is Rolf Fiedler. It is an intense sky blue. Truly, the color of a clear autumn sky. I had the straight species first and found it to be a milky blue, too weak for my intense sun.

I may have to try that old starch muscari. I have read about it. I wonder if it is as prolific as armeneniacum.

Sorry, prairiemoon, for hijacking your thread. If they're hardy, you should try ipheion! :)

I ordered a lot of bulbs this year because I decided I wanted to start attempting to breed tulips and bearded irises. So I wanted basically some of each color and shape I could find. I'm also going to experiment with trying to force a few tulips over the winter on a lighted shelf in my basement.

Professor Einstein (pictured below) is one of the most orange cupped daffs I have.
{{gwi:26268}}

Here is a bouquet of mixed daffs of a lot of color combinations.
{{gwi:15008}}

Though it lacks substance, and thus is not a good show flower, Fortissimo, is huge, quite orange, a great garden daff, and had a very long bloom time for me this year.

Fortissimo images It is also shown in the bouquet above...the big yellow/orange one.

We are a little far south for "dafmania" I think.
In my opinion, you are in a really good climate for growing and enjoying daffs. I'm sure there is daffmania in your state and zone but you just have not run across the maniacs.

If anyone should happen to be interested in acquiring some named cultivar daffs (very reasonably priced, IMHO) that are not readily available on line, I have access to some that the IN Daff Soc still has up for sale. Just drop me an email for more info.

Sue

Several people on this thread have mentioned Spanish Blubells and the fact that the foliagae dies off quickly. All I can tell you is that in my USDA zone 4 (southern Ontario) garden the foliage is composed of these wide floppy green leaves that completely cover the soil around them and eventually (none too soon!) turn to mush and then wither away. They are a real pain. Also the bulbs/tubers spread like mad underground. They are one tough plant but a real nuisance to get rid of. The heavy leaves tend to smother any other perennials I try to grow near them. They do grow well in dry, part shade. Maybe they should be planted around shrubs where the ripening foliage is not a problem.

Very interesting. Goes to show you the difference climate can make. Just to clarify, I did not say bluebell foliage dies quickly. I said it dies more quickly than daffodils (here in my climate).

Donna: Awhile back I was reading something on the internet about Ipheion Rolf Feidler and I think that the article stated that some Taxonomists think that Rolf is not a true Ipheion but a close relative. I love those botonists who spend their lives examining plants just so they can rename them and confuse all the rest of us. Remember the Chrysanthemum debacle? I'm still not sure how that ended up. I've never seen Rolf in person, so can't compare its form with the Wisley Blue Ipeion, but the pictures sure look similar to my untrained eye (except for the color of course). And I've heard the same complaint you had about the species Ipheion (too milky), which is why I've always grown the variety Wisley Blue. I see B&B has another one called Jessie which is tempting me......Thanks Sue for the info on the orange Daf. In my area in particular our heavy clay soil is prohibitive for planting the larger bulbs without raised beds, but I have a very small area that I'm willing to sacrifice to dafs for cutting and the orange cup really appeals to me. How's Prof. Einstein as a cut flower?

How's Prof. Einstein as a cut flower?
I'm sorry, but I can't really say for sure. When I cut daffs for bouquets, I usually end up with a mixed bouquet similar to the one above, maybe with blooms in different stages of maturity. Then I will daily pull out those that are faded and leave the rest until they are all gone.

I don't know if some cultivars last longer than others as cut flowers, or not. It does seem though that Fortissimo (the big one on the bouquet with the yellow petals and the orange cup) lasted a really long time in the garden though.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Google images Fortissimo

Maryl, orange- and red-cup daffodils can be quite dark, depending on the cultivar. I've seen them almost brick red and bright orange. You'll like them, they can be very pretty and they are relatively uncommon.

I drove past a large patch of split-cup butterfly daffodils with orange cups last year and actually went around the block to get a better look... they didn't read as daffodils. Beautiful.

