Daffodils & tulips, that is! My dh bought several bags of these lovely bulbs for us to plant pretty soon.

There is a good chance that the tulips,may not be so perennial for you, as there are only certain cultivars that reliably return from year to year. You could plant them in front and then rip them out once they are finished, and discard the bulbs.

If dieing foliage bothers you (while it doesn't bother me), I would suggest those also be planted in back.

When do daffs bloom in your area? When is it safe to plant the annuals? I'm thinking that by possibly planting the annuals early, that they 'may' soon hide some of the dieing daff foliage.

Another option might be to plant the bulbs in pots, or at least some of them, and sink the pots in the ground in the front, and then remove them once the blooms have faded, and sink them in the ground in back, or just let them rest until the foliage has died back. You could then repeat the process next fall, with the same bulbs in the same pots, by adding some fertilizer.

Hopefully others will weigh in on this.

Sue...just my 2 cents

All of my big bulb beds share the space with other things, perennials and or annuals, which take over and hide the bulb foliage as it ripens. Tulips aren't an issue for me, since deer and rabbits decimate them and I can't really grow them to speak of. But, I have a TON of daffodils (probably like 5000 or more!) since I'm a real addict, and my several main daffodil areas get planted into taller annual flowers like sunflowers, amaraths, cosmos, cleome, tall marigolds, etc., which are small as the daffodil foliage does its thing in May and early June, and then grow and hide it as it dies away in late June and into July. The daff foliage is pretty much gone here by around the 2nd week in July, and by then, the annuals are full and hearty.

Yes. The trick is to plant your bulbs among other things that will at least distract the eye from the ripening foliage. My favorite is to plant daffodils under deciduous shrubs like hydrangeas, roses, and weigelas. And then, there are ornamental grasses that get cut to the ground just as daffodils are coming up. As the foliage starts looking its worst, the shrubs begin to leaf out and all you see is green. Also, daffodils are nice interplanted with daylilies. It's hard to tell the difference in the two kinds of foliage from a distance.

As far as the tulips go, unless you are in the Pacific Northwest or your tulips are species varieties, you can just pull them up after they bloom. They won't rebloom next year anyway.

Nice to hear from you again, Chemocurl! Great suggestions. I want to mull over them more closely. The potting idea is particularly interesting. Thanks so much!

Denni, your garden sounds fabulous. Thanks for the tips & info.

Donna, yes, distracting from the foliage w/other plants is a great idea. Timing will help me determine if that is possible for me. Thanks.

I need to further study each of your helfpul responses.

So far, have only planted annuals in that front bed. Here is a pic of the Sunpatiens I planted the 1st week of May. Just pulled them out this week & they were twice as big as in this pic. As you can see, there are evergreen shrubs in the background. The camellias (round shrubs on left) are in full bloom (hot pink) now, until about Feb. 1. The in front of the shrubs is empty right now, save for a small stone bird bath to the left. That's o.k. too, as winter should look a little more sparse, imo! Have thought about putting in some pansies, but the scale is off, I think, as p's are so small & delicate. I may circle a pine tree to the left (not in pic) w/pansies. I had regular impatiens that grew like crazy around it all summer.

As you can see, the style of the planting area is fairly "tailored," clean & simple, not "English cottage" at all (which I love, btw). A more free-flowing approach would not suit the space, imo. I live in the suburbs now!

Thanks again for all your help.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:32115}}

I saw a picture in a bulb book today that might suit the more formal lines of your front yard.

It was Ranunculus (for the vertical element and some foliage texture) planted with a matching Viola to give filling and softening. You could have the colour range of the daffodils without the leaf sprawl and clean up.

You could also do this with 'florists' Anemones', either single or double. They often flower for a long time and carry on through the season better than a single variety of daffodil or tulip. And they seem more suited to formal planting.

If they grow well in your area, you might also consider Dutch Irises as accents with the Anemones or Ranunculus. Another possible is patches of the Iris reticulata, perhaps with the smaller pansies - the little johnny-jump-ups. They work well in formal planters, too. Off the ground so they can be admired.

And some of the miniature daffodils, strategically placed in clumps of five to seven, could give a burst of colour, too. 'Jetfire', 'Tete a Tete' 'Jack Snipe'. The foliage is shorter so there's not so much of a sprawl to follow.

For the treasure trove you've been offered - definitely out the back, among the shrubs and perennials, for personal delight and a lot less work as you can interplant over the summer rather than uplift each year.

