Category Archives: bulbs

Got Deer? Here Are a Few Deer-Proof Bulbs for Spring Flowers

Posted on August 20, 2021 | Leave a comment

snowdrop blossoms in the woodsNow is the time to start thinking about purchasing spring-blooming bulbs in the Washington DC metro area. There is a wide variety of choices but if you have a severe deer problem, you may want to plant deer-proof bulbs. I know, you say, there is no such thing as “deer-proof.” However, with bulbs there are a few that are actually poisonous. The amaryllis family offers three popular critter-proof bulbs that contain lycorine, a poisonous crystalline alkaloid. Somehow, animals know about lycorine and stay away from these bulbs plus the bulbs perform well in this area and last for many years in the garden. Continue reading →

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Don’t Forget to Order Bulbs for Summer Blooms!

Posted on February 27, 2021 | Leave a comment

Many gardeners focus on obtaining seed now to start their garden in the spring. But given the increased interest in gardening it may be best for gardeners to also focus on ordering summer-blooming bulbs as soon as possible. It will be too cold to plant them now in the DC metro area and some nurseries do not even ship them until later when it is warmer. But given the high demand for seeds, gardeners may want to select and order their summer blooming bulbs now to make sure they have them when it is time to plant in May. Continue reading →

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Spring-Blooming Crocus

Posted on February 11, 2021 | 1 comment
crocus

crocus at Brookside Gardens

February brings the spring crocus. These ephemeral beauties are actually perennials. After blooming in February and March, they go dormant in the summer and reappear next spring. Crocus are grown from corms, which are relatively small and cheap compared to other spring blooming bulbs. Continue reading →

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Amaryllis: A Holiday Tradition

Posted on November 16, 2020 | Leave a comment
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Charisma is an early blooming amaryllis, just in time for Christmas. Photo courtesy of Longfield Gardens.

Growing an amaryllis is easy, just plant and water. Unlike the spring blooming bulbs, an amaryllis does not need a chilling period. It is a tropical plant, hardy to Zones 9-12. Once planted, these large bulbs can bloom in time for the holidays, depending on the bulb. Although they may seem like an investment, you can coax the bulb to re-bloom the following year. Continue reading →

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Forcing Paperwhites with Alcohol Prevents Flopping

Posted on October 30, 2020 | Leave a comment

The first time I forced bulbs to bloom indoors was when I was taking a horticulture class at Northern Virginia Community College in the 1970s. We were given paperwhite bulbs (Narcissus tazetta) that we placed in a shallow dish of water and pebbles. Continue reading →

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Now Is the Time to Get Your Garlic!

Posted on September 13, 2020 | 4 comments
garlic in bowl

Chesknok Red, a purple-striped hardneck garlic

As fall approaches, thoughts turn to garlic. Growing your own garlic is easy and the cloves are tastier than what you purchase in a grocery store. Typically, garlic is planted in October in the Washington DC metro area but I have planted as late as Thanksgiving Day.  You may find “seed” stock (the garlic you buy to plant, not the garlic you buy in a grocery store to eat) at independent garden centers, farmers markets, online seed companies or specialty garlic companies. If garlic at your favorite seed company is sold out, try a company that specializes in garlic because they have more inventory. Continue reading →

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Deer-Proof Bulbs for Spring Flowers

Posted on August 12, 2020 | Leave a comment

snowdrop blossoms in the woodsFall is the time to purchase spring-blooming bulbs in the Washington DC metro area. There is a wide variety of choices but if you have a severe deer problem, you may want to plant deer-proof bulbs. I know, you say, there is no such thing as “deer-proof” but with bulbs there are a few that are actually poisonous. I spoke with Brent Heath of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs in Gloucester, VA, who explained the difference between deer-proof and deer-resistant. Continue reading →

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Now That You Have Seeds, Order Bulbs for Summer Blooms!

Posted on April 15, 2020 | Leave a comment

Many gardeners focus on obtaining seed in the spring to start their garden. Now that summer is around the corner, don’t forget to order summer-blooming bulbs such as alliums, cannas, crinums, dahlias, lilies, gladiolus, and iris. For interesting foliage, try caladiums, colocasias, and alocasias. Below is a list of companies that sell bulbs in alphabetical order. For other companies that primarily sell seeds and may also sell bulbs, click on the “Seed Companies” tab on pegplant.com. Continue reading →

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Early Spring Bloomers: Dwarf Irises

Posted on January 27, 2020 | Leave a comment
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Harmony

It is the end of January and already I can see the spiky green emerging from the mass of dead, brown leaves. Dwarf irises are one of my earliest bloomers in my zone 7 Virginia garden. These irises are only 4-5 inches tall and bloom solitary flowers. Mine have been in my garden for a long time, nothing bothers them. Usually they bloom in early March. This year we have had such a mild winter, I think I will see flowers in February.

J.S. Dijt

J.S. Dijt

Also known as netted iris, dwarf irises (Iris reticulata) are very small bulbs, covered with a fibrous netting. There are many cultivars; flower colors range from light to dark blue or light to dark purple. Preferring full sun and well-drained soil, they thrive in rock gardens, on steps and terraces, in containers, and can be forced to bloom indoors in pots. The flowers can be cut for small desk top vases, bringing early spring cheer to the office or home.

They are available to plant in the fall, along with other bulbs, at local garden centers or through bulb companies. Because they are so small though, buy at least a handful. Plant with roots pointing down, spike pointing up, three inches deep and three inches apart. Hardy to zone 5, they die back in the summer and come back in the spring every year. In my garden, ‘J.S. Dijt’ and ‘Harmony’ have thrived for years with no pests or diseases.

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Subscribe to Pegplant’s Post, a Newsletter for DC Metro Area Gardeners

Posted on October 21, 2019 | Leave a comment

Apricot Giant Tulip

Enter your e-mail here to subscribe to Pegplant’s Post, a free monthly newsletter about gardening in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Each issue lists 50 to 100 local gardening events, lectures, and workshops; recently published gardening books; and articles and tips specific to this immediate area. Subscribers have a chance to win a gardening product or plant every month.

For the November 2019 issue, we are doing something a little different for the giveaway. Instead of having one subscriber win one product, we are going to have five possible winners. Each person can receive 100 tulip bulbs. We have collaborated with Dutch Grown to give away a total of 500 tulips — five winners will get 100 of one variety. Winners cannot pick which variety, but it will be 100 of Apricot Giant, or Jumbo Cherry, or Strawberry Fields Collection, or Rainbow Parrot, or Apricot Parrot.

Rainbow Parrot Tulip

Established in 1882, Dutch Grown has been shipping and selling spring blooming bulbs from their family farm in Holland to growers in the United States. They launched their website in 2001 and in 2007 they were able to set up their online shop.  Initially only wholesale quantities were available for purchase online but they were able to provide retail prices by opening a warehouse in West Chester, PA. They ship bulbs from Holland to the warehouse in Pennsylvania and from this site they can deliver retail orders to gardeners and home owners. Their website has a blog, a question submission form, a bulb calculator, a zone finder, and several videos.

So if you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to Pegplant’s Post for a chance to win 100 bulbs. Read the November newsletter for details. All photos courtesy of Dutch Grown.

Apricot Parrot Tulip

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