Sue: I don't know how long any daf lasts in the vase because I've never had enough of the big ones to think I could spare a few from the outside display. I once was so desparate for early spring dafs that I bought 1/2 dozen from a florist. Those six stems cost me $38.00. I remember it in particular because they never opened as the florist said they would and I could have kicked myself for the splurge.......LadyC. I have one large split cup daf named Cassata that starts out yellow cup/white petals. The yellow fades to a very pale yellow after a few days but it's lovely either way. I swear this daf can survive anything. Planted straight into clay soil it has thrived on pure neglect for years. I will have to check out the orange centered one you talk about. It sounds stunning.

I drove past a large patch of split-cup butterfly daffodils with orange cups last year and actually went around the block to get a better look... they didn't read as daffodils.

A split cup orange in a mass planting would likely have been Orangery, which is fairly commonly available.

{{gwi:12062}}

Those six stems cost me $38.00.
YIKES! I could have overnighted you some blooms for maybe less than that, and they would have opened fine.

Last spring when I was entering a Daff Show which was held on a Sat, I was told to choose and pick my blooms on either Tues or Wed before the show, and then keep them in a cool place. I was told to pick blooms that looked a little immature color wise, and then they would be perfect the day of the show. Several that I picked on a Wed, that didn't go to the show, were still looking quite good the following Tues or Wed. They had however been kept in the cool basement, or the fridge part time.

I'm already getting excited about the Daff Shows for 2010 and hope to enter several of them. I'm hooked, and hooked bad.

Sue

Coming from Fl., spring bulbs are new to me. So I spent this past spring and summer seeing what I had. The former owner of the house had stuff ALL over the place. Daffodils all over the place. After they bloomed and the foliage wilted, I dug up most of them and massed them in two tight beds in front of my front porch. The tulips were in two tight beds in an area out under a big sickamore tree out front. Deep purple. BEAUTIFUL! I didn't touch these. About 30 in each group. Then Two big areas of giant Assulym(SP?)Big beautiful heads on long ,strong stems. But they smell like onions!! After they did their thing and the foliage wilted they got dug up and moved to surround a red maple up on the hill about 150' from the house not far from the road. They can do their thing up there. And then I had glads ALL over the place. Mostly out in the bed by the sickamore tree. One good thing, they were all the same kind. A little over a week ago the foliage was yellow enough to cut and move most of them. I mass planted them in front of the sickamore bed. Didn't have the first lilly or irises of any kind. So I went on a hunting and digging mission. There is an OLD abandoned general store on a side road about a mile from the house that has all kinds of plants around it. Saved myself a LOT of money. Got about 20 light purple bearded irises. At least 200 yellow-orange lillys. About a dozen orange wild butterfly plants. Plus I got six cittings from a beautiful hardy hydrania(SP?)bush. All six have rooted and are in one gal. pots under my oak tree out back. And then I ordered from Spring Hill and Brecks. Not a bunch. Just enough to see what their products are like. From SH I ordered the reblooming German irises (12), and a big bunch of cone flowers. The irises came last week. VERY big and healthy. Already planted them. Will receive the cone flowers early spring. From Brecks I ordered The giant lilly collection. I have the perfect place for them out back by my workshop. And all of this from a ROSE freek! I figure it will take about two or three yrs for everything to come together (about 75 to 100 roses bushs of all types along with everything else). I won't have a big "formal" garden. Just an easy flow garden. I moved up to the N.GA. mountains to retire (well kind of semi. I do a little side work on MY terms) and I plan on enjoying it. After a working life of Drywall hanging, finishing and texturing I can sit back, smile and say, "Thank you Lord."

I have tulips coming in from Scheepers.
Miranda
La courtine
Kings orange
Abba
ken-n.ga.mts looks to me that you found a new job/hobby. Make sure to post us some pictures this coming year, your property sounds like a dream.