WOW, Veti, your suggestions all sound quite interesting. Will have to look them up! Thanks for taking the time to share them.

Yes, this whole issue of planning a scheme where you have continuous action is very attractive, but incredibly daunting. It takes a lot of planning & figuring out bloom periods & times in addition to considering growth habit issues.

I lived in PA for 14 yrs. & have only been in this VA house for a few. I'm adjusting to the vastly different growing seasons as well as a vastly different style of house & neighborhood w/different challenges and requirements. I planted with abandon at my old house & never thought that much about tidiness, (except for maybe spent daylily foilage, which drove me batty) but here it is crucial.

I guess it feels very important to "get it right" because the landscaping adds so much curb appeal to my exterior. I'm not terribly fond of the architecture of my house. It is very bland, but the landscaping goes a long way toward giving the exterior some much-needed personality. My favorite HGTV show is "Curb Appeal!"

Sorry if I rambled on too much!

I appreciate the food for thought.

I guess it feels very important to "get it right" because the landscaping adds so much curb appeal to my exterior.
Well, your property certainly has a lot of curb appeal in the pic.

I'm not terribly fond of the architecture of my house.
I think your house is lovely, with a lot of character, really set off by the 'perfect' landscaping. Are those smaller windows above the double hung windows? Have you got a breezeway too?

I've worked hard to keep our property looking clean & neat
It certainly shows. Might you be a perfectionist?

In seeing your property and how perfect it is, I think the spring bulbs in pots sunk into the ground, and then switched out would be the way to go.

I had to check to see where you remembered me from and see we frequent a couple of the same forums, and both have pesky people in our lives.

Sue

Hey, CC, thanks for the affirming words! Yes, "pesky" is a nice way of putting it, I like that.

Whatever the forum, you always give good advice. Thanks!

Btw, yes, those are transom windows above the double-hung. They were a PITA to do window treatments on in the living room. Have only cordless shades on the windows upstairs at this point. Can't go through the trauma of selecting more window decor for a while. Did learn a lot from the doing the other room though. Whew! When/if I replace these windows I may not keep the transom in the configuration. That's way off, we'll see.

No, there is no breezeway. There is a very small planting are near the front door that I refer to as "the courtyard." Planted a Japanese Maple, Holly Ferns & Hydrangeas in there since we moved in.

Thanks for the kind words about the house/curb appeal. I'm trying! Btw, yes, the bulbs in pots idea is probably the way to go. Great idea.

I don't consider myself a perfectionist, but I want to make the most of the house & yard which is a big effort for me. Dh helps, but he works a lot. I just wish I was brawnier. The spirit is so willing, but my flesh is so weak. Working on that too, as my PT has me lifting little weights every day!

Hope you're enjoying the season, however you celebrate it!

Stinky gardener: (love that name!)

I am also picky about the front yard, though lose my resolution frequently, create a new mess, and have to re-do things there. I plant daffodils around daylilies, which have the perfect foliage for hiding the daff leaves. Though some on the perennial forum think daylily foliage is itself messy, later in the season, when some leaves may brown and dry up. The newer, semi- or evergreen varieties are less messy than the dormants prevalent in my area and stay neater looking.

Add some yoga to your exercises, to strengthen your core muscles. My yoga teacher knows I garden and has given me a number of exercises that really help with the kneeling and squatting plus the shoulders. I crank up on these in the month before gardening season starts. Improving flexibility will help you a lot. I have carpal tunnel and have to work around that.

Gosh, haven't checked back over here in a while (usually at home decor site) & I'm so glad I did this evening!

Thanks, Linnea, for your reply, & for the exercise suggestions. Glad to hear you're able to work around ct & still do your gardening.

Guess I lost my resolve as well, L! Planted bulbs all over the front beds since I posted this thread! I mean all over! Tulips & daffs both. Got them 1/2 price, so I figure if it's a disaster, will just yank them out & never try this again. They were a pretty cheap experiment. Worst case scenario is I'll have to endure odd looks & snide remarks from neighbors in the spring! There's a steady flow of joggers, walkers, bikers, baby strollers & dog walkers parading by my house, & many notice & comment on whatever I'm up to! SO, I may look kind of silly for a while if these things don't come up nicely!

Did ya hear that bulbs? Be nice! LOL!

Nice hearing from you, Linnea.